MAKING TIME FOR THE TROPHY
By: Cate Cook

The Coyle family enjoys archery hunting more than most.  In fact, Jim Coyle has taken three bulls that made Pope and Young record books.  But son Austin is into sports at school, too.  As a football player, he found it hard to get away to hunt during archery season.  So, last year, the father-son team did their elk hunting later and confined to weekends to work around thirteen-year-old Austin’s school activities.  As dad Jim tells it, they had joined their hunting buddy Howard Slack and his son Kobe last fall in an elk camp above Dubois

The hunters packed in with horses, set up camp, then did some bugling to see what sort of neighbors they had.  It didn’t take long for one angry bull, distracted by the late season rut, to come bellowing right to the hunters’ doorstep.  Austin put his Winchester 270 to good work with an easy 100 yard shot.  His bullet brought down a dandy 6x8, which dad, Jim, figured would have rough-scored about 350.  The elk had fallen in steep terrain where it was impossible to take a horse, so the hunters earned their meat this time, packing the monster out on foot until they could reach serious transportation.  The long pack out pretty well used up the weekend, but the Coyles had a real trophy to show for it; the teen had taxidermist Alan Sinner preserve the memories of the hunt with a stunning mount. 
This year, Jim and Austin expect to make the same sort of trips, fitting in a little deer and antelope hunting along with the elk, hoping for more “weekend success” between school and other demands.  Jim says they’re both huge fans of Ted Nugent, his hunting programs, ethics and promotion of youth hunting.  Hunting, he adds, will never take a back seat to other sports.