Hunt Updates

[cohunter14]

Figured I would start a thread where folks can update everyone on their hunt(s). We obviously have the Meat Pole thread for trophy pics and anyone is welcome to share the stories of their harvest as well with their own thread. This one can be more of a 'quick hit' thread to update everyone on how it's going.


I was able to sneak out for a quick hunt this morning. Covered about four miles and saw very little fresh sign and heard nothing. Hoping the action picks up in the next week before I am able to get back out!

 

[DTP]

Everything is packed and ready to go....
Need to get through 7 hours of work and I'm on the road....

Spoke with a local who cuts wood where I hunt and he saw a giant on the burn I hunt yesterday morning.... oh boy!

 

[ltsheets]

Get him buddy!  Travel safe on the long drive out.

 

[Lark Bunting]

I hunted Mule deer opening weekend and saw 10 deer, 5 bucks, three of those were humongous. None of them would stand still long enough with me walking on what sounded like rice crispies and bubble wrap for me to get a shot. If this area had still been either sex I'd have taken another doe...13 yards, eating and had NO idea I was there.


I leave Saturday morning really early for my back packing elk trip. 5 hour drive, 2.5 hour hike, should be interesting.


I am also hunting down a house to buy. That is proving to be more of a nightmare than getting ready for an elk hunt.

 

[Bull_Fighter]

Waiting impatiently for 2 more weeks! Anxious about all the what-ifs. Will someone somehow have found my camp spot and taken it over? Will the tiny seep near my camp spot have any water running from it? Will the weather EVER cool down?! This is the first year in a while that I'm bringing people with me, so I want to be sure everything falls into place the way I want it to. Then it's ON! Can't wait.

 

[F M]

It is hot this year. Not ideal for hunting but so far we are 2 for 4 and should have one more. The bulls are bulging and have seen some rag horns trying to get frisky but not having much luck. 

Got my elk so I'm going to go and arrow a few grouse tomorrow.

 

[Elk Noob]

I haven't had the greatest prep this year. Broke my big toe early July which set me back a bit, and then tore some ligaments in My ankle 2nd weekend of August, but I've still made it out a couple weekends.


Opening weekend I let my eyes do the walking and got up high to glass. Found a couple cow elk, but no Bulls. Tried hunting them the following day and wasn't able to get close.

This past weekend I rode my mtn bike up a service road at a ski resort to get up 7 miles (about 3k vert) and back in on an area that I had some good intel. Opening weekend there were quite a few elk in that area. From the amount of sign and age of the sign in that area I'm sure the elk were up there. This past weekend it was just so hot, and dry up there, I think the elk have moved closer to water. I was able to call in a spike at last light on Sunday, but that was it. Heading out for a week long hunt with my dad next week so I'm really looking forward to that. He'll have a muzzleloader while i'll have my bow.


The slightly cooler weather really has me getting excited.

 

[colorado russ]

Well, it all started good Friday by only leaving an hour behind schedule!  1:00 pm and headed West on I-40.  First road trip with my 'new' Jeep and in NM started noticing my gas mileage getting worse(digital display).  Assumed it was the 10% ethanol since I had only been running 100% gas in it.


Up Raton pass the check engine light came on.  $*%&^#$^^#@@!  Pulled over later and read up on manual - hoping bad gas or something similar.  Over La Veta pass into Alamosa around 23:00.  Pitched tent and got air mattress inflated - I forgot about an annual car show that books all the hotels so had to rough it.


Instead of hunting Sat am, went into Autozone to check code.  Cylinder 4 misfire detected!  ARGGHH!  Went to Jeep dealership and only one tech working since holiday.  There's an Extended Warranty service bulletin on the heads but he'd have to look it over for other possible issues.  Decided to put out my trail cameras and a ladder stand, visit with landowner a short while(thank goodness he was baling and couldn't stop long) then back to dealership.


They upgraded the computer software and reset the code.  I decided to head back home instead of waiting until Monday should something worse happen. Got home Sunday morning.  Round trip was a little under 46 hours with trip clock showing 24 hours and 37 minutes behind the wheel!  Code hasn't went off again but tire pressure started going lower on my right rear during return trip and had caught a screw so got air when getting gas!


Came back to work so I could rest up!!  Going back in 3 weeks for the hunt!!

 

[cohunter14]

Dang Russ, sorry the trip wasn't better for you. At least you were able to getthe cams out!

 

[colorado russ]

Funny thing Derek is that I didn't want to drive my F150 because it has 213,000 miles on it and worried something might happen along the way!  Jeep only has 23,000 miles and I worried over half of the trip.  Thinking the pickup is going back in 3 weeks and keep the Jeep to shorter trips!

 

[cnelk]

Friday evening 9/1 - I went into a tree stand I set up a few weeks ago.
About 6pm I mewed a couple times and immediately got a bugle response not far away


I waited. a couple minutes later a decent 5x5 showed up and drifted my way at 60yds
Then, another bugle ripped off and the 5x5 looked behind him where the bugle came from


Oh boy..


The 5pt came in to 37yds... I drew... He was walking... I went 'Mehhh' to stop him but he BOLTED!


Damn


Then the big 6x6 stepped into the clearing. walking toward my stand.


He stopped where I walked across the clearing and put his head down to smell my tracks, at 75yds.


He slowly turned around and went back to where he came from...

 

[cnelk]

Yesterday morning. 9/4


I slipped up a north facing slope, thick timber, and started a cold call set . First with a light bugle followed by a few cow calls


A few minutes later here they came...
Sounded like a train coming thru the woods, breaking sticks/logs but not vocal at all


One cow... another cow... 18yds...


They split and I wait...


Then I see anther elk coming... I peer around some thick stuff and see antlers!


I draw...


I wait...


Cow one has me pegged...


I lean out to see if I can shoot the bull... no shot


I wait at full draw some more...


Cow one drifts off...cow 2 drifts off..  bull turns around and drifts off...


I left the area and went back to camp and had breakfast


I call that success

 

[cohunter14]

Sounds like you are right in the thick of them Brad! Are you definitely holding out for a bull with your ES tag or will things change as the season progresses?

 

[cohunter14]

Heading out shortly for a couple days in the high country. Not a lot of time to get it done, but it beats sitting at home! If I'm not able to punch the tag this time, I have at least one more weekend to make it happen.

 

[Elk101 Admin]

Good luck, may the wind be with you.

 

[cohunter14]

Well, I'm back already. Covered six miles between an evening and morning hunt and came up with nothing. Unfortunately the area I have been scouting and have cameras in had bulls in there all summer, but very few cows. That made me nervous, but I was hoping the early season would still be good. But, as luck would have it, the last bull we have on camera was August 15thand there is zero sign of them in the area. Time to readjust and make a new game plan for the next hunt, which is in two weeks. I think I know where they are, but it's a good three miles in through three different drainages. It'll be some work to get back there, but hopefully it'll be worth it!

 

[DTP]

All packed up and leaving the mountain.
I'm heading directly to Oklahoma for an antelope doe hunt!

Good luck to everyone still out there. [emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cohunter14]

Here are a couple pics I got while out this last weekend:

 

[cohunter14]

I'm back from my final go at it for archery season. Long story short, no luck locating the elk. Tried some different areas but to no avail. The good news is I will be back in that area in about a month to help my dad with a deer hunt, so more scouting time! In between that I've also got an antelope hunt and a rifle elk hunt so hopefully I'll be punching some tags soon.

Here are some pics from the trip:

Here are a couple doe's that I was able to sneak in on:

 

[Bull_Fighter]

Sad to report that I too came out empty-handed. What an awesome week it was, though! Saw 100+ elk, a handful of deer, a bull moose that seemed to be everywhere we went, the largest black bear I've ever seen. Called in a nice bull the first morning, but he circled downwind and we were stuck in sage brush, unable to move to the correct position, and he busted us. Had a few other close calls just barely out of bow range. Extreme weather hammered us the entire time. This was both of my brothers' first archery elk hunt and they are hooked and planning on joining me next year, so that's a win in my book. Posting a couple pics below.

One thing I noticed is that the area I hunt seems to always be behind on where I THINK it should be in the progression of the rut. We hunted Sept. 13-18 and cows were everywhere, but bulls were not grouped up with them yet. Some cows were solo, and others were in groups of 6-10 with maybe a spike hanging out in the bunch. The bulls would respond in the darkness of morning/evening but were very low volume/excitement and seemed like they were being extra cautious. I thought that the bulls would surely be rounding up cows by that point. Anyone have any insight on that?