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Martin Truex, Jr. took a break from his full-time job of hunting the competition behind the wheel of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition to join Realtree founder and outdoor expert Bill Jordan in the mountains of New Mexico to hunt for trophy elk.

Truex traveled to the Double H Ranch near Socorro, New Mexico, a part of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.  Bob Torstenson gifted all 95,000 acres of the Double H Ranch and a $4 million endowment to the Elk Foundation. The foundation renamed the ranch the Torstenson Wildlife Center (TWC) to honor Bob’s conservation ethic and his conservation education vision.

Although it was a little early in the season for the bulls to be fired up and in the full throws of rutting season, there was ample population for Truex, Jordan and company to search out during his bow hunting expedition.

Under the watchful eye of guide Josh Moeller, Truex set off into the wilderness before sunrise on day one.  For the first day and a half the pair trudged all over the mountains trying to get close to an elk with a bow but it was tough, because typically every big, mature bull elk they saw was surrounded by up to 75 cows. Not ideal conditions. It is hard to sneak up on an animal that big with that many cows which means that many more eyes and ears to see and hear you coming.

The second evening, Moeller was able to call in a bull as close as 10 yards, but the problem was the bull came in behind Martin and by the time Martin spotted him, the spooked elk took off in full stride.

Early in the morning of the third day of the hunt, Jordan went up to the top of a mountain and spotted a big elk coming down to a watering hole for a drink and then to bed down nearby. Jordan’s experience told him that with the bull not far from the watering hole, the elk would return to that water source that evening. 
Jordan found Moeller and Truex and let them know the scenario. While they could have traveled to the general area of the pond by truck, they parked three miles away from the pond and hiked in. It took over an hour to get to the right vantage point and by the time they reached the spot, the elk was heading to the pond for a drink. They literally got there in time to see the animal going into the water.

Martin got a clear shot from about 25 yards and was able to make a clean kill. It was a perfect harvest. 

It took five men to get Martin’s over 1,000-plus pound bull into the back of the pickup. The bull scored 245 inches, a big six by six elk.

“It was an incredible experience to make the trip to the New Mexico wilderness,” said Truex.  “We were in areas that were as remote as you can image. Josh (Moeller) was an amazing guide and to have the chance to hunt with Bill Jordan was a great experience.

“The conservation efforts of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Double H Ranch are very impressive. Their efforts to manage and maintain the integrity of the herds in the wild and provide a nurturing environment for the animals is without a doubt the finest in the country.

“I put a lot of miles on my boots but it was rewarding to get a good clean harvest of a huge bull.  It was nice to get away for a few days away from the hectic pace we keep in NASCAR. I came back with a refreshed attitude.”

Truex was a member of the Chevy Driven to the Outdoors program carrying a special Realtree camouflage paint scheme at Bristol Motor Speedway win August.
In addition to a full line of NASCAR camouflage merchandise and memorabilia, the Driven to the Outdoors program features unique sweepstakes that will ultimately reward one fan with a 2009 Chevy Silverado LTZ. Other prizes that will be included in the Chevy Driven to the Outdoors Sweepstakes include a racing trip to Daytona Beach in February 2009, a hunting trip with Bill Jordan himself, Shell Gift cards and Chase Authentics Driven to the Outdoors hats.

To enter the Sweepstakes a participant must visit http://www.chevy.com/driven (the “Website”) during the Sweepstakes Period, read and accept these Official Rules and follow the instructions to complete and submit the registration form (“Entry”). All registration information requested must be provided. Registrations must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on 12/8/08.

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