NeHunter13
FNG
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2021
- Messages
- 72
Hey Guys,
Completed my first elk hunt a couple weeks ago during the first CO rifle season. While unsuccessful, I still had a great time and look forward to getting back out in the future.
Id like to run through my situation and see what advice you veterans may have for me/others going forward. I knew success odds were low going into the hunt but if there are ways to increase odds in the future, I'm all ears.
So, some background information first on the area we were hunting in. We hunted the northern part of unit 24 north of the White River. We camped in the mountains around 8,400'. Hunted from that elevation up to about 9,200. Two days before the season opened we got about 6" of snow at the above elevation. Temps were reasonable with lows into the low 20's and highs in the low 50's.
As for the actual hunt, here is what we (myself, wife's cousin/uncle who live in the area are are experienced elk hunters) experienced:
Opening Day: Hiked into a spot to glass some steep terrain. Saw 6 cows feeding on the opposite ridge 1,000+ yards away. Nothing else seen from that spot after a couple hours of glassing. Moved around some on the ridges close by and didn't see any other animals. Hiked back towards the 4wheelers and cut some fresh tracks in the snow. Appeared to be a large elk so we decided to follow. The tracks crossed ours from earlier in the morning so we knew they were fresh. Followed the tracks through thick quakies slowly glassing ahead as we went. Eventually spotted the bull (decent 6x6) bedded down 100 yards ahead of us. Could only see one antler and part of his neck. Debated a plan going forward and I tried slowly moving closer (slightly uphill) to get a better opening through the trees. Lost sight of him and eventually bumped him. Caught a quick glimpse in the scope as he was running through the trees and wasn't going to take a shot like that, bummer... Three minutes later, heard two shots from down below. Found out the next day that guy ended up shooting him. Lucky for him, bummer for me.
Lesson learned: probably should have walked straight at him keeping a tree in-between and not losing sight of him until a better opening was found then setup to be ready when he stood to take a shot.
Rest of the Season: Didn't see another elk after bouncing around different areas. Got another shot of snow on Monday night/Tuesday morning. Saw a few more tracks in the melting snow/mud but not a ton. Only saw/heard of two bulls being killed in the area (including the one I bumped) of the mountain we were hunting in. Most of the others we talked to had similar comments; "Hunted three days and haven't seen a thing".
So my question to the veterans who know CO and elk behavior better than me, what could be done differently in the future? Did the full moon keep them feeding through the night and not out during daylight hours? If that was the case, I think we would have seen more sign than we did. Did the pressure from opening day push them into the hell holes that quick? First shot of snow pushed them out of the area into lower elevations? Or did we just get unlucky and they just plain weren't in the area we chose to hunt when we were there?
We probably should have broke camp and moved spots but after the difficulty of getting gear in the first time, didn't have it in me to move. Was that the flaw?
I've always appreciated the feedback this group provides and would love to hear thoughts on this particular situation.
Completed my first elk hunt a couple weeks ago during the first CO rifle season. While unsuccessful, I still had a great time and look forward to getting back out in the future.
Id like to run through my situation and see what advice you veterans may have for me/others going forward. I knew success odds were low going into the hunt but if there are ways to increase odds in the future, I'm all ears.
So, some background information first on the area we were hunting in. We hunted the northern part of unit 24 north of the White River. We camped in the mountains around 8,400'. Hunted from that elevation up to about 9,200. Two days before the season opened we got about 6" of snow at the above elevation. Temps were reasonable with lows into the low 20's and highs in the low 50's.
As for the actual hunt, here is what we (myself, wife's cousin/uncle who live in the area are are experienced elk hunters) experienced:
Opening Day: Hiked into a spot to glass some steep terrain. Saw 6 cows feeding on the opposite ridge 1,000+ yards away. Nothing else seen from that spot after a couple hours of glassing. Moved around some on the ridges close by and didn't see any other animals. Hiked back towards the 4wheelers and cut some fresh tracks in the snow. Appeared to be a large elk so we decided to follow. The tracks crossed ours from earlier in the morning so we knew they were fresh. Followed the tracks through thick quakies slowly glassing ahead as we went. Eventually spotted the bull (decent 6x6) bedded down 100 yards ahead of us. Could only see one antler and part of his neck. Debated a plan going forward and I tried slowly moving closer (slightly uphill) to get a better opening through the trees. Lost sight of him and eventually bumped him. Caught a quick glimpse in the scope as he was running through the trees and wasn't going to take a shot like that, bummer... Three minutes later, heard two shots from down below. Found out the next day that guy ended up shooting him. Lucky for him, bummer for me.
Lesson learned: probably should have walked straight at him keeping a tree in-between and not losing sight of him until a better opening was found then setup to be ready when he stood to take a shot.
Rest of the Season: Didn't see another elk after bouncing around different areas. Got another shot of snow on Monday night/Tuesday morning. Saw a few more tracks in the melting snow/mud but not a ton. Only saw/heard of two bulls being killed in the area (including the one I bumped) of the mountain we were hunting in. Most of the others we talked to had similar comments; "Hunted three days and haven't seen a thing".
So my question to the veterans who know CO and elk behavior better than me, what could be done differently in the future? Did the full moon keep them feeding through the night and not out during daylight hours? If that was the case, I think we would have seen more sign than we did. Did the pressure from opening day push them into the hell holes that quick? First shot of snow pushed them out of the area into lower elevations? Or did we just get unlucky and they just plain weren't in the area we chose to hunt when we were there?
We probably should have broke camp and moved spots but after the difficulty of getting gear in the first time, didn't have it in me to move. Was that the flaw?
I've always appreciated the feedback this group provides and would love to hear thoughts on this particular situation.
