Craig Teen Easton Richards Takes Bull Elk on First Hunt

Steamboat Springs —The question on every local’s mind isn’t whether a 12-year-old can take down a bull elk. It’s how he did it without the pressure of a whole season hanging over his head.

For Easton Richards, that question had an answer written in sweat and elevation gain. He didn’t just harvest a bull elk; he harvested it alongside his father, Bryan Richards, on public land in Northwest Colorado. It was a moment that capped off a first big game season defined by two animals, one week apart.

The Craig Daily Press reported on the hunt, detailing how Easton’s introduction to the field began before he could walk. He spent his early years chasing small game and coyotes, a slow-burn education that culminated in the summer before his first rifle season. Easton chose a .30-06, citing its accuracy and the comfort he felt with it. He spent months practicing, turning a family rifle into his own tool.

Bryan Richards didn’t frame the hunt as a test. He framed it as time together. “This hunt was just something to do together and enjoy our time together with no pressure whatsoever,” Bryan told the Craig Daily Press. That mindset shifted the dynamic from a high-stakes chase to a shared exploration of the mountains.

The reality, however, was grueling. After finishing basketball practice on a Thursday evening, the father and son headed into the mountains. The following morning brought a climb with no trail. “We started going up this very steep mountain, and it was very hard,” Easton recalled in the report. They gained approximately 1,000 feet in elevation before pausing on a ridgeline to catch their breath.

It was there, as daylight emerged, that the bull appeared. Several cow elk spooked behind the hunters, sending the larger bull running for a brief moment. When he stopped, Easton took his shot. The animal dropped where it stood. “I was mostly excited,” Easton said, noting a little bit of nerves but a strong belief in his aim.

That success wasn’t an isolated fluke. One week later, Easton harvested a mule deer buck. For many hunters, taking a trophy-class animal represents the culmination of years of patience. For Easton, it was a rapid-fire introduction to big game success during his very first season.

The story isn’t just about the meat in the freezer or the antlers on the wall. It’s about a family that prioritized presence over pressure, and a boy who proved he was ready for the weight of a rifle and the silence of the backcountry.

Easton Richards stands on that ridgeline, not as a statistic in a hunting report, but as a neighbor who knows the feel of a .30-06 in his hands. The bull is gone, the buck is gone, but the lesson remains: hard work and perseverance are the real harvest.