Billy Goat
Member
- Sep 5, 2017
- 332
Since it was long-winded, I wrote this in word.doc to save for future use, and inserted pictures in the word document. The pictures may snarl the copy-paste, so if so, I\'ll make another post without pictures right below it.
Our 2014 CO Elk Hunt Summary
Our ?group? of about 5-8 hunters ended up hunting two adjacent units in SW Colorado. Two in one, and 3 in the other (difference because of required PP?s). My group (me, my dad and a buddy of mine) was in a new-to-us unit. Also in camp were two of my uncles. One came along to hunt grouse and squirrels. The other just came along for the fine fellowship, lies and bourbon in camp. All elk hunters were carrying bull-only tags (which I?d regret later).
This was our first ?off grid? camp where we were providing all our own infrastructure. My buddy Erik took responsibility for tents. I was in charge of heating the sleeping tent. The sleeping tent was actually a 10x17 portable carport, sourced from Harbor Freight. This thing worked out surprisingly well, but doesn?t retain heat as well as a canvas tent. We cut an exhaust port in one of the side walls for the heater. Camp was about 11,300? of <gasp> elevation, and just beautiful.
Saturday- Opening Day: I hunted a section of forest where substantial logging had taken place many years back, providing good breaks/parks and cover as well. I saw 1 cow elk, and a cow/calf moose. My buddy hunted an area about 500? above me next to treeline where we?d seen TONS of sign in the summer. Zilch. No sign at all. Crazy frustrating. My dad saw a couple muleys, a coyote and a cow elk.
Sunday- A crazy weather day of 2 hrs of blowing blizzard followed by 30 minutes of clear skies; repeat. My buddy and I spent most of this day watching a really nice meadow that is probably 200 yards wide and nearly a mile long. I saw two NICE 5x5 muley bucks and another cow moose. Erik sat on the other end of that park and saw two cows and a calf that afternoon.
Monday- Erik is hiking up a 4x4 drivable logging road at sunup, and decides to sit, take a break and watch a section of said road. He?s been there 3 minutes when two cows and a 4x4 come busting across the road at 35 yards. An 180 grain Accubond later, the bull is dead in the bar ditch, allowing for probably the easiest field-retrieve of our lifetime. He retrieves my uncles from camp and a 4 wheeler to make it even easier.
Meanwhile, in the woods a mile away, I?m sneaking through the woods in a north-facing bowl, and I have somehow gotten myself in the center of a triangle between a cow and two calves. The cow is about 20 yards straight downhill from me, the first calf is on my level and about 10 yards from me, and the other calf comes bounding down the hill towards momma (only to encounter an orange-clad Texan on the way). She stops at 5 yards uphill, then walks up to SIX FEET and just stands there wondering what the Texan is gonna do next (a concern I shared?..). After about a minute of standing, she decides she doesn?t like me and trots off. About two minutes later, the other calf (10 yards) decides the same and follows. After another couple unconcerned minutes, momma follows. Crazy cool, and an experience I?ll not forget. Shortly thereafter, the rest of the herd comes walking through. They include about a dozen cow/calves plus four small bulls. Three bulls are spikes. The ?big? bull is a 2x2 that I?m pretty sure has 5? brow tines. Unfortunately, I only get to see him for about 15 seconds, and he has cows on either side of him, so I don?t have a clear shot. I?m also not CERTAIN that the brow tines are 5? long when viewed at 35 yards through a scope at 3x. If I shoot it and they are 5? brow tines, I?m a hero?.. but if I shoot and they?re 4?, I?m a criminal?. so?. No shot for me. Still an awesome day in the woods.
Tuesday ? My dad and I are hunting in the same general area. Neither of us sees a live elk, but I did kick some out of a bedded area just below a rockslide on the ridgeline of a mountain. This rockslide makes the ?highest travel line? much lower than the others, which makes a natural travel funnel. I didn?t notice it during my map study, but should have?? Waypoint generated for next trip?? I probably hiked 6-8 miles that day, in boots that tested waterproof before departure, but turn out to not be snow-proof on the mountain. Not sure what that?s all about?. Uncle Jimmy returned to camp with two fat dusky grouse from that day, and that meat was fantastic on our last-night meal Thursday.
Wednesday- I hunted a really nice looking saddle in the morning, but the only thing that passed through the saddle was another hunter and a beautiful huge hawk. Upon further review, there were very few elk tracks in that saddle. I guess the elk here just don?t go between those drainages that often, or they must take a different route. Later in the day, I tried ?pushing? elk towards my dad by making a lap around a small-ish mountain. No success here, except that I did absolutely kill both feet and calves. Probably walked another 8 miles total that day. My feets may never forgive me.
At the end of an unsuccessful (for me) season, certainly felt like I?d given a strong effort in the ?failure?. The lessons-learned list was considerably shorter than I?d have expected. All in all, a great trip and as my buddy says ?we got more of them, than they got of us?. As a bonus, I came back weighing 4# less than when I left, despite eating tons of food while there.
Meanwhile, my two buddies in the adjacent unit managed to go 2 for 2 taking a 5x3 on opening day, and a strange 5x2 on day 4 of the season. The 2-point side wasn?t broke off, just mal-formed. During mountain-filleting, they found an old broadhead in the backstrap. They suspect the broadhead may have contributed to the oddball 2-point antler. Both these bulls were killed appx 1500? vertical above the truck. Both were arsewhipper-retrieves. Glad I was hunting elsewhere and didn?t get enlisted to help in the transport!
I always go into these trips confident, and believing that ?today is the day?. I return home believing that ?next year is the year?. So the planning of the 2015 trip begins. Next year will likely be a return to our OTC bow unit, and I?m enthusiastic about it already?. ?
Our 2014 CO Elk Hunt Summary
Our ?group? of about 5-8 hunters ended up hunting two adjacent units in SW Colorado. Two in one, and 3 in the other (difference because of required PP?s). My group (me, my dad and a buddy of mine) was in a new-to-us unit. Also in camp were two of my uncles. One came along to hunt grouse and squirrels. The other just came along for the fine fellowship, lies and bourbon in camp. All elk hunters were carrying bull-only tags (which I?d regret later).
This was our first ?off grid? camp where we were providing all our own infrastructure. My buddy Erik took responsibility for tents. I was in charge of heating the sleeping tent. The sleeping tent was actually a 10x17 portable carport, sourced from Harbor Freight. This thing worked out surprisingly well, but doesn?t retain heat as well as a canvas tent. We cut an exhaust port in one of the side walls for the heater. Camp was about 11,300? of <gasp> elevation, and just beautiful.
Saturday- Opening Day: I hunted a section of forest where substantial logging had taken place many years back, providing good breaks/parks and cover as well. I saw 1 cow elk, and a cow/calf moose. My buddy hunted an area about 500? above me next to treeline where we?d seen TONS of sign in the summer. Zilch. No sign at all. Crazy frustrating. My dad saw a couple muleys, a coyote and a cow elk.
Sunday- A crazy weather day of 2 hrs of blowing blizzard followed by 30 minutes of clear skies; repeat. My buddy and I spent most of this day watching a really nice meadow that is probably 200 yards wide and nearly a mile long. I saw two NICE 5x5 muley bucks and another cow moose. Erik sat on the other end of that park and saw two cows and a calf that afternoon.
Monday- Erik is hiking up a 4x4 drivable logging road at sunup, and decides to sit, take a break and watch a section of said road. He?s been there 3 minutes when two cows and a 4x4 come busting across the road at 35 yards. An 180 grain Accubond later, the bull is dead in the bar ditch, allowing for probably the easiest field-retrieve of our lifetime. He retrieves my uncles from camp and a 4 wheeler to make it even easier.
Meanwhile, in the woods a mile away, I?m sneaking through the woods in a north-facing bowl, and I have somehow gotten myself in the center of a triangle between a cow and two calves. The cow is about 20 yards straight downhill from me, the first calf is on my level and about 10 yards from me, and the other calf comes bounding down the hill towards momma (only to encounter an orange-clad Texan on the way). She stops at 5 yards uphill, then walks up to SIX FEET and just stands there wondering what the Texan is gonna do next (a concern I shared?..). After about a minute of standing, she decides she doesn?t like me and trots off. About two minutes later, the other calf (10 yards) decides the same and follows. After another couple unconcerned minutes, momma follows. Crazy cool, and an experience I?ll not forget. Shortly thereafter, the rest of the herd comes walking through. They include about a dozen cow/calves plus four small bulls. Three bulls are spikes. The ?big? bull is a 2x2 that I?m pretty sure has 5? brow tines. Unfortunately, I only get to see him for about 15 seconds, and he has cows on either side of him, so I don?t have a clear shot. I?m also not CERTAIN that the brow tines are 5? long when viewed at 35 yards through a scope at 3x. If I shoot it and they are 5? brow tines, I?m a hero?.. but if I shoot and they?re 4?, I?m a criminal?. so?. No shot for me. Still an awesome day in the woods.
Tuesday ? My dad and I are hunting in the same general area. Neither of us sees a live elk, but I did kick some out of a bedded area just below a rockslide on the ridgeline of a mountain. This rockslide makes the ?highest travel line? much lower than the others, which makes a natural travel funnel. I didn?t notice it during my map study, but should have?? Waypoint generated for next trip?? I probably hiked 6-8 miles that day, in boots that tested waterproof before departure, but turn out to not be snow-proof on the mountain. Not sure what that?s all about?. Uncle Jimmy returned to camp with two fat dusky grouse from that day, and that meat was fantastic on our last-night meal Thursday.
Wednesday- I hunted a really nice looking saddle in the morning, but the only thing that passed through the saddle was another hunter and a beautiful huge hawk. Upon further review, there were very few elk tracks in that saddle. I guess the elk here just don?t go between those drainages that often, or they must take a different route. Later in the day, I tried ?pushing? elk towards my dad by making a lap around a small-ish mountain. No success here, except that I did absolutely kill both feet and calves. Probably walked another 8 miles total that day. My feets may never forgive me.
At the end of an unsuccessful (for me) season, certainly felt like I?d given a strong effort in the ?failure?. The lessons-learned list was considerably shorter than I?d have expected. All in all, a great trip and as my buddy says ?we got more of them, than they got of us?. As a bonus, I came back weighing 4# less than when I left, despite eating tons of food while there.
Meanwhile, my two buddies in the adjacent unit managed to go 2 for 2 taking a 5x3 on opening day, and a strange 5x2 on day 4 of the season. The 2-point side wasn?t broke off, just mal-formed. During mountain-filleting, they found an old broadhead in the backstrap. They suspect the broadhead may have contributed to the oddball 2-point antler. Both these bulls were killed appx 1500? vertical above the truck. Both were arsewhipper-retrieves. Glad I was hunting elsewhere and didn?t get enlisted to help in the transport!
I always go into these trips confident, and believing that ?today is the day?. I return home believing that ?next year is the year?. So the planning of the 2015 trip begins. Next year will likely be a return to our OTC bow unit, and I?m enthusiastic about it already?. ?
