Into the Wild: My First Elk Hunt

Singer-Songwriter Jet Jurgensmeyer Discovers The Art Of Patience & The Thrill Of Success

It’s not every day that you get to look back at your 6-year-old self and say, “We did it.”

When the opportunity to harvest my first elk came up, I took it. I’d wanted to go on an elk hunt for as long as I could remember. I became a lifetime member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) at age 8 and watched just about every documentary and YouTube video on hunting these amazing animals you could imagine. Up until this year, the closest I had ever come to an elk hunt was through my grandfather. He went to Capitan, New Mexico, in 2020 at age 83 and got an enormous 6x6 bull. Now it was my turn. My dad and I signed up to go on this elk hunt as soon as my grandfather got back from his, and there was a four-year wait list just to get the chance to haul one of these creatures in. My cousin Drew Jurgensmeyer also got a tag and was going to be joining us.

In Search of New Mexico Elk

The first day showing up in New Mexico was pretty surreal. The large mountain ranges and the mule deer bouncing around in the brush were very different from the Southern and Midwest whitetail hunts I was used to. The one thing that seemed to be missing was an elk. We had only seen a young 4x3 bull the entire time we’d been in the state thus far. Luckily, that would change the next morning. I would be guided by a 22-year-old named Rylan Tercero. He grew up in the hills of Capitan, hunting muleys, elk, and everything else that runs through the trees around those parts. This was his first year working for this outfit, Top Notch Outfitters, so the pressure was on to make sure we got a bull.

On our first day, I carried my custom-built rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, a chest rig with Leupold BX-1 McKenzie HD 12x50mm binoculars, a SIG SAUER Kilo Canyon 6X22mm rangefinder, and Hornady's 143 gr ELD‑X Precision Hunter ammo. The morning was pretty boring, to say the least. The weather and wind were in our favor the whole time, but besides a brief sighting of an elk on a mountain about 1,500 yards away...nothing. We weren’t expecting bugles this late into the season, but a sign that they were in the area would have been nice. We sat and we walked, and we sat and we walked, mainly watching over a watering hole where some nice bulls had been sighted on trail cameras earlier in the week (not to mention the momma black bear, two cubs, and mountain lion that were also seen on those cameras). Not that I was exactly scared of those, but I definitely didn’t want to run into them and see how they were doing. After a brief break by mid-day, while the elk bedded down due to the hot sun coming out in full force, we were back at it. However, not much changed for us on the afternoon side of our first day. Overlooking that same watering hole, we saw nothing but birds and tree limbs that tricked my brain into thinking it was an elk a few times and a couple of bugles on the back sides of hills that we couldn’t touch.

With about 20 minutes of legal shooting light left, Rylan and I decided to call it quits.

Time Was On Our Side

This was a lesson I learned the hard way: never get discouraged and miss out on something because you got bored. Wait it out. Halfway back to the truck, Rylan finally got service on his phone, and right on the camera, drinking out of our watering hole were two solid 5x5 bulls. I looked at my watch and then at him and said, “Can we make it?” Without a second thought, Rylan said to me, “Screw it—let’s go!” Practically running down the gravel road, back through trees, and creeping into the meadow, we now had about nine minutes of legal shooting light left. Once we got into the meadow we had been sitting in all day, I knew the watering hole was just over this last little hump. Right before we reached the top, I could smell him. If you’ve ever been downwind of an elk, you can identify that smell anywhere. Shooting sticks in one hand and my rifle in the other, we slowly walked forward, trying not to sound like a herd of cattle. I attempted to control my breathing. We practically stumbled on top of him. “He’s right there,” Rylan whispered to me. He almost sounded more excited than I felt. A mere 70-yard shot was all I had to make by the time we got to the top of the watering hole, with the bull slightly quartering towards me. I set my sticks and made sure my rifle was level, steadied my breathing, and whispered, “I need him to lift his head.” Rylan whistled to get the bull to pick his head up, but it did not. He tried again; still nothing. I actually laughed out loud since nothing would get this bull to look up. Finally, Rylan yelled out, “Hey!”

Boom! I pulled the trigger as soon as the elk lifted his head up and faced away, opening up a clean shot right behind his shoulder, straight through his heart and lower lung. He took off running out of the hole, and I wasn’t able to get another shot off. Believing we heard him crash out about 60 yards up in the woods, we decided to pull out and come back for him in the morning. By 7:45 the next morning, we were back at the water and walking right down past where he was drinking the night before. There was no blood, and I was getting scared I missed until one of the other guides, Christian, said, “There he is.” About 20 yards away from where we lost sight of him, he was on the ground, long dead. I couldn’t believe he’d only made it that far and that we hadn’t seen him the night before. I removed my hat and said a quick prayer for this animal, thanking God for providing food for my family. There’s nothing like a meal where you know the meat came from an animal in the wild that you harvested and were blessed with hunting. This elk hunt had everything: scares, adrenaline, and gratitude. I’ll never forget my first 5x5.

Catching Up With Jet

H&B: Was there a moment or artist that inspired you to pursue music?

JJ: I grew up around the music industry, so I couldn’t say it was one person specifically that inspired me. I’ve always listened to every kind of music, from George Strait to Ed Sheeran to Miranda Lambert. Good music is good music, and I’ve always loved the art of it.

H&B: What themes do you find yourself coming back to in your music?

JJ: I try to be as relatable as possible with the music I write. Every song on my last album was written about something I’ve been through or something I’m going through. I want my listeners to be able to relate and feel like they know me. I just try to be as real as possible.

H&B: How do you approach the songwriting process? Do you start with lyrics, melody, or an idea?

JJ: It typically depends on who I’m writing with. If I’m writing with someone I know usually brings lyrics, then I’ll try to bring a really great melody. The same goes for someone who is good with melodies; I’ll try to bring some solid lyrics for a couple different ideas. You can’t force it because otherwise the song simply won’t turn out great. You have to let it dictate where you go.

H&B: As a young artist, how do you balance staying authentic to your own voice while navigating the music industry?

JJ: Being strong-willed and not letting people push you around is just great overall advice. That’s something that I try to hold onto. Staying true to myself and what I believe in is so important to me that I just never shy away from my beliefs.

H&B: Did the experience of going on your first elk hunt change your life perspective in any way?

JJ: This was a lifelong dream come true, so the adrenaline dump and memories were amazing. This was my first time truly hunting an animal in this regard. I’d never stalked on any hunt quite like this one. So I’d say the perspective of how raw hunting is, and how much we should appreciate it in our everyday life, really opened up my eyes.

H&B: Do you feel that hunting or being outdoors impacts your creativity?

JJ: One hundred percent! I love being outside. Some of my best song ideas have been sparked while riding my horse and working cattle. There’s nothing like being out in what God created and just breathing it in.

H&B: Were there any moments during the hunt that you feel might make their way into your music?

JJ: I can definitely hear myself writing some music about this hunt, and adding little things [from it] into songs from here on out. The best way to make your music relatable is to keep experiencing things. Keep reading, keep going outside, and keep learning. That’s how your music stays current and real.

H&B: Do you think nature and hunting have a role in shaping your identity as a songwriter?

JJ: Because hunting and the outdoors have been an ever-growing part of my life and who I am, it’s only natural that it will end up bleeding into my music and what I put out for the world to hear.

H&B: What’s your next outdoor adventure?

JJ: Whenever I’m not in school and on a stage, I’m out on our family farm in Missouri riding horses and working cattle. I consider that an adventure because anyone who has ever worked with cattle understands that you never really know what the day will hold. I also have some whitetail hunting I’ll be doing this fall to fill up what little space I have left in the freezer.

H&B: What’s next for you in terms of music?

JJ: I just recently put out a new single called “FOUND YOU”. I also have some new music that I’m currently working on to be put out within the next couple of months. People should definitely be on the lookout.

H&B: For fans who are getting to know you, how would you describe the message or feeling you hope your songs bring to people?

JJ: I want people to feel less alone in whatever it is they’re going through. Since all of my songs on my last album were about me, I’m trying to connect to people. I hope listeners can hear what I’m talking about and think, “Hey, I’m going through that too!” No one is alone, we’re all human and experience the same things.

Check out more from Jet at jetjurgensmeyer.com