Old Sarge out and about for 2018.....

[SFC B]

Getting this started ahead of time a little this year so I don't forget or miss anything. This off season has been eventful for me. I spent most of the summer at training for my new job, got Doug (the new rig) set up, a new pair of boots and just yesterday something I have wanted for eons .....a new Stihl saw. I will be leaving Friday for Wellington where I will shack up with CPO for a few days while I hunt PH on some private land near Carr. This is my first real private land go and since I already have a decent buck on the wall I MAY be just a little picky. From there the next, and biggest, move will be up for 2nd season in 26 for our yearly camp. CPO sprang for a new Davis Tent in the offseason as well and I'm looking forward to a really comfy camp. I am still hoping to get a call about some waterfowl hunting as well. It may be a little trite but I will say that I really am kind of living for hunting season these days. I have just a couple of more years of working and it is really cramping my style. Best of luck to all and I enter as I go.

 

[JohnCushman]

Give it hell Larry!!!

 

[deer_shooter]

Looking forward to the updates!

 

[Crossbowguy]

I will be following along!

 

[Addicting]

Keep is posted and don’t forget to take pics. I always regret not taking enough.

 

[SFC B]

I think I'm gonna take the nice camera that mama "just HAD to have" Christmas before last.....IJS

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Go gettm'SFC and CPO.Man its been 30 years since I used that lingo.

 

[SFC B]

Time to pack the truck and head north.....not too much really for this trip as I'm staying at CPOs. Here is the layout!!!!

 

[JohnCushman]

Hell yeah!

 

[SFC B]

All I do is drive old trucks and kill stuff; ) More to follow!!

 

[Redman]

Go getum! I won't be far from you 2nd season.
Look forward to the posts!

 

[SFC B]

I am back at home after a fairly quick trip. Friday started off a little iffy as the trip up to CPOs house in Wellington was kind of a nightmare. I don't know how many of you are familiar with traffic in Denver but it is NEVER good. Add into that a Friday afternoon and periods of rain along the way and it sucked. About 135 miles from my house to his and it took me 3.5 hours. Once I finally got off the exit in Wellington I headed straight to McDonald's for dinner. It may sound silly but the first season I went to elk camp with CPO I pulled in and ate before I headed to his house and ended up punching 2 elk tags. Soooooo, call me superstitious if you want, but I do the same every hunting trip.

After filling my gut I headed to the house not expecting to see CPO as he was supposed to be working. To my surprise, he opened the garage door and said " I felt a lil sick...cough...cough " So, I unloaded my crap into the garage and we shot the shiz for a few hours before I had to sack out. Wake up was 0530.

The ranch I was hunting was west of Carr so it was only about 17 miles door to ranch. I was hunting with an outfit that arranges access for handicap hunters and disabled vets in Colorado. This ranch is actually owned by the city of Fort Collins and managed for dual purposes. First they run about 1100 head of Angus cattle and second they use it as a place to get usage out of the solid waste from the waste treatment facilities. Basically fertilizer.

I got to the "check in" tent about 30 minutes before shooting light and was hooked up with Dave Cox, a local guy who had worked on the ranch prior to retirement. He wanted to drive and I was fine with that so we loaded my accessories into his truck and we moved toward the part of the ranch he thought would be most productive. He still had his gate keys so we got to drive into some places others would not have been able to, at least not as directly.

Through out the morning we would find high spots and glass pursuing the locals. In that time we came across 3 shooters. The one I eventually shot, one a bit smaller and one we called Flat Top as his horn spread so far they were almost parallel with the ground. We spotted FT and gave our best shot at getting to a point where we could get some sort of feature between us to enable a stalk of some sort but kept coming up empty. He had one girl with him and I don't think she was too receptive as she kept them on the move. After probably 45 minutes we lost them.....poooooof!!!

As we were scratching our heads this guy and his lady came walking out from behind a hill at about 327yds. A bit of a poke for me but I couldn't have tried if I wanted as I would have been shooting directly toward the interstate. The good news is they were taking a loop that would take them around a hill and intersect the 2 track we were on.

We were patient and along they came just walking. I got out of the truck and sat up with my by pod for about a 200 yd shot just before they would get to a fence. I kept on him and wanted to shoot before he got to the fence. I took the shot and with the wind was a touch back. I got him in the liver just as he ducked for the fence. He took about 10 stiff legged steps wobbled laid down and we waited for him to expire. We drove down to where he crossed the fence and after a short drag we loaded him up.

By the time we processed him and I stopped for lunch it was about 1400 when I rolled back into the CPO homestead. We then proceeded to drink beer and boil the skull. Got up this morning and headed home with a full cooler and a good start to the season. The final bit of pics are what the skull looked like after I used the power washer/car wash wand on it. Up next for the skull will be a bleach and then another wall bracket mount. Now I have three more days of leave to get my stuff all squared away for next week and 2nd season.....

 

[dirtclod Az.]

SFC B Nice looking buck,congrats.Bet the nieghbors loved the smell of boiled skull wafting down the street.

 

[SFC B]

SFC B Nice looking buck,congrats.Bet the nieghbors loved the smell of boiled skull wafting down the street.

Actually, neighbors were going out hunting today!!

 

[JohnCushman]

Helluva buck Larry!!

 

[Addicting]

Congrats!

 

[kansasdad]

Congratulations

Maybe FoCo needs to run fewer than 1100 cows on that acreage?? Not much winter chow left at all.

 

[SFC B]

Congratulations

Maybe FoCo needs to run fewer than 1100 cows on that acreage?? Not much winter chow left at all.

Dave said they come off NOV 15 usually......seemed pretty darn pitiful to me too. The total for the ranch is 26,000 acres and they do rotate between parcels.

 

[SFC B]

A little bit of a side note ....went to REI today as it is right down the street and I could use a lightweight chair. Struck out on any big enough for anyone other than a hobbit buuuuuuuut I decided to peruse the clearance bin. I have been waffling for a while now on buying a pair of moose hide choppers but the only ones I could find were from an outfit that didn't take credit cards and I am basically lazy. Cost would have been about $60 plus shipping. Back to the store, I found a pair of bison hide choppers INCLUDING wool liners for $26! It is the small victories

 

[Redman]

Congratulations on a fine buck!