Netherman's 2024 Western Hunt Recap

[Netherman]

Gonna keep posting these until someone tells me to stop. I'm building up quite a file now that I plan to give the kids one day. Probably not until they're at least out of high school so they don't know all the mistakes dear old dad has made over the years.

2024
Big time tag this year. I drew a NM archery elk tag just outside the Gila that my friend will be tagging along for. After that I’ll be headed to CO for a first rifle elk hunt where my friend and brother both have tags. I should have had enough points to draw as well, but the 5 day season had me worried about getting three tags filled. So I’ll just be “guiding” my brother on that one.

NM Archery Elk

Day 0/1

Packed and got rolling after work. It was a 24+ hour drive and it sucked as bad as it sounds. Leaving in the evening was nice as we hit Chicago at a non-busy time. The 2-5am period was as awful as expected and then the following evening was equally rough. Hopefully we’ll be able to leave a bit earlier for the CO trip. After an eternity in a truck, we arrived with two full days to scout. That’s going to be new for us and hopefully worth the vacation days.

Day 2

Up dark and early we headed to the glassing point I had e-scouted. As usual I underestimated the steepness. As we switchbacked our way up to the bench we bumped a group of mule deer bucks in the gray light. Up on top we got our first real look at the state of NM. It was some cool looking country with lots of new growth as the area had a significant burn in the last 5 years. We heard a few bugles early in the lower elevations, but not a ton of talking and it all petered out before the sun was fully over the hillside. At least we know they exist…

The rest of the morning had us melting in the sun-up high where there was only 2-4’ new growth gamble oak. We wrapped around the mountain side glassing and occasionally throwing out a location bugle. They either weren’t there, weren’t talking, or liking my calls. About two miles in we got to a sweet overlook and got our first response a mile down a canyon. Marking the spot, we continued our hike into the OnX spring. It did exist but didn’t have much flowing out of it. Certainly not enough to support a heard of elk. We took a break and ate a snack and discussed whether we’d continue to the deeper spring or wrap back to the truck and go into a different part of the unit. With the heat we assumed we’d get the best talking in the morning and this spot had elk, but maybe limited due to the water situation.

As we were getting set to leave, we spotted a funny looking woodchuck where the piped spring exited. Upon further review it was a black bear cub (the tiniest one you’d ever seen). Knowing that momma wouldn’t be far behind we pulled the handguns out and began telling the cub it was time to leave. After a moment of curiosity, the cub realized what was going on and turned around. I spotted mom over a rise covering the cubs retreat before joining it. She was tiny as well. I’d guess her at 70lb and made me re-think pulling the gun as I probably would have been fine with a pocketknife or nothing at all.

The hike back to the truck was uneventful beyond two elk sheds we found. The heat was soul sucking and I don’t blame any elk that didn’t move or respond midday. Back at the truck we drove to another part of the unit with more “tanks” and did a little evening listening without a peep. Hoping for better luck in the morning…

Lessons Learned: The bears seem tiny, maybe due to limited water. Both were a cinnamon red color that I’ve heard is more common in dryer areas (better blending?). Water is the source of life and packing in doesn’t seem feasible unless you bring your water with you.

Questions: What is the best/optimal scouting plan for elk? We tried to position ourselves high to glass and hear early and then hiked into likely areas looking for sign. Not sure there’s much better, but I’m always interested in increasing my efficiency.

 

[Netherman]

Day 3

Hiking in the darkness again. We found two decomposed whitetail sheds and my friend literally stepped on a big elk shed. Seems like we’re finding the wintering grounds… We got to our planned listening and glassing point ahead of schedule, so we sat down. As we dried our sweat, we got cold and began adding layers (funny how you can be cold when the highs are in the 80s). As the black turned gray we realized we didn’t have near the glassing opportunity that dr. google had predicted. We did a location bugle with no response and then began working our way down a long ridge that fell to a water tank. The area looked “elky” or at least closer to the areas we have found elk in MT or CO with big darker pines and a cooler feeling in the bottom. We saw some weeks old rubs (bright, but needles were brown, and sap was hardened). When we got to the tank, we realized why the locals call them “dirt tanks” as it was dry and full of dirt.

Not loving the lack of water or bugles we decided our best opening day option would be to go after the late morning bugle in the way back canyon. Looking at the map it looked like we could get in there quicker from a different road. So we packed up and took another long drive across the unit. On the way out we bumped into a local who had the adjacent unit first season. He said they quit talking three days ago which really threw our minds for a loop. “Should we stay here, should we go where we were heard some closer to the road the first morning?”. After the internal and external back and forth we decided to stick with the deep canyon plan. No water ruled out the current spot, and the transitioning elk early morning made the first morning spot feel like a gamble. The canyon bugle seemed like it was bedded so at least one elk was spending time in that area.

Lessons Learned: N/A

Questions: How do more experienced hunters scout and assess areas? Seems like food, bedding, and water are the things to look for with focus on the limiting factor (water in our case).

 

[Netherman]

Day 4

Opening morning had us up in the cool dark again. We were closer to the canyon but had a steep ridge to climb to get into it. We went up a drain as it had the most spacing of topo lines. On our way up we found a lot of bear shit and what were presumably bear beds in thick patches. “at least it was dark, bears are black, and we were in a vertical cut with rock walls on either side…”. Further up the canyon we heard something moving up above and spotted a set of yellow eyes on the lip above us. We shined our headlights at the eyes, and they crouched out of sight. After a minute or two of loud talking and shining I with they eyes popping up and down, I flipped my headlamp to turbo spot and that seemed to do the trick. The next escalation would have been us climbing up the next climbable spot and sorting out who owned this ridge. I’d much rather deal with a predator following me on my terms than his. It does make you wonder how often it happens without you realizing.

Up on top of the ridge with only the occasional glance over our shoulder we continued towards the canyon we’d heard the bugle and the spring below. We had a few unanswered location bugles up and down the canyon in the dark. Then, as daylight began to crack we dropped into the bottom to work towards an ONx spring and likely bedding area. As we got closer to the spring we heard a bugle. Creeping up towards the spring we made it to a clearing 100 yards from the spring. Not sure if we could get closer, we dropped back into the thicker stuff and made a few cow calls, then I snuck up closer to the edge. We had a spike walk down and check us out, but the rest of the herd seemed to be moving away based on the decreasing bugle volume. After the spike rejoined his herd we crept up and found the water. It was magical bucket that created its own water and overflowed into a mini dirt tank/wallow. This “miracle” is why there were animals around.

Not sure whether to follow them or not, we decided to sit the water for a bit. We kicked out two flat spots in some gamble oak on the hillside above the bucket. 30 yards from the water and with a few lanes out to 60 it felt like a good spot. We didn’t have to wait long. 30-40 minutes later, we heard a bull bugling and it was getting closer. Not 10 minutes later we saw the first cow, then another, and another. The bull was screaming so loud you could feel the air pressure hit your chest. Bugles, chuckles, and glunks. We were getting a show. He didn’t have long tines, but he had a lot of them. They all worked in towards the water with the bull bringing up the rear. The bull got to 65 in the open. Then as he got to 55 the first cow made it to the water and jumped out of her skin. Did she hit our ground scent? Did my friend move? (no way they saw me…).

The bull was in the open slightly quartering towards, but I was blocked by two trees and not sure if I could make a move without blowing the cows. The were all nervous but starting to work back towards the water. The bull didn’t move an inch. In what felt like 30 minutes but was probably only 2 a rock fell on our slope and the cows had had enough. One by one they trotted to the opposite hillside and began moving away. The bull was still in the same spot. I just needed him to take a step forward or back. Instead, he turned 90 and walked away directing behind the two trees in my way. At 75 he got into a pocket of trees, crossed another lane at 90, then up the hill after the cows and out of my life.

Bummer. After working thru the “why didn’t you shoots” we decided to sit the water and see what else comes in. 2-3 hours without seeing anything we debated going up after the bull and heard from earlier but decided to stick it out. Hopefully a bull might slip away for a drink/wallow or have a whole herd show up to start their evening. Sitting water sucked. It was boring, hot, and even worse nothing happened. The longer we sat the more I felt committed to staying there. As hot as it was every animal on the mountain would need water.

At 5pm we heard the rumble of a side by side. “huh, there must be a road up there on the ridge”. It got louder and louder until it turned the corner and we saw it. They drove down and checked their camera on the water without seeing us, so I walked down to talk to them. As I walked up the passenger started filming me or taking a picture. That’s weird… Before I can say something, the passenger asks if I’m “the guide”. I told him nope “we’re just a couple Michigan boys trying to figure out this elk thing”. The driver told me this was “his ranch” to which I responded “I thought this was national forest”. Backtracking he clarified “it is. This is my grazing allotment”. He told his client (seemingly nice and overly excitable guy from Texas) that we were here first, and they’d go somewhere else. They then proceeded to drive up the ridge the elk had went to bed. Intentional or coincidental it didn’t drive confidence in our spot.

As we discussed our options the wind was getting squirrely. I wouldn’t set a treestand without the wind in my favor so making a move was “the move”. Where to go though. Do we try and move on the herd from earlier or move lower to a natural water hole we had seen on our way in? With the scarcity of water, we decided starting there made the most sense. Down at the water, we started looking for a spot to get set up. As we circled the rocky hole holding the water we bumped into a string of cow elk who were just as surprised to see us as we were them. Above us, we heard a bull bugling. Presuming that he was regathering his cows and was close we decided to cow call and bugle in hopes that he thought another bull was stealing his cows. He responded but didn’t close any distance. He seemed “stuck” like he was holding up the cows and was waiting for this last cow. I hand the bugle to my buddy and start trying to creep in on him while my buddy tries to keep him talking. They wind had been wonky all evening and after one bad swirl it seemed to be over. A few minutes later a disappearing bugle over the ridge confirmed it.

With daylight fading and a storm approaching we began our trek back to the truck. It got dark quick and the rain wasn’t far behind. We sloshed our way up the drainage, over the ridge, and began our descent down the same drain we went up in the morning. It was real sketchy when wet as anything rock was now a slip and slide. A few waterfalls we were able to climb up in the morning became a “ride down” situation. Not sure we’d be able to go up and over in the morning or get an elk out even if we could, we decided to drive back around to the other side tomorrow.

Lessons Learned: Spend more time checking the wind particularly when sitting water. I think the coolness of the spring was causing some thermal pull and that’s what spooked the cows. Sitting water isn’t for me. It’s boring, hot, and probably effective.

Questions: Is that “guide” allowed to drive around NF land? Seems like no, but maybe he’d just make an argument that he was “checking his cattle”. It hurt watching those guys drive right in after the sucky time we had getting in there. “Pay to play” in full effect. Dude got easier draw odds and easier access.

Classic should I stay or should I go. Should we have sat the water or given the elk a bit of time to bed then went in after them? In hindsight going after them would have been better, but I’ve not sat water or had a camera on any to understand how they are used midday.

 

[Netherman]

Day 5

With the drive around we were going to lose the morning hunt, so we decided to hit wally world and resupply. I couldn’t believe how fast we were going thru water but had tapped all our bottles and 7-8 gallons of our 10gal stash in 4 days of scouting and hunting. Not sure if we should crack the “kill kooler” we decided against it, both as a test for future reference as well as valuing block ice vs cube.

By 1 we were at the next spot, unloaded the truck into “camp mode”, and got our wet stuff out in the sun to dry. Seeing the value in water we decided to start our evening hunt at a spring and then work our way towards some dark N facing ridges 2 miles or so in. We bumped into two guys from NM and talked to them a bit. The one with the tag had missed a bull in the morning and they seemed to be hiking out. They seemed nice we told them where we were headed and wished each other luck.

There wasn’t much going on in the canyon we had selected. Seemed like it had most of what the elk needed. There was water, green looking grass, and some shady cuts to hide from the sun. Not seeing or hearing much we decided to climb up top and do some glassing and listening. On our way up I found a 170” mule deer deadhead. Too cool to leave in the woods I strapped it to my pack and off we went. We got up and waited for things to cool off. Around 5:30 we heard a bugle on an adjacent ridge. Let the chase begin.

We dropped off our ridge and climbed up the next. Sounds easy peasy and the heights weren’t huge, but the constant up and down really added up. Fortunately, climbing after bugles gives you that “little bit extra”. We held back a bit waiting for the wind to get set, then started calling with my friend dropping back. We got them to bugle at us but couldn’t turn them. Following after them, we got onto another ridge, and I got into a screaming match with a bull but couldn’t break him free from his cows. Then another group joined in, and another, and another. Where’d they come from? Go ask your mother. (I might be reading too many dr. seuss books these days…). Everyone was bugling until we got spotted by some cows and they took off running. Then things slowly petered out and we were left bugleless in the dark.

Consulting GPS our fears were realized. It turned out the elk had not led us back towards the truck. There was a “road” marked on the map that seemed to follow the canyon floor. It was a long way, but really not bad from an elevation standpoint. We were back by 10 and were planning to follow the yellow brick road back in the morning.

Lessons Learned: Get the wind right and get closer before you start calling.

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Day 6

Bugles woke me up at 2am all around the truck. Might not have to make the long walk if they were on our door step… By 5am we were up and still hearing bugles. We loaded up with water and got to hiking. We spent the rest of the morning chasing after them but never got close enough or sounded pretty enough to get them to turn. In the heat of the day on our walk back we bumped into some locals on the NF road. They were super nice and gave us a 1-1.5 mile ride down the road to our truck.

Thinking the way back is where we needed to be, we packed up and moved camp for hopefully the final time. The new camp location was close to our yellow brick road and near a hill that we could get cell signal, so we spent the midday up there talking to the wives and kids. As evening approached, we started our hike into the land of OZ. we knew a few hillsides that they were bedded on from the night before so got the wind right and worked up towards them. A bad swirl and we were back to the drawing board.

We got back up on a hill so we could see and hear more. On our way up we got pegged by a cow elk at 200 yards. We tried the stay still and “hope she forgets” but it didn’t work. Not much we could do there, so we continued with the plan. Once we got up top we spotted a bull with two cows on an adjacent hill. The bull wasn’t small and seemed stalkable this late in the evening with a dropping thermal. We quickly dropped off the hill we’d just climbed and got to the base of the next hill. From the bottom we confirmed they were still up there ~200yards away, I took my boots off to be quieter on the rock, dropped my pack, and left my friend to watch from below.

I got up into the zone fairly quickly then began slowing down as I got close to the rocky patch they were feeding in. No one was home. The were feeding W > E on the hillside so off I went. Quickly I spotted what I was looking for, but instead of a bull with two cows he had six cows and a spike in tow. I crept in and was 90 yards from the bull but had a cow blocking my way at 30. With them feeding around I decided to hold tight and hope they played a bit of musical elk. The continued feeding but were moving away from me. I tried to keep up but ended up getting busted by cow number seven that was upslope of me. After she spotted me, she flew down the hill like a bowling ball and blew up the heard. (was the worst strike I’d ever seen, but the results were the same). Once they got over a rise, I tucked my arrow back in my quiver and took off running after them. Turns out you can’t outrun an elk particularly in socks…

By the time I got back down and booted up we were out of light. On the plus side we were back on the yellow brick road and didn’t have much elevation delta back to the truck. On our walk back we had 10-15 minutes of darkness then the second sun came out. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a moon that bright. Hopefully this doesn’t change the talking we’d been hearing.

Lessons Learned: I should have spent more time planning my stalk. With daylight fading I felt rushed to get after them but had more time than I thought. Having an OnX pin where I thought they were as well as looking at an aerial might have given me a better approach. The theme so far has been being behind the elk and I really need to figure out how to be in front. I always joke with my friend that the easiest way to call a turkey is to call where they are already going. I’m sure elk are the same way.

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Day 6

Bugles woke me up at 2am all around the truck. Might not have to make the long walk if they were on our door step… By 5am we were up and still hearing bugles. We loaded up with water and got to hiking. We spent the rest of the morning chasing after them but never got close enough or sounded pretty enough to get them to turn. In the heat of the day on our walk back we bumped into some locals on the NF road. They were super nice and gave us a 1-1.5 mile ride down the road to our truck.

Thinking the way back is where we needed to be, we packed up and moved camp for hopefully the final time. The new camp location was close to our yellow brick road and near a hill that we could get cell signal, so we spent the midday up there talking to the wives and kids. As evening approached, we started our hike into the land of OZ. we knew a few hillsides that they were bedded on from the night before so got the wind right and worked up towards them. A bad swirl and we were back to the drawing board.

We got back up on a hill so we could see and hear more. On our way up we got pegged by a cow elk at 200 yards. We tried the stay still and “hope she forgets” but it didn’t work. Not much we could do there, so we continued with the plan. Once we got up top we spotted a bull with two cows on an adjacent hill. The bull wasn’t small and seemed stalkable this late in the evening with a dropping thermal. We quickly dropped off the hill we’d just climbed and got to the base of the next hill. From the bottom we confirmed they were still up there ~200yards away, I took my boots off to be quieter on the rock, dropped my pack, and left my friend to watch from below.

I got up into the zone fairly quickly then began slowing down as I got close to the rocky patch they were feeding in. No one was home. The were feeding W > E on the hillside so off I went. Quickly I spotted what I was looking for, but instead of a bull with two cows he had six cows and a spike in tow. I crept in and was 90 yards from the bull but had a cow blocking my way at 30. With them feeding around I decided to hold tight and hope they played a bit of musical elk. The continued feeding but were moving away from me. I tried to keep up but ended up getting busted by cow number seven that was upslope of me. After she spotted me, she flew down the hill like a bowling ball and blew up the heard. (was the worst strike I’d ever seen, but the results were the same). Once they got over a rise, I tucked my arrow back in my quiver and took off running after them. Turns out you can’t outrun an elk particularly in socks…

By the time I got back down and booted up we were out of light. On the plus side we were back on the yellow brick road and didn’t have much elevation delta back to the truck. On our walk back we had 10-15 minutes of darkness then the second sun came out. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a moon that bright. Hopefully this doesn’t change the talking we’d been hearing.

Lessons Learned: I should have spent more time planning my stalk. With daylight fading I felt rushed to get after them but had more time than I thought. Having an OnX pin where I thought they were as well as looking at an aerial might have given me a better approach. The theme so far has been being behind the elk and I really need to figure out how to be in front. I always joke with my friend that the easiest way to call a turkey is to call where they are already going. I’m sure elk are the same way.

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Day 7

Another 5am wakeup call cut short with semi wild horses chewing our coolers. They seemed tame and let us pet them. Not sure if they were looking for food, water, or just plastic to chew as they were also interested in our water jugs. One had a swollen ankle and wouldn’t put weight on it (hopefully it was twisted and not broken). After pushing them off we loaded up and headed out after the morning bugles.

Figuring they were after water as well we tried to get between the bugles and spring while also keeping the wind in our favor. That was a tall order. We ended up getting close to a bull and were getting responses, but never got it done. I think we needed to stick with the calling more. Towards the end of the morning “rush” we had what sounded like a satellite bull moving towards us, but then trailed off. 5-10 minutes after the last bugle we had a good guess why he left as two guys came cruising thru with a bow in one hand and un-nocked arrow in the other. (maybe they were going to run up and jump on his back?)

After that we went on a long hike to check out a bedding area. As usually it was much steeper than OnX had led us to believe. We got one bugle response that sounded like they weren’t bedded yet, so we dropped into the canyon. In the bottom we ran into some beef cows and running water. Explained why the land the water was coming from was private. The only land worth owning around due to the water. We never got another bugle out of the group we were after and didn’t see them or fresh sign on the public, so we suspected they were bedded on the private. Just another case where the land is 99% public, but the animals are on private. Almost like they know no one shoots at them there…

Back at the truck we debated getting to the edge of the private or back down the yellow brick road. With the heat at later movement in the evenings we decided to go public, so we weren’t stuck watching them and hoping they’d cross the line. Our plan was to get past the elk and hopefully keep the prevailing wind in our favor. As we got into position, we spotted two elk up feeding in some gamble oak. Figuring there’d be more and hopefully a bull. We got out of sight and climbed up to their level. We dropped a waypoint where we thought they were bedded and planned to get inside 150 before we tried calling. With the terrain and wind in our favor we made it within 90 of our best guess beds. I gave a few cow calls then a bugle followed by some more cow calls then handed my bugle tube to my friend and moved up. (the dream was to make the bull think another bull was stealing a few of his ladies). We never heard a peep. Either we bumped them unknowingly, they fed off, or one of the other thousand excuses. Without a direction and things still hot we got a bit better vantage and sat down. It didn’t cool off until nearly last light and we just heard one lone bugle off in the distance. Either they weren’t talking, or we’d pushed them out of the area. Long sad walk back to the truck. We had 15 miles on the garmin watch and our legs sure felt it.

Lessons Learned: Nothing new, but don’t leave elk to find elk. We knew were some were bedded and instead went to an area that “probably” had elk.

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Day 8

We woke up to bugles again. Chasing them the previous days we decided to try and get in front of them. We hiked a big loop to get out in front of them, but the wind wasn’t great. We heard two groups bugling and had to decide which to go after. The wind wasn’t ideal for either, but there was a man-made drainage ditch that had a serious thermal draw that we could use to get closer to one of the groups. Seeming like our best choice we dropped in and scooted down towards them. Not wanting to run into them before first light we stayed back a bit and moved in as soon as I could see my pins. We heard them bugling and cross the ditch, so we booked it down towards them. Behind again… We called at them a bit but couldn’t turn them and we lost them to the private again. Not sure what to do with the rest of our morning, we climbed the ridge we were on and listened to the group on private to try and figure out where they bed. While listening we had a 170s mule deer walk up below us and stand 40 yards away. Wish NM had AKs drop down rules. If they did there’d have been an arrow headed his way. Later into the morning we heard the bugles stop moving and got a good idea where they were bedded in some NE facing ridges on the other side of the private. With an evening plan in place, we headed back to the truck to reload water.

For the evening, we started our hike in early. Got close and planned to get between the elk and the water on the private. With them up a drainage we “bedded” ourselves a half mile away and waited for the thermals to shift. Almost as bad as sitting water we sat for almost two hours before the wind began to switch. As it steadied, we moved closer to our target drainage. The drainage was very steep on both sides so we were able to get set in a spot we could cover nearly all of it within 60yds.

The elk started bugling about 2 and a half hours before last light. Things were looking up. 15 minutes later they we in the same place. 30 minutes later they were still there. With an hour and a half left I’d had enough and decided we needed to go up there after them. Hiking up after the bugles we got into some new growth with head high pine and brush. Creeping along the top we bumped into a cow elk. She saw us but couldn’t figure out what we were as we had the wind and froze until she settled down. From there we continued in and made it to an opening. It was full of elk, cows, calves, spikes, and a bull. One of them saw us and spooked to the other side and took the herd with them. Not smelling us and feeling safe in the area they stayed there. Roughly 100yds away. I crept up a bit and started cow calling. We got responses from the bull, a spike, and presumably satellite bulls around us. One of the spikes came inside 30, but not what you go to NM for. He eventually lost interest and worked away.

Focused on the bull I and my friend continued cow calling. The bull would bugle but wasn’t moving from his herd. With the only bugle tube, I decided to challenge him and see if that would break him free. It kinda worked. The bull instantly responded and gave the death stare to the small pine trees I was hiding behind. He moved closer but stayed just off the edge of the opening. Presumably looking for the non-existent bull. He was 50 yards away but protected by a thicket of 1-2” thick new growth trees. If I could get him to move 20 yards there was a lane you could drive a car thru, but he wouldn’t budge. After a 5-10 minute standoff, he and the herd drifted away.

After they were out of sight we moved up and began calling again. The herd didn’t turn but a straggler cow came in downwind of us and the rodeo began. She pinballed into the herd and sent us all running. Elk moving around with me doing my best chasing after them cow calling. Ridge after ridge we went with bugles and cow calls flying everywhere. Finally, I got a bull to turn and come towards the calls rather than away. At 70yards I could see him with a cow and calf in my binos just uphill from me. Looking down at my bow I noticed my pins were gone. Next check was my watch, and the round was over as time had expired. Now to find my friend, figure out where we were and how to get back. “Thank god for GPS/OnX” as I had no idea where I was after the “chase”.

Lessons Learned: “Be better…”

Questions: I wonder if a decoy would have helped in the big group of elk. Or even flashing one at the cow that initially pegged us. Not sure it’d be worth the weight, but with only one tag holder we could have made it work. Curious who uses decoys and how’d they’d approach the situation we found ourselves in. I’ve used them turkey hunting in MI and generally find them to be a hassle and not as conducive to my “run and gun” style.

 

[Netherman]

Day 9

Last morning before heading home. We didn’t hear much for bugles but had a decent idea where the elk were headed at this point. We were behind them again, but they made it to private before first light. We called at the line for a bit but only got the occasional response. The morning caffeine created an emergency I needed to take care of. While that was going on my friend kept calling and said a bull showed up where I had been calling from. What a shitty deal… we worked the line and tried calling a bit more without any responses.

With limited time left we decided to loop around the private and get into the bedding where we had seen all the elk the night before. We crept up from an adjacent drainage where the prevailing wind would push our scent away from our targeted location. We did some light calling hoping for a response but never heard one. We crept around stopping to call periodically based on how far we thought our sounds were travelling. Eventually we’d covered the whole ridge and didn’t hear or bump anything other than a group of mule deer.

Lessons Learned: I think we need to give calling setups more time before moving on/giving up. Earlier in the week we’d had similar experiences where we were getting responses but were always trying to move in closer.

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Trip and Gear Report

Trip Thoughts: This was a tough hunt for me mentally. I wanted to quit and go home to see the kids every day. I’d been travelling a lot for work and had a lot of home projects going that limited my time spent playing with the kids. Having the three-year-old negotiating with me on my return date hurt my soul “dad will be back in 10 days” “how about 5?”. I took the next day off work when I was back and took them to the zoo. I don’t think I’ll ever feel like I spent “enough” time with them but want to do the best I can balancing kids, work, work at home, personal fun. I’m planning to keep my two trips a year cadence but might have to slow down for a few years while they are young (1 and 3). Hopefully they will want to come on my western adventures as they get older. I’ll be working on a tower blind for the house next spring/summer and hopefully getting the then 4.5-year-old involved.

From a hunting standpoint this trip has been far and away the most educational in terms of archery elk hunting. Previously I’d had 2-4 interactions per trip while this time I was getting 2-3 per day. I like to think I’d have gotten it done if I had today’s knowledge at the start of the trip. Knowing how close you need to get was something I was missing as well as calling strategy. I do wish my friend was a better caller and will be pushing him on that if we get another archery elk hunt on the agenda. I felt like my calls sounded better and was continually wishing I could do both jobs. He didn’t have a bugle tube which might have been a good thing based on his bugles thru my tube but could have helped in a few situations. I’d also like to spend more time shooting my bow and getting in better shape going forward. Much like spending time with the kids there’s no such thing as “too much”. I was in OK shape and decent at shooting my bow but would like to be a bit lighter and increase my effective range from 50 >> 70+. Still not sure I’d feel good throwing a 90-yard bomb at that bull, but would like to be more effective/confident at longer ranges.

Noteworthy Gear: New for this year was a truck and topper with a decked setup. It was awesome for allowing us to move camping location on demand quickly. It’s the first new vehicle I’ve owned and something I wish I’d done sooner. Having something reliable and convenient for camping out of has been awesome. I was also impressed with the Kifaru bino harness. I had a marsupial previously that I liked but am anti magnet. Having a pin on compass is hugely helpful when navigating thick and dark places. Maybe phone compass technology will take off one day, but until then I need magnet-free. The Kifaru harness did everything I needed and one thing I really liked was the rangfinder pocket’s front storage. I used it to keep my thumb release and liked having it accessible somewhere I’d always have with me. The only negative I experienced was some occasional chaffing where the wings attached to the harness. Adjusting the pack straps fixed it, but that would be something I’d like to see changed. The decked system was nice as it went gave us space over the wheel wells and stored recovery gear and camp/hunting gear under us reducing how much yardsaling we needed to do when sleeping in the back.

Disappointing Gear: One of the gas cans I brought leaked which was annoying every time we moved camp and had to air out the sleeping area. I want to look at roof racks to get some of the “just in case” type of stuff out of the way.

Gear to Buy/Consider: Some sort of roof rack to keep gas, water, and other things out of the bed space. Also going to look at brush guards. We’ve had some near misses over the years and having something to keep the truck functional in case of a collision seems like a good idea.

 

[Netherman]

2024 CO Elk

Day 0/1

Started the drive later in the day after work and seeing the kids. After the long but uneventful drive we made it to our destination around 5pm. We met my brother and his friend who would be joining us for the weekend and got to glassing. I visited my brother over the summer for some rafting and spent a day in the hunt unit while I was out there, so I had a glassing point picked out. It was some long-range glassing 1.5-3 miles, but it panned out as we spotted a few groups of elk. One of which had multiple bulls and 20+ cows. Roosted ain’t roasted, but we had a starting point. Some 15s sure would be nice…

We found some NF land just off the road to spend the night on. tomorrow was a full day of scouting, so we got the trucks into “sleep-mode”. We’d be up early to glass some more with two of us going to the previous nights spot and the other two going to a new one.

Lessons Learned: I’ve been saying it awhile, but I need to buy some 15x binos. The 10s weren’t enough past 2 miles and really were struggling past 1. The spotter was fine at that distance but was tough to look thru for long periods and didn’t have enough field of view to be optimal.

Questions: N/A

Day 2

Up early me and my friend headed to another glassing spot I’d scouted to hopefully find a plan B area. After that first 15-20 minute period where you think you can see but really can’t we started seeing elk. First two bulls by themselves, then a group of 5-10, and then another group with 20+. All at the top above treeline. I guess this is why you collect points… My brother and his friend eventually met us at our glassing spot after the sun washed them out. We watched the elk filter down into the trees and out of sight then drove to check out the trailheads. There were a few groups going into spot A on horseback and two horse trailers on the trail into spot B.

Worried about the pressure we found a way in that didn’t follow a trailhead but would require a two mile walk and 1000’ elevation gain. We debated packing in a few hundred feet of elevation but were worried about pressuring the elk out of the area as they were bedding lower during the day. We got our camp spot picked, unloaded the trucks, and headed out for the evening glass. We still had elk in both spots so we left as darkness fell and headed into town to grab a “real” dinner. We made the morning plan and would be heading out in two groups starting on opposite ends of the long ridge we had seen the elk on.

Lessons Learned: Points don’t necessarily get you away from pressure, but hopefully we’d be able to find the middle ground between road hunters, horse hunters, and the “10+ miles deep if it was an inch” guys.

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Day 3

Up at 4, me and my friend began our hike in. Our hike had it all. Deadfall, thick aspen, scree, and of course steep. Up at the top we waited for daylight to peek above treeline. As pink filled the sky we began creeping around. The “brown stuff” we’d seen the elk in wasn’t ankle high grass, but hip to shoulder high willow. Great for sneaking around, not so great for spotting elk.

As we crept around peeking a group of elk was trotting towards us. Guessing another hunter had bumped them we quickly got set up to shoot the drainage in front of us. Proving the theory about assuming correct, the elk stayed up high and were working along the ridge maybe to the next drainage or would go up and over the top. I dropped a pin and rotated my pack, so the orange was more visible. Then we took off up the slight hill towards the elk. On the crest we spotted the elk 2-300 yards away. With hip to shoulder high willow the gun mounted bipod wasn’t going to work. So, on my shoulder the rifle went. I could feel the big circles the rifle was making so I widened my stance and pulled the bipod legs down and into my chest. Things tightened up, but the bull was facing directly away. Eventually the bull turned slightly quartering away. I felt the rifle steady on my shoulder and held my breath.

Boom! I sure was glad I had earplugs in with the 300 going off right in front of me. The elk scattered and it looked like one was looking sick and fell, but I wasn’t sure. My friend didn’t see anything as he got kicked out of the scope. I told him I was pretty sure I saw one go down and that I’d run back for the packs while he watched in case the bull got back up. Dropping the pin and propping the pack was a lifesaver as everything looked the same on my walk back to the packs.

Back at the initial shot we ranged to where we thought he was, cross referenced a direction with a compass, and dropped a pin where we would start looking. The willow forced us to walk certain ways and we split up heading towards the waypoint. 40 yards from the pin we found him piled up. We’ve killed elk before, but this was our first “real” bull. We texted my brother and his friend that we got one down and could use some help in 2 hours or so. We took a few pictures then got to work. Elevation is a real thing. just swinging a knife and moving quarters around got me winded and we hadn’t even started the pack out yet.

Two hours later we had everything bagged up and both front quarters shuttled into the shady timber. My brother and his friend showed up as I was making the trip back to the carcass, so we loaded up three of the four packs and headed down for the final and heaviest bag. Luckily my brother’s friend spends some time in the woods with a heavy pack and was willing to take the fronts. The packout was heavy and between the deadfall, steep, and scree/boulder fields it took us three hours to make it back to the trucks. My body was toasted, hip flexors, calves, back, nearly everything was in some sort of pain.

My brother and his friend headed back up for the evening hunt while the two flatlanders headed to the glassing spot to look for more elk and evaluate other hunting pressure. I didn’t see any elk, but did see lots of moose and a steady flow of road hunters driving thru. (Guessing they hadn’t been very successful with all the elk seemingly above treeline.)

Back at camp in the dark, just as we were ready to form the search party, my brother and friend made it back. They’d seen two cow elk, but no bulls. With the friend needing to head home the next day our plan was for my brother and I to head back up the next morning while both friends glassed the face we were on and hopefully help flag us into any that they saw. We broke the slope into 3 zones based on the drainages and then three elevation bands. Hopefully that would get us some efficiency in the “game of gestures”.

Lessons Learned: Elk are heavy, they get heavier when skulls are also packed out. Even with limited entry pressure is always something to consider. Bring a standing rifle support (bipod/tripod). I brought one on the trip, but didn’t pack it up because I didn’t think it’d be needed. With four people and two rifles we had the weight capacity to be prepared with either the standing bipod, tripod rifle mount, or both. Dropping a pin on the packs as well as positioning them for visibility was a huge time saver. I need to do more focused training for deadfall and boulder fields. Another plug for OnX/mapping SW was dropping the pin from the shot location and expected kill location. That really helped in the sea of willow we would have been searching in. My lungs were mostly fine and leg muscles were too, but the movements to get up, over, and around weren’t something I had built up in MI.

Questions: Any good “at home” exercises to prepare for deadfall/bouldering?

 

[Netherman]

Day 4

Up at 4 again and much grumpier than the night before my brother and I gingerly began our climb up to the elk. We were a bit more efficient this time having hiked thru twice and arrived with 30 minutes before daylight. We picked a spot on the edge of the timber that had our wind falling away from the closest drainage and waited for light.

Tip toing around we spotted a group of mule deer does, a monster mule deer, and two cow elk. Wondered if they were looking for yesterday’s bull as they filtered across in nearly the same spot. Checking with our “overwatch” they signaled that there were elk below us at the head of the drainage. Cautiously we worked our way over there but never saw them. From there we climbed up to peek into the next basin and check back in with overwatch. On the crest we realized the miscommunication and that the elk were in “this” drainage moving into the timber. We double timed it down there and started creeping, but never caught up to them.

With the heat of the day setting in we debated sneaking thru the timber after them and “tagging up” at the truck for lunch or going and sitting a water hole up high that my brother and friend had found the previous day. Not wanting to give up the elevation and retake it an extra time we opted to sit the water. It didn’t hurt that our “eyes in the sky” told us there was a group of elk in the timber adjacent to the water. We found a spot 250yds from the water in a thin pocket of timber and built a shooting position with the packs. Trying to get my binos set on the tripod I realized my bino adapter post had fallen/been knocked off. Bummer. The tricer head is nice and light, but seemingly not as secure as the VA5.

Not long after we were set and talking turns napping a guy walked up into our pocket of trees. I told him our plans of sitting the water then moving up top closer to prime time if nothing was going on. He said there was a “monster” in those woods to which I replied we knew. He said he was going to sit down the drainage a ways and hopefully he would come out. Not ideal for us, but hopefully he stayed down there and didn’t mess us up. Strangely he didn’t have a pack, just a coat and orange vest. Maybe he planned on hiking all day or had friends to help with a pack out?

Now the long wait… We took turns napping, shot the shit, and watched a bull moose and some coyotes hang out at the water hole. It was nice as I don’t get much 1:1 time with my brother since he moved to another state and I had kids. Then the snow started. After mentioning how snow was ideal and that sleet and rain were far worse the weather gods gave us all three. We got the rain gear out and “battened” as much as we could. I really wanted to get my puffy on, but it was currently in use as a rifle support. After the storm rolled thru it became nice again. hopefully the weather followed by the break would get the elk moving early.

Getting closer to prime time we saw two orange vests on the skyline dropping into “our” drainage. I moved to a point in the timber so they could see my orange and I noticed them stop and look, but not turn. It is frustrating, but truthfully, I’m not sure what I was expecting them to do. Behind them was the trail they likely came in on and then a sheer cliff. They’d just hiked 1000’ up. I wouldn’t turn around either but I might have flipped up higher and skirted around into a different spot. Unfortunately for us, where they chose to stop had their wind blowing into the timber we were hoping the elk would come out of. Now came the tough decision. Do we stay for the situation we’ve waited all day for or do we move on and try and get something else going. My friend said he’d be back up glassing in the evening, but we couldn’t see him from our current location.

Sensing my frustration with the other hunters my brother said we should move and peek over into the next drainage and check in with my friend. He might already be looking at elk. Off we went to peek over the ridge then loop over and around the other hunters and check out another pocket of trees we had seen elk move into two days before. With nothing going on in the other drainage we moved higher to check in with overwatch.

Looking back towards our water hole I spotted a herd of elk with a good bull. Unfortunately, they were 1000 yards away instead of a proned out 250. I told my brother there were elk on the water and he took off running towards them. Good, we needed to close some distance, but needed to stay concealed. I ran in front of my brother and told him to follow me as I put a small cluster of pines between us and the elk. We triple timed it down to the pines and peeked around the side. I ranged them a 400 which was way too far for a standing shot even with the standing bipod. Knowing that we needed to get inside 300 we moved around the pines and slowly crept thru the willow counting paces as we went. Knowing that my brother would need a solid rest I thought of ways to get him one as we crept closer. Just under 300yds the terrain sloped away steeply. Not great for staying out of sight or building a position we’d hit the end of the road. I angled the shooting bipod forward at a 45, took a knee, and leaned my left shoulder into the sticks. I’d effectively created a tripod with myself as the third leg.

I told my brother to put the gun on my shoulder and quickly realized I needed to tell him the stock needed to be on my shoulder. I told him to dial the scope to 1 MIL while I grabbed the barrel and pulled the stock onto my shoulder. He racked a round and looked for the elk. I told him the bull was on his own just above the water. He asked if I was sure that the giant elk was a bull. I told him it was but that he needed to be sure before he shot. Seconds later I felt him steady up, so I held my breath and the shot immediately followed. Pssssh, WHAP. From my front row seat, I heard the shot hit the elk and watched him suck up the bullet and move towards the cows. Reload. He was behind a pine tree surrounded by cows with no shot but was looking sick. A few seconds later he fell and began the death kicks.

My brother asked if he should unload the gun. I told him “no we’re going to walk down to him and might have to shoot again if he gets up” “don’t point the gun at me”. We cautiously walked down to him and once we got there did the classic eye poke to confirm what we’d already known. My brother set the rifle down to go check him out and when I walked over to get the bullet out noticed that the gun wasn’t on safe. I read him the riot act and I could tell he felt horrible and that it won’t happen again. We never grew up with guns so I need to be better telling him things and not assuming what has become common knowledge for me is for him as well.

With the life lessons out of the way we got back to the “good stuff” in this case a monster bull and the first elk my brother had ever killed. We took some pictures and the guy from down the drainage walked up to talk to us. This time he had a pack and the gear you’d expect for someone staying on the mountain all day. He must have seen us and walked up to find out what we were up to. I bet he was as annoyed with us as we were with the other group. Perspective can mean a lot and I felt a twinge of guilt that we’d moved in on him. I’m sure he was bummed he didn’t get the bull, but he seemed happy for us. I gave him some of our scouting info and what we’d seen over the past four days and wished him luck. As he left he gave us the classic “you boys have a long night ahead of you”. Sure do…

My brother wanted to euro mount it as he doesn’t have much space or the same appreciation for hunting that I do. That saved some time as I didn’t have to cape it out. In hindsight, I probably should have. I bet there’s someone out there looking for a big bull cape to fix an old mount or because theirs was messed up. I got the first half done before my friend made it up with victory beers and an otherwise empty pack. All in it took about three hours to get him quartered deboned and loaded on packs. And I thought my pack was heavy the day before… We got it all out in one trip and I bet all three of our packs were 100+lbs. Aside from the weight it wasn’t a bad packout. We had to gain 2-300ft of elevation then had a 2 mile hike down on a closed ATV trail. My back was in more pain, but I’d still take that hike again over the previous days packout.



Lessons Learned: Silencers are awesome. Being able to communicate with my brother before and after the shot was really nice particularly with him being newish to hunting. Having the gun mounted bipod would have been good for the shot we took. If only packing one rifle bring all the shooting aids since you’ve got “weight to spare”.

Questions: N/A

 

[Netherman]

Trip and Gear Report

Trip Thoughts: I was in a much better headspace on this hunt. I’d been playing with the kids more and easing up on the task list and go go go mentality. Even though we got two bulls in two days I think not getting a tag for myself was a good choice. We probably could have got another one off that ridge, but I’m sure the pressure was taking a toll not to mention the pain we were all in after two days of packouts. Getting some hip flexor/IT band strengthening is on the agenda as up and over deadfall put them in some pain. I didn’t have any of the altitude issues I’ve had on past hunts. Not sure if I attribute it to the easy scouting day or the appreciable more sleep I got on the ride out and easy day. Probably some of both.

We had some good results, but I’m not sure I want to do that hunt with my points. I think I’d be happier with a less pressured area even at the expense of less elk. There were a lot of elk and we killed two quickly, but the presence of others was always on my mind. It was probably made worse due to the elk being above treeline so you could see all the pressure around you vs a timber or rolling foothill hunt. I think this unit would be perfect with stock as we saw elk in places over 5 miles in that would have been a tall order for us. There were plenty of horse trailers though so they might see some crowding too.

Noteworthy Gear: Long range glass. Between the four of us we had two spotters 15x binos three sets of 10x and 12x binos. We used them to find the elk and after day one the “eye in the sky” strategy allowed us to be positioned on elk to start and end the day without giving up a morning or evening hunt to be on the glassing spot. I forgot to bring my gun bearer for my brother and he really missed having it. The silencer was also new and helpful by allowing us to communicate before and after the shot. The G-Code RTI hanger seems to be the perfect solution for me as I could quickly switch from a hip-belt mounting location to a paddle holster. The MVP of the trip was my left shoulder. Hoping to replace that with a more traditional rest, but it got the job done.

On the processing side I got a KOA Yukon to test out. It worked well and was more comfortable on both bulls than the havalon style knives I’ve used in the past. So far, I’ve used the Yukon on two elk and two MI whitetail all gutless method (hoping to gut once it’s cold enough to hang them in MI). I want to cut and gut a few more animals with it but think I’ll be looking for a custom in this style. So far I’m thinking stainless steel, less blade length, thinner, and a flat or high saber grind with a kydex sheath. Something like the LT Wright Small Northern Hunter.

Disappointing Gear: Not fully disappointed in it, but after the first day I left the crazy creek longback at the truck. It was nice for the long range glassing but not worth packing. It didn’t have enough padding to replace the cut up foam pad and wasn’t worth the weight. Tricer panhead was functional and lighter than the VA5 but I’ll have to remember I can’t leave the bino post on like I could before. Might be a one-off busting thru brush with it, but at $100 a pop I don’t want to be buying another one.

Gear to Buy/Consider: Still want some 15s for all the reasons mentioned before and above. I’m in the buy once cry once camp so still working on justifying the purchase. Do I go wild with new swaro 14s or the still very high end but cheaper SLC/Mepota 15s? Now that I’m in the suppressor game I’m interested in 18” barreled rifles. I could cut the 06 but like the “magic” of 2800fps paired with a mil scope. I’ll probably get some 15s before another rifle, but liking the idea of something in the 16.5-18” length shooting a bullet with a 0.5 G1 BC and 2800fps. I also need to find a quality pin on/ball compass. The $5 china one is tough to keep attached, loses its magnetization, and generally low quality, but super nice to navigate thick areas particularly in the dark. I’d happily spend $20-30 to get something that fixed those problems.