2019 CO Archery Hunt

[AGPank]

I’ve been trying to go back to Colorado for archery season for the last 10 years to hunt our family property. We have about 400 acres in Unit 12. I tried to capture the best description I could to help others visualize the hunt.

Property overview:
The property is a basic rectangle of about 320 acres with an 40 acre bump out on the northwest (to the north) and a 40 acre bump out on the northeast (to the east). The top of the mountain is about 9100-ft and about splits the property down the middle as it runs north and south. The property has 3 family cabins on the property, On the north east quadrant, as this is where the main road and drainage into the area is. The property is surrounded by private land to the north, east, west, part of the south. Part of the south borders national forest, but the unit is currently draw only unless on private, so I treat it as a private barrier. The south is busier with people/hunters as you go up the main valley. The east is near the main county road and across the valley. The north is aspen and pines that transition to lower country quickly and more food opportunities. The west is a large basin of aspens, stock ponds, and thick oak brush. We have a great view of this property and it is thick with elk and deer.

Geography:
The area is mainly aspens with about 5 scattered pine tree pockets: one north east (NEP), one central east (CEP), one south east(SEP), south central (SCP), and north west (NWP). Aspen areas are mostly filled with thick ferns. The top of the mountain is a mix of thick oak brush and a large meadow. The meadow is 300 yards long (north to south) and 60-70 yards wide. The west side of the mountain is mostly thick and tall oak brush that is heavily trailed by game. This west side of the mountain is steep, hard to hunt, has food and water, and typically has more game. In terms of elk hunting I feel like I’m hunting inside a donut with barriers on all sides.

There is a large spring fed pond east and below the cabins (main pond). A small spring has sprouted up from this just to the north within the property line. At the edge of the SCP there is a large spring that is tapped to provide water to the cabins (cabin spring). The drainage from this has an abandoned beaver pond with a clearing about 200 yards across. There is a small spring there that will hold water in wet years like this.

The west side of the mountain has many natural springs. The main ones are around 8500-8600 feet elevation and follow a natural bench around the mountain. The first one is on the forest line (forest spring). The second is a few hundred yards north and just below the SCP on a fern bench (fern pond). Continuing north another 800 yards into the oak brush is another good spring (west spring). Multiple ones run below this one down the drainage. As I move around the north side of the mountain there are several good springs with the strongest on the north property line (north spring). It runs down a main drainage to the west of the property.


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[AGPank]

Hunting strategy:
I stay at the cabin and say hunt from there. A days hiking can vary 6-8 miles depending on the hunt. Mornings seem like the best times and when there is such a small property often I’ll let animals rest so I don’t push them off the property in the heat of the day. It really depends on what happens early. In the evenings I will adjust my hunt off the morning either return where I saw / heard elk bed or trying an area I didn’t hunt that day.

There is a Jeep trail from the cabins to the top of the mountain. This can facilitate an easier pack, but most elk have been taken off the west side of the mountain and it requires a steep pack out of multiple trips.

This year I hunted 4 days by myself. Two friends joined for the second half of the trip. My mom often goes, but at 71 she had an injury that kept her out this year. She’s a decent caller, additional set of eyes, and has helped in the past.


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[AGPank]

September 2: first day
I arrived the evening before to spend the day with my sister and her family. I went out In the morning for more of an exploratory trip. I hiked to the SEP looking for sign and watched a game trail above them in the aspens. I then hiked up over the top of the mountain and glassed the basin to the west. Saw elk way out west in bottom playing in a stock pond. I didn’t hear any bugling and headed back down to cabin. I spent the day in town getting groceries. Came back to cabin and watched a 5-point bull across valley. I was able to test the limits of my Leica Rangefinder at 1940 yards.

I didn’t have my phone adapter and the pic is horrible. The other pictures from last year. That bull is across the valley on the bottom third of the hill.

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[CX5Ranch]

You have oak brush at 9100?

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[AGPank]

You have oak brush at 9100?

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Right up to the top of the mountain. Stuff is up the west side of the mountain from 8200-to the top. Thick and tall, 15’+ in places.


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[AGPank]

9/3: I hiked to top of the mountain at first light then down west side drainage toward west spring about 300 yards below the meadow. Saw a couple elk out in basin. Sat above spring and contemplated where to go next. Considered dropping down to fence line then head south toward the national forest. Theres a main trail out of the basin up toward the fern spring. Around 7:30 I headed out and heard a locate bugle above me a few hundred yards in the oak brush and a couple cow calls. I was completely caught off guard a bull being above me. Typically they travel below me on a natural bench that runs north and south.

I answered with a couple cow calls then a locate bugle. He answered. I wasn’t setup for a bull above me and I quickly tried to find a decent setup. I moved off the spring and found a short shooting lane on a trail. I heard a couple cows with the bull, so I wasn’t sure what he would do. I heard him in the oak brush about 30-40 yards away. He was upwind and so close I could smell him. I heard him peeing then moving again, this time I could see the tips of his antlers. He appeared to be a 5-point, typical for this OTC area. I continue my attempt at a slow play call sequence. Soft cow calls, mixed with stomping the ground and raking trees. He never responded. I didn’t hear him leave. I moved closer to the wallow and waited to see what would happen. 10-15 minutes later I heard steps approaching the wallow, I moved to try and get a shot, but it was a 2 cows and a calf about 10 yards away. Two head on a trail to the north and one dropped below and splashed in another wallow just below me. About 15 minutes later I heard more footsteps and looked to the north to see 2 cows and 2 calves coming down the bench trail. They stopped before the wallow and shortly later turned and went down the mountain. I waited awhile and nothing more materialized. (view from spring)

I then moved to the south and setup on the lower fern bench trail. I tried some advertising sequences and set up a couple places on the bench but no luck. Now on the south end of the property I decided to angle out up through the SCP on a trail, but so many trees had blown down the trails I marked in the past were impassible. I didn’t even see much sign in this area.

View looking up fern bench.

It rained that afternoon. I Hunted in the evening by the pond. I tried an advertising sequence hoping to pull something off the property just north of us. No elk bugling and sign of elk.

 

[AGPank]

9/4:

Yesterday afternoon I could hear some ranchers begin moving their sheep off the national forest. That night I heard elk bugling around 9pm from the cabin deck, one just north of the pond. The second more south. I decided there was a good chance they would be in the area so I could try to call them I the morning. I didn’t hear any elk when I first stepped out on the deck around 5:30. I finished getting ready and stepped back out on the deck. It was still dark but I could see a cow down on the pond. The wind wasn’t favorable so I headed north from the cabin planning to get low, circle back toward pond and bugle. About 100 yards into the trees I spooked some elk, but couldn’t see anything. A couple minutes later I saw a lone satellite bull about 80 yards away heading up the mountain in the direction the elk went. I tried a couple calls, but he ignored me.
I heard a bull chuckle below a lower cabin. I dropped closer to the pond trying to find a place to set up. Two cows were headed right toward me in the ferns below the cabin. I thought my dream was about to come true, shooting an elk about 100 yards off the deck. The cows were about 60 yards away so I ducked down with little time to move. Two more cows came around the small ridge toward The lower cabin. All 4 cows eventually grazed to within 20 yards of me.

They started to drop just below me and were only 15 yards away. I sat patiently hoping a bull was somewhere in the area. The wind was swirling when they spooked and ran about 60 yards toward the pond. Then a nice bull came on the same trail the cows had come down. I jumped up, snuck behind better cover and tried calling him. I raked and stomped and panting. I was trying to act like a bull, but he didn’t pay attention. He and the cows dropped lower and headed north off the property. I’m going to have to study up on what I should have done differently here. I really felt like this was a lost opportunity on a nice mature bull for the area.

In the afternoon I headed directly up the mountain west from the cabin into the CEP area hoping to find elk near their bedding areas. There was a lot of elk sign in the pine trees west of the cabin. I called a couple with an advertising sequence in a couple places, but no response.

 

[AGPank]

9/5: Hiked up Jeep trail just before first light. About 1/4 mile up the road approaches the south property line I spooked a cow. I didn’t hear or see others with her. Just above me a small buck jumped and ran toward the old beaver pond. I then realized as I was getting ready I left my release at the cabin. Fortunately I had a spare in my bag. I unpacked and repacked and was on my way. Another 1/4 mile up the trail I heard a couple cow calls near the SEP. I also heard a bull rake the trees or rattle another bull, but wasn’t sure. I estimated these elk 2-300 yards above me.
I decided to try and close the distance to setup and call.

The SEP start at the left of this picture. The clearing is the old beaver pond.

I hiked past the old beaver pond and up around the clearing along the edge of the trees. I approached where I estimated the elk were 150 yards away. I began with the slow play sequence behind a small stand of pines with a plan to move forward to set up for a shot. After 5-10 min there wasn’t a response from the direction I heard the elk. I looked 90 degrees up the hill away from my planned path and saw a lone satellite 5-pt. He was about 100 yards away and I wasn’t set up for elk from that direction. I slid behind some pine trees continuing with some soft calls rakes and stomps. I moved into my new position and the bull closed to about 60 yards and was joined by another bull! They milled around, but wouldn’t close the distance. After more time past the second bull moved up the hill and out of sight.

Later I saw a bull about a hundred yards away. He was heading south east from where I first heard the elk. The first bull started to move back up the hill. I moved behind cover and called a couple times. I repositioned myself hoping for better results. When I could see again both bulls had returned to about 80 yards. They watched curiously for another 5-10 minutes and moved back up the mountain.

I waited about 10-15 minutes and moved to the thicker pines where I first heard the elk. I tried a creative cow sequence hoping to draw the bulls back. Sat for a couple of hours and no response.

 

[AGPank]

9/6: It rained last night. I hiked up the Jeep trail to the top of the mountain. I had been saving my favorite spot, the NWP . Dropped down to the start of the pines and tried an advertising sequence, but no response.

I had friends joining me that day, but I needed to meet them in town so I didn’t venture lower into the area, instead saved it for another day.

Came back through cabin pine ECP. Spooked one cow as I worked my way through the steep area. Was almost to trail where I wanted to try and call, but spooked several elk just before reaching my spot, too greedy I guess.

I brought my friends up late that afternoon, between the rain and us catching up we didn’t hunt that afternoon.

 

[AGPank]

9/7: Headed up the road planning on hunting the NWP. Heard bull bugle as we approached the old beaver pond, same area as on 9/5. Headed to north west side of trees and made it further than I did previous day. Called bull with advertising sequence. Bull surprised me by dropping into the clearing to get downwind. He was a nice 5-pt. He got to about 50 yards. I was set up for him if he came to 40. He saw my movement behind a tree and ran back. We exchanged a couple calls but couldn’t get him back.

We headed over the top of the mountain and dropped into the SCP. Sat for an hour waiting for wind to change and elk to move and bed down. As the wind settled down we smelled a bull and decided to call. My friend just spotted antlers above us within a minute. A small 4 pt came in fast. I drew back and my arrow slipped off the rest. As I tried to fix it I spooked the bull. A mix of buck fever and insufficient practice during the year.

We moved about 100 yards north down the trail. We smelled another bull and called again. I spotted a bull below us in the ferns on the bench. The bull was curious but wouldn’t come up to where we bugled from. He eventually moved west and down the mountain.

That afternoon we hiked up the fence line and down into the NWP. We setup in several places and called with an advertising sequence that had been successful. No responses and older sign. We moved around toward the south in the oaks below the meadow and called. No response.

Ended the day with an amazing sunset.

Heard a bull south of The third cabin as we walked in. We decided to try that area in the morning.

 

[AGPank]

9/8. Woke up and bugled out north of cabin before heading out. No response. My friend took pictures of sun coming up around 6:12. We walked up jeep trail and about 200 yards from the cabin we stepped off road about almost central between the 3 area cabins. Bugled with an advertising sequence. Heard bull above The highest cabin to the north west of us. A spike showed up minutes later about 30 yards away and watched us from the south. Another bull bugled above lower cabin several hundred yards to the south east of us. The bull above bugled again. The second bull bugled again and was getting closer maybe within 100 yards and closing. I moved had to move my friends without getting busted by the spike because there was only one shooting lane behind us, we weren’t expecting elk below us and I knew time was running out. The bull stepped into sight and I didn’t have time to use range finder. I estimated he was around 43-45 yards away. I drew my bow and when he stepped into the opening I shot. The bull spun and ran. One friend thought he heard a hit followed by the bull falling. We waited about 45 minutes and went to look for blood. We didn’t find blood. I found the arrow in a tree behind the elk. I checked the range and it was 35-36 yards shot. I had shot over the bull. My friend had dark video of the shot, 6:28. Craziest 16 minutes of a day I’ve had.

We then hiked up road all the way to the north fence line. We came back down and set up on a trail along the CEP hoping to find a bull in his bed. Called with an advertising sequence, but no response.


It rained that afternoon and we waited out the rain and then hiked up to the top of the mountain and down on the fern bench. A storm was coming in from out west. We could smell a bull and tried calling with an advertising sequence but nothing responded. The storm came in fast and we hid up under some pine trees. There was wind, rain, lighting, and hail. We watched a huge pine tree get snapped like a twig and crash about 30 yards from us. When the storm passed we hiked out and took the trail down toward the old beaver pond. I tried a creative calling sequence as we hiked down a trail through the aspens approaching the old beaver pond. As we approached the edge we saw a cow 170 yards away on the other side of the clearing. We watched as she came across the clearing, circles the aspens behind us and approached almost us inching closer. She crossed the 30 yard mark and stepped into a clearing. I released my arrow and it appeared to make good contact. She made it about 100 yards and died in some ferns.

 

[AGPank]

My buddy sent me the video of the bull from 9/7.

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