With Mirr Ranch Group, I am blessed to have the opportunity to not only represent buyers and sellers of some of the most spectacular ranch properties in the intermountain west – but also each fall outfit and guide archery elk hunters on over 250,000 acres of some of the best elk habitat in the western United States.
With above average rainfall and cooler temperatures throughout the summer months, our 2024 preseason scouting showed herds to be in great shape with above average antler growth for both deer and elk. While spending Septembers in Colorado’s elk country trying to outwit mature bull elk with archery equipment can be an obsessive pastime, the true enjoyment also comes from spending time with like minded hunters, who over the years have become good friends.
One such hunter from Nashville that all country music fans will know is, Chris Janson. Chris’s love for the outdoors and his family are quite apparent as his family joins him each year and his young son, Jesse, is at his side every step of the hunt. Whether it’s cold, rainy, or hiking up steep terrain, Jesse always has a smile and his bugle tube just waiting for an opportunity to call.
With an incredibly hectic schedule, Chris may hunt for a morning, fish with the family for a couple of hours and then travel out of state for a show, only to return to the ranch late at night, and ready to go again the next morning.
This past September, we had the opportunity to hunt both elk and mule deer. Chris has offered to share his story below.
Chris' Perspective
For the last 4 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to hunt elk, and mule deer with my friend, Pat Lancaster. Some people you meet along the way, and just connect with immediately, Pat is one of those people in my life. Our hunting styles are very similar, we think similarly to one another, and we share the same core common values: God, Family, Country, and Conservation.
Pat has successfully guided me through many elk hunts, and this past season on my first mule deer hunt. All of these hunts were archery only, and took much patience and perseverance. Pat is a man who earned my respect in the first five minutes. We have memories together, that will be engrained in my life and my son’s life, forever. A great friend to us, a great friend to the game, and the great friend to the land.