First Elk Hunt Experience - How would you hunt this spot?

[HermanFromGA]

Hey guys,

I just got back from my first Elk hunt in Colorado and had a blast even though I struck out. I was able to glass a nice bull from the trailhead on the second night of the hunt, but I had a very hard time getting to his location to hunt him. I wanted to get some opinions and advice on how to hunt this time of location for future Elk hunts.

To get to where I saw the bull (the red marker on the image), I would leave camp around noon and then hike about 1.5 miles down a trail along a creek, and then follow a dry creek bed up into a drainage for another mile or so. Once I got up into the basin where I saw him, I would leave the creek bed and scale the side of the mountain to get into glassing position (the yellow dot). Once in position, I would glass the timber above where I saw the bull, and I had shots from roughly 100 yards, up to 300. I would hunt till dark then hike back to camp via headlamp.

This whole hike took me about 3 hours, and I would be sweaty by the time I got there, although it didn't really matter because I hadn't bathed in days. The hike up the creek bed wasn't too terrible, but I had to crawl through brush, over large rocks, and side hill the steep sides of the drainage the whole time. However, this was nothing compared to the sides of the basin, where I had to have at least one hand on the ground, sometimes two, to get up to a glassing spot. While this is probably normal for yall western hunters, this was a wild climb for a guy from Georgia. That yellow dot looks very low on the hill side, but it was everything I could do to even get that high up.

There were a couple big problems that I encountered, that made hunting this bull seem like an impossible mission.
1. The whole time I was hiking in, the wind was hitting me in the back of the head, blowing my sent up into the drainage in front of me. There was no way I was sneaking up on anything.
2. The mountain range I was in is one of the steepest in Colorado (which is why I chose the unit), but this made using the creek bed the only possible path up into the drainage. I tried going up the side one day and it crushed me.
3.If I killed a bull any higher than the yellow dot, it would be extremely brutal, and quite dangerous, to scale the sides of that basin to pack him out.
4. It was so cold during the dark hours (20s) but so warm during daylight (60s) that I chose to go in during the day and hunt the evening, which is when I saw the bull.


How would you guys hunt this bull? Is the only option to just man up, get up super early, and hike in there with the wind in your face, or non-existent, and then sit all day until dark? I'm not sure I even own enough warm clothes to not freeze to death while sitting up there. Please let me know how you would do it.

-Herman

 

[Bigjay73]

Unfortunately, you were probably screwed at #1. It's usually futile to approach with the wind at your back. If the terrain was that brutal to adjust for wind, or to get the animal out, I'd find a different bull to hunt. I would have tried to get on the north side of the northern ridge to get above him down wind, but it may have been too steep to attempt judging by your description

 

[utah400elk]

First,

For your first elk hunt it sounds like you had a great adventure. Elk hunting can be simply tough and old bulls have a few seasons under their hides.

I am only going from your description but...the wind at your back is a killer. Also coming in from below in the afternoon and setting up for a 100-300 yard shot is pretty much a death sentence for that hunt location. I would be willing to bet that bull was several drainages away before you ever reached you glassing spot on the first day.

Take it as a great learning lesson and try again. I am sure you have found out the worst/best part of the elk hunt...it’s very addicting!

 

[HighDesertSage]

I think no.1 would hose you right off the bat. If the elk smell you, they are gone. Was there any roads that come up the back side? Check out the MVUM on the hunt atlas.

 

[HermanFromGA]

I agree with all of you guys that walking in with the wind at my back was a dealbreaker, which is why I brought the scenario to you guys. I just could not figure out another way to do it and hoped the answer was not "find another bull".

The day before I saw the bull I tried to hike up the ridge from the west, and it took me half the day to get to a spot near the 10200 in the upper left of the image. I came up the ridge, starting just north of the creek at the trailhead and got to the ridge crest, roughly where the 10400 is on the map. I had planned to glass the north half of the big basin, but could not see out of the trees on the south half. I then side hilled through the dark timber on the north slope of that big basin basin to the west of my elk basin, looping around to the 10200.

I was so gassed and my feet were shot from side hilling for hours. I saw a ton of sign while "slipping" though, but it was about a 45 degree slope, and there was no way I could have hunted that successfully.

I totally understand why the bull was where he was. There are no roads anywhere near here, except for the trail along the creek. It is impossible for a man to go up the sides of those ridges, outside of the creek drainages. If I were to come up the creek bed of the big basin on the west side, and then come through the timber, to be looking into my basin from the north side, it would take all day to get there, and be a brutal and very dangerous hike down in the dark to get home. I just don't think it would be possible.

 

[JMG]

It's tough to give you precise advice, just looking at the map and your explanation. As stated above, if the wind is at your back ... you pretty much don't have a chance. Chalk this up to lesson(s) learned and apply them to your next hunt.

Be thankful you did'nt shoot that bull. Imagine the pack out with the topography you described. You may still be up there .

There are two possible ways, I may have attempted. From camp up the ridge (9,200 to 10,400) and try to stay just off the ridge top and gain elevation (easier said than done). Or continue up the creek past the basin where the bull was and head up the mountain w/ the 10,000 to the east of the bull. You could make your way up this "face" in one of the "depressions" in an attempt to stay out of sight of the elk (taking a risk). You would have to keep in mind the thermals (in the morning and the afternoon/evening) and the prevailing winds (typically from the west). Don't be afraid to take risks during your stalk ... in other words ... don't be afraid to fail. Everyone does it and there will be occasions it pays off.

Good luck in your next hunt.

 

[HermanFromGA]

It's hard to describe how steep that mountain is that the bull was on. The "face" that you are referring to would be impossible to scale without a mile long rope. Like you said, I'm definitely storing this experience in the memory banks, especially being able to visualized how steep a location is based off of the topo map. I knew it would be steep, but underestimated just how steep.

Thanks guys!

 

[Bulldog0156]

I would have tried to get in behind him from the west and gotten up early so I had all day to get after him. Quartering an elk with daylight is way easier to the point I'm not sure I would want to shoot one in the late afternoon.

 

[mixedbag]

Go to long range shooting school or find another bull to hunt.I don't care how much scent control stuff you use,if a bull smells something odd he is gone.You have the right idea on how to find elk,but if you can't get wind right,it's always best to back out and try another day or time.The thermals would have been going down that creek in the morning,and up in the heat of the sun.You should have tried heading up 3 hours before light when thermals would help you.My first year elk hunting I learned quick just how much they rely on their nose