Many people well into adulthood still aren’t sure what they want to do with their lives, but 9-year-old Axl Anton of Laramie has a clear vision.
“I would love to start making my own elk calls designed for kids' mouths and people with smaller palettes,” he told Cowboy State Daily. "I also want to become an outfitter or a hunting guide."
Axl already is a highly respected elk caller.
“I started bugling with my voice when I was 2 and I loved watching my dad and my grandpa coming home with elk every season. That is what inspired me to become a pro elk caller and hunter," he said.
“Since he was a baby, he’s been out in the garage, watching us process elk,” Axl’s dad, Brian Anton, told Cowboy State Daily.
‘I Was Shaking’
Archery elk hunters use tube-shaped calls to imitate the grunts, screams and bugles of bull elk during the rut, or mating season. The idea is to sound as much like a bull elk as possible. So, the real bulls, thinking a challenger is in their territory, will move in to investigate.
Axl recalled what it was like to call in his first bull, at age 6.
“My heart was beating out of my chest and I was shaking for the next three hours,” he said.
The next year, he called in a bull close enough for Brian to fill his elk tag.
Axl will have to wait until he’s 12 to hunt elk and other big game. He admitted it’s frustrating to be a top-notch caller while facing a long wait before he can start slinging arrows at bulls.
Meanwhile, he’s preparing to go up against 13- to 17-year-olds at the World Championship Elk Calling Contest July 16-18 at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation headquarters in Missoula, Montana.
‘His Drive Sets Him Apart’
Axl’s reputation is already growing across the West.
Jeffrey Devaul, co-founder of the Western Hunt Fest, told Cowboy State Daily that Axl has the makings of an elk-calling legend.
“He should be at least in the top five best callers in the country, if not the best,” Devaul said.
Devaul helps organize some of the biggest elk-calling contests in the country, and he has seen plenty of talented young elk callers.
But Axl, he said, stands out.
“The kids that go to my events, they’re special callers. There’s a lot of them, but Axl’s drive sets him apart,” Devaul said.
“Whenever I was doing demonstrations, this kid was right there, laser-focused, not like your typical kid. He was watching every detail,” he added.
‘I Can Hold My Ground’
Brian Anton said RMEF has a “pee-wee” division for younger kids.
However, it was removed from competition and is instead “a just for fun” division, he said.
When Axl heard about that, he wanted no part of it. Instead, he decided to move up and compete in the junior division.
“Axl decided that he wants to step up on that stage and show what he’s got,” Brian said.
When asked whether he feels intimidated or confident about competing above his age class, Axl gave a matter-of-fact answer.
“I'm a little bit of both, going up against high school kids. But I think I can hold my ground when it comes to my abilities,” he said.
‘Once I’m Old Enough’
Axl learned early that the hardest part of elk hunting is packing the meat out after a successful hunt.
He hasn’t done so yet, but he hopes to start soon.
“Once I’m old enough, my dad will probably have me carry out one of the elk shoulders or something,” he said.
Brian said he hopes to hunt with his son for many years, and looks forward to when Axl is old enough to strap on a heavy meat pack.
“I’m raising up this kid to do that, so by the time I’m 60, I won’t have to pack a bull out all on my own,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
