The  (MI) Bay City Times November 2, 2007 Local archery man scores big in hunt out West Author: Mike Spencer Section: OUTDOORS Page: C1 Ted Harpham gets a chance to mix business with pleasure, but the 48-year-old Auburn received no better enjoyment than a recent trip to Grand Junction, Colo. The national sales and marketing director for Darton Archery turned a business trip in a highly-successful hunting venture. "I get asked to hunt all over the world," said Harpham. "But this one worked out really nice." Harpham bagged a 7x6 bull elk that scored 357 and a 5x5 mule deer that scored 150 while doing business with Red Rock Archery, a large dealer from Grand Junction. "It was the hunt of a lifetime," said Harpham, who bagged a 6x6 elk in the same area a year ago. "Any time you've got a 1,000-pound bull elk screaming from 20 yards away, there's no other adrenaline rush like it." Harpham was invited back to Grand Junction this year to hunt mule deer and elk. He shot the mule deer on the first day of the hunt with a Darton Pro 3000 bow in Unit 61, a trophy area for mule deer and elk. He shot the elk on the next day. Both kills were clean, one shot from about 47 yards away. "It's nice when you have everything scouted out for you and you have excellent callers that put you in the best position," said Harpham, who works for the industry's leader in technology for cams. Harpham got the biggest kick on the elk hunt. He had several close encounters that day, but was 0-for-2 because of equipment failure. Then his group spotted a big elk engaged in a lengthy battle with another big guy fighting over some cows in a bottomless creek. Once the battle was won, the bull answered a call from Harpham's group. "For a brief moment, he took the cows and he was a happy camper," said Harpham. "He had won the battle, but then he lost the war." Harpham had no idea the size of his elk until it went down. "It was within 20 yards at one point, but I'm not a great judge of antlers and size," said Harpham, who was with guys that had seen some that scored 400 or better. Harpham, who donated the deer but kept the elk meat, said the conditions were excellent for the hunt, 40 to 50 degrees each day. Copyright, 2007, The Bay City Times. All Rights Reserved. Record Number: 41484575