By Marian Viney

For the Times

BELLEVILLE — High in the mountains of the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, Belleville resident Cody Austin made a childhood elk hunt dream come true.

“I think every little kid that is into hunting thinks one day ‘I want to go on an elk hunt.’ I know I certainly did,” Cody laughed.

Cody’s love of hunting was instilled in him by his father and other family members.

“We watched a lot of hunting shows on TV when he was little,” recalled his dad, Duane. 

His mother, Amy, remembers that he had a compound bow before the age of 10 and that “he could hit targets.”

“I have had so many experiences and memories that have come from hunting where I know that if I wasn’t a hunter, I wouldn’t know what it feels like,” added Cody, a 2008 graduate of Belleville High School. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

In 2022, after being diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, Cody was determined to go on an elk hunt. He had six preference points for Wyoming elk. 

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, or RRMS, is the most common type of multiple sclerosis and affects 85-90% of people with MS. 

“Post diagnosis I was given a clearer lens in which to look through at life. It told me to live in the moment. It was time to burn those points,” Cody said. “I thought ‘What am I waiting for?’ I can do this now because in 15 years from now, I don’t know what it looks like for me.”

Looking for a wilderness adventure, Cody chose an outfitter who he knew was perfect for it, and he started lining up the hunt. 

“In the back of my mind I kept telling myself that this would be awesome if I could have my story presented in a way that could inspire other people,” said Cody, an arborist for the City of Madison, which he said is fulfilling work. He also serves as Belleville’s village forester.

“I really can’t imagine doing anything else,” Cody said. “I mean you can get paid to climb a tree.”

After lining up the elk hunt, he applied to Leupold’s Project Hunt, which offers hunters across the United States the opportunity to have their hunt filmed by a professional videographer and shared across Leupold’s digital media platforms. 

Leupold and Stevens, Inc., is an American manufacturer of telescopic sights, red dot sights, binoculars, rangefinders, spotting scopes, and eye-wear located in Beaverton, Oregon. The company, started in 1907, is on its fifth generation of family ownership.

On Aug. 4, 2023, Cody learned that he won Project Hunt a year to the day of being diagnosed with RRMS.

Two months later, Cody and his parents traveled to Wyoming. On Oct. 2, Cody, his dad, and the guides rode 11 miles on horseback from the trailhead to the High Camp at an elevation of 8,500 feet. The first two days it rained with a mix of sleet and snow. 

“There were no signs of elk, just a moose and a few mule deer,” Cody said. 

On day three, Oct. 4, the group woke up at 4:30 a.m., ate breakfast, and then they set out in search of some elk. About 45 minutes from camp, Cody spotted elk across the canyon. About 328 yards away, Cody took the shot. The bull elk went down. The perfect shot. 

“I killed my first elk and he was a slammer of an elk — definitely way bigger than what I was hoping to kill,” Cody said. “It couldn’t have happened any better.”

Cody estimated that he brought back more than 250 pounds of meat, an unforgettable experience, and memories of a lifetime.

Since being diagnosed, Cody says he feels lucky. 

“Prior to my symptoms, I could do everything I wanted to do. And I took that for granted. My job. The opportunities that I was given. The relationships I had. I wasn’t living on the straight and narrow,” Cody said. “And this has given me a chance to start living a new life … on the straight and narrow.”

He added that for this experience the stars certainly aligned. 

“The significance of the dates, the perfect shot, and riding a horse named … Cody. The stars aligned,” said Cody, who is thinking about planning a muskox hunt in either Greenland or northern Canada/Alaska.

In June of 2024, Cody and his family traveled to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in Big Sky, Montana, for the release of Straight and Narrow: A Wyoming Elk Hunt. 

It premiered to the public on Oct. 20. The link is https://youtu..be/hM_C_elp7yA.

Cody appreciates the support of family and friends; Eli Hale of Hale Outfitters; the talents and professionalism of the Leupold crew including Luke Dusenbury and Jon Bash.