Boy does it help to have a bunch of good friends scattered around the country that love to hunt! And it doesn’t hurt when some of these friends apply for “hard to draw” hunts. And it’s even better when they call with the good news and are thrilled to allow a Realtree camera to follow along!

Well, my ol’ buddy Eddie “Big Goo” Hammond from Winona, Miss., called me a few days ago to let me know that his son, West, 14, drew one of the very limited youth tags in New Mexico for bull elk during the rut!

This was the first year the state of New Mexico held a draw for youth to have a chance to rifle hunt buglin’ bulls during a special season. I don’t even want to know how many youth from around the country put in for the special tag, but I DO know that there were very few non-resident tags available for young hunters.

I know West, and if there was ever a boy (or young man, West is over 6’1”) who will truly appreciate how big a feat this is, it is West Hammond. Talk about an all-American kid from a great family! West lives to hunt and play baseball. The Blanton family joined the Hammond family and the Reid family for the Georgia vs. Ole Miss football game in Oxford, Miss., last year and had the best time. West and all the Blanton boys spent hours throwing a football before and after the game.

Eddie is on top of his game and has selected Beaverhead Outfitters to take West on the hunt, which will take place October 6-10. The elk will be going crazy! According to Eddie, Mr. Jack Diamond and head guide Clay Heck have stated that West should have a fantastic chance at killing a 350” bull.

West will be hunting in unit 16C near Winston and guess what, I’m hoping that West Hammond is on the cover of Monster Bulls 6 with a giant bull!

One thing I know for sure, there’s going to be a proud daddy standing close by!

Let us know if you have a hunt planned with one of your children this fall. We all love to hear the cool stories about families heading outdoors together.