<I>The Eagle/Tim Adams</I><BR>Waldport hunter Jerry Nyhus proudly shows off the 6x6 bull elk he shot near Sumpter on Oct. 26, the opening day of elk season in Eastern Oregon.

SUMPTER – The shot was a long one, but it ended up being easier than packing the animal out.

Waldport-area hunter Jerry Nyhus and his sons, Steven and Eric, made the long trip from the coast to Sumpter and are heading back home with big smiles on their faces and a bunch of meat in the back of the rig after a successful hunt in Eastern Oregon.

The trio made a stop in the afternoon on Oct. 29 at the Southfork Mini Mart in Dayville to grab some snacks and related the story of their adventure.

The elder Nyhus said he killed a big 6×6 bull elk just out of Sumpter.

“We came up this way on Tuesday and I got him opening day,” he said. “It was about a 300-yard shot with a .30/06. I hit him a couple of times.”

Pleased with the shot, getting the bull out of the woods presented a problem.

“I shot him down in a canyon and it took us a day and a half to get him out of there,” Nyhus said. “I’m sure glad I had my boys along. I don’t have any idea what he’s going to weigh in at, but he’s a pretty nice one. One thing I do know, it was a chore getting him out.”