Post by deadeye on Oct 6, 2015 16:05:43 GMT -5
this year got a call from my bud to make a early break to the mountain's thinking a day early to rest & get set-up so here we go///after a trip off the main road approx. 8 miles to parking lot then atv in another 3.5miles as the crow flies. at the parking lot it is evident a storm is brewing just a matter of 10-15 min till it hits so both of us are starving so pop out of bed of truck a portable coleman camp stove & heat up some lasagna that was in the cooler,scarf some down & take cover in truck to find we are only on schedule.next am. after storm breaks cannot get trailers up hill to area due to extreme muddyness etc-oh well-this is elk hunting/just the way it works out!
next am ride atv's with tent & some light gear just to get wall tent set up & arrange a few things & let the trail to dry out which usually takes just some light wind/sunshine etc.
camp after fully set up eventually-notice white cooler/mud-originally had approx. 2" mud on top/pic was after rain washed most off @ campsite
inside quarters
another outside pic-not bear-proof but never any past problems w/ bears
firepit approx. 5ft. round with titted end(not shown) where barbecue grates took place-hopefully photo's later sent from high altitude per friend. big log is approx. 3ft. long for perspective.
time for a cerveza break!
ps-due to length will add more later as time permits/de
ok~ per discussion with my Colorado buds for 20yrs,i asked-have you ever came across a outside camp that would compare to this-answer was no!
opening day~ we got up around 4am to hear 2 bulls bugling behind camp approx. .6 mile,knowing the area very well & knowing the pre-light winds are usually from the north,then approx. 7"30-8"00 am the thermals will switch lifting up & usually southeast or southwest winds prevail until mid-day..wind tested from north-pre-light... plan was to circle approx. 1/2 mile down wind & to the bulls-no cow mews so far & we could tell probably a herd bull & a satellelite bull but suspected cows would be in the area.
approaching fast & circling- me & a bud came into the bugling bulls- I spotted both approx. 200yds apart. a approx. 320-6X6 herd bull & a 6X6 satellite bull-no cows /my bud & I separated with me giving hand signals on the direction of the sat 6X6,he whirled for some reason locking me up because if I would have moved we be busted,played this out for a couple of minutes while watching my 320 bull enter into timber,with the wind direction I elected to hold & let my bud try to slip in on the sat 6,once out of sight I made a move & got behind the herd 6 & sat 6 not pushing too hard because of wind direction to spook either,they were now much ahead like a 1/2 mi(not spooked) so this was probably over. bulls-yes,bud & I came together to hear the bulls putting too much distance.
a running man cannot out run a walking bull-fact-....
so after a approx. 10min-defeated bud team all the sudden a bumped herd approx. 15-20elk came out of nowhere nervously slipping through the timber-saw a huge 3ft spike bull & the smallest calf I ever witnessed which was hardly any bigger than a fawn deer-usually dink calf's are around 150-175lbs in weight,no shots for either of us even though some were approx. 30-40yds-just too thick timber..
hunt over for this day as elk were bedding very early approx. 8-9 am///evening action was not good as we glassed our honey spots from 1/2 mi to 2-1/2 miles away-just were not moving until well after dark. day 2 & 3 we bumped into some & by day 4 the elk were bumped out of the area into an adjacent draw unit approx. 1-1/2 mi away which we could not go into to-they were holed up there for approx. 5-6 days until they were bumped back later.
so now we are into the dog days of elk waiting hopefully on a big weather break as by now into the 2nd week was getting hot & very dry-not good.
time for my bud to go back to work for approx. 6 days- I hunt & camp alone for this period-not the 1st time in fact for years- this presents another possible problem especially with the heat. no since hunting any further than you can get your game out & to town-in other words no since shooting & or killing if its gonna rot or black flies lay larvae causing maggots in the meat. in earlier years say 1995ish temps were much colder allowing hanging for a couple of day's & getting to a cooler-last 10-12 years much warmer/hotter fwiw.
this week was hot & a couple of windy day's/nights like 40-60mph winds-time to cook/camp & rest etc.
not much going on game wise except I did glass- 2- 6x6 satellites cross approx. 840yds across open meadow nervously eyeing the camping path-was considering making a move but wind was blowing to them & it would have made an approach nearly impossible.
a morning after I did glass a large "chocolate' rack herd bull steering a cow into a drainage & watched them bed in a drainage- and @ approx. 2pm made a move to climb the mountain parallel to the bedded drainage getting slightly above them- came close within 35yds of the big bull but he was under a tree re-directing his cow. so close but again so far.
**this sounds easy in these pursuits but believe me scraped shin's.pouring sweat,exhaustion especially in the lung compartment etc,many calories & weight loss proves the effort**
during my solo stay I also hunted the "flats" crisscrossing" elk trails for miles only to get into cobwebs-telling me nothing had traveled these areas for a while-not a good sign & back to glassing up high where they seemed to be at times.
weeks 3 & 4 would surely be better-not,again heat & dry would make the mountains feel/sound like you are walking on rice krispies-we even took our boots off & walked with socks only a few times when stalking.
week 3 we were on to again 2 bulls when I got into some pines approx 6ft high with no more than 2yd shot possibilities & eyeing chocolate legs with a large chocolate rack @ 45yds in a scenario with open lanes @ 45yds if he stepped into the lane.no he stopped only exposing his rear//if he chose an escape route my way he would have trampled me surely-they seem to have a knack which way to go!
week 4 me & my bud glassed a herd bull & herd of cows again-up again working within the herd got myself behind a sat 6x6/range 116yds-with my bud going higher I gave hand sig's where he was heading. he raced ahead.
decided since they were not really responding to calls to rake & beat the hell out of a pine tree-got him to turn my way & approx. come in between me & my bud-my bud called him& got a shot @ 5yds but arrow hit approx. loin high //yea-5yd shot no cigar
next morning we combed whole end of mountain finding nothing- so set out to watch for black crow's/coyotes......nothing so bull was not even mortally wounded at all.
camp chili pic
campfire
laundrymat/lol-clothes in stream held by rocks
ok~~~food-there was definetly some world class food/barbecue & yes multiple "Mexican" breakfast that I will disclose at a later date in the kitchen-last but not least,in fact with help from my 2 friends without a doubt the best barbecue ribs I & they agreed we have eaten.fwiw
hope all enjoy,much more but too much to post!
