Any CO bulls down?

[Dinkshooter]

Yes indeed that is me hiking back to the main road after a few issues on the other side of the mountain.

Although the ATV is a fine steed it is having a few issues, such as bogging down a bit and sputtering some. We blame bad winter storage practices and hope the bad gas will pass through as it seems to for Oak and me.

Over the top and down the backside. Hmm nasty looking mud hole in the middle of the road. I see other ATV tracks going through it, shouldn’t be a problem. Whoops it is deep. I get way stuck. I glop the mud out of the way then kneel on the front rack backwards and finally get it out.







But then I’m on the wrong side of the hole ( that’s not what she said). I decide I do not have the ATV skilz to get around this in the dark should I choose to chase said fine bull. I wait 15 minutes and try to get back across the bog.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

We call that a Chit Eating Grin........LOL John

 

[spook12]

This has turned into an old Dean Martin,Jerry Lewis routine.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Umm yeah, that didn’t go to well.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

As we return to the action Colorado Buck has just told Keith Warren..........John

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Umm yeah, that didn’t go to well.

I have heard Wallows are good places to find Big Bulls....................

 

[Dinkshooter]

That's why I put the Texas Tree stand in the middle of the wallow!!

 

[putm2sleep]

Not sure what's worse a broken truck, or tearing up trails!

Fine said bull must have been real fine!

if you rode a Polaris - you might have better luck muddin'?

 

[smalls]

I know there are pictures of elk on this page, but I am stuck still trying to figure out what flippin' universe I am in where Oak and Dink are riding 2-up on an ATV on an elk hunt. I have to think that Dink straddles Oak because his arms are longer. Which one of you is Harry and which one is Lloyd.

The next thing you know there is going to be a picture of Buzz on a trail 90 with a 2" tow strap hooked to the front end of DinkOak's mini monstertruck.

 

[Dinkshooter]

This is some warpo stuff for sure.

 

[Dinkshooter]

So Oak didn’t mention when I called I told him we needed supplies to get creative with the ATV extraction. He goes to the local hardware store and picks them up. Minus a fairly important part of the equation………….a come-along. They are sold out, must be a whole bunch of dummies in the area. Oak’s ATV winch/wench does not work or he doesn’t know how to use it. The local ATV club would be ashamed.

Oak picks me up in time to do a little evening hike and listen to bulls. I never see an elk but hear a bunch. No worries I’m more concerned about getting a borrowed ATV out of the mud hole in the morning.

I’m a little more than nervous about driving my truck down to the ATV, it is a lot steeper than it looks. On top of that it POURS rain all night and now I’m certain I don’t want to drive the truck down to the ATV. We load up and start the bumpy drive to the ATV. On the way we pass a camper trailer with a guy standing in front of it with a pistol in his hand and wearing muck boots over his cowboy boots. I think……….”this guy will have a come-along for sure”. We ask/begged for a come-along. He does have a dandy, super duty chain type. We load up and bump off.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

This is what Dink was thinking when he saw all that Mud........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_9tNAIN2Vk

 

[Dinkshooter]

At the site.

Oak always being the scientist trying to determine the correct angles for extraction.


I love it when a plan comes together.

 

[krshntr81]

I am getting no work done, just keep hitting the refresh button to see what happens next.

 

[Dinkshooter]

It takes a while to get the sputtering ATV to the top of the hill. This involves Oak screaming up the hill until the ATV nearly dies and me trying my best to run behind it to stop it from rolling backwards when it does and trying to push it to get it going when starting out.

Stupid ATVs.

 

[Oak]

Yes, screaming up the hill. Both me and the machine.

So with ATV extracted, and it determined that we didn't have the skilz to get to the fine bull, Dink headed off to take more photos of moose while I searched for big bulls. I found this one in an interesting spot and headed back to find Dink.

Use your imagination again...

 

[Dinkshooter]

Oak tells me about above bull and also notes he is going to have to leave the next day at noon. I'm fixing to lose a packer. This is not an acceptable situation to be in.

We formulate a plan to get to a vantage point behind where we think the above bull went to and agree to leave at 2 pm. We putz in camp. I decide to look at the charge in my muzzleloader after all the rain. The powder is a big clump in the barrel good thing I looked.

After lunch it was 1pm, I said let's just leave now. For some reason we take the evil ATV again. Off we go.

 

[Oak]

So the ATV makes it with few issues and we begin the hike into the little valley we think the bull retired to for the day. We top out on the final ridge overlooking the valley and think we are probably there early enough to take a nap, when a bull starts bugling from the black timber on the opposite side. Before we can even find a good spot to glass, we see cows beginning to filter out of the timber and into the willow bottom, with this guy following....

 

[putm2sleep]

That looks to be in smoke pole range for sure.
Great pictures boys.

 

[Oak]

I would just like to point out that Dink can be very sneaky when he wants to be.

Here he is preparing to haze elk earlier in the hunt.