First Elk Hunt - DIY Colorado

[BigCountry101]

Hey guys, got back earlier this week from my first Elk hunt. It was DIY public land hunt in a pretty easy to draw unit in Colorado. One preference point did the trick. Ended up with a pretty nice bull. Writeup below!

Prep:
In mid-2020, after a few years of thinking about planning an Elk hunt I decided it was finally time to make it happen. I wanted it to be non-guided and public land. I planned to start putting in for the draw and preference points starting Spring of 2021. 2021 rolls around and… plot twist, my wife is pregnant with our 4th daughter and due in mid-October. I buy a point but don’t put in for anything. When 2022 rolls around the point is burning a hole in my pocket; I decide to cash it out, knowing I will have pretty good odds at a low hanging CO unit with it. It’s not a trophy unit by any means, but I’m ready to get out there. I end up drawing the first rifle season. Talked with my dad, and he is on board to come along as well.

[BigCountry101]

Day 1:
We roll out of Coleman before sunup in hopes of getting into the unit by dark. Between work and those 4 daughters I mentioned, I wasn’t able to make it up this summer to do any scouting. After days and days of looking at OnX I picked a spot pretty much right in the middle of the unit, thinking that it would be easy to pivot and head into new areas if needed.

Just before dark we roll into our destination. My initial impression is not a good one. There are 5 or 6 large camps nearby and the roads are absolutely terrible. Just driving in, I managed to bend up a running board and kick my back bumper up. To add insult to injury, the main “forest road” we were relying on to connect us over to the rest the unit is actually a dirt bike trail that we will not make it down. It looks like we have gone 2 hours off the pavement and into a dead end. When we leave this area it will be another 2 hours down the dirt road (using that term loosely) and then another 30 miles of pavement to access the rest the unit.

We setup camp in the dark, have a few beers and call it a night.

[BigCountry101]

Day 2, opening morning:
I’m up early and headed to a spot not too far from camp I had spotted on OnX the night before. Dad’s plan for the trip is to stick around camp, cook, and enjoy life while I’m out and about. To get to the morning hunting grounds I drive about a mile then will hike in. Driving in I pass two more large camps, each with half a dozen or so guys in them.

In Texas, even on the public land I tend to hunt, I hunt light. Gun, binos, bottle of water. But this is an Elk hunt and you’re supposed to carry a lot of s**t right?! I bet it takes me 10 minutes to get the backpack and everything on and ready by the truck. Finally, I head up the mountain. I instantly regret sitting around and drinking all off-season instead of getting into shape. That air sure feels thin!

About 30 minutes up the mountain, I start thinking of how quickly I could fling by gun around if I come across anything. #?*!!!! I didn’t load the effing gun and the ammo is in my truck. I make the walk of shame down the mountain, cussing myself.

Back at truck I regroup. Screw all this gear. I shuck everything except gun, binos, and a bottle of water. Gun now loaded, I set back up the hill. About 45 minutes later I finally get to the draw I want to watch. As I glass around the draw, I look about 100 yards down the hill and there sits a freaking can-am side by side. You have got to be kidding me… I think to look around and see if spot any bring orange hunters. Speaking of orange… I look down and realize when I shucked all my gear at the truck I forgot to but my orange back on. It’s like the d*** Griswalds Go Hunting. VERY frustrated, I head back down the mountain to the truck. When I get down there, there are now 3 other trucks in the general area. I decide to call it a morning, hop into the truck, and head back to camp. Dad and I decide to make a drive big loop around our area to scout around. We are not overly impressed with the area, to say the least. But we do find a decent looking draw for me to hunt that evening…

[BigCountry101]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BigCountry101]

Day 2, evening hunt:
After lunch and a few hours at camp, I head out for the evening hunt. Dad and I have pretty much decided that I will hunt here tonight and in the morning. While I am out in the morning Dad will pack up camp and we will head to greener pastures.

I park the truck and head towards the clearing we spotted early that morning. My plan is to setup about halfway up the draw. From there, I can see about 400 yards up the clearing and another 400 yards down the clearing. I set there until 6:30, not seeing any sign of life. It’s not quite dusk, but I decide to start slowly heading towards the truck, knowing that when I turn the bend I will be able to see another 400 yards of country that I can’t see from where I am currently sitting.

Just as I get into view of the new country, I see a few dots WAY across the clearing, like a mile away on the other side of the main meadow. I throw up my binos and count 17 Elk grazing down out of the thick trees and into the meadow. The range finder says they are 1850 yards away. It’s getting dark now and there is no way I can make a move on them tonight. But I know where I’ll be hunting tomorrow…

[BigCountry101]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gclyde28]

Lol. In for the rest of this. Getting some good exercise so far.

Edit: You must have this pre-typed out because these posts are comin FAST!

[BigCountry101]

Day 3, morning hunt:
Seeing the Elk last night turned around our view of this area. It’s good to know that there are at least a few around! We figure it’s worth sticking around here for at least one more day.

I’m up and setup on a clearing well before dawn. It’s a big clearing I spotted the day before and from the point I’m sitting on, I should be able to see about 400 yards across and then another 600 yards each direction. This isn’t exactly where I saw the herd the night before, but it’s close, with just one small mountain between the areas. It’s in the mid-20s and chilly, but I’m pretty happy with the area and settled in by 6:00 AM. Most importantly, I have all my gear this time!

Well Sh**. Right about prime time, just when you can just start to see two freaking four wheelers packed with hunters make their way up a trail I didn’t know about directly across the clearing. They go way up the canyon past me, but as it gets lighter I see that they kicked off a hunter DIRECTLY across from me. The whole tree line I’m watching is pretty much blown.
I decide to look at the map and see if I can recoup the hunt somehow. If I follow the tree line I’m sitting on, it will go about a mile and then loop back towards the mountain separating me from where I saw the herd last night. It beats sitting here and looking at the other hunter, so I get up and start slowing walking through the woods, parallel to the clearing. I don’t see any elk, BUT I do stumble across a bachelor group of six mule deer ranging from a spike to a six point. Not what I’m after, but nice to see some game so close!

After I see the mule deer, I have pretty much made the mile or so arch and am at the base of the mountain that separates my area from where the herd was. I decide to go up and over, hoping that up top I can walk the ridgeline and glass over into that next canyon.

It’s steep with a handful of false summits. The hillside and top and thick aspen. I’m pretty beat by the time I reach the top. I can’t see a ton from where I am, but pause to catch my breath.

ELK! Directly in front of me, in about the only clear window I have any visibility through, I see 5 cows run across. I run forward about 10 yards so I can see better. BULL! There is a big bull chasing the cows. I throw up by binos for a closer look. I’m no elk hunter at this point, but sure looks big to me! They run out of the clearing and into the forest. From start to finish I bet they were visible for about 20 seconds. I range to where they were and it was 650 yards out.

At this point, I throw my plan to stay on the ridge out the window and head down the hillside towards the area I last saw them. I end up in the bottom; it’s the exact same clearing where I saw the herd the night before. There is sign everywhere.

I don’t see them again that morning and decide not to pursue them too aggressively as to now push them out of the country. It’s a long walk back to the truck having covered about a five mile loop that morning, but you can bet I’ll be back for the evening hunt!

[stickman]

Keep the story coming!

[BigCountry101]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[diamond10x]

You have got to be kidding me… I think to look around and see if spot any bring orange hunters. Speaking of orange… I look down and realize when I shucked all my gear at the truck I forgot to but my orange back on. It’s like the d*** Griswalds Go Hunting.

I love it. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that this happens to at times haha.

[BigCountry101]

Day 3, evening hunt:
Back at camp, I tell Dad about the morning hunt. Any thoughts of leaving this area are long gone! I had spotted a good area near parking where we can sit this evening and convince Dad to come along. We roll out of camp and by 3:30 are setup. From our spot we are looking 200 yards across a clearing to the tree line. We can see about 400 yards in each direction. 400 yards downhill to the right is where the herd was the night before. 200 yards up and so the left is where the bull and cows were this morning.

5:50 PM. Sun is getting low and it’s prime hunting time. Dad nudges me, there is a cow coming down a little ravine directly across from us. It’s moving painfully slow, but keeps looking back. 2 cows, 3 cows, 4 cows! Over the next 10 minutes 6 cows come down the ravine and another 2 up the tree line about 50 yards.

I’m nervous as a cat. At this point the first cow out has been feeding across the clearing and is directly to my left about 75 yards. It’s getting awfully suspicious of us. I look over and see the cow looking at me looking at it. Crap! I’m pretty sure they are going to blow out at any minute.

“Bull, bull”…. My dad is nudging me and whispering under his breath. Me and the cow are still having a stare off. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to turn, pickup my gun, and get the bull in my sights…

About that time a bugle rips right across the clearing! Every cow in the meadow turns back to look. I seize the moment and grab my rifle, put it across the tripod, getting the bull in my sights. Holy smokes, it’s a big a** rack! I take the shot. The bull turns around and heads up the ravine about 10 yards. I jack another shell in and take aim again. He is a little wobbly, pretty sure my first shot was good. I shoot again, hitting him in the neck. He drops. I can see his horns sticking up out of the tall grass.

High fives and hugs all around. I can’t believe it came together like it did and can’t imagine a better hunt and moment to share with my dad. Truly a hunt I will remember forever!

[BigCountry101]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BigCountry101]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[stickman]

Great recap and what an awesome public land bull. Super cool you were able to share that hunt with your dad.