Well, it was a bit odd this year not to be in my hunting groups annual pilgramage to the CO mountains for opening archery elk and deer season. This year my buddy and I burned our preference points and obtained an early rifle above timberline buck hunt that starts tomorrow. Sad thing is that my brother burned his points and obtained a tag as well, bu he had to turn it in due to work conflicts. It will be in a wilderness area and I have backpacked in 5 weekends on scouting trips. We are prepared to stay until next Monday if needed, but hopefully we are successful early. Pack is loaded for 5 days at 65lbs, and it looks like it will be 30-50% chance of rain everyday in the 10 day forecast. We are heading out now - will update when we get back!
Early Rifle Above Timberline CO Buck Hunt
- Thread starter Baby Huey
- Start date
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,345
Good luck Roman, looking forward to hearing the report!
Eyeeyecaptain
New member
- Aug 4, 2017
- 167
Sounds awesome! Have fun and keep us posted. Good luck
ferris bugler
New member
- Aug 26, 2014
- 2
Ok. It\'s 8:20am on the 12th. Where\'s the update. We\'re waiting.
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,345
Can\'t wait to see the pics when you get back from that last load today!
Ferris Bugler, welcome to the forum! :welcome:
Ferris Bugler, welcome to the forum! :welcome:
Friday before the season we started at the trailhead at 4:30pm. My pack was around 77lbs and my buddy?s was 65lbs. I went ahead of my buddy as he was not in the shape he wanted to be in and was lagging. At dusk, I was still about an hour away from our intended camp site. I made an executive decision to camp where I was at 11,800ft, as it was now dark and I couldn?t see my buddy?s head lamp in the valley below. I figured he was having a hell of a time, so I planned to go down with minimal items in my pack and take his pack and get to our camp. Luckily he wasn?t too far down the mountain and I switched his pack with mine and we headed to our secondary camp, which would become our primary spot. The reason I say it was an executive decision is that the previous weekend we scouted and my buddy brought up a one man tent and placed a bunch of equipment, clothes, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, etc. in it, as this is where we intended to camp. Well, this camp was about 750? higher up and over a saddle. I knew my buddy couldn?t make it so I set off at 10:30pm to get his sleeping bag and pad at the other camp. At 1:30am we went to bed after 2 Mountain House meals.
Day 1 I awoke at 5am and headed up a slope close to our camp. I wanted to be at the top of the slope, but it was not to be after the previous night. The nice thing is that there were clouds coming in and I was able to move up the slope and glass between the cloud cover. I spotted a group of deer we had seen 3 weeks earlier on a scouting trip. One was a 3x4 that my buddy wanted to take when he saw it that opening weekend. I had borrowed my buddy?s backup range finder and I couldn?t get it to scan past 300yds, and the deer were beyond that. I put on my Gore-Tex pants and slowly slid down the hill foot-by-foot to get down undetected as there was not much cover. I made it to the tent and had my buddy come back up with me. We went up a rock sliver to be covered and hopefully get a shot, but the deer had apparently gone over the ridge.
Day 1 I awoke at 5am and headed up a slope close to our camp. I wanted to be at the top of the slope, but it was not to be after the previous night. The nice thing is that there were clouds coming in and I was able to move up the slope and glass between the cloud cover. I spotted a group of deer we had seen 3 weeks earlier on a scouting trip. One was a 3x4 that my buddy wanted to take when he saw it that opening weekend. I had borrowed my buddy?s backup range finder and I couldn?t get it to scan past 300yds, and the deer were beyond that. I put on my Gore-Tex pants and slowly slid down the hill foot-by-foot to get down undetected as there was not much cover. I made it to the tent and had my buddy come back up with me. We went up a rock sliver to be covered and hopefully get a shot, but the deer had apparently gone over the ridge.
Day 2 we went up to the slope above the camp, as there were a couple of places we had seen deer cross. My buddy would sit there and wait. I headed across this slope to the next drainage over to check it out. I found two bucks ? one bedded, one feeding, but they were small. I stayed there for about 45 minutes hoping a large buck would materialize, but that didn?t happen. I decided I would go over the top and check out a 3rd slope that came into this mountain. I thought I should glass the drainage basin below and across the valley. Good thing I did, as I found about 5 bucks bedding and feeding. Two were absolutely huge and in velvet. They were about 3000yds away, so I scampered over to my buddy and told him this may be the day. He took one look in his spotter and said. ?Let?s get ?em!?. We made our way down to the bottom of our ridge and then up the valley floor towards the basin. Our packs were dropped about 1000 yds away and were making our way up the basin and were about 600yds below the bucks and got double whammied. There were does blowing out of the willows and the wind changed and went directly towards the bucks. We knew we were busted, but headed up the basin to see if we could see where the bucks were escaping. There was no sign of them! Low and behold as we walked through, I caught a glimpse at the 13000? rim and saw them on the skyline. I dropped down and had my buddy range them: 565yds. I checked my drop chart taped to my stock, dialed up my MOA and got back on the scope. Like ghosts, they had vanished!
Day 3 started at 1am with horrendous winds and rain. That would continue through to around 11am to give us enough time to relieve our bodies of the water we had acquired! Then the rain started again. Another break at 4pm appeared to be the last of it, so we geared up and were about to leave when the skies darkened and we decided to wait a bit. It was a good choice as the rain and wind returned for the remainder of the night. Luckily I brought Lone Survivor and read about 200 pages ? always have had a great respect for our SEALS and this book has only strengthened that feeling.
Day 4 my buddy wasn?t feeling the best so he slept in. I decided to try and see the backside of the mountain across the valley. Looked easy enough, but these mountains will humble you quick! I was 4 hours into hiking up this beast of a mountain and not yet at the top. I decided to cancel this outing, as I was cliffed out and would have to drop down 700 yds and then climb up about 1200 yds to get to the other side of the valley. I was way back there and it was a pretty good slope that would be trying and I thought better of it if I got hurt, or if I could safely bring back a buck down that slope. Went back to camp and washed up a bit.
Day 4 my buddy wasn?t feeling the best so he slept in. I decided to try and see the backside of the mountain across the valley. Looked easy enough, but these mountains will humble you quick! I was 4 hours into hiking up this beast of a mountain and not yet at the top. I decided to cancel this outing, as I was cliffed out and would have to drop down 700 yds and then climb up about 1200 yds to get to the other side of the valley. I was way back there and it was a pretty good slope that would be trying and I thought better of it if I got hurt, or if I could safely bring back a buck down that slope. Went back to camp and washed up a bit.
The Day. I counted the days we had hunted in the morning, and this was the fifth day. I thought it might be fortuitous, as the number 5 had a bit of luck attached to it. When my buddy picked me up the previous Friday to hunt, he grabbed a die that I was using to help my 1st grader with his math homework games. My buddy yells out ?5!? rolls the die and yes, it lands on the 5! The Day started with another late start and very low clouds. We headed up the valley where we had spooked the 5 deer with the 2 big ones previously on the hunt. As we eased up the valley, we glassed all around the growing basins and slope walls. As we slinked along the trail, I spotted a buck feeding about 700 yds away. We were in a very poor position, as the buck was 1/3 up the basin wall feeding and had a prime view of the valley below and all the danger which approached. We moved towards some willows and found 2 more deer. The original deer I spotted was rubbing the final velvet off of his antlers and, the bright red stained antlers caught my buddies eye and he wanted that deer. The second pair we saw had the big pristine velvet antlered buck that I wanted.
My buddy just wanted to be aggressive and walk the foot trail to get close; but I thought no way, as I thought these big bucks would be out of there if we just walked the trail. I talked my buddy into crawling slowly along the willows to our right, as the grassy meadow opened up to our left. We crawled over 200yds to close the distance. There was a bit of a rise in the terrain and when another cloud rolled in we headed up the 30yd rise to the top. My buck had started feeding about 100yds above my buddy?s buck, as another set of clouds moved in. When the clouds receded, we could not find the bucks in our optics and we knew we were close. Neither of us could believe that the bucks had caught our presence and exited this large valley in the few minutes it took us to climb the small rise. Disgust filled us and our mouths were rendered speechless, as we looked at each other with heavy hearts with no words and the clouds engulfed us again.
As the white clouds dissipated again, my buddy caught a glimpse of my buck, which had made his way down to the same level as the other two bucks, who were to the right of him. I told my buddy where his deer was but he couldn?t find him in his scope. I asked for a range on my buck and he said ?385?. I dialed the MOA up 3.5 for a 400yd shout. I acquired my buck that had walked to the right and joined the other two. My buddy was having a heck of a time looking for the bucks and I kept telling him to look to the right of where his was originally at. Our little discussion caught the bucks attention and they were staring at us now. I had my crosshairs on my buck?s heart and was telling my buddy to find them quick, as they were getting antsy and ready to run ? and I was getting antsy with my trigger finger as well! A few seconds later my buddy says he has them acquired as his gun is resting on his spotter tripod. I am laying prone with my tilting Harris bipod extended to its fullest. I started the count: 1, 2, DOUBLE BOOM!
Instead of watching through my scope, I cycled another round then got on the bucks. I could see my buddies and the 3rd buck, but not mine. Then my buddies buck started to limp down the slope and my buddy followed up on the wounded buck. I looked over my scope towards the basin walls. I saw two bucks running and put my crosshairs on both, but neither were the buck I shot at. Then all was silent. My buddy?s deer was down but not out. I told him to head over and I would stay to watch and direct him. As he reached his deer and finished it off, I glassed where I had shot, but couldn?t see anything in the willows on the slope. I met up with my buddy and we decided to climb and look for any sign of a hit on my buck. My buddy swore he saw my buck rolling, but when I said I saw two buck running after the shot, he was 2nd guessing what he saw ? was it a big rock that got kicked over? As we ascended the slope, I was ecstatic to find antlers in the willows 80 yards below where the bucks were standing! It was a perfect shot to the heart and my buck must have dropped immediately and started rolling.
It was great to take two bucks at the same time with my best bud!
My buddy just wanted to be aggressive and walk the foot trail to get close; but I thought no way, as I thought these big bucks would be out of there if we just walked the trail. I talked my buddy into crawling slowly along the willows to our right, as the grassy meadow opened up to our left. We crawled over 200yds to close the distance. There was a bit of a rise in the terrain and when another cloud rolled in we headed up the 30yd rise to the top. My buck had started feeding about 100yds above my buddy?s buck, as another set of clouds moved in. When the clouds receded, we could not find the bucks in our optics and we knew we were close. Neither of us could believe that the bucks had caught our presence and exited this large valley in the few minutes it took us to climb the small rise. Disgust filled us and our mouths were rendered speechless, as we looked at each other with heavy hearts with no words and the clouds engulfed us again.
As the white clouds dissipated again, my buddy caught a glimpse of my buck, which had made his way down to the same level as the other two bucks, who were to the right of him. I told my buddy where his deer was but he couldn?t find him in his scope. I asked for a range on my buck and he said ?385?. I dialed the MOA up 3.5 for a 400yd shout. I acquired my buck that had walked to the right and joined the other two. My buddy was having a heck of a time looking for the bucks and I kept telling him to look to the right of where his was originally at. Our little discussion caught the bucks attention and they were staring at us now. I had my crosshairs on my buck?s heart and was telling my buddy to find them quick, as they were getting antsy and ready to run ? and I was getting antsy with my trigger finger as well! A few seconds later my buddy says he has them acquired as his gun is resting on his spotter tripod. I am laying prone with my tilting Harris bipod extended to its fullest. I started the count: 1, 2, DOUBLE BOOM!
Instead of watching through my scope, I cycled another round then got on the bucks. I could see my buddies and the 3rd buck, but not mine. Then my buddies buck started to limp down the slope and my buddy followed up on the wounded buck. I looked over my scope towards the basin walls. I saw two bucks running and put my crosshairs on both, but neither were the buck I shot at. Then all was silent. My buddy?s deer was down but not out. I told him to head over and I would stay to watch and direct him. As he reached his deer and finished it off, I glassed where I had shot, but couldn?t see anything in the willows on the slope. I met up with my buddy and we decided to climb and look for any sign of a hit on my buck. My buddy swore he saw my buck rolling, but when I said I saw two buck running after the shot, he was 2nd guessing what he saw ? was it a big rock that got kicked over? As we ascended the slope, I was ecstatic to find antlers in the willows 80 yards below where the bucks were standing! It was a perfect shot to the heart and my buck must have dropped immediately and started rolling.
It was great to take two bucks at the same time with my best bud!
Day 6 had us leaving camp at 7:40am, descending 3500? down to the truck with the first load of meat. We took the heads down near the stream and tied them up in a tree that was well shaded in order to take them out on the last load. We arrived at the trailhead around 1pm and put the meat in the cooler. I froze about 15 1 gallon water jugs for our ice before the trip. We went into town and got a room for the night, knowing that we would head back up that afternoon and take our second load down that night. After an ice cream at the local market, we headed back up to camp, got the second load, a couple Mountain House meals and started down with the second load of meat and half the camp. The GPS said 4.5 miles trailhead to camp, but my buddy thinks it was around 6 miles one way with all of the switchbacks ? my feet believe him! We both forgot to bring our backpacking stoves down, so we just had snacks in the truck since this small town closed up around 8pm. My feet and knees were telling me to screw off as they were throbbing and down for the count! We arrived at the inn around 11:30pm and took a well deserved shower and hit the sack.
Day 7 we loaded up on an order of biscuits and gravy each and a shared ultimate breakfast burrito at a local caf? and then up once more for the last load. The hunt ended about 6pm as we arrived at the truck for the last time.
Today we took the heads into our taxidermist. My buddy will get a full shoulder mount, and me a European mount. This is a little compromise, as my wife doesn?t like the full mounts as they are creepy to her, so European it is!
Thanks for reading!
Day 7 we loaded up on an order of biscuits and gravy each and a shared ultimate breakfast burrito at a local caf? and then up once more for the last load. The hunt ended about 6pm as we arrived at the truck for the last time.
Today we took the heads into our taxidermist. My buddy will get a full shoulder mount, and me a European mount. This is a little compromise, as my wife doesn?t like the full mounts as they are creepy to her, so European it is!
Thanks for reading!
