By Tom Kuglin, Bugle hunting & outdoor lifestyle editor
Whether competing on elk calling’s biggest stage or getting ready to squeeze the trigger on a nice buck, Colton Rasmussen knows how to make his opportunities count.
The 16-year-old high school student from Rexburg, Idaho, made his first appearance at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation World Elk Calling Championships in 2024. Despite any nerves, his pitch-perfect cow calls and booming bugles earned him second place to fellow Idahoan Sam Jacobsen.
“I actually kept it cool and it was really fun,” Colton says. “I just got up there and did what I normally do and tried to sound like an elk.”
Colton credits his dad Lyle for getting him into both calling and hunting.
“My dad’s been hunting since he was a little kid and I started hunting in 2019 when I turned 10, but I’d been going with him for years before that,” he says. “We hunt pretty much anything we can—a lot of elk, deer and wolves.”
Colton competed in some smaller contests before heading to Big Sky, Montana, last year for the world championships. But the experience and accolades didn’t end on the calling stage. He received a gear package from Gunwerks that included binoculars, a tripod and bipod, as well as a loaned rifle for a management mule deer hunt in New Mexico. Gunwerks and the NRA Whittington Center supplied food, lodging and an instructor for pre-hunt training.
Colton and Lyle recently returned after an amazing hunt that culminated with a great buck—his first mule deer.
“We went into the hunt thinking we’re just going to have fun and hopefully kill something, and we got it done, which was awesome,” he says.
After sighting in on the first day, Colton and his hunting party spent the afternoon glassing the area. They turned up quite a few deer before spotting a beautiful 4×3 muley bedded in the brush. And while his first shot went just over the buck’s back, Colton was able to get back on the deer and made the 250-yard second shot count.
“I’ve never hunted mule deer before so that was great,” he says. “My dad was ecstatic for me.”
Colton says he can’t wait to return to the World Elk Calling Championships.
(Photo credit: Colton Rasmussen & Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)