It was like taking in a Western movie, sitting and watching hundreds of head of cattle being herded together and driven by cowboys through a saddle between two round-top hillocks. But in this case, I had a fishing pole in my hand because we were anchored just off the beach in Bechers Bay at the east end of Santa Rosa Island.
I smiled, thinking that I could easily become accustomed to watching Westerns while holding a baited fishing rod and waiting for a fish. What a concept!
My son, Dave, in his early teenage years at the time, had paddled his board to the beach and was standing on an isolated stretch of sand just taking in the soul-filling scenery. The beach was about 12 yards wide, backed by a 15-foot cliff up to a gently sloping hill. About that time a hefty halibut came along and took my concentration for a while — that in itself was a success story.
When I looked back to the beach, I was in for a surprise — and so was my son, though he didn’t know it yet.
A huge bull elk (think of a dear nearly the size of a horse with broad, four-foot antlers) had come over the hill and grazed down to near the edge of the cliff behind the beach. Dave and that elk couldn’t see each other because of the lip of the cliff, nor could they hear each other because both were being very quiet — but they were only about 30 feet apart.
I waved at Dave and pointed to the cliff above him. I knew he wouldn’t hear me if I yelled, because of the symphony of the surf, and I didn’t want to risk spooking the elk, so I just kept waving and pointing. Dave figured out that I was pointing up above him, so he stepped away from the cliff, turned and look up.
Just at the same moment, the big elk raised its head and looked over the cliff. Dave and the elk spotted each other simultaneously and only 30 feet apart. They both reacted identically by jumping about 3 feet in the air and bolting in opposite directions. The elk cleared the hill and Dave cleared the surf zone all within about 10 seconds. Both wore the same startled look on their faces.
Me? I sat on the boat and laughed until my sides hurt.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help.
