First Elk Hunt Success

[ncstatehunter]

Picked up a Colorado first rifle tag from the leftover list this year to dip my toes in the elk water and make an anniversary trip out of it. Well I got lucky yesterday evening right 30 minutes before end up legal after putting in some miles, finding lots of sign and thinking I missed my chance when I had a bull run cows up by me at a 100 yards mid-day while sidehilling through aspens in a burn regeneration and couldn’t get a shot off due to trees in my way and them not stopping. Turns out I think I ended up shooting that same bull, a busted up 6x6. Think I need to buy a lottery ticket now... (I’ll have to post up a better pic at some point, time to pack out meat after being in the woods til 1 quartering and hanging, needed sleep bad)

 

[Trr15]

Congratulations! Thats awesome.

 

[BAKPAKR]

Good catch on the tag and great looking bull! Congrats.

 

[RR2012]

Very nice! Good looking bull.

 

[FOS373]

Congrats!!!

 

[IdahoElk]

Nice!

 

[Missahba]

Good hunt!

 

[5MilesBack]

Love those dark bulls. Congratulations.

 

[Nhawkinsf36]

Congrats!!!! Nicely done

 

[Sportsman247]

Congratulations on a beautiful bull!

 

[PDob]

Congrats!! Way to get out a make it happen!

 

[Jmort1754]

Congrats

 

[Txbownut]

Congrats! The first one is usually not that easy, ( not that any of them are easy) but take em where you can! Beautiful bull too.

 

[Mn Sawtooth]

Congrats! Its nice when plan comes together

 

[ncstatehunter]

I was surely surprised at how fast it happened, I expected to eat tag soup to be honest. I’m on a heater on out of state hunts right now going back 4 years. I’ve filled my tags on quality animals for the region I was hunting within 3 days of week long trips. I’m still in shock about yesterday, my wife is a trooper helping me with the cutting and hanging last night and getting two loads out with me today. One more deboned shoulder and the head to go in the morning. Nothing prepares you for the size of them, the extra work and just manhandling required compared to even a 300 lb whitetail and then a mile, up hill pack out from 9500 to 10000 feet. We are both whopped, and I’ve got about 3 more miles added on to my legs from hunting yesterday.

 

[davsco]

very nice! pls tell how you picked your spot.

 

[ebubedike]

Congrats on a successful hunt.

 

[ncstatehunter]

very nice! pls tell how you picked your spot.

Mapping wise: north facing area with dark timber, diverse habitat, distance from road, no trailhead or mapped trails running through it, downhill from truck albeit not steep. Hunting wise: luck, reading sign and making mental notes on what I was seeing as far as where sign was and what the elk were doing/where they were when I saw them, more luck, figuring out things on the fly when a plan changes, hunting uphill back to truck the last bit of day in falling thermals and making sure to hit the secluded meadow and open aspens area they ended up being in since it has dark timber with lots of rubs, beds and trails just below the meadow, and finally all the luck in the world.

 

[Olyhunter]

Great job, nice bull!!

 

[AaronMColeman]

Awesome bull! Congratulations.