Decided (foolishly) to drive back a nasty arse track to a new area. 4 miles in 35 mins. Not real rocky but if it rained I was stuck for awhile....period.
As I got to the end I ran into some deer hunters scouting on 4 wheelers....much smarter than I. Great guys. Said they busted 3 good bulls feeding in the final meadow just before I got there.
By then it was too late to drive back out before it got dark so I set up camp in the final meadow. Next morning I was out looking for sign where the bulls ran off that night and started following it into the dark timber. Found a good skid trail. Lots of heavily used trails. Rutting from prior years. Good stuff.
More importantly, I found a way to hike in that was relatively easy compared to the 4 mile nail biter drive. I also made contact with at least 2 elk back in the dark timber...they were in there bedding by 8:30 am which I thought was a bit early....but then it is hot now.
Best part of the trip, watched a coyote put a stalk on a fat marmot. He got within 4' before the marmot engaged him in a stare down mexican standoff. The coyote finally gave up and wandered off. Then I sat last night over a waterhole I found to see if any deer or elk would show. What showed as a little black bear who ran to it......drank....then ran on past it like something was on his tail.
One more trip in 2 weeks to confirm what I've seen and finalize the plan then its will be time to try and stick an elk back there! Great solo trip above 10,000' and the new shoes on the truck did great despite the abuse I gave them.
It is a pure thrill to have the ability to go up to this area multiple times and see it through multiple seasons.....although I am NOT a fan of bug season that is going on up there now. Flies and Skeeters are INSANELY bad. wow....minnesoooota ain't got nuttin on the high country of CO in summer.
Now I just need to check out a few new areas and resist the temptation to go into the good areas I've found so I don't push out the elk before season. I already know from what I'm seeing now and what I've seen in the past during elk season that they will be changing their ways soon in response to hunting pressure.
You've found elk now. The bachelor bulls you're finding will very likely move toward the summer herds of cows-calves as the rut approaches. Find them and you'll find where the bulls will be during the first week of September if nobody pushes them out.
Since you're here and have the luxury of scouting multiple places, start looking for those places where the elk will go when pressure hits. Use maps to connect the dots. The spots I'm scouting now have few, if any elk at the moment. But they are places I've learned over the past three seasons where elk go based on directional hunting pressure, where other hunters don't go.
There are lots of old trails, rubs from multiple seasons, wallows, and heavy bedding timber. I'm spending my time learning how to hunt them carefully once the elk get in there, how to get in and get out with the thermals, what time the wind goes haywire (9:30 is pretty much when the "get out of the woods" alarm goes off around here) and why the elk are moving the way they are moving.
Good luck - you're fortunate to live here now!
