Holy $#!#, I'm Tired.

[TOGIE]

I was really not going to have time to hunt today. I could either go check out my starting point or head straight to where I was staying, about 45 minutes from where I would be starting every day.

I decided best course of action was to go check out my access point off the highway, see how far I could make it on the road, and maybe even glass something up for the morning.

I was able to get about a mile on the dirt road. It was ripe for getting stuck with 7-20 inches of drifted snow and very slick. I made it to a wind blown area and decided to stop. I would be hiking from here.

The wind was whipping. Highway signs had been warning of 40+ mph gusts. I'm betting this was a sustained 25-35 mph or so. It was also cold, like 14 degrees.

I turned the truck so I could glass into the hills from the driver seat. Not seeing much. But figured I was here. Let's give it some decent glassing. I cracked the window enough to rest my binoculars on the window and turned off the truck. The wind would still cause plenty of vibration, but it was still plenty still. The wind and cold temps had me having to put on gloves to glass, even sitting in the truck.

Whoa, wait. That looks like a big group of animals. Definitely brown. Yep, that's elk. Gotta be at least 50 of them.

I'm suddenly pumped. They only look to be about 1.5 miles away. That would absolutely keep them on public.

It's 2:30 pm. Sunset is like 4:35 pm.

1.5 miles? pffft plenty of time. Time to gear up. I was in my driving clothes, not planning to hunt today. That wasn't fun in the wind.

Geared up, layered up, little wal mart sled strapped to my pack.

Let's do this. I was gonna shoot an elk this afternoon. The terrain was perfect for sneaking up there.

 

[TOGIE]

I hike for a good 30 minutes and start getting to where i'd start going up into the array of little ridges and valleys that ascend up to where the elk are. As I had approached it looked like they were feeding and mingling towards me. I kept thinking "man this couldn't be coming together any better"

I finally approach the first ridge running perpendicular to me and start working up. Then the next.

"okay, the elk should be over this ridge"



woop, nope. probably that next ridge.



woop, nope, must be further.

I climb up high on one ridge to try and relocate the elk.

Oh, there they are. Wait what?! How are they all the way over there??

They're bedded down now in a little ravine sheltering from the wind. Looks to be about where I initially saw them. I looked at Onx, I'd gone almost 2.75 miles by now.

^%&$ is that real? I've got a ways to go and it was like 3:45 pm. I look back and the truck looks reallllly far away. How could this have been so deceiving?

I felt like i was on Hoth. The wind had not let up, seemingly gotten worse. The snow consistently ranged from 6 inches to 2 feet and i'd get postholed in little deceiving 3 foot drifts sometimes along the way. I was tired. It was definitely colder now too. I was starting to feel nervous about this.

But as usual I said to myself "well i'm here, might as well keep going and see what happens"

 

[TOGIE]

My confidence about today is slipping fast. It's really cold. I pull out my water to get take a drink and realize it's starting to freeze. I have to punch through the top that has a frozen block in it to get some. My hand basically turns numb instantly as I took off my glove to do that.

But i've closed the distance. I know now that i'm actually about to crest the final hill to be on top of the elk. But more time had burned to get there. It was about 4:25, sunset was about 4:35. The sky was starting get it's dusk colors as the yellows were turning to orange. I think the temp was well into the single digits and the wind had gotten worse yet.

I continue to creep forward over this ridge and finally start to see the heads of elk. Whoa, they're closer than i anticipated. Sub 100 yards.

I drop down and creep forward as I start to take my scope cover off. I sit there on my knees looking at them through my binoculars. It was indeed around 50 elk, several spikes, the rest cows. I set up with my bi pod and lay in the snow, take off my shooting glove and rack a round. There is one cow off on the left with none around it, and it just so happens to be standing up. Target acquired.

I try to get a range of it but i can't. I couldn't range anything. I tried every object I could, the whole blob of elk, other elk, bushes, everything, it wasn't working. I don't know if it was the cold or the ground snow blowing around or what.

The ground snow is whipping into my face, my shooting hand is completely numb at this point. I look at my phone and it's just after 4:30. The sky is even more orange as I look off to the horizon.

While i'm sitting there starting to shiver I remembered my water is basically fully frozen at this point. I can't feel my hand. The wind is horrendous. And it's cold as shit. The nail in the coffin was I'd just remembered how far i'd just hiked through all that gawddamn snow. It was 3.5 miles ultimately.

I take one last look at the cow through the cross hairs and sigh. I imagined the headlines "dumbass colorado man shoots elk in arctic conditions at sunset in southern wyoming, subsequently dies of hypothermia trying to quarter it in the field"

I pull the bolt grab the round and stuff it back into the magazine and put the scope cover back on.

I start trying to back out and 50 elk heads all whip in my direction.

String of curse words from my mouth. They hesitate and all get up and move up the hill a short distance and just stop. They can't smell me, so they're not fully in bolt mode yet. I just stand up and start walking away at this point.

I make sure to grab a live pic. I feel it captures the essence the conditions rather well. The whole herd was just staring at me, still well within shooting range. I have one final thought of just shooting one gutting it and tagging it and coming back in the morning. I squash it immediately though. But I do kinda smile at the thought of having to hike in a reciprocating saw to cut up a frozen block of elk the next day.

Sigh.

 

[TOGIE]

As I continuing walking away after taking the final picture, the elk fully bolt.

I can't believe it. They were settled, they likely weren't going to be going anywhere. I could've just glassed them from the truck and come back at the crack of dawn and been on top of them by 9 am.

You stupid stupid man. They're gone now. Who knows where they'll be if they're even anywhere you can get to them.

I grab one more pic as the dark continues to settle in around me. I had a decent hike back to the truck. I was mad at myself. And the anxiety of being way the hell out here in the middle of nowhere this far from the truck in the dark in such dangerous weather had my anxiety creeping higher yet.

Well, I'll come back tomorrow and see if i'm lucky enough to relocate them or find others. I do have more time, after all.

 

[HuntTalk Freak]

fact.

further, i dont understand why a nursery needs to be more than a changing table and a crib from the thrift store.

but, i'm also not a chick, so.

My wife and I got into our first big fight over the nursery and hanging curtains. My daughter didn’t even sleep in her own room the first year.

 

[TOGIE]

My wife and I got into our first big fight over the nursery and hanging curtains. My daughter didn’t even sleep in her own room the first year.

too many occasions I would resist a suggestion for nursery colors or furniture or a new thing to DIY for the nursery cause like, why the hell do we always have to complicate things? we have no time for anything without doing that stuff!

I learned to stop doing that pretty fast....

 

[marksjeep]

My daughter will be 16 in March. There are sooooo many occasions when I long for a nursery and infant who does not sleep. Sooooo many....

Now get back to hunting. I'm heading to Wyo tomorrow, enjoying this story.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

@TOGIE I got to ask, why are you ranging so much when close?

 

[TOGIE]

@TOGIE I got to ask, why are you ranging so much when close?

Mostly, I just like to know. I keep yardages in my spreadsheet of data on all my kills. I like having that information.

But more mostly and more importantly, i never want miss and I want every time I pull that trigger I can say I did everything I could to have done it right.

The one time I didn’t range an animal I thought was only 120ish yards away I blew off it’s front right leg because it was actually around 200 yards away. Bullet went under its quartering away chest. This was a buck pronghorn.

I never ever ever want to see that happen again. Gosh I hated that.

But also, data

 

[Jbotto]

But more mostly and more importantly, i never want miss and I want every time I pull that trigger I can say I did everything I could to have done it right.

Can relate. I carry the annoying thing around with me, I might as well use it. Helps my confidence if I know exactly how far it is even when I don’t have to adjust point of aim. Silly, but true.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

Mostly, I just like to know. I keep yardages in my spreadsheet of data on all my kills. I like having that information.

But more mostly and more importantly, i never want miss and I want every time I pull that trigger I can say I did everything I could to have done it right.

The one time I didn’t range an animal I thought was only 120ish yards away I blew off it’s front right leg because it was actually around 200 yards away. Bullet went under its quartering away chest. This was a buck pronghorn.

I never ever ever want to see that happen again. Gosh I hated that.

But also, data

Data! I too geek out tracking odd stuff. I missed an antelope once by a mile because the scope was jacked way off. Herd was close I could hear them moving in the grass. First thing I thought was I could have hit it with open sights.

But now Warne Maxima and mpbr serve me well. Maybe someday I’ll have a 338 Lapua topped with a Burris Eliminator and not give a damn, but not today.

 

[bullbugle307]

I knew I had to be quick! Helluva story. I've had some of my best luck hungover as hell too. Congrats on the deer. Still got 3 days left!

I shot my first buck with a wicked hangover

 

[Elkdog]

@Hunting Wife this has GOT to win something!!!

 

[Nick87]

Mostly, I just like to know. I keep yardages in my spreadsheet of data on all my kills. I like having that information.

But more mostly and more importantly, i never want miss and I want every time I pull that trigger I can say I did everything I could to have done it right.

The one time I didn’t range an animal I thought was only 120ish yards away I blew off it’s front right leg because it was actually around 200 yards away. Bullet went under its quartering away chest. This was a buck pronghorn.

I never ever ever want to see that happen again. Gosh I hated that.

But also, data

What were you shooting?

 

[Deleted member 28227]

My confidence about today is slipping fast. It's really cold. I pull out my water to get take a drink and realize it's starting to freeze. I have to punch through the top that has a frozen block in it to get some. My hand basically turns numb instantly as I took off my glove to do that.

But i've closed the distance. I know now that i'm actually about to crest the final hill to be on top of the elk. But more time had burned to get there. It was about 4:25, sunset was about 4:35. The sky was starting get it's dusk colors as the yellows were turning to orange. I think the temp was well into the single digits and the wind had gotten worse yet.

I continue to creep forward over this ridge and finally start to see the heads of elk. Whoa, they're closer than i anticipated. Sub 100 yards.

I drop down and creep forward as I start to take my scope cover off. I sit there on my knees looking at them through my binoculars. It was indeed around 50 elk, several spikes, the rest cows. I set up with my bi pod and lay in the snow, take off my shooting glove and rack a round. There is one cow off on the left with none around it, and it just so happens to be standing up. Target acquired.

I try to get a range of it but i can't. I couldn't range anything. I tried every object I could, the whole blob of elk, other elk, bushes, everything, it wasn't working. I don't know if it was the cold or the ground snow blowing around or what.

The ground snow is whipping into my face, my shooting hand is completely numb at this point. I look at my phone and it's just after 4:30. The sky is even more orange as I look off to the horizon.

While i'm sitting there starting to shiver I remembered my water is basically fully frozen at this point. I can't feel my hand. The wind is horrendous. And it's cold as shit. The nail in the coffin was I'd just remembered how far i'd just hiked through all that gawddamn snow. It was 3.5 miles ultimately.

I take one last look at the cow through the cross hairs and sigh. I imagined the headlines "dumbass colorado man shoots elk in arctic conditions at sunset in southern wyoming, subsequently dies of hypothermia trying to quarter it in the field"

I pull the bolt grab the round and stuff it back into the magazine and put the scope cover back on.

I start trying to back out and 50 elk heads all whip in my direction.

String of curse words from my mouth. They hesitate and all get up and move up the hill a short distance and just stop. They can't smell me, so they're not fully in bolt mode yet. I just stand up and start walking away at this point.

I make sure to grab a live pic. I feel it captures the essence the conditions rather well. The whole herd was just staring at me, still well within shooting range. I have one final thought of just shooting one gutting it and tagging it and coming back in the morning. I squash it immediately though. But I do kinda smile at the thought of having to hike in a reciprocating saw to cut up a frozen block of elk the next day.

Sigh.

View attachment 258132

I love this gif

Really appreciate your recap, misery loves company I guess

 

[Khunter]

wise choice to pass IMO. And nice photos! Definitely not a fan of hunting (and field processing) in freezing conditions like that. But hiking way the heck over there to realize it was not something I wanted to follow through on so I can have a long hike out in the dark? do that way too often.

Look forward to reading how it goes from this point.

 

[Irrelevant]

You succeeded better than I the only time I tried a Dec cow hunt in Wyoming. I only saw one group of elk, and by the time I figured out what order to shed clothes and backpack and slung rifle, they'd bolted. I remember it was so cold that the air was full of ice crystals and you really couldn't glass anything to the south, toward the sun

 

[TOGIE]

What were you shooting?

30-06

i'm not 100% sure what bullets i was using. that was a while ago. probably 150-155 grain accubond though i believe.

 

[TheTone]

That Wyoming stuff looks like pure misery to me!

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

You succeeded better than I the only time I tried a Dec cow hunt in Wyoming. I only saw one group of elk, and be the time I figured out what order to shed clothes and backpack and slung rifle, they'd bolted. I remember it was so cold that the air was full of ice crystals and you really couldn't glass anything to the south, toward the sun

Yes sir, I too have held a WY Type 6 elk permit. So very cold and the only time I’ve ever used beeswax skin protectant. We saw a lot of moose.