old man
Active member
IT must be nice to be young again.
CORN 2020 Colorado/Wyoming season
- Thread starter CORN
- Start date
old man
Active member
I don,t remember what the units were but they were in the very south east of Co. which i had to hunt Antelope with muzzle loader last year and must have drove 800 miles just looking to see 4 antelope in 5 days
CORN
Active member
I probably wasn't too far from where you were. Las Animas area. There wasn't tons of pronghorn but for a 1 point unit I was fairly happy with the number of animals I saw.
CORN
Active member
Day 2 in WY 164:
I've still got my either sex tag and my buddy does as well. Pops filled his tag first morning, I give him a hard time that it was too easy for a first kill and now he's gotta drop his rifle back into the travel case and hike around with binoculars only like a bird watcher for the rest of our hunt.
Morning we set up same creek bed. I see a few does but no bucks, get a little antsy and decide to hike over a hill to scope out the badlands area to our south. Beautiful canyon in the morning light - isn't it weird how much different a landscape looks when the sun first rises compared to the rest of the day? So much better colors. I see a couple groups of does moving away from the agricultural lands and deeper into the sage. Enjoy watching them travel across the other side of the canyon for a good 30 minutes. Lots of little ravines and outcroppings to hide behind, but I don't see anything.
On the other side of the hill my buddy has a "really big" buck in his sights. He's in a good position and confident it's a shot he'll make, slowly pulls the trigger but meets the wall - "damn! forgot to turn of the safety", he pulls his eyes off the optic to glance down and adjust the safety, when he looks back up the deer has moved behind some bushes. It emerges shortly after a ways down the valley and he has another clear line of sight, but he can't see my dad who is glassing about 30 feet to his left behind some bushes. My buddy is worried that he's shooting too close to my Dad's area and since he can't see him, he lets the buck walk. Turns out Dad had seen the buck and wasn't actually that close to the line of fire, but I guess my buddy was wise to play it safe. They see another smaller buck but he's on the move and never presents a shot.
A couple hours later we rejoin forces and I show them the canyon. I drop down into it (not a very deep canyon, but fairly wide and long), and start exploring the ravines. There's so many places for an animal to hide in the drainages and I always struggle between going at a snails pace to glass every nook and cranny vs moving more but risking scaring up a buck. I glass my way around a rock tower and spot a single 4 point antler disappearing around a corner in the wall in front of me - 200 yards away. The wind is to my back though and by the time I make it to him he's long gone.
Back to camp, another 85 degree day in a unit with almost no trees.
That evening we're back on the bluff overlooking the creek bed. My buddy is camped where he saw the bucks that morning but doesn't see anything all night. I catch a glimpse of a decent looking 4x WT buck but don't have a shot through the limbs of a dead tree that separates us. It's amazing to me how well these animals can hide behind sage brush that seem to be only 2-3 feet tall. The next time I see the buck he's safe on the agricultural fields.
I've still got my either sex tag and my buddy does as well. Pops filled his tag first morning, I give him a hard time that it was too easy for a first kill and now he's gotta drop his rifle back into the travel case and hike around with binoculars only like a bird watcher for the rest of our hunt.
Morning we set up same creek bed. I see a few does but no bucks, get a little antsy and decide to hike over a hill to scope out the badlands area to our south. Beautiful canyon in the morning light - isn't it weird how much different a landscape looks when the sun first rises compared to the rest of the day? So much better colors. I see a couple groups of does moving away from the agricultural lands and deeper into the sage. Enjoy watching them travel across the other side of the canyon for a good 30 minutes. Lots of little ravines and outcroppings to hide behind, but I don't see anything.
On the other side of the hill my buddy has a "really big" buck in his sights. He's in a good position and confident it's a shot he'll make, slowly pulls the trigger but meets the wall - "damn! forgot to turn of the safety", he pulls his eyes off the optic to glance down and adjust the safety, when he looks back up the deer has moved behind some bushes. It emerges shortly after a ways down the valley and he has another clear line of sight, but he can't see my dad who is glassing about 30 feet to his left behind some bushes. My buddy is worried that he's shooting too close to my Dad's area and since he can't see him, he lets the buck walk. Turns out Dad had seen the buck and wasn't actually that close to the line of fire, but I guess my buddy was wise to play it safe. They see another smaller buck but he's on the move and never presents a shot.
A couple hours later we rejoin forces and I show them the canyon. I drop down into it (not a very deep canyon, but fairly wide and long), and start exploring the ravines. There's so many places for an animal to hide in the drainages and I always struggle between going at a snails pace to glass every nook and cranny vs moving more but risking scaring up a buck. I glass my way around a rock tower and spot a single 4 point antler disappearing around a corner in the wall in front of me - 200 yards away. The wind is to my back though and by the time I make it to him he's long gone.
Back to camp, another 85 degree day in a unit with almost no trees.
That evening we're back on the bluff overlooking the creek bed. My buddy is camped where he saw the bucks that morning but doesn't see anything all night. I catch a glimpse of a decent looking 4x WT buck but don't have a shot through the limbs of a dead tree that separates us. It's amazing to me how well these animals can hide behind sage brush that seem to be only 2-3 feet tall. The next time I see the buck he's safe on the agricultural fields.
CORN
Active member
Pops glassing in the canyon
WNC2500
Well-known member
Good luck to all of you. It appears it has been a productive hunt so far. Get those bucks!! Good luck to Pops!
CORN
Active member
Day 3
I spot a couple forkies in the morning, but nothing I'm ready to pull the trigger on. My buddy (who I'm calling "safety" after he missed dropping a buck due to not switching off the safety yesterday) sees more does but no bucks.
After our morning hunt we decide we're getting short on time and need to stay out in the heat and do the best we can - "can't shoot em in camp"! We grab a quick beer and sammich lunch in camp then drive out to the badlands away from the river. Not great terrain, but it's hot out and we figure the deer want to be in shade just as much as we do. I spot a couple does 800 yards off in the shadow of a small cliff, we pass on them still hoping to find a buck.
Driving down a dirt road we see a stand of cottonwood trees 300 yards off the road. Outside of the creek beds there's absolutely no trees, so I decide it's worth checking out. The trees are above the road so I sneak up hill, slowly poking over the top of the hill I'm delighted to see a group of 6 deers resting in the shade of a cottonwood tree on a small dried up pond bed. Five are does but there's a small 3 point buck in the middle! I drop back down and hustle back to the truck to tell Safety.
He grabs his rifle and heads for the pond, dad and I trailing 50 yards behind. I had pointed out the tree that the deer were under (the top was visable from the truck, but the deer are shielded from view). He creeps up the lip of the hill that leads to the pond. We see him crest the hill then drop back down without taking a shot. He takes his pack off and crawls back up with his pack in front of him to use it as a rest for his rifle. He's too close to the pond where they're bedded though and takes too long to get set up for a shot, and we see the deer stotting off the opposite hill 30 seconds later.
Hindsight being what it is, I should have coached my buddy up more on not emerging up the hill so close to the tree where the deer were bedded, and told him to take his time crawling up the edge in a shooting position rather than popping his head up, then dropping back down to position his pack as a shooting rest for a kneeling shot.
That evening we set up in our positions along the bluff. We're treating this hunt more like an eastern whitetail hunt than a true Western spot and stalk, but we've consistently been seeing them in the creek bed by the irrigated land so we're staying there. I'm perched farthest down the bluff and hear a couple shots ring off to my right, where Safety is positioned. I stay prone hoping to see the whitetail buck I'd seen previously, but only spot does moving below me. As dusk falls I see my buck standing at the far end of the irrigated field - he's figured me out and is entering the field through the private land on the far side of my creek.
I drop down into the bluff and find Safety and my dad have almost completed breaking down the deer - just the tenderloins remain! I'm happy they were confident to do the work on their own, that was a goal for the trip! Safety had a good shot on a doe beneath him and decided he'd rather not take the chance on going home empty handed, so he pulled the trigger. He shot her a little far back so a second shot was needed to drop her, but he got it done from 235 yards which was on the far end of his comfort level. On top of that he'd quartered her without guidance and had done a good job with that. He insisted on packing out all the meat by himself, so Dad carried his rifle and we headed to camp for a beer.
I spot a couple forkies in the morning, but nothing I'm ready to pull the trigger on. My buddy (who I'm calling "safety" after he missed dropping a buck due to not switching off the safety yesterday) sees more does but no bucks.
After our morning hunt we decide we're getting short on time and need to stay out in the heat and do the best we can - "can't shoot em in camp"! We grab a quick beer and sammich lunch in camp then drive out to the badlands away from the river. Not great terrain, but it's hot out and we figure the deer want to be in shade just as much as we do. I spot a couple does 800 yards off in the shadow of a small cliff, we pass on them still hoping to find a buck.
Driving down a dirt road we see a stand of cottonwood trees 300 yards off the road. Outside of the creek beds there's absolutely no trees, so I decide it's worth checking out. The trees are above the road so I sneak up hill, slowly poking over the top of the hill I'm delighted to see a group of 6 deers resting in the shade of a cottonwood tree on a small dried up pond bed. Five are does but there's a small 3 point buck in the middle! I drop back down and hustle back to the truck to tell Safety.
He grabs his rifle and heads for the pond, dad and I trailing 50 yards behind. I had pointed out the tree that the deer were under (the top was visable from the truck, but the deer are shielded from view). He creeps up the lip of the hill that leads to the pond. We see him crest the hill then drop back down without taking a shot. He takes his pack off and crawls back up with his pack in front of him to use it as a rest for his rifle. He's too close to the pond where they're bedded though and takes too long to get set up for a shot, and we see the deer stotting off the opposite hill 30 seconds later.
Hindsight being what it is, I should have coached my buddy up more on not emerging up the hill so close to the tree where the deer were bedded, and told him to take his time crawling up the edge in a shooting position rather than popping his head up, then dropping back down to position his pack as a shooting rest for a kneeling shot.
That evening we set up in our positions along the bluff. We're treating this hunt more like an eastern whitetail hunt than a true Western spot and stalk, but we've consistently been seeing them in the creek bed by the irrigated land so we're staying there. I'm perched farthest down the bluff and hear a couple shots ring off to my right, where Safety is positioned. I stay prone hoping to see the whitetail buck I'd seen previously, but only spot does moving below me. As dusk falls I see my buck standing at the far end of the irrigated field - he's figured me out and is entering the field through the private land on the far side of my creek.
I drop down into the bluff and find Safety and my dad have almost completed breaking down the deer - just the tenderloins remain! I'm happy they were confident to do the work on their own, that was a goal for the trip! Safety had a good shot on a doe beneath him and decided he'd rather not take the chance on going home empty handed, so he pulled the trigger. He shot her a little far back so a second shot was needed to drop her, but he got it done from 235 yards which was on the far end of his comfort level. On top of that he'd quartered her without guidance and had done a good job with that. He insisted on packing out all the meat by himself, so Dad carried his rifle and we headed to camp for a beer.
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CORN
Active member
Day 4 (last day of the season for our unit) was sadly uneventful. Saw nothing in the morning, and spent some time in the badlands and by the dried up ponds, but couldn't find any animals.
Had high hopes after seeing several great bucks in this unit last year, but walking away with only my doe tag filled. The good news was both Dad and Safety shot their first animals and were confident to quarter the last animal on their own. Safety hasn't done much camping and only been out West once and he said it was the trip of a lifetime!
7 hour drive home, then we got to work processing on Sunday. We cut a few roasts off the hind quarters then turned most of the rest into brats and burgers. Dad had seen the processing work before when I'd shot a couple deer back home in NC on his land, but it was another first for Safety.
I always enjoy processing but man does it get old after 8 hours. We had a couple extra days so we split the work up between two days and did some fly fishing on the S Platte.
Back to work for me until 2nd rifle season, gonna be in CO unit 47 with a buck bull and bear tag. Would love input if anyone's familiar with the unit, planning on backpacking in and have a tentative plan but lot of variables we're playing with.
Had high hopes after seeing several great bucks in this unit last year, but walking away with only my doe tag filled. The good news was both Dad and Safety shot their first animals and were confident to quarter the last animal on their own. Safety hasn't done much camping and only been out West once and he said it was the trip of a lifetime!
7 hour drive home, then we got to work processing on Sunday. We cut a few roasts off the hind quarters then turned most of the rest into brats and burgers. Dad had seen the processing work before when I'd shot a couple deer back home in NC on his land, but it was another first for Safety.
I always enjoy processing but man does it get old after 8 hours. We had a couple extra days so we split the work up between two days and did some fly fishing on the S Platte.
Back to work for me until 2nd rifle season, gonna be in CO unit 47 with a buck bull and bear tag. Would love input if anyone's familiar with the unit, planning on backpacking in and have a tentative plan but lot of variables we're playing with.
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RobertD
Well-known member
Man you're doing it up right this year. Loving the stories good luck in CO
Crossbowguy
Well-known member
awesome!
Karl
Member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2019
- Messages
- 86
Sounds like a great trip! Congrats on the success and meat in the freezer!
CORN
Active member
2nd rifle season day 1:
My buddy didn't get into DIA until late on Friday, so we decided get some good sleep and forego being in the unit at first light. Turned out to be a good decision as we were able to drive in and get a feel for the lay of the land in daylight. Driving up to the wilderness boundary we passed through several large open fields before the road crawled through a timbered hillside for the last 2 miles.
Our goal was to scout out some of the clearings we'd marked on Onx in the wilderness area and set up a camp.
We dropped our heavy packs about a mile in to cover more ground before deciding where we'd pitch our tipi. Walking through the clearings we'd marked, we were disappointed. They were all much smaller than we'd pictured, and there was a lot of small brush and Aspen saplings that severely limited any lines of sight. We'd hoped to be able to set up on the edge of a clearing with a fairly wide field of view around sunset. None of the clearings afforded any vantage points with ability to see the majority of the clearing. There would be a few shooting lanes with 100-200 yards of sight, but very narrow in width and limiting in ability to see all the field.
We hiked to a spot that we'd marked for glassing - an exposed knob near the top of a steep river valley. Beautiful views up and down the valley, but the side of the valley facing us was almost all dark timber, and the side of the valley that we were on which looked like it would have great visibility from the satellite maps was once again largely obscured by young Aspen saplings and underbrush that was thicker than we imagined.
On the way back to our bags, a rabbit spooked across the trail then paused to look back at us from 40 yards away. It was the first animal we'd seen that day so I shot him, figured adding some meat to the mountain houses would be a bonus.
We set up in two different clearings at sunset, neither of us saw any animals. I was feeling pretty bad physically, had been doing a lot of rucking prior to my Wyoming trip but the last 2 weeks prior to 2nd rifle had been a whirlwind with work and friends in town and I'd not kept up my fitness. Pretty significant generalized body aches had me worried, chugged as much water as my stomach could handle and went to sleep early.
My buddy didn't get into DIA until late on Friday, so we decided get some good sleep and forego being in the unit at first light. Turned out to be a good decision as we were able to drive in and get a feel for the lay of the land in daylight. Driving up to the wilderness boundary we passed through several large open fields before the road crawled through a timbered hillside for the last 2 miles.
Our goal was to scout out some of the clearings we'd marked on Onx in the wilderness area and set up a camp.
We dropped our heavy packs about a mile in to cover more ground before deciding where we'd pitch our tipi. Walking through the clearings we'd marked, we were disappointed. They were all much smaller than we'd pictured, and there was a lot of small brush and Aspen saplings that severely limited any lines of sight. We'd hoped to be able to set up on the edge of a clearing with a fairly wide field of view around sunset. None of the clearings afforded any vantage points with ability to see the majority of the clearing. There would be a few shooting lanes with 100-200 yards of sight, but very narrow in width and limiting in ability to see all the field.
We hiked to a spot that we'd marked for glassing - an exposed knob near the top of a steep river valley. Beautiful views up and down the valley, but the side of the valley facing us was almost all dark timber, and the side of the valley that we were on which looked like it would have great visibility from the satellite maps was once again largely obscured by young Aspen saplings and underbrush that was thicker than we imagined.
On the way back to our bags, a rabbit spooked across the trail then paused to look back at us from 40 yards away. It was the first animal we'd seen that day so I shot him, figured adding some meat to the mountain houses would be a bonus.
We set up in two different clearings at sunset, neither of us saw any animals. I was feeling pretty bad physically, had been doing a lot of rucking prior to my Wyoming trip but the last 2 weeks prior to 2nd rifle had been a whirlwind with work and friends in town and I'd not kept up my fitness. Pretty significant generalized body aches had me worried, chugged as much water as my stomach could handle and went to sleep early.
CORN
Active member
2nd Rifle Day 2:
After talking the evening before, we decided we really needed to find a few good vantage points for glassing. We set up at different points along the ridge that dropped down in to the river valley we'd glassed yesterday. Neither of us saw anything in the morning - the fields that looked open to us on Onx were once again more covered in small brush and saplings than we'd imagined. One of the big take aways for us on this trip is to really zoom in on the satellite images to look for brush - don't assume a hillside is clear just because you can see brown grass.
After not turning anything up glassing at dawn we hiked out of the wilderness, opting to sacrifice being alone in favor of better vantage points in the large fields we'd passed on the drive in - "Let your eyes do the walking" as Randy says. On the hike out we passed a local with an OTC tag. He wasn't hunting for deer but told us the fields on the way in were generally a good place to post up for them. We spotted a group of 5-6 deer in an Aspen grove on the hike out. We saw them around the time they saw us, but snow was starting to fall and the visibility wasn't great so they didn't spook. We searched the group for a buck, eventually spotting a forky through the trees. I wanted to hold out for a bigger buck but my buddy decided he'd try to get to the forky. He backtracked down the trail, using the other side of the hill to shield his approach from the deer we'd spotted. As he approached the top of the hill where he'd be able to look down on our deer he spooked a different set of deer we'd not seen, which took off running and alerted our deer who quickly made their exit to the dark timber. Was encouraging to see the deer, and my buddy had enjoyed the chance to put a stalk on them.
The forecast called for 7-14" of snow in our area that evening with the possibility of up to 24" in the higher elevations around us. The large fields we'd driven through on the way in turned out to have several great glassing spots, so we set up our new camp in a valley (feeling somewhat discouraged as our plan had been to get far back in the wilderness away from people). The snow would help us glass though and the fields were surrounded by Aspen that looked like promising deer habitat.
The snow was falling hard by the evening. We were only able to see maybe 80-100 yards, and neither of us saw deer moving. I did see a total of 5 foxes and a coyote around dusk. Shot at the coyote but missed. Headed back to the tipi which was now covered in a couple inches of snow, with the center pole bending ominously under the weight.
Fearing the potential for 12-24" of snow we woke up regularly to knock the tipi walls free from snow. We had a small propane heater and stayed decently warm despite temps dropping to 10 degrees (hadn't set up the wood stove as the burn ban was in place and the local we'd ran into earlier in the day had warned us about the local game warden being a stickler for the rules - decided we weren't gonna risk a ticket even with the active snowfall given Colorado's wildfires this season).
After talking the evening before, we decided we really needed to find a few good vantage points for glassing. We set up at different points along the ridge that dropped down in to the river valley we'd glassed yesterday. Neither of us saw anything in the morning - the fields that looked open to us on Onx were once again more covered in small brush and saplings than we'd imagined. One of the big take aways for us on this trip is to really zoom in on the satellite images to look for brush - don't assume a hillside is clear just because you can see brown grass.
After not turning anything up glassing at dawn we hiked out of the wilderness, opting to sacrifice being alone in favor of better vantage points in the large fields we'd passed on the drive in - "Let your eyes do the walking" as Randy says. On the hike out we passed a local with an OTC tag. He wasn't hunting for deer but told us the fields on the way in were generally a good place to post up for them. We spotted a group of 5-6 deer in an Aspen grove on the hike out. We saw them around the time they saw us, but snow was starting to fall and the visibility wasn't great so they didn't spook. We searched the group for a buck, eventually spotting a forky through the trees. I wanted to hold out for a bigger buck but my buddy decided he'd try to get to the forky. He backtracked down the trail, using the other side of the hill to shield his approach from the deer we'd spotted. As he approached the top of the hill where he'd be able to look down on our deer he spooked a different set of deer we'd not seen, which took off running and alerted our deer who quickly made their exit to the dark timber. Was encouraging to see the deer, and my buddy had enjoyed the chance to put a stalk on them.
The forecast called for 7-14" of snow in our area that evening with the possibility of up to 24" in the higher elevations around us. The large fields we'd driven through on the way in turned out to have several great glassing spots, so we set up our new camp in a valley (feeling somewhat discouraged as our plan had been to get far back in the wilderness away from people). The snow would help us glass though and the fields were surrounded by Aspen that looked like promising deer habitat.
The snow was falling hard by the evening. We were only able to see maybe 80-100 yards, and neither of us saw deer moving. I did see a total of 5 foxes and a coyote around dusk. Shot at the coyote but missed. Headed back to the tipi which was now covered in a couple inches of snow, with the center pole bending ominously under the weight.
Fearing the potential for 12-24" of snow we woke up regularly to knock the tipi walls free from snow. We had a small propane heater and stayed decently warm despite temps dropping to 10 degrees (hadn't set up the wood stove as the burn ban was in place and the local we'd ran into earlier in the day had warned us about the local game warden being a stickler for the rules - decided we weren't gonna risk a ticket even with the active snowfall given Colorado's wildfires this season).
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CORN
Active member
Day 3:
Not a very restful night, fearful of the projected 12+ inches of snow, I was up almost every hour knocking the walls of the tipi to keep the snow off.
When morning finally came we were pleasantly surprised to only find find maybe 6-8" of snow. My buddy and I planned to set up at dawn on opposite sides of a wooded hill overlooking some open fields. At firstlight I saw what I thought were deer, about 650 yards away feeding up a hill. It was too dark to make out if there was a buck, but I started heading towards them staying inside the treeline. Ten minutes later when I poked out of the treeline near where I'd spotted them they were gone, but in the snow were elk tracks where I thought I'd seen deer!
I followed the tracks up over the hill and ran into another hunter who'd spotted them when the crossed the valley down from my hill and into the woods on the opposite side. His buddy had followed them into the dark timber, so I sat and talked with him while I tried to figure out what my next move was. Twenty minutes later my buddy came out of the woods after circling around the other side of the hill. Glassing from the top we spotted the elk again - maybe 6 of them, grazing in an Aspen clearing on the hill across from us. They were around 800 yards away but a deep valley separated us. We spotted another hunter at the bottom of the Aspen clearing, probably 500 feet beneath them. He waved at us and motioned his arm, gesturing for us to circle around the back.
The hunter I'd met was an older fellow and told us he didn't think he'd be able to catch them so my buddy and I dropped down into the valley, then started up a trail that wound up the backside of the hill that the elk were on. Took us probably 45 minutes to get to the elevation we had last seen the elk at. On the way up we passed the small draw we'd seen deer in the day before. We spotted the deer again, a couple forkies and 4 or 5 does. I wasn't yet ready to pull the trigger on a forky, but my buddy wanted to get some meat in camp, he tried to sneak over the hill to get a shot, but they spotted him. The does broke off from the small bucks. One of the bucks offered a great shot, but my friend was fixed on the does which had run 80 yards up the hill. I tried to clue him in, but by the time he found where I was pointing to the buck had moved behind a tree and never presented another good shot.
Heading back up the hill we slipped and slided as quietly as we could through some steep dark timber covered in a powdery layer of snow. I came out on the other side right where the elk had been, but their tracks headed up the hill, the other hunter had made his way to them and I'm guessing he spooked them just before we arrived. We tracked through the snow for half a mile, but the elk looked like they were moving fast - tracks in a straight line through the dark timber, not wandering or grazing at all. We figured we'd not be able to catch up with them, so we headed back down towards the deer area.
Startled a few does walking through the woods but didn't see another buck. Lot of tracks in the snow though.
That afternoon we saw 3 cows crossing a field, I got in position in case a bull would follow, but none came. We spotted several more does that evening and another forky, but no big bucks and no more elk.
Not a very restful night, fearful of the projected 12+ inches of snow, I was up almost every hour knocking the walls of the tipi to keep the snow off.
When morning finally came we were pleasantly surprised to only find find maybe 6-8" of snow. My buddy and I planned to set up at dawn on opposite sides of a wooded hill overlooking some open fields. At firstlight I saw what I thought were deer, about 650 yards away feeding up a hill. It was too dark to make out if there was a buck, but I started heading towards them staying inside the treeline. Ten minutes later when I poked out of the treeline near where I'd spotted them they were gone, but in the snow were elk tracks where I thought I'd seen deer!
I followed the tracks up over the hill and ran into another hunter who'd spotted them when the crossed the valley down from my hill and into the woods on the opposite side. His buddy had followed them into the dark timber, so I sat and talked with him while I tried to figure out what my next move was. Twenty minutes later my buddy came out of the woods after circling around the other side of the hill. Glassing from the top we spotted the elk again - maybe 6 of them, grazing in an Aspen clearing on the hill across from us. They were around 800 yards away but a deep valley separated us. We spotted another hunter at the bottom of the Aspen clearing, probably 500 feet beneath them. He waved at us and motioned his arm, gesturing for us to circle around the back.
The hunter I'd met was an older fellow and told us he didn't think he'd be able to catch them so my buddy and I dropped down into the valley, then started up a trail that wound up the backside of the hill that the elk were on. Took us probably 45 minutes to get to the elevation we had last seen the elk at. On the way up we passed the small draw we'd seen deer in the day before. We spotted the deer again, a couple forkies and 4 or 5 does. I wasn't yet ready to pull the trigger on a forky, but my buddy wanted to get some meat in camp, he tried to sneak over the hill to get a shot, but they spotted him. The does broke off from the small bucks. One of the bucks offered a great shot, but my friend was fixed on the does which had run 80 yards up the hill. I tried to clue him in, but by the time he found where I was pointing to the buck had moved behind a tree and never presented another good shot.
Heading back up the hill we slipped and slided as quietly as we could through some steep dark timber covered in a powdery layer of snow. I came out on the other side right where the elk had been, but their tracks headed up the hill, the other hunter had made his way to them and I'm guessing he spooked them just before we arrived. We tracked through the snow for half a mile, but the elk looked like they were moving fast - tracks in a straight line through the dark timber, not wandering or grazing at all. We figured we'd not be able to catch up with them, so we headed back down towards the deer area.
Startled a few does walking through the woods but didn't see another buck. Lot of tracks in the snow though.
That afternoon we saw 3 cows crossing a field, I got in position in case a bull would follow, but none came. We spotted several more does that evening and another forky, but no big bucks and no more elk.
CORN
Active member
Day 4:
Frigid night, sub zero weather in the morning, our 20 degree bags did not suffice. We had a small propane heater but limited propane so we'd periodically turn it on to warm up then turn it off again to conserve fuel throughout the night. Our morale was pretty low in the morning, neither of our boots had done well in the snow - both soaked thoroughly the day then frozen overnight (Danners really disappointed me on this trip). We warmed up in the truck, did a little glassing but generally puss'd out and didn't do much other than glass until the sun came out. Saw a couple cows and a raghorn in the same field, no bulls.
Hiked back to the draw that had been holding deer every time we'd been by, at this point we both agreed we'd take any buck. I had a graduate school interview on day 5 (via Zoom) so I grudgingly decided I needed to take a shot if it presented. No deer in the draw, lots of prints though. We spent most of the day hiking and slow hunting through the woods. A few does but no bucks. Man did 47 seem to have some terrible ratios!
That evening my buddy was on the ridge that'd we'd spotted the bulls from. I was in the valley near where I'd spotted a forky with does the day before. We pulled out the walkie talkies that afternoon, he radioed me an hour before sunset that there was a group of deer with a small buck in the Aspens near where the elk had been. I hustled my way from the valley up the trail on the backside of the hill and made my way through the dark timber to get to the edge of the Aspens. Through the radio my buddy told me I was within 150 yards of the deer. The Aspen grove was thick though with a lot of saplings and I couldn't see them. I cautiously moved down the hill towards them, trying to pick apart the woods to find an ear or an antler that would give away the buck. I continued to slowly ease my way towards the deer - my buddy telling me that I was well within 100 yards. Using a small pine to hide behind I finally found a single deer's head through the sapplings - once again a doe. I was torn on what to do prudence would dictate waiting behind cover for the deer to move - hopefully towards me, but I was losing daylight and worried that by the time I was able to find the buck through the trees it'd be too late to see him through my optic. I decided to ease in a little closer, using a draw to hide my approach. Within a couple steps I was sliding on a small downed tree that was hiden in the snow. The deer heard me and spooked, I finally saw the rest of the group as they ran up the hill past me. A small doe separated from the group and stopped to look at me from 30 yards away, but I couldn't find the buck.
Defeated and almost out of light I started trudging down the hill to the valley. I had roughly 600' to drop and had forgotten my headlamp so I made quick time, slipping and sliding down the steep slope through the snow. Nearing the bottom I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, a few quick bounds then a doe froze looking at me from 80 yards away. I froze and slowly pulled out my binoculars - we looked at each other for maybe 10 seconds, I couldn't see her well through the saplings, but didn't see anything between her ears. "Come on God, put some antlers on that thing" I thought to myself. Kinda funny thought, but that's what went through my head. A couple seconds later the deer dropped it's head to sniff - antlers!!! Small but definitely there. I had an easy shot, took it standing braced off the tree. The buck ran 30 yards after he was shot then stood, struggling to maintain his balance. I considered putting another round in him, but he looked wobbly enough, so I gave him another 10 seconds then watched him fall.
It was a mixed feeling to see him drop. With him went my hopes of getting a mature mule deer in 2020, but he was the third animal I'd been able to harvest, the freezer would be full, and I'd gotten an antelope buck on a hunt I'd started with low expectations. I radioed my buddy, tried to setup the cellphone for a self-timer shot but couldn't get it to focus in the dark.
Laughing at myself for forgetting my headlamp, I got to work cutting in the dark with my phone light propped up in an attempt to provide enough illumination to work by. 15 minutes later my buddy was there and we made quick work of the buck. It was a short pack out down the hill. We laughed at how I'd spent an hour trying to sneak up on the deer my buddy had spotted and ended up spooking them despite knowing exactly where they were and approaching as slowly as possible, only to stumble in to one as I crashed down through the brush making plenty of noise in my attempt to get to the valley before dark.
In town we grabbed a quick shower then enjoyed a late night with wings and beer in a mostly deserted tavern in Aspen.
Frigid night, sub zero weather in the morning, our 20 degree bags did not suffice. We had a small propane heater but limited propane so we'd periodically turn it on to warm up then turn it off again to conserve fuel throughout the night. Our morale was pretty low in the morning, neither of our boots had done well in the snow - both soaked thoroughly the day then frozen overnight (Danners really disappointed me on this trip). We warmed up in the truck, did a little glassing but generally puss'd out and didn't do much other than glass until the sun came out. Saw a couple cows and a raghorn in the same field, no bulls.
Hiked back to the draw that had been holding deer every time we'd been by, at this point we both agreed we'd take any buck. I had a graduate school interview on day 5 (via Zoom) so I grudgingly decided I needed to take a shot if it presented. No deer in the draw, lots of prints though. We spent most of the day hiking and slow hunting through the woods. A few does but no bucks. Man did 47 seem to have some terrible ratios!
That evening my buddy was on the ridge that'd we'd spotted the bulls from. I was in the valley near where I'd spotted a forky with does the day before. We pulled out the walkie talkies that afternoon, he radioed me an hour before sunset that there was a group of deer with a small buck in the Aspens near where the elk had been. I hustled my way from the valley up the trail on the backside of the hill and made my way through the dark timber to get to the edge of the Aspens. Through the radio my buddy told me I was within 150 yards of the deer. The Aspen grove was thick though with a lot of saplings and I couldn't see them. I cautiously moved down the hill towards them, trying to pick apart the woods to find an ear or an antler that would give away the buck. I continued to slowly ease my way towards the deer - my buddy telling me that I was well within 100 yards. Using a small pine to hide behind I finally found a single deer's head through the sapplings - once again a doe. I was torn on what to do prudence would dictate waiting behind cover for the deer to move - hopefully towards me, but I was losing daylight and worried that by the time I was able to find the buck through the trees it'd be too late to see him through my optic. I decided to ease in a little closer, using a draw to hide my approach. Within a couple steps I was sliding on a small downed tree that was hiden in the snow. The deer heard me and spooked, I finally saw the rest of the group as they ran up the hill past me. A small doe separated from the group and stopped to look at me from 30 yards away, but I couldn't find the buck.
Defeated and almost out of light I started trudging down the hill to the valley. I had roughly 600' to drop and had forgotten my headlamp so I made quick time, slipping and sliding down the steep slope through the snow. Nearing the bottom I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, a few quick bounds then a doe froze looking at me from 80 yards away. I froze and slowly pulled out my binoculars - we looked at each other for maybe 10 seconds, I couldn't see her well through the saplings, but didn't see anything between her ears. "Come on God, put some antlers on that thing" I thought to myself. Kinda funny thought, but that's what went through my head. A couple seconds later the deer dropped it's head to sniff - antlers!!! Small but definitely there. I had an easy shot, took it standing braced off the tree. The buck ran 30 yards after he was shot then stood, struggling to maintain his balance. I considered putting another round in him, but he looked wobbly enough, so I gave him another 10 seconds then watched him fall.
It was a mixed feeling to see him drop. With him went my hopes of getting a mature mule deer in 2020, but he was the third animal I'd been able to harvest, the freezer would be full, and I'd gotten an antelope buck on a hunt I'd started with low expectations. I radioed my buddy, tried to setup the cellphone for a self-timer shot but couldn't get it to focus in the dark.
Laughing at myself for forgetting my headlamp, I got to work cutting in the dark with my phone light propped up in an attempt to provide enough illumination to work by. 15 minutes later my buddy was there and we made quick work of the buck. It was a short pack out down the hill. We laughed at how I'd spent an hour trying to sneak up on the deer my buddy had spotted and ended up spooking them despite knowing exactly where they were and approaching as slowly as possible, only to stumble in to one as I crashed down through the brush making plenty of noise in my attempt to get to the valley before dark.
In town we grabbed a quick shower then enjoyed a late night with wings and beer in a mostly deserted tavern in Aspen.
Crossbowguy
Well-known member
Congrats on a nice Muley Buck!
CORN
Active member
Day 5:
Not much to tell from my standpoint. I had a grad school interview in the early afternoon, hadn't prepped as much as I should so I stayed in the hotel room after breakfast to get ready. My buddy was planning on scouting out a new area from the truck, we were both a little tired from the past days so he was gonna do some driving around the unit to stay out of my way and lay eyes on some new terrain.
My interview didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but I deserved it as I was underprepared. As soon as I was done I called my buddy. He picks up, "Good news, I've shot a buck!" As he was driving some of the dirt roads in the unit he'd seen a few deer come out of a clearing around 3. Does and a forky. He'd backed the truck up a hundred yards, then gotten out and sneaked up to the clearing on foot. As he arrived a young 3x4 stepped out in the clearing. A couple shots and he was down!
He was close to town so he swung by the hotel to pick me up and we headed back out. As we were about to pull up in the field my phone started ringing - area code was from the school I'd applied to. Huge sigh of relief on my part as I picked up, I'd been accepted. After the call we pulled in, loaded up the buck in the back (felt like cheating to throw a buck in the back of the truck on a Western hunt that started as a backpack), and drove to a sunny turn in the road to quarter him with the setting sun illuminating the view.
My buddy hadn't shot a deer in years and it was his first mule ever, so to say he was excited is an understatement. We capped him out and threw the quarters in the cooler, then headed back to the hotel without a clue what was waiting for us in the morning...
Not much to tell from my standpoint. I had a grad school interview in the early afternoon, hadn't prepped as much as I should so I stayed in the hotel room after breakfast to get ready. My buddy was planning on scouting out a new area from the truck, we were both a little tired from the past days so he was gonna do some driving around the unit to stay out of my way and lay eyes on some new terrain.
My interview didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but I deserved it as I was underprepared. As soon as I was done I called my buddy. He picks up, "Good news, I've shot a buck!" As he was driving some of the dirt roads in the unit he'd seen a few deer come out of a clearing around 3. Does and a forky. He'd backed the truck up a hundred yards, then gotten out and sneaked up to the clearing on foot. As he arrived a young 3x4 stepped out in the clearing. A couple shots and he was down!
He was close to town so he swung by the hotel to pick me up and we headed back out. As we were about to pull up in the field my phone started ringing - area code was from the school I'd applied to. Huge sigh of relief on my part as I picked up, I'd been accepted. After the call we pulled in, loaded up the buck in the back (felt like cheating to throw a buck in the back of the truck on a Western hunt that started as a backpack), and drove to a sunny turn in the road to quarter him with the setting sun illuminating the view.
My buddy hadn't shot a deer in years and it was his first mule ever, so to say he was excited is an understatement. We capped him out and threw the quarters in the cooler, then headed back to the hotel without a clue what was waiting for us in the morning...
CORN
Active member
Haha, you're kind. Wish he was mature, but thankful for meat in the freezer!
