Crow Killer

One Fall in Alaska I just finished guiding hunters at Rainy Pass Lodge. I flew into the Anchorage airport and called my friend Dennis Prairie. He said he and Milton Kelly were going to Crested Butte Colorado hunting and invited me to go with them.  I could fly into Colorado, and they would pick me up. I could go hunting with them and after the hunt they would drive me back to California. When I flew into Gunnison, it was beautiful. I was able to see the Fall season all over again. Fall comes early in Alaska.  Always a beautiful time of year.

I had a great time with my buddies. They shot some nice bucks but no monsters. We always hunt hard looking for big bucks. On the last day of season, I said I am going to go shoot the first buck I see so I have some meat to take home. Next morning Dennis, Milton, and his relative, Berry White, hiked up a canyon out of Crested Butte. I saw a small buck and shot it with my 375 which is more gun than I needed but I had just come out of Alaska unexpectedly and that’s all I had. Milton, Dennis and his cousin showed up. They were telling me my gun was way too big to shoot deer with. I said true but this bullet does less damage and it’s accurate and it’s a head shot anyway. Just then I heard the cry of a crow in the cold frozen air. I looked up and saw a crow gliding over and high. I quickly bolted the gun and fired. The bird exploded like I’ve never seen before. Wings were 50 feet apart and millions of feathers were floating in the sky. Right or wrong, this was a sight that we all never forgot.

When we got back to California Milton received a call from his cousin Garcia who was hunting with us. His wife is Indian and had a baby that day. Indians name their babies by what happen on the day they are born.  They named the baby Jaret Crow Killer.  Guess it was meant to be. 25 years later my best hunting and diving buddy, Pete Pulitzer, from Florida built a house in Crested Butte Colorado and invited my wife Patty and I to come visit. Pete and his wife were telling Patty about all the unbelievable spearfishing stories in the Bahamas. Dan told them about my crow killer story, and everyone laughed and thought it was hilarious. Amazingly Pete knew the people and we went to the Silver Spur bar and asked where is Jaret Crow Killer. They called him Crow Killer. I ended up meeting him and he was now 25 years old and a great guy.  He invited me to go trout fishing with him. I was unable to make it but someday I hope he will give me another chance.   I love to fish the small creeks for trout. Pretty amazing to meet the baby 25 years later who was named after the day I shot the crow out of the air.

Happy Hunting! 

Jaret Owens - 805-551-6815