Scouting Trip Reports
- Thread starter mtnmutt
- Start date
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,431
Heading out tomorrow to drop some trail cameras. I\'ll be sure to take some pictures and report on conditions!
iccyman001
New member
- Apr 30, 2014
- 5,489
\"cohunter14\" said:
Good luck, Derek :upthumb:
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,431
Thanks Dan! I am looking forward to some mountain air for sure. It\'s hard to believe it\'s July 6th already and yet I am still counting down the days until October.
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,431
Had a great afternoon wandering around our area and putting up three game cams. Overall, it was definitely wet, but not near as lush as I expected it to be. Snow was completely melted for the most part over 11k feet. Here are a few pics:
This is what we like to see. The tops of those rubs were well above my 6\'4\" height: [attachment=3]<!-- ia3 -->IMG_0671.JPG<!-- ia3 -->[/attachment]
A nice beaver pond that I found on a bench. The beaver was in the pond and was enormous! Had to be well over three feet long: [attachment=2]<!-- ia2 -->IMG_0673.JPG<!-- ia2 -->[/attachment]
A small meadow I found: [attachment=1]<!-- ia1 -->IMG_0688.JPG<!-- ia1 -->[/attachment]
A view of an area I placed a game cam. Tough to see, but there were a ton of rubs, both old and new, in this area. Reminded me of what Andy and Will talk about looking for. Anxious to see what this spot turns up:[attachment=0]<!-- ia0 -->IMG_0697.JPG<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment]
This is what we like to see. The tops of those rubs were well above my 6\'4\" height: [attachment=3]<!-- ia3 -->IMG_0671.JPG<!-- ia3 -->[/attachment]
A nice beaver pond that I found on a bench. The beaver was in the pond and was enormous! Had to be well over three feet long: [attachment=2]<!-- ia2 -->IMG_0673.JPG<!-- ia2 -->[/attachment]
A small meadow I found: [attachment=1]<!-- ia1 -->IMG_0688.JPG<!-- ia1 -->[/attachment]
A view of an area I placed a game cam. Tough to see, but there were a ton of rubs, both old and new, in this area. Reminded me of what Andy and Will talk about looking for. Anxious to see what this spot turns up:[attachment=0]<!-- ia0 -->IMG_0697.JPG<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment]
iccyman001
New member
- Apr 30, 2014
- 5,489
Awesome pictures, Derek. I am excited to see what you get on your camera. :upthumb:
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,431
The trip definitely got me excited about the season, but it also reminded me how difficult it is to learn a new area. I spent about four hours there today and didn\'t stop moving and still wasn\'t able to cover half as much area as I was hoping to. I am hoping that placing the three trail cams out there will help me slowly put the puzzle pieces together.
The good news is that I was able to get around there really well at over 10k feet and felt great doing it. Wasn\'t having to pause for breathers constantly, so that\'s good...although I did feel the heart rate getting up there a few times. I blame that on a combo of altitude and excitement :upthumb:
The good news is that I was able to get around there really well at over 10k feet and felt great doing it. Wasn\'t having to pause for breathers constantly, so that\'s good...although I did feel the heart rate getting up there a few times. I blame that on a combo of altitude and excitement :upthumb:
Nice pictures Derek. Thanks for sharing.
For those wondering about snow... For the past 3 weeks there has been a massive warm up. Pikes Peak has lost lots of its snow.
Also, the present smoke in CO is from the Canadian wildfire. There are no active wildfires in CO at the moment. For wildfire information: <!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/</a><!-- m -->
For those wondering about snow... For the past 3 weeks there has been a massive warm up. Pikes Peak has lost lots of its snow.
Also, the present smoke in CO is from the Canadian wildfire. There are no active wildfires in CO at the moment. For wildfire information: <!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/</a><!-- m -->
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,431
\"bowhunter\" said:
Terry, you could be right. I didn\'t examine them very well as I was in a bit of a hurry, but with the height they were at, I just have to assume they were rubs. Either that or it was a very tall elk eating that bark with a neck like a stegosaurus!
Lark Bunting
New member
- Sep 14, 2016
- 710
Obviously you\'re not implying that on opening day a person should go post up on that exact tree but could you clarify for us neophytes what kind of an area you\'re talking about? Within a few hundred feet? Half mile? a Couple miles?\"cnelk\" said:
Did some scouting a couple weekends ago ... Finally figured out how to resize my photos.
The area I went to would probably be a good rifle area, though I think the elk were still up higher for the most part. I\'m slowly learning that, though I can find elk in new places like this, for hunting purposes I\'m headed for \"lower hanging fruit.\" The area I went to was a LONG drive on ROUGH roads, followed by severe ups and downs. It would certainly be a place to \"get away\" but getting an elk out would be tough.
I did come away with a trophy, though. Matched set.
The area I went to would probably be a good rifle area, though I think the elk were still up higher for the most part. I\'m slowly learning that, though I can find elk in new places like this, for hunting purposes I\'m headed for \"lower hanging fruit.\" The area I went to was a LONG drive on ROUGH roads, followed by severe ups and downs. It would certainly be a place to \"get away\" but getting an elk out would be tough.
I did come away with a trophy, though. Matched set.
iccyman001
New member
- Apr 30, 2014
- 5,489
Congrats on the matched set! That is awesome :upthumb:
Oly, a friend and I went scouting this past weekend. I was out for a normal day of adventure, by myself, on day one. Oly had given me several (5)places to check. Even though it was a combined full day\'s work, they were easy to find. Oly had given me some great coordinates to go for. Three of the spots I checked were average. Two of the places looked great, but both of them had evidence of tree stand hunter use. One had a camera and the other had a permanent stand.
After Oly arrived in camp Friday morning at 0100, and had a short rest, we got up and went hiking. Before we reached the summit of the mountain we ascended, I was convinced Oly really hates me. The area looks great, but I am torn between enjoying a long, lousy elk hunt and going back up that mountain. Did I mention I think Oly hates me. My conscience tells me to go for the mountain, but it is at least a two day pack out for just the meat, if I get one up there. We saw about 20-25 elk up on that mountain including two monster bulls. We also saw two nice wallows. I don\'t worry about any competition. There are very few real masochists left in our State, so I think the area is safe.
Saturday evening after scouting all day, Oly, the friend and I met with Stringunner, his dad, his brother and his son. We had a good visit, exchanged notes on our observations, and dried up from the rain that had drenched us that afternoon.
After Oly arrived in camp Friday morning at 0100, and had a short rest, we got up and went hiking. Before we reached the summit of the mountain we ascended, I was convinced Oly really hates me. The area looks great, but I am torn between enjoying a long, lousy elk hunt and going back up that mountain. Did I mention I think Oly hates me. My conscience tells me to go for the mountain, but it is at least a two day pack out for just the meat, if I get one up there. We saw about 20-25 elk up on that mountain including two monster bulls. We also saw two nice wallows. I don\'t worry about any competition. There are very few real masochists left in our State, so I think the area is safe.
Saturday evening after scouting all day, Oly, the friend and I met with Stringunner, his dad, his brother and his son. We had a good visit, exchanged notes on our observations, and dried up from the rain that had drenched us that afternoon.
Swede, I was wondering where you were. So Oly dragged you around? Doesn\'t he owe you? Isn\'t he your personal pack mule? Those lazy September days in Treestands was a smoke screen? You are a masochists? :think:
Thank you for the report. Good to have you back.
Thank you for the report. Good to have you back.
Olympushunt
New member
- Jun 30, 2014
- 234
\"Swede\" said:
We sure worked hard this weekend. It was very nice meeting Stringuner and his fam. Great people. We have options for sure...some easier than others. I think that nasty spot could pay out big but I just don\'t know. I think there are easier elk to get but I could be wrong. I guess that is why it is called hunting and not killing.
