Just got back from my first experience hunting Colorado during first Rifle. I had been to this area of CO before archery hunting and it usually holds Bulls. We Packed in 6 miles from the road on Thursday afternoon and set up camp. After we got camp set up and rested our backs awhile we decided to sit a ridge and glass....and listen. We heard a couple bulls bugling and did see two decent 5 point bulls. That night was hard to sleep. We seemed to be surrounded by bugling elk....some half heartedly spouting off.....and a couple others growling with deep chuckles/grunts as if it were still september. This was my friends first experience in the mountains....and with elk so needless to say he was excited. I was also very excited. We had rolled the dice packing in all this way and there was no turning back now. Would there be elk? Other hunters everywhere? These were all things that constantly ran through my mind. It was sure comforting to have landed on elk. The next day seemed to drag on forever. We elected to just stay in camp....and not screw anything up. Would the season ever come? Saturday morning I awoke to my alarm....and multiple elk bugling not more then 300 yards from camp. If any of you have read my hunts from previous years....I have been so close so many times on bulls. I have been archery hunting 3 times since I took up elk hunting 3 years ago. I have been close a dozen times....but it always seemed to go wrong in the end. This time was different. I had my Kimber .308...not a stick and string. Surrounded by bugling elk....and zero other hunters....I liked my odds. Just before we left camp we heard another bull bugle very close to camp. We crept out of camp and along the edge of the meadow. We spotted the bull that had been bugling about 5 minutes before legal light. This bull was with 3 rag horns. He looked like a good 5 point so I decided to make a move. We crawled forward through the grass to gain enough elevation for a clear shot. I laid my rifle across my pack and watched my watch. Once the magic time arrived....about 10 sec later my first shot rang out. I don't have much experience with a .308. I have mine loaded with 178 gr Hornady ELDX. I hit that bull high shoulder and he dropped like a rock. I quickly cycled another round and asked... "What happened?!" My partner said he dropped in his tracks. He then staggered to his feet and I hit him again. Needless to say I was impressed with this round. My rifle I had planned on taking was a .338 I had been given by my step dad that he won at a RMEF banquet. It is a browning Abolt II. It is an awesome rifle....but weighs over 11 pounds fully loaded with a cover and sling. I didnt want to haul it around the mountains for a week.....so thus the Kimber Adirondack .308. This gun weighs 5.5 pounds rifle and scope...much more comfortable to back pack with. After waiting a few minutes we approached my bull....and I about lost it. I fell to my knees....and become almost overwhelmed. It had finally worked out for me. I decided to take up elk hunting 3 years ago....as a lifestyle change. I was 30 years old...over weight....pre hypertensive...high stress work situation.....and I knew it wouldnt lead to anything good. I changed my diet, got in mountain shape losing 55+ pounds.....and I constantly read and studied elk. Where do you find them. How do you find walk in only areas. What do elk need during certain seasons. I was confident I knew more then any other elk hunter....who had never killed an elk. HA! I was so proud of this Bull. He was a small 6x5 and I couldn't have cared less. He was a world class bull to me. I had worked so hard for this moment....and it came true. Here he is:
Note: Hunter orange was required to hunt....but removed for photos.
Packin out:
Happy Camp:
The next couple of days were very windy. We didnt hear any bugles and used the afternoons to pack my bull down to the coolers. The morning hunts were very uneventful. I think that high winds and unseasonably high temps had the bulls up high. With my tag filled.....and my bull on ice it was time to try to fill my partners tag. Weather was looking more favorable and winds were dying off. We went out Monday evening to sit on a ridge over looking a meadow. As we came over the hill I was instantly drawn to a corner of the meadow where I saw a patch of brown.....and a set of GIANT antlers. We instantly hit the dirt. I quickly brought up my glass and about died. Before my partner could bring up his binos...i said "get your rifle up on your pack and shoot that bull." I didnt want him to know what he was dealing with....It was the biggest bull I had ever seen and he was bedded not more then 225 yards from us. Like big bulls often do...he was quickly on to us. He stood from his bed and looked like he was about to bolt. My buddy touched off a shot just before he left. We heard nothing but the bull acted funny before he ran off. He did seem to hunch. We went to the spot where he shot....and nothing. No hair, no blood....just an empty bed. We both knew what we saw...so we left him for the night. I let on after the shot how big the bull was. We were both excited as we were confident in a hit. The next morning when the sun was high enough to start the search we resumed where we had left off. I looked at his path...and imagined where I would go if I were an injured bull. We headed up a ridge to a bench covered with blow down. Something was on our side as we walked right to him. My buddy lost it when he saw the size of his rack. He has shot a giant 7 point bull....for his first. I told him to take up another sport...or be ok with the fact that this will likely be the biggest bull he ever takes.
Pic of me (the best guide in the world...haha) with HIS bull:
Bretts Bull:
Not sure what he would score. I do know he is very heavy, wide, and tall. He has great tine length. What a bull. We are still in disbelief even after all meat is packed down and in coolers. What a season and a pair of nice bulls. We didnt do anything easy. We packed in well off the road...and it paid off. I want to sincerely thank all those on this forum willing to help new hunters. To the new people on this site: There are a lot of people on this site that know what they are doing. It does no good if someone "gives" you a spot....you learn nothing. What was the most satisfying about all of this was learning to read topo maps, learning to use google earth and learning where elk will go once pressured. I put it all together and I think I now have a spot for years to come. Very satisfying.
Note: Hunter orange was required to hunt....but removed for photos.
Packin out:
Happy Camp:
The next couple of days were very windy. We didnt hear any bugles and used the afternoons to pack my bull down to the coolers. The morning hunts were very uneventful. I think that high winds and unseasonably high temps had the bulls up high. With my tag filled.....and my bull on ice it was time to try to fill my partners tag. Weather was looking more favorable and winds were dying off. We went out Monday evening to sit on a ridge over looking a meadow. As we came over the hill I was instantly drawn to a corner of the meadow where I saw a patch of brown.....and a set of GIANT antlers. We instantly hit the dirt. I quickly brought up my glass and about died. Before my partner could bring up his binos...i said "get your rifle up on your pack and shoot that bull." I didnt want him to know what he was dealing with....It was the biggest bull I had ever seen and he was bedded not more then 225 yards from us. Like big bulls often do...he was quickly on to us. He stood from his bed and looked like he was about to bolt. My buddy touched off a shot just before he left. We heard nothing but the bull acted funny before he ran off. He did seem to hunch. We went to the spot where he shot....and nothing. No hair, no blood....just an empty bed. We both knew what we saw...so we left him for the night. I let on after the shot how big the bull was. We were both excited as we were confident in a hit. The next morning when the sun was high enough to start the search we resumed where we had left off. I looked at his path...and imagined where I would go if I were an injured bull. We headed up a ridge to a bench covered with blow down. Something was on our side as we walked right to him. My buddy lost it when he saw the size of his rack. He has shot a giant 7 point bull....for his first. I told him to take up another sport...or be ok with the fact that this will likely be the biggest bull he ever takes.
Pic of me (the best guide in the world...haha) with HIS bull:
Bretts Bull:
Not sure what he would score. I do know he is very heavy, wide, and tall. He has great tine length. What a bull. We are still in disbelief even after all meat is packed down and in coolers. What a season and a pair of nice bulls. We didnt do anything easy. We packed in well off the road...and it paid off. I want to sincerely thank all those on this forum willing to help new hunters. To the new people on this site: There are a lot of people on this site that know what they are doing. It does no good if someone "gives" you a spot....you learn nothing. What was the most satisfying about all of this was learning to read topo maps, learning to use google earth and learning where elk will go once pressured. I put it all together and I think I now have a spot for years to come. Very satisfying.
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