We headed west to Colorado on Sept. 10th and arrived in Gunnison, our first night's destination. We checked out a business called Traders Rendezvous that claimed to have Colorado's largest display of mounted trophies & antlers. I believe that claim is probably correct! Viewing all of the magnificent elk mounts only "stoked the fire" in us even more. To say that we were excited would be an understatement!!
We had a terrific meal that first evening (Big Dave is a fantastic cook) and met our guide Chris. After reviewing some of the Rocking R rules for the elk hunt we both informed our guide that any "legal" bull would be fair game for either one of us. Bed time soon followed, although sleep was difficult to say the least!
What a great time we all had together! C
After a hearty breakfast at the lodge it was time to start the hunt! The place we would first hunt would be several miles from Rocking R Ranch on leased property. I was told that this location was named "Slaughter Ridge" due to the number of elk killed there during past rifle seasons.
After a lengthy ride in the Ranger 4x4 we finally arrived at the head of a large valley. Legal shooting time was nearing and we could start to make out the sight pins on our bows. While hiking towards "elk valley" we could hear the bulls screaming and the cows responding. We were all smiles as the elk music increased in volume as we neared the valley.
As we glassed from behind oak brush into the valley below us there must have been 100 or so elk to greet us. This valley is quite wide ( a mile plus?) and most of the elk were up the far side of the valley away from us, although we did glass a few cows and calves in the bottom of the valley closer to us.
We immediately spotted a nice 6x6 with a few cows and Chris told us to set up in a clump of oak brush, me on one side and my brother on the other, with Chris behind us calling. Chris starts cow calling and bugling and has this group of elk working our way when suddenly the cows have a change of heart and turn and head in the opposite direction and take the bull with them. We then continue south along the wall of the valley and catch sight of the herd bull. And what a magnificent bull he was! A huge 6x6 with 30-40 cows in tow. He would answer every bugle Chris would throw at him but he wouldn't leave his harem of cows.
We worked our way further down the valley when we spot a lone bull across the valley and it appeared that he was heading towards the few cows & calves that were in the bottom.
Chris gave him a cow call and he immediately turned and headed in our direction! The bull had to be a good 3/4 of a mile away but he was definitely coming right towards us. Chris again told us to get set up in another clump of oak brush (the above photo is the exact ambush site we hid in). I glassed the bull but couldn't quite make out how big he was and asked Chris and got an immediate "he's a shooter" response from him.
It's been HOURS..... =D
Let's see this hunt!
First Morning - continued.
Chris continued to cow call which kept the bull on a direct line towards us. We were both kneeling on opposite sides of the oak brush with our arrows nocked. I ranged a small bush directly broadside to me at 32 yards. As the bull came through the bottom of the valley and up our side we lost sight of him. More cow calls from Chris and suddenly I could see antler tips rising above the ground. Wow!! The bull is coming straight to us and he is getting really close!
The bull was now only 100 yards or so from us and coming fast. Chris whispered to both of us to ask if we had our releases locked on the string. The bull had to commit either to the left or right of the oak brush we were hiding in. As luck would have it, the bull went to his left which was on my side of the oak brush. The bull walked right by the small bush at 32 yards and momentarily stopped and turned his head away from me. Chris whispered to me to draw my bow. Needing no further instructions, I drew my bow and buried the 30 yard pin directly behind the bull's front leg. The bull started to take a few more steps but Chris gave him a soft cow call to stop him. My arrow was on it's way! The arrow buried to the fletch right behind the front shoulder. The bull spun left and tore off down the valley and around the clumps of oak brush.
WOW!! What just happened? Did I really just shoot my first elk? I was very calm and collected while the bull approached and during my shot, but now, I was a bucket of mush! Chris and my brother both gave me bear hugs and assured me that my shot was perfect. I looked at my watch and it read 7:15 a.m. Only 45 minutes into the first day's hunt and I think I just killed my first bull. I tried to text my wife and two sons about what just happened but my hands were shaking so much I couldn't press the correct buttons on my phone. I'm sure I said all kinds of crazy things that I don't remember, but I was on an adrenaline high!
After waiting an eternity (30 minutes) we started to blood trail the bull. After going approximately 200-300 yards Chris found the bull piled up. Unfortunately, the bull jumped a fence and died on the neighbor's property and it took the better part of an hour to contact the land owner to ask permission to retrieve the bull. The picture above was taken at the fence looking down to the expired bull. He died only 16 yards from the fence but all I could do was wait until we had permission to access the neighbor's property.
Chris field dressed the bull and we somehow managed to move the bull to the other side of the fence for retrieval (this is a story in itself). Chris called for reinforcements to load the bull and Dan showed up in the Toyota Elk Hauler along with 6 or 7 other hunters and guides that were back in camp. The bull was loaded and taken back to the lodge where it was skinned and placed in the cooler.
......and people wonder why we bowhunt?
Love the cell phone sentence.
What about your hunting buddy? Yours is only part of the story. Let's hear the rest.
Left to right: Me, Craig (Ron's brother), Ron, Jake WW, Guides Chris, Joel, Dan and Rob!
First morning of the first day.... 8 or 9 guys to deal with it... whole in the back of a truck....
Never in my life seen one much less dealt with one on a gambrel. That's impressive.
It's an elk experience I am totally unfamiliar with..... LOL!
Congrats again. good job.
My story did not end in a kill like Ron's but it was the most exciting hunt I've ever been on and I'll be back at the Rocking R in 2017 to try it again.....2016 was already booked!
On Day 1 we were getting ready in the dark. Our guide bugled and was immediately answered by a bull. He had us set up 50 yards from the truck and it was still 20 minutes before shooting light. I couldn't believe it was happening so quickly. My heart was pounding through my chest as we had this bull screaming at us from 30 yards but it was still pitch black. The bull finally moved off and we played cat and mouse with him all morning. We were moving up the mountain flanking him all the way. We would get ahead of him and set up. He would answer the call but never came in. By 9 am he went quiet. We finally saw him cut across an open meadow in front of us about a half mile away and the game was over.
The other days were equally exciting but day 3 topped them all. Our guide Landon set us up and proceeded to cow call. After 45 minutes a silent bull showed up. He hung up about 45 yards in some dense oak brush and never presented me with an ethical shot. After that all hell broke loose. Landon estimated he called in a total of 7 bulls. They were screaming. There were a few cows and spikes mixed in as well. My hunting partner took a shot at a bull and missed. He was a bit unnerved because as he was shooting a cow he didn't see stepped out next to him at 3 yards. Our guide said he had never had an afternoon like the one we experienced.
It was an adventure I will never forget and I'll be back to finish the job! Thanks Dan, your place is awesome!! Thanks Charlie for being the gracious host and a special shout out to Jake for making us all realize how fortunate we are to have soldiers who put their lives on the line so we can enjoy these wonderful pursuits.
Again, congratulations on your bull. You and Craig were a pleasure to have in camp. Looking forward to hunting again with you.
Brendan,
We're going to get it done next time! See you in 2017!
By the way, this middle hunt is booked for 2016 (which Brendan referenced). But, there are a few other openings for 2016. Just wanted to clarify.
Thanks guys.
Not many things in life as exciting as elk hunting!
Mark
