
Established 1954
Catch a Rainbow!
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Report from Cotter Trout
Dock: Sept 19, 2009
Elk Adopts Fishermen Campers
On Buffalo River
(Photos are all from this trip.)

This is not a fishing story about "the one that got
away". Rather it is about "the one that would not
go away".
Friday, September 18, 2009 Cotter Trout Dock (guided
fishing service) put in a one-boat camptrip at the
Carver Access Point on the Buffalo River in Arkansas. We
put in at Carver because it had rained hard the previous
day and we were trying to get to where the water would
clear up and drop out the fastest.
The overnight trip was from Carver to Bakers
Ford; about 26 miles. The cook; Tyler Hudgins,
motored down to a point halfway between Carver and the
takeout point at Bakers Ford to set up camp. As he
pulled in to his selected camp spot, he noticed an
approximate 250 pound elk calf standing there. He
walked up to about 15 feet of the calf and it just
stayed there, so he proceeded to set up camp and get
supper going.
Later, the guide; Michael Flippin, pulled in with
his two fishermen; Ray McIntyre and Mac McIntyre.
Ray happens to be an expert deer bowhunter and has
published a book "110 Percent Success
Bowhunting Whitetails". The calf was
still around camp and stayed there all the time they
were in camp.
Sometime during the night the calf decided to lay down
against the outside of the tent and was actually pushing
against Ray McIntyre who was laying in his cot inside
the tent. He poked at the calf thru the tent to
get it to move, but it didn't move until he started
hitting it several times. When he finally got it
to move, the calf got tangled in the tent ropes and
pulled the tent partially down.
Later, Michael and Tyler were asleep under the fly when
they heard footsteps crunching across the river rock
about 3:00 AM. Now, Michael had been watching
Monster Quest on TV the day before about the hunt for
Bigfoot, so he and Tyler were out of their cots real
quick like and some words were said to the affect of
"goodness me, I wonder what that is" (something like
that). The calf decided to join them under the
cook fly. They got it out from under the cook fly
and the calf went over and looked in the tent
window. Mac McIntyre was looking out the window
and was within inches of the elk's face.
The bass fishing was excellent except for the first
morning when the water was apparently just a little too
murky from all the rain the day before.
Email from Ray:
" I am
afraid my little micky mouse camera didn't do too
well in the dark with the elk, sorry. I hope
you enjoy looking at these as much as I enjoyed
taking them.
Thank you again.
Ray"
Contact Us
Email:ctd@southshore.com
Ron and Debbie Gamble
Owners/Operators
P.O. Box 96
Cotter, Arkansas 72626
Local: 870-435-6525
Toll Free:
800-447-7538
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