IABoilermaker
Member
Thought I would share the story of my first season Colorado hunt. Three years ago I went elk hunting for the first time in Idaho during archery season. During that hunt I made more mistakes then I care to admit, and had one brief encounter with a cow elk. However after that hunt I knew I wanted to elk hunt again in the near future and likely do it on a rifle tag to increase my odds if I had an encounter.
A good friend and I started building points in Wyoming and Utah after that Idaho hunt thinking we would go in five years in Wyoming and then ten in Utah when we could draw a good limited entry tag. Fast forward to this year and we both started listening to the hunt talk and meat eater pod casts and decided why not go elk hunting this year so when we get to the premium tags we have a better idea of what we are doing.
After looking over some various areas we put in for a first season Colorado rifle tag in a unit we had high odds to draw. Once June arrived and we confirmed we had been drawn we already had talked to local wardens and biologists and the online scouting began. We narrowed down the unit based on information from the forum here and many of Randy’s insights on his YouTube channel. Through the summer my friend and I talked weekly about the upcoming trip and even convinced another friend to come along for the hiking and camping (also would come in handy if we had to pack one out).
After all the planning and gear purchasing our plan was to arrive two days before season opened, hike in and set camp, then scout for two days. We had grand illusions that we would have located elk prior to the Saturday opener and have a plan to move in on them. October 11th arrived and my two friends arrived at my house in Iowa at midnight, they already had 7 hours of driving under their belts and I took over as we drove straight through to get to Colorado. We grabbed a hotel in town that night and then hit the mountain the next day at first light and all was going to plan except finding the elk. Over the next two days we scoured miles of trail and glassed for hours. Our efforts turned up little elk sign and a disgruntled rancher who made sure to let us know to stay on the BLM ground.
So the night before opener we had little elk sign and a quickly breaking down plan, but we were in elk country camping in the mountains and season was opening in less than twelve hours, life was good. Opening morning dawned and all of sudden the area we had to ourselves was suddenly like the coffee shop on Sunday morning, everyone was there. However, for us that wasn’t a bad thing as we ran into another hunter who had hunted the area for years and was very helpful and shared some information about local elk movements. Armed with some new data we headed for some new area and ran into 2 cows and 2 spikes nothing legal but at least we were seeing some elk. That day we scouted a new area and saw more sign then we had over the previous two days so we returned in the afternoon. About an hour before dark my non hunting buddy and I were sitting on a ridge and heard a bugle followed by a large 6 point bull running into a clearing 800 yards away. After a moment of evaluation I said let’s get moving, we marked our packs with the GPS and started working towards the bull. At about 600 yards my friend said get down, I dropped thinking another elk was on us, but when I asked him what was up he said he saw hunters up ahead. I peeked over a small rise and sure enough there were 2 guys sitting about 550 yards from the clearing with the bull. At that point all we could do was watch, as these two set up I was thinking well here goes 1 less bull to hunt. But four missed shots later from about 500 yards out of the two unknown hunters, they decided to bugle. To my amazement the bull charged down the opposing mountainside crossed the valley and started up our slope. He got about 100 yards from them but they never saw it due to the slope and the woods. Once he didn’t see the other bull he bolted back to the other face and into the woods not to be seen again.
At that point I was really starting to question our plan we were seeing more hunters and it seemed like everyone was hunting the same 2 or 3 elk. On the way back to camp that night I was talking myself into going somewhere else and changing tactics. Luckily my hunting partner kept a more level view and talked me off the ledge. On Sunday we spent the day trying to locate the 6 point and his cows again with no luck, I would guess Saturday night’s antics may have sent him to one of the impenetrable canyons about 2 miles away. After Sunday’s hunt concluded with no further activity we decided on Monday we would head farther into the area where we had seen increased sign even though it was closer to some roads and a few camps that were wall tenting off the access roads.
Monday morning dawned and we were starting tire of the early mornings and long hikes with packs so we left camp with just the essentials and headed about a mile from camp to set up on a few brushed over clearings. I was again sitting with my friend who was along for the experience, about ten minutes after legal shooting light we were sitting there solving many of the world’s problems watching the hillside in front of us. Almost simultaneously we both said “ELK”, 360 yards up the slope was an elk we could tell had antlers but no idea if it was legal. After watching it for a few minutes that seemed like an eternity we were able to tell it was a legal bull. He was in no hurry and meandered up the hillside keeping his vitals covered behind one obstacle or another, which was a good thing because I was forced to watch him long enough to calm my nerves. Finally he stepped out in a clearing at 367 yards, I took my first shot as he was broadside and there was no reaction. However at that range, the amount I had practiced over the summer I felt confident, but as l had read and watched multiple times don’t stop shooting until you are out or the elk is down. So he turned more quartering to me and I took a second shot, again, no reaction. He turned broadside again and I took my last shot and he appeared to drop. At that point I was ecstatic but also anxious as I have hunted enough to know never assume what you see is what actually transpired. My hunting partner came walking up the valley and asked what happened, I said I was pretty sure we had an elk to haul out. We were all ready to rush up the slope but we decided to go back to camp and get packs and game bags and give the animal some time just in case.
The two miles round trip to camp and back may be the fastest I have ever covered 2 miles when not running. Once we were back at the base of the mountain we headed up the slope and the anxiety was starting to peak, I was confident of the shots and what I had seen, but there is always that doubt that can creep in. As we got to about 50 yards of the last spot we had seen the elk I looked up and could see antlers sticking up in the brush. I ran up and laid eyes on my first elk, a 5X5 that exceeded even my highest expectations. After a few moments of soaking it in, my two friends and I celebrated on the side of the mountain and then got to work. During the quartering I found my first two shots were good and the last one was a miss, I am still amazed the total lack of reaction from 2 hits out of a .300 WSM. By 4:30 that day we had all the meat and antlers back to camp and had put in about a total of 13 miles.
The next day we spent another 5 hours packing meat to the truck and getting it into the freezer and ready for the long drive back. We had stashed some cold ones with the freezer filled with ice back at the truck and after that last load that may have been the most refreshing beverage I have had in a long time. But even better was the good time spent with old friends and the ability to do it all for the price of a tag and some gas to get there.
I can say I already knew it when we left for this year’s hunt but that experience cemented it, we will be back every year as long as we are able.
Thanks for reading and thanks to all who have taken time on this site to put knowledge out there for those of us who didn’t grow up out west. There were a few members on here that really helped me with some of the access issues in our area and that information was greatly appreciated. Also, a big thanks to Randy and the OYOA crew for putting out all the YouTube knowledge content it was a great resource planning for this hunt.
A good friend and I started building points in Wyoming and Utah after that Idaho hunt thinking we would go in five years in Wyoming and then ten in Utah when we could draw a good limited entry tag. Fast forward to this year and we both started listening to the hunt talk and meat eater pod casts and decided why not go elk hunting this year so when we get to the premium tags we have a better idea of what we are doing.
After looking over some various areas we put in for a first season Colorado rifle tag in a unit we had high odds to draw. Once June arrived and we confirmed we had been drawn we already had talked to local wardens and biologists and the online scouting began. We narrowed down the unit based on information from the forum here and many of Randy’s insights on his YouTube channel. Through the summer my friend and I talked weekly about the upcoming trip and even convinced another friend to come along for the hiking and camping (also would come in handy if we had to pack one out).
After all the planning and gear purchasing our plan was to arrive two days before season opened, hike in and set camp, then scout for two days. We had grand illusions that we would have located elk prior to the Saturday opener and have a plan to move in on them. October 11th arrived and my two friends arrived at my house in Iowa at midnight, they already had 7 hours of driving under their belts and I took over as we drove straight through to get to Colorado. We grabbed a hotel in town that night and then hit the mountain the next day at first light and all was going to plan except finding the elk. Over the next two days we scoured miles of trail and glassed for hours. Our efforts turned up little elk sign and a disgruntled rancher who made sure to let us know to stay on the BLM ground.
So the night before opener we had little elk sign and a quickly breaking down plan, but we were in elk country camping in the mountains and season was opening in less than twelve hours, life was good. Opening morning dawned and all of sudden the area we had to ourselves was suddenly like the coffee shop on Sunday morning, everyone was there. However, for us that wasn’t a bad thing as we ran into another hunter who had hunted the area for years and was very helpful and shared some information about local elk movements. Armed with some new data we headed for some new area and ran into 2 cows and 2 spikes nothing legal but at least we were seeing some elk. That day we scouted a new area and saw more sign then we had over the previous two days so we returned in the afternoon. About an hour before dark my non hunting buddy and I were sitting on a ridge and heard a bugle followed by a large 6 point bull running into a clearing 800 yards away. After a moment of evaluation I said let’s get moving, we marked our packs with the GPS and started working towards the bull. At about 600 yards my friend said get down, I dropped thinking another elk was on us, but when I asked him what was up he said he saw hunters up ahead. I peeked over a small rise and sure enough there were 2 guys sitting about 550 yards from the clearing with the bull. At that point all we could do was watch, as these two set up I was thinking well here goes 1 less bull to hunt. But four missed shots later from about 500 yards out of the two unknown hunters, they decided to bugle. To my amazement the bull charged down the opposing mountainside crossed the valley and started up our slope. He got about 100 yards from them but they never saw it due to the slope and the woods. Once he didn’t see the other bull he bolted back to the other face and into the woods not to be seen again.
At that point I was really starting to question our plan we were seeing more hunters and it seemed like everyone was hunting the same 2 or 3 elk. On the way back to camp that night I was talking myself into going somewhere else and changing tactics. Luckily my hunting partner kept a more level view and talked me off the ledge. On Sunday we spent the day trying to locate the 6 point and his cows again with no luck, I would guess Saturday night’s antics may have sent him to one of the impenetrable canyons about 2 miles away. After Sunday’s hunt concluded with no further activity we decided on Monday we would head farther into the area where we had seen increased sign even though it was closer to some roads and a few camps that were wall tenting off the access roads.
Monday morning dawned and we were starting tire of the early mornings and long hikes with packs so we left camp with just the essentials and headed about a mile from camp to set up on a few brushed over clearings. I was again sitting with my friend who was along for the experience, about ten minutes after legal shooting light we were sitting there solving many of the world’s problems watching the hillside in front of us. Almost simultaneously we both said “ELK”, 360 yards up the slope was an elk we could tell had antlers but no idea if it was legal. After watching it for a few minutes that seemed like an eternity we were able to tell it was a legal bull. He was in no hurry and meandered up the hillside keeping his vitals covered behind one obstacle or another, which was a good thing because I was forced to watch him long enough to calm my nerves. Finally he stepped out in a clearing at 367 yards, I took my first shot as he was broadside and there was no reaction. However at that range, the amount I had practiced over the summer I felt confident, but as l had read and watched multiple times don’t stop shooting until you are out or the elk is down. So he turned more quartering to me and I took a second shot, again, no reaction. He turned broadside again and I took my last shot and he appeared to drop. At that point I was ecstatic but also anxious as I have hunted enough to know never assume what you see is what actually transpired. My hunting partner came walking up the valley and asked what happened, I said I was pretty sure we had an elk to haul out. We were all ready to rush up the slope but we decided to go back to camp and get packs and game bags and give the animal some time just in case.
The two miles round trip to camp and back may be the fastest I have ever covered 2 miles when not running. Once we were back at the base of the mountain we headed up the slope and the anxiety was starting to peak, I was confident of the shots and what I had seen, but there is always that doubt that can creep in. As we got to about 50 yards of the last spot we had seen the elk I looked up and could see antlers sticking up in the brush. I ran up and laid eyes on my first elk, a 5X5 that exceeded even my highest expectations. After a few moments of soaking it in, my two friends and I celebrated on the side of the mountain and then got to work. During the quartering I found my first two shots were good and the last one was a miss, I am still amazed the total lack of reaction from 2 hits out of a .300 WSM. By 4:30 that day we had all the meat and antlers back to camp and had put in about a total of 13 miles.
The next day we spent another 5 hours packing meat to the truck and getting it into the freezer and ready for the long drive back. We had stashed some cold ones with the freezer filled with ice back at the truck and after that last load that may have been the most refreshing beverage I have had in a long time. But even better was the good time spent with old friends and the ability to do it all for the price of a tag and some gas to get there.
I can say I already knew it when we left for this year’s hunt but that experience cemented it, we will be back every year as long as we are able.
Thanks for reading and thanks to all who have taken time on this site to put knowledge out there for those of us who didn’t grow up out west. There were a few members on here that really helped me with some of the access issues in our area and that information was greatly appreciated. Also, a big thanks to Randy and the OYOA crew for putting out all the YouTube knowledge content it was a great resource planning for this hunt.
