St. Regis nonagenarian bags an elk

It had been a few years, maybe 10, since St. Regis resident John Cochran last killed an elk during hunting season.

It’s gotten pretty hard to keep track of just how many elk he’s taken over the last eight decades. One number that he’s sure to remember though is as of last October, Cochran is the second oldest person to harvest an elk in Idaho, at 91 years old.

He was certainly surprised of his latest hunting achievement.

“Well, I thought I’d probably killed enough in my lifetime,” Cochran said.

He didn’t really expect to get another elk in his 90s.

Born in Sandpoint Idaho, and having the opportunity to hunt in places like Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska, Cochran loves the outdoors, the wildlife, and the adventures.

Behind his warm smile, and welcoming presence one would never guess his storied and admirable military career. As a tank commander in the Korean War, Cochran was wounded and awarded the purple heart, as well as a bronze star.

Reaching back into his favorite memories and often shared hunting tales, Cochran had to ponder a moment.

“I think my first bull elk was when I was 17 or so,” he said.

Since then, he estimates that he’s taken over 40 in all his years of donning his blaze orange and lacing up his boots each fall. Not all of them are bulls however, horns don’t matter much in his book.

“I like the cows. They taste better and their tender,” Cochran said.

To pull off an elk hunting trip at that age, he needed some assistance to make it happen. So, Cochran’s hunting companion, who is more like a son to him, Lance Jasper knew just who to contact and where to go.

A friend of Jasper’s has some hunting grounds that would be manageable for Cochran, and driveable. After a few phone calls, Jasper and Cochran solidified plans to go hunt on a sprawling ranch surrounded by BLM land down near Leadore, Idaho.

Jasper’s friend, happens to be a well-known Montana businessman, car salesman, and entrepreneur who has a big name when it comes to things like Chevrolet.

But Jasper argued that his authenticity and heart for helping others is what truly makes him noteworthy. Karl Tyler, an Idaho native owns the Leadore Angus Ranch, and also helps manage thousands of acres of conservation land in the Lemhi Valley.

“I was raised here, so it’s too easy. I don’t hunt here myself. I like to offer it to those who are inexperienced, and they end up being tremendously successful,” said Tyler.

Allowing special hunting access on his ranch to those who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to harvest an animal on their own, has become a passion of Tyler’s.

“Out here, no one is excluded by their age or by a disability.”

The ranch's immense size, higher altitude, and lush river bottoms offer countless hunting opportunities for those invited in.

Tyler said, “The area is really unique, loaded with game and very accessible.”

Jasper echoed, “All in once glance you could look out and see 100 elk, 100 antelope, 100 whitetails, 100 geese. This place is like the Serengeti.”

In the past Tyler has offered opportunities for wounded veterans to fill their tags, a man who was nearly blind harvested an elk on his land, and arranged hunting access for those facing serious medical conditions.

“I helped 33 people get an elk last year. I didn’t pull the trigger once. But I did help spot ‘em, get on ‘em, process ‘em, hang and ready their meat. To me it’s more rewarding than shooting one myself.”

Once Jasper conjured the idea of bringing Cochran down to this sportsman’s paradise, Tyler was thrilled to help facilitate the outing and see him be successful.

“Lance brought him out, he just thinks so highly of him,” Tyler shared. And the hunting setup there worked perfect for Cochran’s abilities. He said, “There’s no putting up tents or hiking to the top of a mountain for these hunts. They’re low fence hunts, the herds like to stay in the valley.”

Even at 91, Cochran wasn’t one to sleep in and miss any hunting action. At 6 a.m. as the sun rose, breakfast was ready and he was too. For the most part Cochran stuck to road hunting. He explained, “We drove around a lot, walked a little bit, had to stalk the big groups and try not to spook ‘em. It’s fun to hunt down there.”

Cochran mentioned, “It’s interesting down there, real big herds. I’d say about five different herds with about 100 head in each.” He added, “It was one of my favorite hunts, new country out there. I’d never hunted with that many elk before in this wide-open valley, about 10 miles across.”

The morning that Cochran harvested his cow elk, he and Jasper rode around the ranch several miles and worked their way toward different herds. It was difficult to get close enough for a shot, yet far enough away to not scare the massive groups of elk. Finally, within range Cochran got set up outside of their pickup truck, steadied himself, and picked a big lead cow.

His shot rang true, and the cow went down. Cochran recalled, “I shot it with a 30.06, all open country, around 300 yards.” He chuckled, “I was kinda surprised I got one, but then I saw how many of ‘em there were. I figured I was bound to get one.”

Jasper reflected back on the moment, “When he got his elk, it was like watching a 10-year-old get their very first one.”

Every hunter knows that once the animal is down, the work's not over yet.

Jasper described, “After the shot, the herd just scattered. The color of the elk really blended in with the sage brush so it was hard to see the cow that he shot. I teased John that it was a bad shot. But I knew it wasn’t, he’s always dead on, an amazing shot.”

They went and got the side by side, he and Cochran gutted it, got the ivories, and transported it back to the ranch house.

Back at the bunkhouse on the ranch Tyler was thrilled to hear that Cochran sealed the deal.

He exclaimed, “Johnny was just a joy to have. He thought he’d never be able to hunt again. Being able to help him find and get his elk, spend those hours at camp and in the ranch house just listening to his 75 years of stories. He was so genuinely thrilled and excited to get his elk, and that just transferred to the rest of us, seeing him be so happy.”

The success rate for public land, over the counter, do-it-yourself elk hunts is a measly 10% for hunters each fall. Out on Karl’s ranch, those odds are definitely more favorable. But when you factor in age it’s still a mighty impressive venture.

Donna Barsalou works for Idaho Fish and Game and she issues licenses and tags. Hunting report records from the Idaho state headquarters did confirm that a 92-year-old harvested an elk in 2020.

So that means Cochran just might have to return this fall to get the title of oldest hunter in the state. Barsalou expressed, “I have hunted and fished my whole life. Seeing persons like Johnny still getting out there inspires me to take better care of myself and stay in shape so I can do the same if I make it to his age!”

When Jasper caught up with Tyler recently, he asked how Cochran was doing and whether they had hopes of coming down to Idaho for another hunt this fall. Tyler said he’d have an elk damage tag waiting for Cochran if was going to make the trip. Damage tags are a system for landowners to help reduce the impacts that big game animals have on their crops and other agricultural assets.

Jasper said, “If Johnny’s feeling up to it, we’ll make it happen. I’d love to take him down there again and see him hunt one more time.”