terrytheluddite
FNG
Here's some photos and a story of this years hunt. One of the great things about hunting is swapping stories and since I've been lurking here for a while, I figure I throw mine in. Be aware I wrote this for family originally so a bit of this is common hunting knowledge.
Day 1 - Thursday - Packing up
I had finally arrived to the area I'd scouted just two weeks earlier. The elk were in full rut and I spotted eight bulls on a bench above a band of steep timber cliffs. Two pairs were bashing their antlers together. I was in the thick of the mountains, a ways past Gunnison. There wasn't a soul near the trailhead back then so I was hopeful that this hunt was going to be the same. So far there weren't a lot of cars on the way but sure enough, two trucks at the trailhead. Oh well. I loaded up the pack and headed up the gulch to set up camp.
My pack all loaded up
Day 2- Friday - Final Survey
The day before opening day is all about making sure that the elk are where I've seen them before. Knowing their distribution is critical to begin the hunt. If you don't know where they are, you're banking on sheer coincidence of a sighting to harvest. Finding them is arguably the most difficult part in this whole ordeal. Most hunters can't even locate a bull and the state statistics say that only 15% percent of hunters are successful each year in Colorado. Before you can hunt a bull, you have to find a bull. The whole day was spent climbing up to a 13,000'+ ridge above camp and looking down at the elk along the treeline where their perfect habitat is. I took out a spotting scope my coworker had loaned me and scanned for hours. Not only could I see the elk, but they were still bugling. Very good sign. It wasn't all good though however. I also saw a camp right in the middle of the habitat from the two hunters parked at the trailhead. That's not cool in my opinion to camp right there. As time went on it only got worse. It was pretty obvious that those two hunters pushed the elk to the east end of the bench. But then the packers came. A half a dozen guys set up a giant walled tent in the middle of the backcountry in plain view of me and the elk - wearing blue jeans. Nice. But I did pick out an elk that I wanted to pursue and I knew at that point that I was going to approach from the ridge behind the elk since those packers were not about to climb a ridge. Wranglers don't stretch.
Surveying the timberline from a 13,240' saddle
Scoping out a nice 6x6 while he bugles from the saddle
Day 3 - Saturday - Opening Day and Frustration
My alarm rings at 4:00 am. I only have 2 1/2 hours to get up the ridge to approach my preferred drainage. I ripped up the same saddle I was on yesterday but once I reached the other side, I was being cautious and stealthy. I didn't want to move in without good light. I figured if I waltzed in there all I'd do was bust the elk and lose the opportunity of a proper setup. I was also being careful since the wind was likely blowing my scent down where the elk were. Slow and deliberate movement. It turns out that was a mistake. I creeped to 700 yards to the target area just to watch the packers walking in plain view each taking shots. I thought this was a stealth game, turns out it was a race. I watched these guys bust a herd of ~100 elk out the drainage shooting two. Good job guys, you killed two bulls and completely ruined any chance of success for the rest of your party. That's how some folks get elk mounted on their wall, I guess. All you have to do is pay big for a guide to hold your hand to a shooting spot and when you're done you can drink whiskey in a walled tent deep in the backcountry. But actually, no disrespect to outfitters, I was obviously very pissed off. I hiked about 16 miles that day looking for elk in different pockets. Nothing. I felt like I pissed a ton of preparation away pinning this spot down months in advance.
What was great was that my girlfriend decided to come in and help pack some extra food into camp. That put me in a better mood but I was still irritated. Later that day the two backcountry hunters from the trailhead came walking by my camp. Sounds like they witnessed the same phenomenon but managed to take a bull as the drainage was being flushed out. I respect them and I'm happy they were successful.
Crossing ridges trying to locate a new pocket of Elk. The colorado trail is in the distance.
Hunting a new ridge in the evening with a lake in the distance
Day 4 - Sunday - Revaluating Plan
After talking to my girlfriend about what had happened I decided I either needed to leave the area go to one of my backup spots or go way deeper. Before I decided I wanted to do one final hunt in the original area to verify my intuition. I got up early again and didn't manage to see anything. I wanted to do one big final sweeping 8-mile loop. As I snuck around the area I stumbled upon a guy nestled in the timber glassing. I was surprised to see him but also disappointed because I'm not trying to locate another camp out here. After whispering back and forth I learned he was scouting just like I did earlier. After I exchanged my intel, he decided to inform me that there were two bulls on the far east end of the bench that vanished just as I entered the bench. I was shocked since that was where those packers blew out the whole drainage, and he was surprised too. But sure enough, there was elk in there.
I came back to camp where my girlfriend had stayed after doing my big loop and mentioned it was time to go deeper (for the hunt). I'm already invested in the area. Maybe the leftover animals will become active again now that the group of a half dozen left? So she kindly took the extra weight down that I wanted to shed and then I set up camp on the bench. Hunting right out of my tent door. Now that's luxury.
The view as I hike to the top of the bench to set up camp
Day 1 - Thursday - Packing up
I had finally arrived to the area I'd scouted just two weeks earlier. The elk were in full rut and I spotted eight bulls on a bench above a band of steep timber cliffs. Two pairs were bashing their antlers together. I was in the thick of the mountains, a ways past Gunnison. There wasn't a soul near the trailhead back then so I was hopeful that this hunt was going to be the same. So far there weren't a lot of cars on the way but sure enough, two trucks at the trailhead. Oh well. I loaded up the pack and headed up the gulch to set up camp.
My pack all loaded up
Day 2- Friday - Final Survey
The day before opening day is all about making sure that the elk are where I've seen them before. Knowing their distribution is critical to begin the hunt. If you don't know where they are, you're banking on sheer coincidence of a sighting to harvest. Finding them is arguably the most difficult part in this whole ordeal. Most hunters can't even locate a bull and the state statistics say that only 15% percent of hunters are successful each year in Colorado. Before you can hunt a bull, you have to find a bull. The whole day was spent climbing up to a 13,000'+ ridge above camp and looking down at the elk along the treeline where their perfect habitat is. I took out a spotting scope my coworker had loaned me and scanned for hours. Not only could I see the elk, but they were still bugling. Very good sign. It wasn't all good though however. I also saw a camp right in the middle of the habitat from the two hunters parked at the trailhead. That's not cool in my opinion to camp right there. As time went on it only got worse. It was pretty obvious that those two hunters pushed the elk to the east end of the bench. But then the packers came. A half a dozen guys set up a giant walled tent in the middle of the backcountry in plain view of me and the elk - wearing blue jeans. Nice. But I did pick out an elk that I wanted to pursue and I knew at that point that I was going to approach from the ridge behind the elk since those packers were not about to climb a ridge. Wranglers don't stretch.
Surveying the timberline from a 13,240' saddle
Scoping out a nice 6x6 while he bugles from the saddle
Day 3 - Saturday - Opening Day and Frustration
My alarm rings at 4:00 am. I only have 2 1/2 hours to get up the ridge to approach my preferred drainage. I ripped up the same saddle I was on yesterday but once I reached the other side, I was being cautious and stealthy. I didn't want to move in without good light. I figured if I waltzed in there all I'd do was bust the elk and lose the opportunity of a proper setup. I was also being careful since the wind was likely blowing my scent down where the elk were. Slow and deliberate movement. It turns out that was a mistake. I creeped to 700 yards to the target area just to watch the packers walking in plain view each taking shots. I thought this was a stealth game, turns out it was a race. I watched these guys bust a herd of ~100 elk out the drainage shooting two. Good job guys, you killed two bulls and completely ruined any chance of success for the rest of your party. That's how some folks get elk mounted on their wall, I guess. All you have to do is pay big for a guide to hold your hand to a shooting spot and when you're done you can drink whiskey in a walled tent deep in the backcountry. But actually, no disrespect to outfitters, I was obviously very pissed off. I hiked about 16 miles that day looking for elk in different pockets. Nothing. I felt like I pissed a ton of preparation away pinning this spot down months in advance.
What was great was that my girlfriend decided to come in and help pack some extra food into camp. That put me in a better mood but I was still irritated. Later that day the two backcountry hunters from the trailhead came walking by my camp. Sounds like they witnessed the same phenomenon but managed to take a bull as the drainage was being flushed out. I respect them and I'm happy they were successful.
Crossing ridges trying to locate a new pocket of Elk. The colorado trail is in the distance.
Hunting a new ridge in the evening with a lake in the distance
Day 4 - Sunday - Revaluating Plan
After talking to my girlfriend about what had happened I decided I either needed to leave the area go to one of my backup spots or go way deeper. Before I decided I wanted to do one final hunt in the original area to verify my intuition. I got up early again and didn't manage to see anything. I wanted to do one big final sweeping 8-mile loop. As I snuck around the area I stumbled upon a guy nestled in the timber glassing. I was surprised to see him but also disappointed because I'm not trying to locate another camp out here. After whispering back and forth I learned he was scouting just like I did earlier. After I exchanged my intel, he decided to inform me that there were two bulls on the far east end of the bench that vanished just as I entered the bench. I was shocked since that was where those packers blew out the whole drainage, and he was surprised too. But sure enough, there was elk in there.
I came back to camp where my girlfriend had stayed after doing my big loop and mentioned it was time to go deeper (for the hunt). I'm already invested in the area. Maybe the leftover animals will become active again now that the group of a half dozen left? So she kindly took the extra weight down that I wanted to shed and then I set up camp on the bench. Hunting right out of my tent door. Now that's luxury.
The view as I hike to the top of the bench to set up camp
