Six years after tagging the largest typical elk ever killed with a bow, Steve Felix can still see his arrow hurtling toward the bull’s ribcage. Hunting federal land in eastern Montana on September 10, 2016, the Seeley Lake hunter had just spent 30 minutes watching the massive wapiti walk slowly within range of his bow. In the 15 seasons he and his hunting partner, Chad Tiffney, invested in learning the haunts and habits of elk in the area, it was the first arrow that Felix had ever flung.

By Steven Hill