duckhunt
Well-known member
Patiently waiting for the hunt story.
Colorado Mountain Goat.... A novel in the making....
- Thread starter sneakem
- Start date
sneakem
Well-known member
It is big country. I felt that my conditioning and recovery time was excellent when in the field, however my lower legs have been talking to me the last couple of days...lol I couldn't ask for a more scenic place to hunt though, that was 70% of the factor of unit choice...
Yes... I of all people prefer the shorter hair...wierd, I know. Plus there are plenty of tags and plenty of hikers to displace the goats. Reason being is there are plenty of places they can stay where no one should ever chase them... they're called the "Deadly Bells" for a reason.
Nikon D3200.... Plus a ton of different lenses...to many to list...
A few more to share
sneakem
Well-known member
I do have to give credit to my other half. She has endured months of obsessive preparation on my part.She's many of my journeys to the mountains, while also rehabbing from her two knee surgery, what a trooper to endure the physical punishment I've been dishing out...lol The conditions for camping have been less than ideal lately with light snows and freezing temps, grueling 4000 foot hikes in the dark...lol Plus I've got an antelope hunt and an Arizona coues hunt during Christmas....
What a champ...
A few scouting photos fromthe spotter just to give you an idea of some of the country they frequent...
What a champ...
A few scouting photos fromthe spotter just to give you an idea of some of the country they frequent...
noharleyyet
Well-known member
That sign did not exaggerate.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Beautiful pictures
Art Vandeley
Well-known member
This has been fun to watch. Good luck on the hunt!
sneakem
Well-known member
Well today is the day. I am off to fulfill a quest that I've dreamed about since I was a kid. The road and wait has been a long hard journey. Lots of sleepless night dreaming about what would be and it all come to this point. Tons of training to be in the best shape I could be. I spent the last weekend NOT scouting for goats but helping a friend harvest his first bear. Not a big bear but a legal bear. We saw a great bear but had to pass it up as it was a giant sow with a 40lb cub.
We took a selfie with the cub anyways... Momma was not happy with us, so we made our encounter brief. The little black spot next to the pine tree is the cub...
We did manage to catch another bear
later that day coming into a water hole they love. Not a big bear, maybe 130lbs and a couple of years old, but good enough for us on limited time.
The good fun from this weekend came with a price though. While on one of our hikes I felt something "pop" in my knee, walking down an absolutely flat road. It felt as though I had a screwdriver lodged in my knee joint. I kept at it though to see if there is anyway I could push through it. I bought a knee brace and hobbled around with moderate discomfort, even packed the whole bear on my pack. The pain is tolerable but definitely has me worried about going in deep into the terrain I am going into. It is 100 times more rugged that what I was in, and I'm afraid that maybe I can't make it? It get better though... my hunting partner has work obligations and can't make it until later in the hunt... Soooo it looks as though I am alone on this one and injured to boot.
I am still going to give it a go though, I am smart enough not to put myself into a situation that I can't get out of. Its just going to dampen the amount of effort I would be able to put into this hunt, which really bums me out. I'm going to give it heck though, even though I feel totally intimidated by my task at hand now versus a week ago when I felt totally comfortable... Hope that I return with a great tale though... See you all on the flip side!!!
We took a selfie with the cub anyways... Momma was not happy with us, so we made our encounter brief. The little black spot next to the pine tree is the cub...
We did manage to catch another bear
later that day coming into a water hole they love. Not a big bear, maybe 130lbs and a couple of years old, but good enough for us on limited time.
The good fun from this weekend came with a price though. While on one of our hikes I felt something "pop" in my knee, walking down an absolutely flat road. It felt as though I had a screwdriver lodged in my knee joint. I kept at it though to see if there is anyway I could push through it. I bought a knee brace and hobbled around with moderate discomfort, even packed the whole bear on my pack. The pain is tolerable but definitely has me worried about going in deep into the terrain I am going into. It is 100 times more rugged that what I was in, and I'm afraid that maybe I can't make it? It get better though... my hunting partner has work obligations and can't make it until later in the hunt... Soooo it looks as though I am alone on this one and injured to boot.
I am still going to give it a go though, I am smart enough not to put myself into a situation that I can't get out of. Its just going to dampen the amount of effort I would be able to put into this hunt, which really bums me out. I'm going to give it heck though, even though I feel totally intimidated by my task at hand now versus a week ago when I felt totally comfortable... Hope that I return with a great tale though... See you all on the flip side!!!
rlmmatt
Active member
Can't wait to read all about it
HighDesertSage
Well-known member
Good luck out there. I cannot wait to here the story.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Good luck and take care of that knee.
Keep safe out there.. the dangers are very real in that country
http://www.9news.com/news/local/man-dead-after-falling-in-maroon-bells-area/315759348
http://www.9news.com/news/local/man-dead-after-falling-in-maroon-bells-area/315759348
6mm Remington
Well-known member
I sure am enjoying following along on this as I cannot hunt this year at all. Just had shoulder surgery 7 weeks ago and was diagnosed with a blood clot from my groin to my ankle. Now on blood thinners for 100 days. Best of luck to you and be safe!
Bugle 'Em In
Well-known member
I hope your hunt is going / went well. I look forward to seeing the rest of your photos. Unbelievable how addicting mountain goat hunting is. Sadly, for us down here (lower 48) the opportunities are far and few between.
Best wishes on your hunt and your body! I was at the Bells last year and hiked the loop. Some serious training ground for a flatlander. I would highly recommend it though to anyone, as it was some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen.
ElkHunter11
New member
Incredible pictures! Good luck on the hunt, stay safe up there with that knee and those crazy mountain faces. Looking forward to hearing/seeing the aftermath.
sneakem
Well-known member
The Final Chapter
... I arrived in Aspen Wednesday night. With my knee was feeling better than a few days before but I still had my doubt as I felt about 80% of normal. Coupled with the fact that I was now to be hunting completely alone, I had decided that I would pursue some of the goats closer to the trailhead. After I arrived I furiously scanned for these "lower" country goats. Hours passed and I had spotted none, except for a few on inaccessible peaks nearby. As it grew near dark I decided to find a camp for the night, as I decided in my condition I was better off not packing in for miles with my knee being so aggravated. I searched furiously for a camping spot not no avail. I soon learned that "walk up camping on a first come first serve basis" is just a fancy term for "we're going to accept reservations for the spots regardless and your just screwed"...lol All the forest outside of the wilderness is camping in designated spots only or risk being fined. Plus bears are an issue so the bed of the truck was out too. Looks like a 4 foot back seat for a 6'1" guy, the definition of comfort. I had agreed with my other half that I would camp out of the wilderness within cell service so that I could check in every evening. The agreement was "if I don't call by the morning, call search and rescue". I left her with my intended location and route for the day..
As I ate my supper that night, I decided that hunting close was not an option. I needed to go where I had scouted many goats, I needed to push through find my goat kill and get out in one pass. I called and told her my plan, she asked if I was sure that was the right thing to do. I"m positive I told her, me experience has lasted all summer ending it early was not a big thing for me, I'm sure I can physically do it, beside if my knee gives out there are plenty of hikers to drag me off the mountain. I woke at two in the morning threw my gear and headlamp on and headed up the mountain.
As the sun rose I found myself in the basin where I had located many goats during the summer scouting. I looked everywhere... No goats, horse tracks everywhere. Turns out I wasn't the only one hunting early. When there are thirty tags, I guess its a race to get to the goats before someone else. Plus it was nearly 20 degrees warmer than it was 2 weeks earlier. I scanned furiously to find a grand total of 3 goats, all inaccessible on the highest peaks. Great views...
A couple of the inaccessible goats... little white specks on that grass spot on top of that stone fortress..
I now hear a helicopter nearby, I can't see it but its somewhere close. Its tough to locate as the sound bounces all over these rock filled basins... This will come into play later on... But for now its off to the pass and down the steep rock fingers. I saw plenty of goats hiding in here a few weeks ago.
Down along the pass, still glassing, no goats.
Peer into the next basin... surely they are here. More horse tracks and lots of empty brass...Damn! There is also a camp set up down by the lake.
I can make out a few goats on distant peaks, all at the top, several miles away. Here in lies the problem with the "Bells" When they are at the top, there is no getting to them unless you have a desire to meet God....quickly! The rock is terrible, eroding mudstone, not granite. Not only that but its steep, a 40 degree slope looks flat most of the time. Its like walking on ball bearings, sharp ones at that. Constantly slipping, sliding, catching your balance. Thank God for trekking poles! Still this sort of motion is not good for an injured knee.
... I arrived in Aspen Wednesday night. With my knee was feeling better than a few days before but I still had my doubt as I felt about 80% of normal. Coupled with the fact that I was now to be hunting completely alone, I had decided that I would pursue some of the goats closer to the trailhead. After I arrived I furiously scanned for these "lower" country goats. Hours passed and I had spotted none, except for a few on inaccessible peaks nearby. As it grew near dark I decided to find a camp for the night, as I decided in my condition I was better off not packing in for miles with my knee being so aggravated. I searched furiously for a camping spot not no avail. I soon learned that "walk up camping on a first come first serve basis" is just a fancy term for "we're going to accept reservations for the spots regardless and your just screwed"...lol All the forest outside of the wilderness is camping in designated spots only or risk being fined. Plus bears are an issue so the bed of the truck was out too. Looks like a 4 foot back seat for a 6'1" guy, the definition of comfort. I had agreed with my other half that I would camp out of the wilderness within cell service so that I could check in every evening. The agreement was "if I don't call by the morning, call search and rescue". I left her with my intended location and route for the day..
As I ate my supper that night, I decided that hunting close was not an option. I needed to go where I had scouted many goats, I needed to push through find my goat kill and get out in one pass. I called and told her my plan, she asked if I was sure that was the right thing to do. I"m positive I told her, me experience has lasted all summer ending it early was not a big thing for me, I'm sure I can physically do it, beside if my knee gives out there are plenty of hikers to drag me off the mountain. I woke at two in the morning threw my gear and headlamp on and headed up the mountain.
As the sun rose I found myself in the basin where I had located many goats during the summer scouting. I looked everywhere... No goats, horse tracks everywhere. Turns out I wasn't the only one hunting early. When there are thirty tags, I guess its a race to get to the goats before someone else. Plus it was nearly 20 degrees warmer than it was 2 weeks earlier. I scanned furiously to find a grand total of 3 goats, all inaccessible on the highest peaks. Great views...
A couple of the inaccessible goats... little white specks on that grass spot on top of that stone fortress..
I now hear a helicopter nearby, I can't see it but its somewhere close. Its tough to locate as the sound bounces all over these rock filled basins... This will come into play later on... But for now its off to the pass and down the steep rock fingers. I saw plenty of goats hiding in here a few weeks ago.
Down along the pass, still glassing, no goats.
Peer into the next basin... surely they are here. More horse tracks and lots of empty brass...Damn! There is also a camp set up down by the lake.
I can make out a few goats on distant peaks, all at the top, several miles away. Here in lies the problem with the "Bells" When they are at the top, there is no getting to them unless you have a desire to meet God....quickly! The rock is terrible, eroding mudstone, not granite. Not only that but its steep, a 40 degree slope looks flat most of the time. Its like walking on ball bearings, sharp ones at that. Constantly slipping, sliding, catching your balance. Thank God for trekking poles! Still this sort of motion is not good for an injured knee.
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ElkHunter11
New member
Dang, I'm sure its disheartening to see goats but not be able to get to them. Hopefully one of them will go to where you can get him. Keep at it, but don't let the goat get ahead of your safety! Such beautiful country.
