A tale of two hunts
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
The following will be an attempt to provide a small payback for some of the entertaining and educational stories I have read here the last few years. I have never attempted this before and I'm sure both my storytelling and photography skills are well beneath the standards set by others before me. I will try to provide a look into two hunts from this year, very different from each other in terms of approach and preparation, and maybe provide a glimpse of the fickle and unpredictable nature of our pastime.
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
Like many others on this site I have been collecting points in Colorado for many years. I have been looking, like everyone else, at the northwest corner of the state. I have also lately become more interested in unit 61. When a friend of mine drew 61 this year I decided to learn as much as I could about the area and join him on his hunt to hopefully help him on his hunt and experience the place during an actual hunt as opposed to scouting. The first trip I took was actually a turkey hunt before he drew. This is a picture from that trip this spring.
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
I didn't kill a turkey, but came close, had a great time and learned part of the unit. 61 is known for a lot of bears and I ran into this guy at about 10 yards one day. I also got a look at this little guy, a fledgling Northern Saw-whet Owl if i'm reading my book correctly.
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
Here is the owl.
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
My next trip was a family camp out in a different part of the unit. I liked this area a lot and decided to put out a trail camera at a water hole I found near our campsite. This is a picture of my son and daughter from that trip.
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
I wasn't able to return until about three weeks later and was excited to see what may have appeared on camera. When I got to the water hole i couldn't find my camera at first. I eventually found it on the ground, and when I looked at the pictures, I got an extreme closeup of a bear as he apparently pulled the camera off the tree. This was the day after I set the camera and during the following three weeks I got over 1300 wonderful shots of the same branch blowing in the wind as the camera lay on it's back. I did however get to spend a couple days further exploring the area, and decided this was the spot i wanted to hunt.Every spot I checked looked good and I wanted to hunt them all, but figured I should get to know one area pretty well and go with that. My friend, who was actually going to be hunting is from out of state, so my scouting was all we were going to have to go on. I found a clearing where several trails converged and there were a bunch of rub trees so i re-set the camera in this spot.
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
This is a photo of part of the area we were to hunt in 61, but this hunt wasn't going to take place until mid September, and I had another chance to hunt during the first part of the season. I have to take a break now, but will tell the story of that hunt when I get back.
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
I practiced a lot this summer and was feeling pretty good about my shooting. I work as a guide on a ranch in Northern Colorado, so I don't get to spend much time hunting on my own and try to make the most of any opportunity I get. My peep was starting to turn away from my eye so I stopped at a shop in Rifle and asked them to put a twist in the string to tighten it up. They did this, I got my tag and was on my way. The next morning I drew my bow and instead of stopping at my anchor point my draw went about 6 inches past my ear. I didn't know what to do and tried to let off but couldn't. I finally got it to release, but it ripped out of my hand and basically dry fired. I won't mention the name of the shop, but they screwed up a very simple task. Maybe you shouldn't take you bow to a shop in a town named Rifle. In any case I needed a new string, new cams and new cables. This was not a place I wanted to be with a little over a week before the season.
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
I managed to get everything replaced in about a week's time, but my bow felt a lot different and my confidence was very low. When the season opened I hunted with a client for the first 5 days. We had a lot of close encounters, but no shots. We have two days between hunts, but I can usually only hunt one of those days. With the unit 61 hunt coming up I figured I was going to have a one day elk season for myself this year. Between the bow problems, one day season, slow start to the rut, and lack of scouting I was feeling extremely pessimistic about my chances. Compared to all the preparation I had put in for unit 61, I felt like this was a very haphazard approach. I am not allowed to hunt on the ranch, but I can drive through it to access public land. There are a lot of elk in the area, but it is one of the most heavily hunted areas in the state. This is a picture of the area I was to hunt, although it's taken a couple of weeks later when the leaves were changing.
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
I was really tired after 5 straight days of guiding and considered not going out at all, the elk weren't talking much yet, I wasn't confident in my setup, but I only had one chance and knew I'd be really upset with myself later if I didn't at least try. So I dragged my butt out of bed, got in the truck and drove across the ranch. I parked right at the boundary of the National Forest and listened for bugles in the pre-dawn. I was greeted with utter silence!
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
It had rained overnight and I was able to move very quietly. I walked for about 20 minutes into the NF and still heard nothing, I had a spot in mind I was hoping to reach by daylight. I stopped to look around in the gathering light and saw movement very close. I froze and as it got lighter I could see an elk at about 30 yards. I had an either sex tag and with one day to bunt I was going to take any elk I could get good shot at.
From: drycreek
24-Oct-15
Well, for a guy who sets low expectations for his story, I would say you're doing really well. I'm ready for more !
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
As it got lighter I could see that there were several elk near me, Unfortunately I could also see that they were getting nervous, and it wasn't quite light enough for me to feel comfortable shooting. The elk slowly starting slipping away, not totally spooked, but moving with a little bit of purpose and they were soon gone. They moved back towards the ranch, where i couldn't follow. I was disappointed at the missed opportunity, but at least I knew there were elk around. Still no bugles, but I headed further into the NF.
From: Brun
24-Oct-15
I'm enjoying writing this more than I expected and I hope some of you are also. Today is my birthday and I'm being called to join my family now. I'll continue soon. Good hunting to all.
From: Brun
25-Oct-15
As I continued walking it got completely light. As I mentioned earlier it had rained overnight and the ground was soft and quiet. I still heard no elk, but decided to still hunt as slowly as possible through the woods. After a short walk, maybe another half mile, I stepped into a small clearing, looked above me and saw two bulls about 30 yards. I was below them and the cool morning air was moving downhill, so they had no idea I was there. The better of the two bulls a 270ish 6x6 was broadside quartering away. I mediately drew my bow and was about to release when he stepped behind a small spruce tree. I held a long as I could, but had to let off as he continued to feed with his vitals blocked.
From: Brun
25-Oct-15
After letting off I looked around and realized there were several cows with these bulls. They were even closer and I figured they would probably smell me at any moment. They were only about 20 yds away and barely above me. The other bull had fed closer to me, but was completely obscured by trees. I turned my attention to him and saw movement a few seconds later. He was really close. I drew my bow again and he stepped into a position that gave me a small window right to he vitals. I released and the arrow looked good.
From: Brun
25-Oct-15
I made myself wait for half an hour even though I was really sure the shot was good. I found the bull pretty quickly and set about the long solo job of quartering and packing. You can see in the picture that he is a small 6 point that busted off one side. The break was brand new and I think it broke during his death race through the woods, but I never found it. I had been incredibly lucky on a last second hunt in a heavily hunted area with almost no preparation. Surely the well planned, well researched hunt in famous unit 61 was going to be a piece of cake. I'll come back later and start that story.
From: elmer@laptop
25-Oct-15
Loving this so far!
From: drycreek
25-Oct-15
Good story and a happy ending ! Perfect shot placement !
From: Brun
25-Oct-15
After getting my elk packed out I had one day to get ready for another week of guiding, to be followed by my adventure in unit 61. I had a good week guiding, which is another story, but I'll move on to the long awaited 61 hunt. My friend was meeting me in Grand Junction with his RV. This was going to be a new experience for me as I have always been a backpack or truck camp guy, but i' not getting any younger and a little comfort sounded good.
From: Brun
25-Oct-15
Here is the RV where we were to live for the next week. I was hoping to spend more time, but work constraints for us both conspired to keep the trip shorter. We got up on the plateau late in the afternoon and were anxious to get into the woods. We decided to make a quick hunt into the area I had left a trail cam 4 weeks earlier and at least recover the card so we could look at what had been happening. It was with a great sense of excitement that we finally set foot in unit 61 during season. We hadn't walked more than 10 minutes when we heard our first bugles!
From: Brun
25-Oct-15
Just as I spotted my camera Marty spotted some cows. They were about 100 yds in front of us and several bulls were bugling nearby. I looked to my left and a 300ish bull was standing broadside in the open about 40 yards away. We are both amazed and although it was a nice bull, Marty wasn't ready to end his hunt after 15 minutes, especially since we didn't really know what we might see in the coming days. So he passed on the shot opportunity and the elk fed away from us. I went over and retrieved my camera, more anxious than ever to see what it had recorded. I threw it in my pack and started off following 2 bugling bulls, both of whom had big raspy voices. So far I was blown away. We followed the bulls and got in a screaming match, but the cows were moving away from us and the bulls went with them. We followed until dark, ended up in a new drainage and left ourselves with about 4 miles back to the truck. What a start! When we got back to camp I took out the card to see what images it had come up with. At that time I realized I had accidentally set it on video. I got some pretty cool stuff, which I will attempt to post now. I hope the videos will load.
From: Brun
25-Oct-15
I have attempted to load a video, but it seems they have to be approved and then they go somewhere else. I'm not super savy in the computer world, so if someone knows what else I should be doing here, please let me know. I got multiple videos of elk, about 6 different bulls, some small bucks, a coyote, turkeys, and best of all a mountain lion. I'd love to include these, but my own stupidity and possibly the system is keeping me from sharing them. Any help or information about this would be appreciated. Needless to say were very excited after our first evening and fired up for the rest of the hunt.
From: WV Mountaineer
25-Oct-15
You have to use a program like photobucket, you tube, vimeo, etc... to download videos. If you will down load them to one of those websites, then embed the link in your post, it will show up.
If you do that, Pm me and I'll tell you how to do it once done. God Bless
From: Brun
25-Oct-15
WV, thanks for the advice. I'll see what I can do downloading the videos, maybe I can get someone to help me tomorrow. In the meantime I'll continue with the story. The next morning we left with high hopes and heard bugling bulls almost immediately after getting out of the truck. The first possible setup was ruined by wind direction, so we just moved on. We soon got into some more bulls and moved closer without much calling. There were so many elk around that we just made a few sounds to sound like part of the herd. We were able to stalk within 30 yes of another 300 class bull, but the cover was too thick to get a shot. Unit 61, as has been observed on this site before is extremely brushy, and that's what did us in on that occasion. We left 3 or 4 good sounding bulls in a canyon and backed off for the morning as they found a really difficult area to bed in liked our chances for the afternoon better.
From: Brun
25-Oct-15
This is a picture of Marty pretending to rub one of the many torn up trees in the area. The unit is full of Ponderosa Pines, but it's amazing any of them grow up. It seems like every small one you see is torn to pieces.
From: Brun
25-Oct-15
That afternoon we went back to the same area and spooked a bull almost as soon as we stepped out of the truck. We decided to move lower and hunt a drainage neither of us had been in before. We set up at a good overlook and let out a couple of cow calls. A 5x5 showed up silently about 5 minutes later at 20 yds. This was not the bull Marty had waited a lot of years for so we let him walk. This was a pattern we continued to see. The smaller bulls would sneak in silently. They seemed very reluctant to open their mouths as there were so many better bulls around and they had probably already learned their lesson. What a fun hunt! We were having a blast and the number of elk and the bull /cow ratio was great.
From: BULELK1
26-Oct-15
So far so good---
Dandy shot and bull down!
Congrats
Good luck, Robb
From: Brun
26-Oct-15
After we passed on the 5x5 we continued further down the drainage and soon spotted really a nice bull that I estimated to be about 330. He was running around by himself and we both wanted to see the bull that ran this guy off! He was pretty frantic, but had no interest in us and disappeared over a ridge about 600 yds away. We had no other close calls that evening, but saw 2 other bulls head into the same small drainage. It was very hot and dry and we decided to check the area for water even though our maps didn't show anything.
From: Brun
26-Oct-15
The next morning we went to same general area and decided to follow the first elk we heard. We had bugles in several directions and ended up guessing wrong. The elk in the direction we chose wanted to travel and we never got near them. We reversed our direction and found several more bulls, but it was hot and sunny again and they had moved into very heavy cover by the time we got close. No one else seemed to be hunting our area so we decided to leave them alone and come back in the P.M.
From: Brun
26-Oct-15
That afternoon when we returned they were talking, but we had guessed down and they clearly had their minds set to go up. We attempted to make a big loop to intercept them, but ran out of light. This was the first day we hadn't had any really close calls, but we felt we knew where they were headed and would try in the morning.
From: Brun
26-Oct-15
We felt they were headed to the same area where I had set the trail cam and we had passed a good bull on the first evening. This is a relatively flat area with some nice small clearings and is a nice area to hunt. We headed there in the morning and heard multiple bulls bugling immediately. We moved as close as we dared without calling and then I let out the loudest bugle I could muster. Three different bulls answered and one literally ran over to us. He came to about 20 yds, but was unfortunately the smallest of the bunch and not what we were after. He stood there for quite a while, but eventually got nervous when he couldn't find the elk he had heard. When he crashed out of there it started the cows moving and the bigger bulls started to leave also. We got one 300+ bull to stop in a clearing and give us a long look, but he was about 60 yds from Marty, about 10 more than he is willing to shoot at an elk. Another exciting and close encounter, but the same result. It was another hot and sunny day, so we decided to look for the water we felt the bulls had gone to two nights earlier.
From: Brun
26-Oct-15
We found this water hole and decided to return there for the afternoon hunt. we both prefer to hunt on our feet, but with the activity of the earlier night and the hot and dry weather felt this was a good plan.
From: Brun
26-Oct-15
I still feel this was a good plan, but on this particular evening the only thing that came in was 3 ducks. We were sure this was where the bulls had gone the other night, and if a guy went there consistently I'm sure he would have a great chance, but it was Marty's hunt and he didn't want to sit, so we never went back. If I decide to use my points in 61 I may well spend some time here.
From: Brun
26-Oct-15
The following morning we decided to try a different drainage, one I had scouted, but we hadn't hunted it yet. We drove a few extra miles in the darkness, got out of the truck, and incredibly....we didn't hear a thing. What was going on! It doesn't take long to get spoiled I guess. We walked about 45 minutes without seeing or hearing a thing, a first for us in this unit. Finally we heard a bull in the distance and headed towards him. After a particularly nasty hike, Have I mentioned how thick 61 can be, we crossed the canyon and started our approach. This bull was very vocal so we elected to go in silently as far as possible and then let loose. we got within about 80 yds and I started challenging this bull, I was raking and stepping on his every bugle while Marty attempted to sneak within range. We got this bull very agitated and Marty got within shooting range, but the brush was so thick he could never get a clear shot. Eventually the wind shifted and they whiffed us. Game over. This was a very good bull and we were starting to get a little frustrated. So close, so many times, but never a clear shot on a bull we wanted. By now it was late in the morning, very hot and we had a very long hike back to the truck
From: Brun
26-Oct-15
We started the long hike back up the hill and after 30 minutes or so we decided to take a break for rest, food and water. After a few minutes of sitting I decided to try a bugle. I got an instant, but distant response. I figured it was probably a bull already in his bed, but after a minute or two i tried another bugle and again got an immediate answer, this time from much closer! This bull was coming fast! Marty scrambled to put a little distance between he and I. He had just set up about 20 yds from me and this bull screamed in our ears. He was less than 30 yds out, but facing head on and only his neck, head and antlers were above the brush. He stayed there for about a minute, but it wasn't an acceptable shot. This was an exceptional bull, maybe the best we had yet seen, but still we couldn't close the deal! Oh well, no one said bowhunting elk was easy. We put our heads down and made the long hot march back to the truck. I will try to finish out story tomorrow.
From: Brun
27-Oct-15
Here is a picture of Marty from sometime in this general time frame.
From: Brun
27-Oct-15
That evening we were pretty tired and decided to stay closer to camp. Things were a little slow to get started, but eventually we heard a bugle close enough to go after. We walked silently for awhile and the bull kept talking so we were able to close a lot of ground. We found a spot we liked and decided to sit quietly and assess the situation. The bull continued to bugle and we soon heard a cow nearby. We were pretty excited about the setup until the cow kept calling from the same spot and it soon became apparent that this was a hunter. In my experience if you hear the same sound from the same spot continually it's always a human. I never hear the elk do that, yet many hunters do. In any case we soon saw a muzzleloader step into the open and start moving towards the bull. We were disappointed, but this was the only hunter we had seen in the field all week and he had as much right as we did to be there. This was the last evening of muzzleloader season, so we left him to it, knowing it was his last chance for the year.
From: Brun
27-Oct-15
The next morning we decided to go in a different, but nearby area. We heard distant bugles as it was getting light and made a hurried and long march to get close. We finally got near, but they were already headed for cover, another bright and hot morning. We did get on one excellent bull. Once again I got him riled up and Marty stalked into range. The bull came in, and although the distance was doable, the heavy oak brush defeated us again. The following picture is Marty coming out of the brush after this encounter.
From: Brun
27-Oct-15
From: Brun
27-Oct-15
That evening we decided to drive around to try and get above where we thought the big bull from the morning had gone. This turned out to be the slowest night of the entire hunt. We didn't see or hear a single elk all evening. Our good friend Jim had joined us for the last couple of days and the following is shot that pretty well shows what was going on that hunt.
From: Brun
27-Oct-15
From: Brun
27-Oct-15
We were down to our last day and chose to hunt one of the nearby areas where we had got into elk every time. We again found multiple bulls and got into a shouting contest with at least 4 different bulls. It reminded me of a bunch of drunks in a bar, with everyone yelling f**k you at each other. Everyone was posturing, but no one was fighting and maybe one or two guys were going to get laid. They really are a lot like us. In any case one of the bulls was in an approachable area where it wasn't overly think and we knew some of the trails. We decided to do a completely silent stalk. When we got under 100 yds I stayed back and Marty went alone to reduce sounds and smell. He was able to get under 40 from another nice bull, but he was quartering to, and when he moved some bushes covered his vitals. Eventually he fed off into heavier cover and was gone. Another super close call without a shot.
From: Brun
27-Oct-15
It was the bottom of the ninth, the two minute drill, however you want to think of it. We left with the usual comments about how it's just as likely to happen on the last hunt as any other time. I'm sure that's true, but it can sound a little hollow after so many close calls. The afternoon hunt started pretty slowly, but we eventually heard a couple of bugles and headed that direction. After a pretty long walk we set up on the edge of a small clearing that seemed near where we had heard the bull. I gave a bugle and got an answer immediately. I looked into the clearing and bull was doing the deliberate walk right at us. The wind was good and this looked really promising. It wasn't the biggest bull we had seen, but still a decent 6x6. Marty was ready had good shooting lanes. I saw the bull broadside from Marty about 40 yds and still coming. I stayed out of sight and listened for the shot. It never came! After a few minutes I came over to see what had happened. The bull had stepped into a small depresion about 35 yds out, continued coming and stopped behind a huge bush about 25 yds out. He stayed there for a couple minutes, then just vanished as though the earth swallowed him. Neither of us saw or heard him leave, but there was no doubt he was gone. The hunt was over and this seemed a fitting end.
From: Brun
27-Oct-15
Were we disappointed? Of course, everyone wants to score, but was the hunt a failure? No way! We had seen dozens of great bulls, heard dozens more, and had one close call after another. It was probably the most fun hunt I have ever been a part of. I had killed a bull in a hunt that lasted half an hour in a heavily hunted unit, and I had tagged along in one of the best units in Colorado and we couldn't make it happen. No wonder we all love bow hunting so much.
From: Brun
27-Oct-15
One of my personal objectives on this hunt was to learn more about 61 and determine if I want to burn my points there. I learned a lot about the unit, enough for me to realize how much I don't know. That's one of the agonizing things about all of these restricted units, just when you know it well enough to feel confident, you're done. Will I hunt in 61? I still don't know. I have more than enough points, but I've also got just enough for 10, and am two or three years away from 2 and probably four or five from 201. Who knows. I hope you enjoyed the story and would love to hear opinions on the above units. Not honey holes, just general impressions. I'm particularly interested in 10 as It's the one I know the least about and think I could draw this year. Safe and enjoyable hunting to all!
From: loopmtz
27-Oct-15
Sweet!
From: WV Mountaineer
27-Oct-15
Sounds like you had two great hunts. Congrats and God Bless
From: hunt'n addict
27-Oct-15
Sounds like a great season. Thanks for sharing.
