Just before sunrise he pulled on his backpack, put an arm through his rifle sling, grabbed a small stool to sit on, and began a half-mile trek down a tree row. Larry Verraneault, 78, Minot, a veteran of 6 years in the Marine Corps , followed by 17 ½ years in the Air Force, remembers each step in the early morning darkness.
“I only have one lung so I was really sucking wind,” said Verraneault. “I sat down just as the sun was beginning to come up. As I looked up I could make out an elk in the middle of the field. He started coming towards me. He must have heard me breathing. I couldn’t believe it.”
Verraneault was still struggling to catch his breath, thinking about his good fortune at drawing a once in a lifetime North Dakota elk tag on only his third try and now, remarkably, a big bull elk was emerging more clearly in the morning light.
“I could tell he was trying to get a whiff of me. I guess his curiosity got him. He stopped and then started coming toward me at a right oblique. He just kept coming and coming,” said Verraneault. “The light was getting better too. I could see he was a 6×6.”
A few minutes later, his breathing having settled down a bit, Verraneault stopped the bull with a single shot. Alone, Verraneault walked over to examine the downed elk. It was then that he realized in his excitement to get into the field, he’d forgotten his license tag.
“I walked all the way back to my truck to get it,” said Verraneault. “I drove back out there and put the license on him and called the property owner. He came out with his tractor.”
Verraneault made a couple more phone calls and additional help was on the way, including Kellen Lattendrese, Minot, who arrived pulling a flatbed trailer on which to load the large animal. It was a very rewarding time for Verraneault, who was extremely grateful for all the help he received before and after his harvest.
“I tell you what, I was surprised. I want to thank a lot of people who helped me out,” said Verraneault.
Those helpers included a gracious land owner and Kellen Lattendrese’s father, Curt, who helped Verraneault get acquainted with the area on and near the J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge. The elk was taken on private land northeast of Minot Air Force Base.
“I’m having a shoulder mount done,” said a very happy Verraneault. “I really appreciate the landowner and all the help.”
Verranault knows the value of teamwork, something keenly developed during his lengthy military career. He served in the Marines from 1965-71 and then the Airforce from 1971-89, including tours of duty in Viet Nam in 1967-68 as a Marine and in 1972 with the Air Force.
“I was an aircraft mechanic assigned to TAC,” remarked Verranault. “When you gotta’ go, you gotta’ go.”
Verranault’s wife died shortly after his retirement. He was living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at the time. At his daughter’s insistence, a North Dakota resident, he moved to the state nearly six years ago and has thoroughly enjoyed his opportunities to get outdoors. As Verranault puts it, “Yes sir. Unbelievable.”
Read the full “Tribute to Service” feature at https://northernsentry.com/3d-flip-book/tribute-to-service-2025/
