Bringing Down the Elk

2012 Oil on Canvas
20″ x 16″ framed in Old Barn Wood
$600
Contact to Purchase

David Morris was a packer and guide, who was memorialized in the Silvertip Basin for his conservation techniques and animal management program long before such things existed. Dave always loved hiking and riding in the wilderness, particularly the Silvertip Basin, a rugged, steep area, but his outfitter career began quite by chance. Locals and friends knew of his expertise and asked him to take them up to hunt for deer, mountain goats, bear and elk. He gladly fulfilled their wishes and never asked compensation. When someone suggested this was a way to make extra cash, he realized the potential of his friendly service. Thus began Dave’s life-long career as an outfitter. The trek began long before the guests arrived. The campsite, the trail up to it, and the base camp had to be cleared and developed, adequate supplies for both hunters and horses had to be hauled up on horseback and made secure from bears. These included sleeping tents, the kitchen-dining tent, and wood for heat and cooking. To pack all this gear without injury to the horses, Dave, using a pair of portable scales, weighed everything to ensure the loads would be balanced and not too heavy. To guarantee he would not introduce foreign plants into the area, he grew on his ranch the wild grasses found in the Basin and packed up those for horse feed. Folks thought he was fool-hardy to raise and use Tennessee Walking Horses, but that breed proved to be a good choice. Sometimes the crew had to shovel the 12-mile track up the mountain, so the hunters could get to the destination safely. He limited his outfitting to 30 hunters per year, because he knew the size of the elk herds and felt any more would deplete the population. He cared for the environment, the animals, and his customers. To honor him the Forest Service named his hunting area after him.