The veil has been opened! 1/11

[perma]

Day 5: Hide and seek

I thought that since the bull did not come out that he had left, so now the objective is to prove or deny this theory. I know this drainage is home so he either went left, right or down. Left was the first check. We walked up a ravine by the tree line and found a great park to sit and glass another unit he could have gone to and the mountain tops. Nothing, no sign, so he didn’t come this far. Good deal.

As we walk down, we were stopped by a horse rider that lose two of her horses. She had asked if we seen some but only reported tracks. We took an alternate way back to camp and I find something in the middle of this giant park. “STOP”! I shouted. I glassed up what I thought was an elk but turned out to be a horse.

I stopped for a second and said “we need to tell that lady, I thought it was an elk”. My dad put the pieces together of what I was implying so we turned around. Unfortunately she was gone somewhere so we left a note on the windshield. Hopefully the good karma pays off.

We go back to camp and drive onto the far side of the unit to the other side of the mountain. There was a basin this summer that held a lot of elk and it was a steep but short walk to get there. A logging road was supposed to be there according to my map, but dissipated 1/2 mile in. There is too much deadfall so we didn’t get to the basin. Again, no fresh sign except a deer bed from a night before.

At this point, I’m convinced the bull has not left, he’s just being a brat and not coming out. I know he’s in there, I just have to wait him out.

 

[perma]

Day 6: the heist

I got the best night of sleep so far. I’m in a bummed mood because my dad and I just learned that my god father’s wife passed away. She was a family friend but she had the respect of being called an aunt. That’s one thing you may learn from me: you may not be related to me, but if I call you uncle or auntie, it’s a sign of respect and fondness. This woman was a saint to me and my dad.

With trying to cope with that, we go back to the spot. I get there before first light. I glass and glass and nothing yet.

Here’s where I screwed up; Mr Sitka got in my head so I’m glassing way too far down to see if anyone else is down there. So while I’m paying attention to that, I glance back and boom, there he is for 10 seconds. I get the rifle out and dial to 350 but by the time I got the rangefinder up, he’s gone.

At this point, I am so infuriated with myself that I let him go. I had two ample opportunities that slipped through my fingers. (Don’t worry, my tent made it out fine).

We back out and come back to the evening. I look down again and someone has a tent set up down there. Shit, this area is getting the pressure now. I think there’s still a chance. We glass until dark but come out with nothing.

 

[perma]

Night 6: the turning point

On the drive back, I was forced into a very tough decision. It was not by chance that we were into elk. I poured so much time and effort into this second choice tag that I knew more than what most would. I knew where they would go once pressure came.

Prefacing with that statement, we’re driving back very tired. It’s 8 PM and we’re 1/4 mile from camp. To our surprise, a bull walked out into the middle of the road. Huge six-point bull. He came down from the same mountain we were hunting. Biggest bull in CO I’ve ever seen. He didn’t stay long and ran down.

There are a few issues I’m in conflict with. This bull was going down into post rut mode. Right below camp is a hike only drainage. It is absolutely miserable. I’ve never been in there but the topo is way nasty. My dad has been struggling with keeping up and climbing. I don’t believe we would make it down and up, with or without a bull. The other issue is that if we were to go back into the drainage, we ran out of gas in the UTV. No gas in the gas can. So we have to go to town and back which is a 3 hour trip. This whole time, I’m fighting myself on figuring out if I follow the bull down or if I go back up. The bull took the exact path I thought he would do. But was it the same bull I was hunting? I’m not sure anymore; it was late in the day and were both tired. I didn’t eat this night. I figured to try and sleep on it and make a decision in the morning. The last day is upon us.

 

[perma]

Day 7: all in on red

I woke up with 4 hours of sleep and a tough decision to make. My dad was up and ready to go but a little slow. I knew deep down I need to go low but I chose the option to go up. We get there before first light and glass. We stayed there all morning.

The bull never showed up.

Defeated and out of time, (dad was wrecked and needed to go home), we packed up and left by noon. Another unpunced CO elk tag……

This was the hardest I’ve ever hunted. Plenty of close calls and good/bad decisions made. It’s insane how much changes based on your decisions. I had an elk ready to get shot. Twice. All failed by fundamental mistakes. While I am in a slight depression because of those missed opportunities and making the wrong call on the last day, I remain content knowing I did make some good decisions. I could say that my mental clarity wasn’t there due to sleep, finding out a death in the family or other home issues influenced my decision making, the blame falls onto me. It hurts.

 

[perma]

I’m home now, down but not out. CO elk are tough to hunt. Anyone that does it regularly is a good hunter. I’m always humbled by those elk and will continue to pursue them until I cannot any longer. Those elk teach me more about myself every year.

I still have a deer tag in WY and an elk tag in WY. There’s still a chance. I may go out this weekend but we’ll see. I’m burned out a bit.

Mule deer up next. First mule deer hunt ever. Big two-point bucks and bigger are going down.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Keep at it, persistence is one of the biggest factors to successful hunting. You’re doing it right, just keep doing it. The cards will fall in your favor.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

I’m home now, down but not out. CO elk are tough to hunt. Anyone that does it regularly is a good hunter. I’m always humbled by those elk and will continue to pursue them until I cannot any longer. Those elk teach me more about myself every year.

I still have a deer tag in WY and an elk tag in WY. There’s still a chance. I may go out this weekend but we’ll see. I’m burned out a bit.

Mule deer up next. First mule deer hunt ever. Big two-point bucks and bigger are going down.

You were into elk, which is a victory on that type of tag. Sometimes there's a little luck involved with looking in the right spot at the right moment, especially if the animals are only showing themselves for a moment here and there.
Those influencer types can be a real distraction when you actually see one in the wild and as you saw they don't use conventional tried and true methods. I can understand how a decked out 'Gram'r could pull your eye away for a moment. You got to spend some quality time with your dad and saw some elk so you'll be more dangerous if you ever go back there.

I'm guessing you looked at the ATV and the other hunters and tried to gauge where a pressured bull may hole up, and they may have done just that. Holed up until dark.

 

[nrpate05]

When I moved out of CO last year, I threw away all my unpunched tags, most of them elk. It was somewhere between humbling and embarrassing. They are simply tough to hunt and there are so many variables, especially on public land in CO. With the effort you are putting in, you'll get an elk, probably sooner rather than later. Thanks for the write up.

 

[perma]

Keep at it, persistence is one of the biggest factors to successful hunting. You’re doing it right, just keep doing it. The cards will fall in your favor.

Thanks man. Rookie mistakes were made, won’t be the same story in another month.

 

[perma]

You were into elk, which is a victory on that type of tag. Sometimes there's a little luck involved with looking in the right spot at the right moment, especially if the animals are only showing themselves for a moment here and there.
Those influencer types can be a real distraction when you actually see one in the wild and as you saw they don't use conventional tried and true methods. I can understand how a decked out 'Gram'r could pull your eye away for a moment. You got to spend some quality time with your dad and saw some elk so you'll be more dangerous if you ever go back there.

I'm guessing you looked at the ATV and the other hunters and tried to gauge where a pressured bull may hole up, and they may have done just that. Holed up until dark.

Yeah exactly, all the machines were as high as they can get. They never got out and glassed, just drove the ridge. I doubt they saw as much as I did. I’m getting really good at reading the pressure, just not good at predicting the pressure yet.

I think it’ll be my last time going there. I’m trying to not hunt the same unit no more than twice. I feel like it makes me a better hunter.

Dad had a lot of fun though. Wanted an elk but was happy to be in the mountains.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

Day 7: all in on red

I woke up with 4 hours of sleep and a tough decision to make. My dad was up and ready to go but a little slow. I knew deep down I need to go low but I chose the option to go up. We get there before first light and glass. We stayed there all morning.

The bull never showed up.

Defeated and out of time, (dad was wrecked and needed to go home), we packed up and left by noon. Another unpunced CO elk tag……

This was the hardest I’ve ever hunted. Plenty of close calls and good/bad decisions made. It’s insane how much changes based on your decisions. I had an elk ready to get shot. Twice. All failed by fundamental mistakes. While I am in a slight depression because of those missed opportunities and making the wrong call on the last day, I remain content knowing I did make some good decisions. I could say that my mental clarity wasn’t there due to sleep, finding out a death in the family or other home issues influenced my decision making, the blame falls onto me. It hurts.

Don't beat yourself up. You found elk, had some close opportunities, and got to spend a week in the mountains with your dad. Sounds like a success to me.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Yeah exactly, all the machines were as high as they can get. They never got out and glassed, just drove the ridge. I doubt they saw as much as I did. I’m getting really good at reading the pressure, just not good at predicting the pressure yet.

I think it’ll be my last time going there. I’m trying to not hunt the same unit no more than twice. I feel like it makes me a better hunter.

Dad had a lot of fun though. Wanted an elk but was happy to be in the mountains.

Typical. I've always noticed the animals hear those ATVs long before me and would just move into the timber or out of the area for a bit, but would usually come back out. Repeated ATV traffic will usually move them into the next drainage or somewhere with no ATV activity.
If the hunting was decent don't give up on the area as you learn a lot the first season or 2 that'll help you with future success. You now know a few areas that hold elk and can probably work on checking out a couple new spots next time knowing you have some fall back options.

 

[perma]

Short memory. We’re going out this weekend to get us a muley. Stay tuned!

 

[perma]

Well it wasn’t much of a weekend. Couldn’t get around too much because of some rocky roads. However, I did see a group of does and a decent forkie. Spent the rest of the weekend fixing up my trailer lights. I realized that I will likely need a UTV for this hunt due to the nasty snowstorm coming in.

Feeing pretty good about the tag. Good for any deer, and I got some good spots pinned down thanks to @Wyhunter. Another 9 day hunt coming up. Day 8 and 9 is good for any deer. Any day before is a buck. Let’s hope the single digit temps and snowstorm gets those fat ones rolling around.

 

[perma]

5” of snow
5 deg lows this weekend
5 days off
Gassed up UTV
Wyoming mule deer hunt

These are a few of my favorite things.

Leaving tonight since the unit is close to home. Dad will be coming up tomorrow in the snowstorm, so I’ll have a head start. I’ll probably just sleep in the truck the first night and run it when it gets cold. Dad has the proper tools so no sense in me setting up for one night. Maybe.

First rifle deer hunt ever. One in two people killed a deer in this unit last year, and has been the lowest harvest in 5 years. I’m liking my odds.

 

[perma]

Day 1: That weird intuition

My Friday finally came to a close. I spent all last evening and my lunch hour finalizing my pack stuff. I was kind of excited to bring my UTV, first time I’ve ever brought it hunting. There’s a few gnarley roads in the FS that it would come in handy. I get to my camp and first check that it’s level and have good cell service. I unload the machine and take off to my first glass spot. As soon as I get out, *boom*. First gunshot. Holy cow, that didn’t take long.

There’s a few decent hills that you can glass from the road so I’m doing some panning and don’t turn up much. The wind is gentle and the evening temps are very mild. Feels like a hunt. I get back to camp. I decide that since dad is bringing his Davis tent, I’m going to rough it in the truck one night. Truth be told, I slept way more comfortably than I thought I would. In a pinch, this can do. I already ate so I fell asleep to some YouTube and watched as the sun fell.

Ever have a feeling you’re being watched? That was me at around 11 that night. I woke up out of a dead sleep because of that. To my surprise, I saw 3 does in camp. I knew they were does because the moon was a full harvester and I can make out the giant ears. I kept still in the truck and watched them walk by cautiously at around 50 yards. My mind started to wander, am I too low? Was there a forkie? Is the rut coming soon? All questions to be answered soon.

 

[perma]

Day 2: Let it snow

There was a predicted forecast of snow coming this past weekend. The question was always how much. The weather channel varied so much between 2”-10”. I anticipated on being stranded for the weekend so the more the merrier. Ultimately, we got about an inch or so. Not much but it was very cold and it was enough to track. Pretty good stuff.

I start in a drainage I’ve never been to, but the adjacent cluster of hills and mountains have shown to hold deer and elk, and there’s an aspen grove in there so why not?

I get to a little knob about 500 yards off the parking spot that overlooks a lot. I get there at first light and set up but don’t see much. I decide the ascend and start scouting. Didn’t turn up a thing except for some small doe tracks. Good, but not what I’m there for.

I get back and help dad set up camp. He’s having issues with the stove so we neglect it for the day and head out for the evening hunt. I decide to bump up and overlook another valley. We start walking to the edge and dad bumped a group of deer. We assumed initially it was does but by looking at the tracks, one was big enough to be a buck, maybe a just a forkie. We creep up more and bump them again. I shoulder my rifle and was only able to scope two does. The first one I could not make out clearly. We let them trot while we set up and glass this choke point in the valley. Dad came unprepared for the Wyoming winds and nearly got frostbite. We tired to set up a fire but it did no good. Reluctantly, we walked away before last light.

 

[perma]

Day 3: ripping winds

I’ll be the first to admit. I absolutely hate the wind. Despise it. Albeit, I’m in the wrong state if I want to piss and moan about the wind. If this is the worst thing I have to deal with, bring it on, Chris Ledoux!

The wind chill brought the temps down to the negative. Knowing that my dad turned into a popsicle last night (I slept in the truck again), some mercy for the morning was due. I opted to go back to where we were the night before, couldn’t let that area go yet. We were fortunate to glass from the truck and hop back in when it got too cold, but no bucks. They’re probably in the thick timber getting out of the wind, would be my guess.

At this point, still hunting is on my mind and seems to be the only viable option. On top of my abysmal relationship with the wind, I do not like still hunting. Still hunting takes away one distinct advantage that I inherited once I started taking this seriously; glassing. Sure, you can glass while you still hunt but the effectiveness of glassing drops a lot.

Annoyed, we head back to camp for a quick bite and a deserved nap. We end up throwing a wild card and driving clear across the unit into some state land that I haven’t been to. Plenty of doe tracks, no bucks. I finally glass from a road into a known trail area but didn’t turn up anything with a spotter. Still hunting seems all but inevitable….

 

[perma]

Day 4: turning the tide

Things started to get interesting. I opted to sleep in an extra hour. The night before was bitter cold. The stove would not keep the tent warm so I slept in the truck again. At this point, the truck has become my save haven, I’ve done everything in that thing. It’s making me thing about future hunts which is fun.

Anyway, I decide that I want to check on a group of does I found a week ago. Maybe the rut is starting earlier because of this weather. We get to the spot well past 8 and I was fortunate enough to turn up 5 does. Now keep in mind that this tag is good for any deer. There is no bias to what I can shoot here. I’m thinking of my dad and the weather so I’m pretty motivated to get my first deer and get some meat in the freezer. I have a large doe on my crosshairs for what seemed to be forever.

I have an internal dilemma that I’m fighting, even as I write this. My goal was to get an antlered deer and the doe is my last day plan. My wife wants me to get a buck because she carries more sadness when a female animal dies. Because of that thought, I couldn’t bring myself to shoot. I had a round chambered at 325 yards in a still winded canyon.

To my surprise, a fifth doe came out. She was limping pretty bad. My decision quickly changed as I knew what I needed to do. Unfortunately, she never gave me a clean shot and ultimately bedded behind a tree. I tried to wait her out but the wind eventually got to me and I chicken$#!++3d out of there.

We regroup for a quick bite and nap and head back to a close spot next to where I first started. We decided that still hunting was best. We walked up and around a mountain with the wind in our face and walked a good mile and a half slowly. To our surprise, we turned up numerous deer tracks and two fresh beds. My experience with deer did not tell me they were bucks or does so we walk out and strategize for tomorrow.

When I get back to camp, I start to realize that my Achilles tendon is hurting pretty badly. I wore the boots I’m using elk hunting last year and never had an issue with them, but this trip they have constantly become untied for no reason. When I laced them, I must have overtightened the shoes to the point my tendon was too restricted. At this point, I’m limping around… not. good.

 

[perma]

Day 5: the dark side of the moon

Things got bad last night. I woke up randomly with no rhyme or reason and couldn’t fall back asleep. I didn’t want to OD on melatonin and my tendon was throbbing. What is going on, I thought. My mind got dark. This unit provides a 50% hunter success for the tag I have, and that was the lowest it’s been in 5 years. How have I not seen a buck? Why is the weather this bad? Should I have shot that doe? Why of all times for an injury? It was 5 AM and I’m in a bad spot mentally.

I reluctantly get up and go back to the does and check on the injured one. I had found 4 of the 5 again and had one crossed up. 425 yards. She’s going down. Again, I’m brought into conflict in a moment of clarity of my wife. My decision quickly made easy because a fawn was trying to nurse on her. I quickly unload the round and place it back in the magazine. I told dad it’s time to get out of here. By that, I mean throw it in for now.

I looked at the forecast for the rest of the season; nothing but nasty wind. I didn’t want to drive back in 50 MPH gusts towing a UTV, and dad was down right miserable. I decided it’s time to go home and get some mental rest, thanks to the advice of @Wyhunter.

I get home and unload the trailer and UTV. I go and grab lunch for my wife and I explained what I almost did. We discussed that the tag was good for any deer and that I needed to verbally talk to her about the actions I may need to take to fill this tag. She and I came to a clear understanding that nursing does and fawns are off the table, and that if I see the injured doe again, I need to do what’s best for the animal, ranch rules only.

I’m staying home for the next day and am going back out for the last 4 days of the season. I need to rest this leg. No UTV, just enough food and water and truck camping.

We’re down right now. We’re not done yet.