Contributors to this thread:
For folks that know me, I am sure they have been wondering when I was going to post my story. In a small way, the odyssey still is not complete. (You will understand the reference later!)
Preface- My story will encompass more than the hunt. Elk hunters know the hunting season is the finale to weeks and months of pre hunt preparation. Preparation takes many forms. It can be physical fitness improvements, and practice and fine tuning your archery equipment. You might purchase some new equipment. You might conduct research via the internet, talk to biologists and/or game wardens, purchase maps etc. This story will touch on the journey as well as the destination. For folks who have never hunted elk, I want to lay it out that many of these great elk pictures you see every fall just don’t happen. There are hours and days of time beforehand that go unnoticed. There is plenty of sweat and blood that goes unseen.
I am not much on drama. With a wife and two daughters at home, I have enough drama in my life! I am not the best story teller. My style is akin to Dragnet/Joe Friday, IE Just the facts. I don’t have the story telling talents of otcWill, Ike or Cazador. I don’t take the best or enough pictures. I am not that great of a bowhunter. Maybe I should approach this from the short list. What am I good at? What I don’t have in skill I try and make up for with hard work and persistence. My stories are normally strong on quantity, but quality comes up short. (IE My wife tells me I talk way too much about elk hunting!) But since I am not married to any of you, here we go!
Background- My first elk trip was in 1998. I told my wife that elk hunting was a once in a lifetime trip. (I drew a NM tag). Well I guess I am living many lifetimes.
This is my 7th bowhunt for elk. In my previous elk hunts, I managed to kill 2 bulls. I cut my teeth hunting whitetails. My first big WT I killed only because the smaller bucks never gave me a shot! I shot anything with horns! It took an additional year, but I learned I couldn’t kill a big one if I kept shooting little ones. Why is this important in an elk story? It will maybe make more sense later!
The reality is my 2015 adventure began long ago, when I started applying for elk preference points in Colorado. Several years ago, I started researching a unit. I started a file on the unit, printing any stories and tidbits I could find. In 2014 I had a small chance of drawing, but family commitments kept me out of the elk woods. By my estimates, I have a better than 50% chance of drawing in 2015. Well, in May I got the notification I cashed out my elk PP’s. Game on!
Well actually the game is on for me year round. At 49 years old, I cannot just get into elk shape. So I stay active year round. I primarily run, but I also work out at the local Y 3-5 times a week. When I found out I drew, I shifted my fitness into “elk mode”. My last running race was in May. I wasn’t going to do any hard races in the summer as I didn’t want to take a chance of injury or long recovery. (Previous year I ran a 50 mile race and it was a couple of months until I was normal. Well, normal is a relative state!)
Back to fitness prep. What do I do different in “elk mode”? I add more core and leg strength training to my normal cardio routines. The stairmaster receives visits at least once a week. And pack training. Keep in mind, I live at 900’ and the local terrain profile is comparable to a pool table. (General elevation change of 1’ per mile exist). I will climb the local flood dike or local parking garage with my pack. I am not telling you to be a marathoner to hunt for elk. Find exercises that agree with you. But I can tell you I have met plenty of hunters who weren’t in good enough shape to elk hunt, but no one has ever been in too good of shape to hunt.
I shoot barebow compound. (Fingers, no sights compound) I only bring this up as my shooting style requires plenty of practice so I shoot year around. I either shoot at the local range or in my backyard. (Shhhh Don’t tell the police! In my defense, I have a 6’ high fence in my backyard.)
I did my Google Earth research and scoured the internet for any info I could find. I made contact with the district wildlife manager for the unit as well as other hunters who had hunted the unit. (Several of them on Bowsite as well as Hunt Talk) At least one these hunters planned on hunting this unit very soon, possibly this year. He gave me some great places to hunt. But I will not betray his trust. I won’t disclose the unit, but if you can figure it out, that is fine. The unit is big and it contains plenty of elk and elky drainages. More than anyone can hunt in several lifetimes.
When I drew, I decided I was all in. I made plans for a summer scouting trip. I settled on late July, as the elk should be settled into summer patterns, and provide decent indicators where I might find elk in September. I thought 4-5 days should be enough.
I flew into Denver on 7/29 wearing one set of clothes, with my only other set in my backpack which I put inside a suitcase and as checked baggage. I picked up my rental. (I had asked for a midsized car) and they wheel this thing out. Dumb bast@rds! Obviously they don’t know where I am taking the car. (It was a 2016 Kia Sorrento with 500 miles on it!)
I left the airport around 7:30PM local time. If all goes well, I thought I would hit my parking spot around midnight- 1AM. My plan was to park and hike into a rim above a basin which I wanted to glass at first light. Unfortunately, plans took a left turn! (Actually I did and I should have taken a right turn!) Even though I had waypoints on my GPS when to turn at specific junctions, I still managed to hose it up. I ended up above an abandoned mine on some goat road, trying to turn around at 2 in the morning. After fiddle farting around, I finally get on the correct FS road. Unfortunately I relied on my 7.5’ maps too much. I had to stop ~ 3 miles short of my parking spot due to gated road. (Hint: Download MVUM maps!). It is now 3 AM. Rather than a gentle climb of .8 mile to the basin rim, I was presented with a ~ 900’ vertical climb in .8 mile. A man has got to know when to fold ‘em. I gave up for the night. I needed sleep and the back seats folded down so I set my alarm for 5:30 AM. I still think I can make the rim by daylight.
The alarm goes off. Well, between grogginess and lack of oxygen, the hike took longer than anticipated. I arrived an hour later than I wanted. I figured I had missed the best time, but I set up anyway and glassed. The basin was beautiful, but nary a piece of brown fur. I figured they were likely already in the timber. After an hour or so, I started making plans for the rest of my day. I planned on making a 2+ day circle, covering plenty of ground. I had just started folding up my tripod when I could have sworn I heard an elk in the distant winds. Glass revealed nothing, but I am in no hurry so I keep looking. Now I hear something again and I know it was an elk, but I still cannot pinpoint where. I finally crane my glass upward and find the source. Not one or two, but a herd. And this is a BIG herd filtering over the mountain top and down into the basin. I couldn’t get them all in a pic through my scope. I estimated 75 or so cows and calves. (Nursery herd), It was so cool to watch them make their way down the slope and toward the timber. No worries about not seeing a bull. Plenty of “bait” come September!
After they settled in, I followed the trail above them 250-300 yards, to circle out of basin. (There were so many of them, they couldn’t shut up even when bedded for the day!). I locked that experience in the memory bank and moved on. I covered a mile of two and started peeking into the next major drainage. It was mid day, so I didn’t expect to see much. And I didn’t. I sidehilled it for a mile of two and found plenty of old rutting sign. I did want to take a peek in a secluded meadow that supposedly had some water. By the time I got there, a late day T storm barreled in. I tucked under a tree to ride out the rain and hail. I backtracked to an area that I had hiked through and looked like it had feeding activity. I wanted to set up camp for the night and be in a position to glass evening/morning. Although they were a couple miles away, I saw the nursery herd come out of the basin and climb back and over the mountain.
7/30. Woke up and went back to my glassing spot. Only elk I saw was a young 5x5 bull who walked across the wide open ¾ mile or so meadow. I pulled up camp and continued on.
The next drainage was around 5 ½ miles long. I was most interested in the upper portions. As I dropped down, the trail was fairly easy to navigate. But the hillside was steep and trail had numerous switch backs. Even though the distance from top to bottom was maybe ¾ mile, the trail length was easily more than double that distance. Before the trail hit the trees, I glassed into the upper reaches of the basin. No elk but plenty of potential. One of the prettiest views in gorgeous country.
Once I reached the bottom, I decided to hike out to the bottom of drainage. At the bottom would be a campground that I could rest and have a snack. A little elk sign along the way, but I didn’t expect much either. Near the bottom, I ran into a fisherman so we chatted some. Along the stream, he did mention he saw several fresh elk beds and he could smell elk. Basically this told me elk are where you find them!
I had my snack and refilled my water. My rental was up the hill. Around 4.5 miles if I hike the road, ~ 1.25 miles cross country. I came here to see country! So up the hill I went. It was thick with blowdown! It was very warm. And as soon as I would stop, the flies would swarm. They were slow and it took them some time before they would bite, but they were so thick you had to keep your mouth closed. (I spit several of them out. GROSS!) 1.25 miles took me almost 3 hours. (Needless to say, the hike sucked).
Once I reached the car, my plan was to drive to another part of the unit and scout. The spot I planned on scouting was not easy to reach on foot, but this lack of access was up my alley. The bulk of the road was pretty easy. But as I drive on, the road became more difficult. (The road was primarily used by ATV’s and jeeps). It finally got to the point where I decided to turn around and park. (I kept telling myself it is a rental!) Well, as I was turning on the narrow road, the high banks “cradled” the car and the sand betrayed any traction. I was stuck and blocking the road! Luckily, the first vehicle that came along was a jeep and he had a strap. He basically drug the car straight. (Again repeater the mantra, “This is a rental”!). I parked and threw on my pack. My intended parking spot was 4.5 miles further down the road. Let the hike begin! As I hiked down the road, my travels confirmed I made the right decision to park the Kia. I would have done damage with all of the large rocks I encountered. With several stream crossings on the road, hiking across them should not have been a big deal. As it turned out, it was. I managed to have a rock roll as I hopped on it and with my backpack loading me down, I went down full body into the cold water. I popped right back up, but I was soaked from head to toe. I reached my intended parking spot around sunset. Set up tent near pull out, with the plan to hike up my target drainage in the morning.
7/31- Pull up camp and headed down the hillside. I thought I could find a river crossing, but there is no way I could do it without risking my life. Runoff was just too much. (Believe me I tried to rationalize a way to try it, but a shred of sensibility won out). This wasn’t the worst thing in the world. This flatlander had a rough few days. I hiked out and back to the car.
Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses, or at least take pictures of flowers!
I ran into this doe and her two fawns on the hike out. As a man with a wife and two daughters, I know this look. She was not happy!
After a couple of miles of driving, I stopped and glassed. Elk and then more elk, above treeline. My plan was to drive to another part of the unit. But because of rough roads, I was going to have to take the long way around. Again, I needed a little rest and some sightseeing wouldn’t be a bad idea. Along the way, I stopped and talked to the outfitter who I had contacted about packing services. We chatted and the guy also shared some insights. But I found out that even though he was licensed for the whole unit, he wouldn’t pack out from the entire unit. The same road that sucked for me, also was impassable for horse trailers. Good to know! But I am always prepared to pack out on my own. (I just need to limit my kill distance). I drove until dark and slept in the car.
8/1- Today, my goal was to mainly check out the access road and see how far I can drive it/accessibility. Stopped up on the high ground. Ran into another guy who was there with his wife. He had a spotting scope set up. Turns out he was going to hunt the unit that fall also. He had his glass on some elk about 3 miles away, near a snow drift. Continued on down the road and ran into this guy.
Made it as far as a river crossing. I watched a couple of jeeps bounce through the rocks and deep water, but not a rental car!
Talked to some campers. Drove back out to cover check out some other areas. My next area had cattle, but this wasn’t a deal killer. But some recent logging activity made it a little less appealing. I had found plenty of other good areas, and also had others that I had good intel on that I never did get to. Stopped by a lake to sleep for the night.
8/2- Drove back to Denver for flight home. 1100 miles in five days. I took that rental in some pretty rough places. I was worried I put some scratches into it, but I couldn’t tell. I made a point to wash it to try and remove some of the sins of the trip.
Here is a pic of the rental before I washed it. No extra charges!
Based upon my scouting trip experiences, I developed a game plan. Plan A, B, C, and D. Almost all of the elk I saw were at or above timberline. There were likely there because of feed and bugs. Although I was experiencing a summer pattern, I felt the elk (and the bulls) would be nearby come September. I had taken 3 weeks off from work for September. I am all in!
9/2- Left ND and traveled through the night, stopping and taking naps as needed.
9/3- Entered northern Colorado early AM. Finally arrived at my parking spot mid afternoon. Left truck with loaded pack just before 3 PM. I took it easy on the hike in. Experience has taught this flatlander that no matter how excited I might be, I need to take it easy the first couple of days. My previous scouting trip also took some of the pressure off also. On my hike in, I spotted a few cows on the west side of the creek. Also while hiking and easing up the trail, I heard a twig snap in the distance. Again experience has taught me to not only not ignore this and also always be ready and prepared as these types of situations could be the best of a hunt. I dropped to my knees and nocked an arrow. After about 2 minutes I catch movement on my 2 oclock. Here comes a raghorn working his way up a trail. He makes to ~ 25 yards before noticing the big blob. If I wanted, there could have been an arrow unleashed, but I have waited a long time for this hunt.
Here is a little fixer upper on the hike in.
I continued on up the drainage, eventually reaching my intended camp spot. It is ~ 1/3 of the way down the drainage on a tree filled bench. My tent is positioned within 10 yards of the bench lip, with a boulder field covering the slope below me. I prefer camp spots such as this. I generally have elk wandering around my camps at night. If my camp is close to a steep downslope, they are less likely to catch my scent during the night if they pass through. Also with my camp being in the trees, it is much harder for others to spot. I went out to the bench lip to glass. There are elk everywhere. Spotted 3 bulls north of the road where I had left my pickup. As I settle in for the night, I hear some bugling in the upper reaches of the drainage as well as east side.
Elk Spotted- 8-10 Bulls, 8-10 cows
9/4 First Full day of hunting. Dropped down to grab some water. (Later found out I didn’t need to go far for water). Hiked up the hillside and found a good ambush spot. (This spot becomes an integral location in my hunt). Thermals start to shift up hill so I set up on the upslope of several trails. Being I had heard bugling up the drainage in the morning, I thought there was still time for the elk to filter back through on their way to bed. After ~ ½ hour, I decided to cow call. MISTAKE. (I should have kept my mouth shut! Dang ELKNUT! LOL!) Turns out there was a herd hidden at ~ 50 yards coming my way. Cow came up at 20 yards and drilled holes into me. Couldn’t see the bull as hooves thundered off.
I after some elapsed time, it started to rain. I donned my rain gear and worked my way around the ridge finger. I stopped to glass across the valley and avalanche chutes below. I spotted 2 herds across the valley. While glassing across, I had a small herd with 2 5 points pass below me at 70 yards. Keep in mind, this is around noon. The elk are active today!
The rain picked up, so I retreated to some cover and popped open my decoy/umbrella. (Thank you Jeff at Elk Mountain Gear! I am not a staff member or anything, just a happy customer! This piece of gear would proves it’s value over the next few days). I ate snacks, rehydrated, and settled in for a nap. I awoke and the rain was still coming down too hard to ethically hunt, (IMHO). I watched this squirrel scurry around and do his thing. He decides to come my way. The hunter in me just watches the squirrel. Well he decides to run my way and I think he will pass by closely. NOPE! He decides that I am part of the tree and bounces off of my binoculars on my chest and scurry up the tree. My hands go flying up to shield my face, binoculars go flying. Needless to say, I am got an adrenaline rush. (At least I didn’t scream like a little girl! And since I was solo, even if I did I would never admit it!) And to add insult, this isn’t the first time this has happened to me. In 2009, my buddy and I were sheltered under a tree to ride out a thunderstorm. Of course, I took a nap. I awoke to a thump on my chest and my buddy laughing. He proceeded to tell me that a squirrel bounced off of my chest as he ran up a tree. Damn Cabelas Space Rain!
I had rode out the rain for several hours. I decided that if I was going to hunker down, I should do it in a good ambush location. I retreated back to where I had my AM encounter. I was too late. I spooked a small bull with 3 cows. I still sat and eventually had a spike pass above me right before dark.
Elk spotted- Bulls 8-10. Cows 20-25
9/5- I went back up to my ambush spot for an early AM sit. Nothing. Started raining pretty hard, so I went back to camp. Rain let up after an hour. Headed around the ridge I was on. Realized I left my binoculars back at camp. Lost an ½ hour. Got back around ridge and took a nap. (Raining again). Kept hunting east around ridge. Peaked down into an avalanche chute and spotted this bull. He was the first one I would have really liked to put my tag on. (170 yards below me). Glassing, I counted around 8 cows with him. He stood in one spot for almost 5 minutes. I thought how can I kill him. (No way calling would work). Go after him dumb@ss! (Keep in mind it is cloudy/raining at 12:30 in the afternoon). I slid around the edge of the chute and got to where he was. Gone. But I kept easing forward. Got on the tracks. Within 40 yards I had elk, but no bull. Here is where a mistake burned me. I forgot my binocs up with my pack and scope. I couldn’t survey the situation like I should. I kept easing forward while eying the elk ahead. What I didn’t see was the bull watching his back trail and ME. DANG! He has me picked off at 60 yards. He gathers up the cows and they are gone.
Another pic of the bull.
I hike back up the hillside and continue on around the ridge. Around 3:30, I had a bull bugling around 600 yards out and down the ridge. I go after him. Around 400 yards I bugle as he hasn’t said anything. I get a bead on him as he bugles back. Time to close the distance. And now he bugles again, this time I am at 200 yards. Keep booking ahead. Now he fires off again. He is 80-100 yards. He sounds lonely! So I sneak up ahead slightly, set up my decoy cow call and drop off to the side. Nothing. Started a little more pleading. Nothing. After 15 minutes, he is down the hillside and moving. (Never did see him) Dang. His isn’t spooked, but he had moved off. Not to worry. I have more bulls bugling further down the ridge. Let’s go for door #2!
I book on over and don’t say a word. Don’t need to. By the sounds there are at least 3 different larger bulls in 3 distinctly different locations. (Sounds like they are in a triangle, separated by about 400-500 yards.) One of the bulls also sounds like there is a satellite pestering him. (So my audio count is 4 bulls). I move in on the closest “big” sounding bull. I drop my pack and I am on the move. Over and down. They aren’t that hard to track. They all are cranking! But I have my eye out for girlfriends. Crap. 70-80 yards and I have butts. But they are still clueless. I am on the same level so wind is good yet. (Thermals haven’t switched yet). I ease up. I want to get to 50-60 yards. I finally get to where I want to be, out comes the bugle and I let fly with the meanest bugle I can muster. I had a spot chosen to move to. (Slightly forward and down from my calling location). I am shaking as I have never challenged a bull. Arrow on the string and ready. Nothing. I move up again as the cows have moved up. I challenge again. Nothing. They keep moving ahead and the bull pays no attention! (I cannot see him but I can hear him). They are feeding ahead faster than I dare keep pace. No worries. Door #3. The other bulls are still cranking below me. I bail down and started closing the distance. I have to get off to the side as the thermals are starting to shift. Uh oh. A thunderstorm is cooking and I start feeling the back and forth winds. I rush back up the hill to get out of there. I didn’t want to blow it. And by the sounds of the bulls, they stayed put doing what I love to hear elk do! Funny, with all of this activity, I never did see any of the bulls that I chased that afternoon.
I grabbed my pack and started heading back to camp. I ran into a 5x5 at dusk as I skirted a meadow. I managed to circle around him and not spook him. Definitely a headlamp night as I headed back to camp. Awesome hunting day.
Elk spotted- Bulls 3 Cows 20-25
9/6- My plan was to head back to the previous night’s hot spot. Along the way, I managed to spook a 5x5 at the edge of a meadow. Today was by far the best weather day so far (At least for people) but the elk didn’t think so. I only heard a few distant bugles. The wind was squirrely to enter the hidey hole. So I took the opportunities to lay my gear out in the sun to dry from 3 days of rain. (And of course take a nap) I awoke to the strangest bird I had heard. Turns out it was a guy whistling at me. There were two of them, one with an archery tag and second with a bear tag (carrying a rifle). We chatted for a while. Turns out they weren’t camped too far from the hidey hole. (I didn’t let them know what happened the night before.) Eventually we went our separate ways. I wanted to get into the hidey hole. I tried some blind calling on the outskirts, but wind was just too erratic to mount an effective hunt.
I gave up on this spot for the day and worked my way back to camp. Spooked a few cows along the way, but the elk gods were definitely weren’t smiling today. Only a few distant evening bugles.
Elk Spotted- Bulls 1 Cows 6-7
9/7- I decided to move after my AM hunt. (Too many spots, too little time!). I went back to my ambush location as it wasn’t difficult to access and I had established my route pretty well, so I could enter area quietly. I had a spot set up on the downhill side as well as the uphill side. As the thermals would switch, I could easily sneak to the other location. I moved to the uphill location and waited. 2 smaller bulls and 2 cows came through at 35 yards. One of the cows had a collar. I passed on the bulls. Ended the AM hunt and pulled up camp. On the hike I ran into a husband/wife couple from Durango and the father in law. (Husband had the tag). I encountered their camp on my hike into the drainage. Like myself, they had seen plenty of elk, but not much in the way of big bulls.
I drove to my Plan B. Threw on the pack and completed the 1.5 hour hike into my intended camp spot. (I had picked the location out via Google Earth. Good glassing location and keeping my scent away from elky areas. I took in the view. It was awesome and my expectations were high. After 5 minutes, I glance down the ridge. WTH! Here is a guy walking up. Good guy. He and his buddy, (who was down the ridge) had hiked in that morning. Both had tags. He wasn’t terribly encouraged by the sign. Plenty but it was 2-3 days old. He also told me about a camp near the head of the drainage. Just as he was ready to move on, WTH! He comes another guy! (Not his buddy) Kinda crowded for a LE unit and 1.5 hour hike in. It was one of the guys from the camp at the head of the drainage. He was with his dad and they had been hunting the drainage for almost a week. (I think we have an explanation for the lack of fresh sign.) The father/son were heading into town for shower and sleep for a few days. Not sure what the other guy and his buddy were going to do, but I explained my game plan. Well I was committed for a little while. I decided to set up and glass for the evening. Zip. No big deal. I was camped in a good vantage point and I would be able to hear any bulls bugling in much of the basin during the night.
Elk spotted Bulls 2 Cows 3
9/8- I decided I was not long for this place. No midnight bugling. In the morning, I caught a glimpse of a bull across the basin (~ 1 mile away) and I also glassed a herd on the opposite ridge I was on (Across the road I drove in on). Nice bull with a ton of cows (30 or so). I hunted down the drainage and work my way back to where I glimpsed a bull in the AM. Nothing hunting that evening other than a raghorn I spooked on my way back to camp. (It was dark but I could see his silhouette). My hunt that day corroborated what the hunter from the previous day had relayed to me. My suspicion is the camp at the head of drainage had polluted it and elk had moved out for the most part. This drainage was too nice to hold elk, but here I am. I was not going to ride out in the hopes that elk would return. Too many places and too little time!
I arrived at camp in a full lather. I grabbed my jacket as I cooled down and clicked my headlamp off. I have never been in such awe. Beautiful place and I have never seen more stars. It is experiences such as this that let me know there is a God. Such is life at 12K!
Elk spotted Bulls 3 Cows 30
9/9 Again, no midnight bugling in my basin. (Confirms I need to move). But I set up to glass the AM before I move out of here. I did find a herd at the head my basin. There was a very nice chocolate horned 6x6 running with the herd. I followed them with my optics as they retreated down the drainage and back into the timber. I had covered this area the day before. The general bedding area was deep in the drainage. If I were lucky enough to connect in that area, it would have killed my trying to get an elk out solo. Common sense won out. With only one herd currently working this drainage, I was not long for this place. I glassed the opposite side of the ridge, above the road. Today there were two herds above the trees.(One herd contained same bull from yesterday) I watched as they filtered down and into timbered hillside. Some of them followed the same path as the herd from yesterday through a narrow strip of timber with a cliff above. This spot looked to be pretty good for an ambush, but I would have been a one trick pony. I am unsure if they worked their way back up the same trails in the evening. And no guarantee the bull would use the same trail. And it was a tough drive back in here for one ambush. I need multiple opportunities to screw up! I was moving on to Plan C.
Plan C is in a different part of the unit. And roads are rough. I arrive at parking spot in late afternoon. I parked at the gate (Same location from my scouting trip) I hop on my mountain bike with pack and power up the FS road. I have to stop several times when the slope is too much and my lungs and quads are burning. (Riding above 11K and a 50 pack don’t help matters!) As I crest one of the final rises, I spook a raghorn out feeding. Good sign! I stash my bike, thrown on the pack, and head up the hillside I planned on hiking on my scouting trip. No boot prints. That is a good sign. But not as much fresh elk sign as I was hoping for. As I reach treeline, it is even more stark. The basin I had glassed with the nursery herd is nowhere near as lush as scouting trip. You throw in the beetle kill and it looks pretty sterile. I set up to glass. Nothing. I decide to camp just off the ridge top so I can listen to the basin during the night. I hear one bull in the distance.
Elk spotted Bulls 4 or 5. Cows 40+
9/10- No bugling during the night. I set up to glass. Eventually I pick up on a spike midway on the mtn. Eventually I spot a small herd just off the top of the mountain. Bull is a nice 6x6 and he has 6 or 7 cows with him. They are a little over ½ mile away and not enough cover to hide a gopher. Eventually they are up and go over the mountain top and out of sight. I pull out my maps and speculate where they are headed for the day. They are cliff diving. I try and try to figure out how I can go after him. I think I could pick my way down into the hell hole, but I don’t know how I could pack one out. Serious chin scratching climb and it is more than 5 miles from my vehicle. Solo. I have a fork and matches, but not enough time to eat him if I kill him. I have nothing to prove and common sense prevails.
With the lack of fresh sign and the one bull, I decide against staying. Like I said before I am a numbers guy and I need to screw up multiple opportunities before I usually dial in. I go back to Plan A and decide I am going to hang there for about 5 days. I had plenty of elk, plenty of raghorns, but big boys were scare. That is ok. I like action!
Here I am back at the truck after I bombed down the FS road that I worked so hard to climb just the day before.
Back into the truck and on the road. I arrive back around 2:30 PM and I park in my original location. Everything is familiar. My pack, the trail and the view. I am taking it all in. I am acclimated and confident. As I hike back up the drainage, I pass by the Durango hunters camp site. They have not returned since we left the drainage together several days ago. My confidence continues! I am likely to be in the drainage all by my lonesome. I continue to climb. No wasted effort or wrong turns as I approach my previous camp site. I set up camp quickly as most tasks have become routine. I want to hunt tonight! I can reach my ambush location in a short order as I know how to pick my way up the mountain side.
I arrive around the time the thermals are just beginning to settle in and become steady downhill. A herd passes uphill/upwind of my position, at the base of a large scree slide. Lots of charging and chasing, but I can’t see the bull. (I see a few elk as they mingle in the edge of the trees 60 yards or so above me). Some might find this style of elk hunting boring, but the whitetail hunter is me is having a blast! (If this were my last day in the drainage, it probably would have been more aggressive, but time is on my side) I don’t want to blow them out of here. I am jacked and ready for tomorrow!
For those who might question tactics, one thing which I neglected to mention is the conditions have become tough. (I had checked the weather forecast while in transition from spots and predictions were more of the same.) The rain from the first 2+ days is long gone. It has been sky blue with temps in the mid to upper 60’s in the high country. The ground has become very noisy and impossible to move silently. The area is full of beetle kill. The base of every tree is surrounded by bark flaking off and slipping through these areas is comparable to walking across a bunch of spilled potato chips. Stalking isn’t much of an option. The elk need to come to me.
Also with conditions and circumstances, I modified my goals. I have had a great hunt. I have passed on a couple of opportunities. But it has been a long time since I had an elk in my freezer. Big bulls have been tough to come by. I suck at practice drawing my bow and letting down is not part of my shot sequence. Next opportunity that comes up, assassin mode shall be implemented!
Elk spotted- Bulls 1 (With one just over a lip unseen) Cows 15-20
9/11 The alarm went off and the mission was clear. Get going and make it up to the ambush location. I arrive without spooking anything. (Another positive to this location as the elk fed far enough away that it wasn’t until well after sunrise before they passed through). My location is adjacent to a large dead log. All sticks have been cleared and ground is clean if I need to shift my feet. I had ranged multiple locations and was comfortable. I anticipated any elk coming through would move from my right to my left.
Around 8 oclock, I hear elk footsteps. Turning to my right, a cow was in the lead followed by a bull. I decided I would shoot. The cow passed through a ~ 5’ gap in the trees. I had previously ranged a tree behind the cow at 40 yards and I suspected she was at 30 or so. I figured the bull would follow her path. As soon as he disappeared behind the first tree I drew. He paused slightly. I settled into my anchor on my face. As soon as his body hit the gap in the trees, I released. Hooves were digging and elk were crashing. I had no idea where I hit. As the bull barreled up the hill to my left, I could see my arrow hanging from his side. It was higher than I would have liked and I questioned if I had enough penetration. If I was too high, I was in the spine and I would never find him. If I was low enough, it would be a high lung hit. Lethal, but not much blood on the ground. (Not good for this color blind guy!). I totally forget about the diaphragm in my mouth to try and stop him. The way he was barreling out of there, I am not sure it would have made much of a difference. I listened and listened. I could have sworn I heard a crash, but a prudent bowhunter needs to be patient.
Picture is from elk point of view. I shot from the fallen log in the background, next to Christmas tree.
I waited a half hour and I eased my way up to the location I shot the bull and ranged back to my log/shooting position. 32 yards. I ease up the hill trying to track his escape route. My experience has taught me high hit animals leave very little blood on the ground, and even less when an animal is in high gear. I am trying to follow his tracks, but the ground is so tore up that I lose them in 30 yards or so after the shot location. I keep pressing forward slowly. I stop to glass along the way looking for elk body parts. Based upon what I heard after the shot and no blood, my plan is begin a grid search. I will go out 150-200 yards from my shot location, at the edge of the trees. There is plenty of deadfall so it is difficult to keep true. I reach what I feel is an adequate distance. Nothing. I double back, this time 15 yards or so farther downhill yet parallel to my previous path. I have my GPS on so I can cross check that I am not wavering. I make it almost half way back and I glance downhill. DEAD BULL! I barrel downhill and take in the sight of my prize. I grab the base of the antlers and slide my hand down his hide. I LOVE the smell of elk in the morning! (ala Robert Duvall!) The arrow is missing. I snap some pictures and get to work. It is a steep hillside so I rig him up with parachute cord. After I finish one side and try and reposition the carcass to access the off side quarters, it starts to roll up my leg. I am stuck. I had released the parachute cord and I cannot reach any trees. If I pull my leg away, he will go tumbling down the hill and get any exposed muscle filthy. After 10 minutes or so of using my leg as a block. I somehow managed to secure the cord to something and keep the body from rolling down the mtn. I added more cord and was finally able to finish the job.
I was exhausted from the hunt and breaking down the bull. I had not seen any fresh bear sign and only 3 piles of old bear crap. So I laid the bagged quarters over a nearby log to cool. I pack is meat hauler ready so I pack out all of the trim and backstraps from the kill site. When I reach the truck. I have contractor bags which I place the meat into and sink/cover with rocks in shade covered area of an adjacent mountain stream. I grab my fillet knife (To bone out the quarters), painter’s plastic, trekking poles, and meat hauling frame. I make it back to my spike camp. Since I have several days of food, I am going to chow as I would rather carry it in my belly vs my back. Two Mountain House meals later, I am glassing the opposite side of the drainage and spot a herd of elk. Life is good!
Elk spotted- Bull 1 Cow 1 (Plus the herd across from camp)
9/12 I have decided I going to make this the final night in my spike camp. I want camp and all of the meat out today. Too warm to risk the meat. I killed the bull at 11.7K and kill site is 1.75 miles from my truck. Mostly downhill but rugged and a final climb out of a creek bottom to reach my pickup.
No hurry to get out camp in the dark today! But it will be a full day so my plan is to reach meat a little after sunrise. As I crest the hill, I can see my white meat sacks on the log. With the exception of one as it fell over. I start down towards the meat and I hear crashing and I immediately knew. SH!T @&*%^. I screwed up. Although I never saw him, I knew it was a bear that I spooked. I reached the meat bags and to my dismay, the fallen one is ripped open. Meat appears to be mostly intact as I don’t think he had been into the bag that long, but there is dirt and pine needles all over the meat. And to think his gut face snout was chewing on my elk. I was pissed, but not at the bear. He was just a bear being a bear. I was mad at myself. I should have taken the extra effort to get the meat further from the carcass. I deboned all of the quarters, including the violated quarters. I cleaned up the meat as best as I could. I loaded up a hind quarter and picked my way down the hillside. 2nd trip I decided to suck it up, so I loaded up my camp and a hindquarter. It was brutal. I couldn’t tighten the waist belt enough to stay on my hips so weight kept transferring to my shoulders. I grabbed some snacks and water for the final trip. (Two fronts and rack)
When the final trip ended, it was late afternoon. I pulled the meat from the creek and drove to a camping spot at the bottom of the valley. I left the meat out on a log, as the nights would reach freezing and the open air would keep the meat cold.
I ran into a couple from Durango who were fishing/camping. We exchanged several stories, but eventually it was time for me to hit the hay. I was beat.
9/13- I always process my own elk. I bring all of the needed items with me. (Knives, cutting boards, wrapping paper, tape etc). As the day warmed, I put unprocessed meat back into my contactor backs and back into the river. It was a long day. (10 hours of trimming cutting and wrapping) I am picky, and the dirty, bear chewed meat add to the time. But I like doing it this way. I have worked far too hard for an elk to treat the meat with anything less than prompt and meticulous care.
I hit the road and I stopped at the nearest Walmart around 11 PM to pick up dry ice. I think the attendant thought I was making a bomb as she questioned why I needed that much dry ice! I guess my scruffy face, camo clothing and my smell had her thinking something other than a hunter!
9/14 I drove as far as I could, eventually stopping for a 3 hour nap. Finally made it back home around 9 PM. As much as I love the mountains, camping and elk hunting in the backcountry, the feeling of sleeping in your own bed has an extra level of comfort.
Final stats on the kill. Bow Hoyt Vantage. Arrows Easton FMJ 340’s. Broadhead Magnus Stinger 125 G. Death run- Bull died 440’ from my shooting location. I tried backtracking him after I found him. Never found the arrow or any blood. (I didn’t spend a ton of time as I was more worried about the meat vs a $12 arrow).Elk died at 11.7K.
Some folks will question why did you shoot a small bull with all of those points? Easy. My hunt, my tag and I did what the state of Colorado allowed me to do. I had passed on bigger bulls earlier in the hunt (Not toads but bigger racks). I love elk hunting. But I suck at trophy hunting! I had planned all along to hold out for a while, and then at some point revert to meat hunting. I hate the taste of tag soup! My last elk was in 2009. I had been on two hunts since ’09 with full quivers at the end of each of those hunts.
What this hunt has taught me is I need to elk hunt more! Several recent life events have me recognizing life is short. Too short. We occupy a sliver of time. My kids are getting older and although they need me, my family also recognizes that I need to be in the mountains in the fall. I will try and make elk hunting an annual affair. And maybe the next time I have an opportunity in an LE unit, I might actually hold out for a big bull. But with my track record in 2015 and a raghorn from the Gila, this story could be retold!
What worked well?
Elk Mountain Gear Decoy/Umbrella- Even though the decoy part did not play into my kill, it was an essential part of the hunt. When I set up to call, it was easy to deploy and realistic looking. Early in the hunt, Sitting underneath the umbrella was a godsend. Even though I had rain gear, the cold rain on your gear eventually chilled you. It also minimized the inadvertent rivulets of water that always seem to find their way beneath your gear. It also worked as a trekking pole during the hike into and out of camp locations.
Trekking Poles- I only used them while hauling meat, but they helped greatly. The extra stability navigating deadfall was a great asset. Additionally the load taken off of your lower body during the packout.
What didn’t work well- My meat frame. It is a Cabelas Alaskan frame. It is built like a brick sh!thouse and can write out checks my body cannot cash! But I weigh just under 150 at 5’ 8”. By the end of the hunt I am in the low 140’s. My waist is too small and I cannot cinch the waist belt to stay on my hips. The trip with meat and camp sucked way more than a “normal” pack trip usually sucks! But I don’t know how I can narrow up the diameter (easily).
Elk Hunt Post Script- About 2 weeks after my elk hunt, soreness started in my left knee. About 2 weeks later in the later section of a run, it went from sore to shut down pain. I knew something was major wrong. I hobbled back 2 + miles to my car. I could not flex my knee any more than 90 deg. I went to the doctor. X Rays didn’t show anything. Went back for MRI. Doctor didn’t see anything. (I kept insisting something is wrong!) By the end of November, I thought it was good enough to try and run. I made it .8 mile and I had the “walk of shame” home. I have logged well over 10,000 running miles in the past 5 years, but I couldn’t make it a mile. Dejected is an understatement! Fast forward, I finally was able to see a different doctor for a 2nd opinion. (This guy was the doctor for the Olympic hockey team so he knows his cr@p. He listened to my story. I felt the root cause was the hunt and not running, but maybe I was in denial. Based upon my description, almost immediately he had his fingers on the spot. After reviewing the MRI for ~12 seconds, he points out to me where the problem is. Meniscus. He states I have a great knee. Based upon what he is seeing, it was likely a singular event that caused the issue and not related to running. He gives me the rundown and asks if I want to think about it. I have had more than 4 months to think about it! I am scheduled for surgery mid May. Post surgery prognosis is very good and I plan on elk hunting this fall! (Albeit I will make extra trips when I pack out my elk!)
Great adventure and thanks for sharing!
Great Story! Let's see some pictures of your Bull!
That was a great write up, and really brought out the different facets of why we all love elk hunting. Thank for taking the time, and congratulations! I hope everything goes well with your surgery, and that you're back at it this fall!
Great Story.nice bull...their all nice .And for the record beatting the snot out of "It's just a rental is a way of life for this east coast guy for 2 weeks every year in Colorado.No dents No problems Great job
Thanks for posting your story! Congrats on doing it on your own! C
It's about darned time! Nice write up Z.
Thanks for posting great story. Congrats on a full freezer and a speedy recovery . Hunt
Great write up Z. Congrats and good luck with the surgery.
Great hunt and write up. I really enjoyed reading it. Hunting is what each of us make out of it and you had a heck of a hunt from scouting to pack out. Any elk is a trophy no matter if it is LE or OTC. Nothing like being in elk country in Sep especially coming from the upper midwest ( I am a Wisco boy).
Good hunt great right up. Thanks
Very nice story, congrats on your adventure. I recognize the unit, can't believe you took a car down that road!
Good for you and thanks for sharing a great story!
Good luck, Robb
Great job, Brian! I really enjoyed this. Talk soon
Really captured my attention all is well that ends well thanks Lewis
Great weekend morning read....loved it! Congrats again on a beautiful bull. That country is beautiful....just so sad to see all that beetle kill.
So sorry to hear about the knee, Brian. I know that's got to be tearing you up not running! Best of luck on the surgery and hoping for a quick recovery.
Did you see much for deer in the unit?
Thanks for the kind words everyone. I have fixed a couple of typos/grammer errors that didn't show up in spell check.
Nick- I will message you.
Great read in the turkey blind this morning. Nicely done! Some great elk recaps this year and yours is right there with the best!
Great hunt and excellent write-up. Welcome back to the OTC crowd ;)
Thanks for sharing and congrats!
Thanks for taking the time to put all this together. Would 7 points be enough for a non resident to draw this unit?
Great write up, Brian!
Except... "I have fixed a couple of typos/grammer errors that didn't show up in spell check." :)
Great story. Grats on your bull.
Thanks for sharing your adventure.
Great story Z! Thank you for taking the time to post it. It definitely gets a guy excited for September!
Congrats! Great job on the story. Appreciate taking the time to share.
AWESOME Brian!!! Congrats on a great archery bull elk, solo as well, that is no small task! Thanks for sharing this!
Nicely done. Congrats. Your story is as good as they get.
Congratulations and thanks for taking the time to share!
Thanks for the write up brian. Gives me extra incentive for this falls coming hunt.
We are exactly the same size. My Alaskan pack frame fits the same. I have everything as small as it will go and it barely fits. If you find a meat pack that will fit you, please share. I have tried on every one I can find with no success.
Great story Brian...Congrats! (and thanks for the Product endorsement)!
Kudos for holding out as long as you did...I probably wouldn't have lasted near as long (when I get a legal animal in range...I seem to lack restraint)!
We seem to have an eerily similar hunting style...
Best of Luck, Jeff
Outstanding! Let's hear it for the 40-something crowd, of which I am a newly anointed member!
Nice, good luck on surgery & future hunts!
Pat
Great story, that sounds like a spectacular hunt!
One of the better hunt recaps. Particularly liked the pre-trip details and the post trip gear insight. I agree most packs are not built for skinny men. They are OK for lighter loads, but slide way too far down with heavier meat loads. I tried and failed with 3 packs. Not sure how to correct, unless I gain some weight.
