If you gloat...

[Jhg]

My season is over and its only fair that after gloating every chance I got last year I should admit tag soup.
A hearty congratulations to all those who found success this archery season.

I hunted two season- archery and late rifle.

A typical sunrise hiking in

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I hunted an OTC unit in Colorado for archery. I had some encounters, but on balance nothing like I wanted. Archery is hard enough without having just one chance. Anyway, the amount of pressure on the elk was intense and that showed in their behavior. The trailhead usually had 5 camps and about 15 or so vehicles (full). Three miles in there were another 5 or six bivy camps, some right on the meadows. Why anyone would think setting camp on an elk meadow is good practice IDK, but they do it.

My set up at the trailhead

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I approached my knee injury with the attitude that what I was doing every day hiking/hunting mimicked what the Dr's would suggest for rehab- push injury, manage swelling with ice and ibuprofen. Regardless, my distance was limited in that solo packing out a bull would have to be limited to 2 miles max. That alone put me right on the edge of where I was finding animals. They were in tough timber- lots of deadfall and steep N sloped pockets. The longer I hunted the more I learned about OTC units and by the time the season closed I knew what I needed to have known opening day.
Typical deadfall. I tried to avoid as much as I could but it was not always possible. Sometimes it really sucked.

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[Jhg]

I found some really cool dry wallows. This told me the bulls were being selective in their staging areas- hard to get to, thick, and usually steep.

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Some nice rubs were found as well

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[Jhg]

The days are gone when you could go into the back country and trash it. More and more users equal the necessity that we all take care to remove trace of our passing. My pet peeve is trash-holes. There is no excuse for it.
Here is some of the sh--t (literally) I either packed out after finding it left by others, or buried.

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[Jhg]

I like to remind myself a bad day hunting is still better than just about anything if you are not prone to self-pity.

Frost in the meadows. Elkmaster resting in the grass.

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A sunrise on the mountain

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Beauty is in the little things too. Regen on a fire scar

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[Jhg]

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A nice wallow on edge of the burn

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Honey, lets go "scouting" The days are over where that works. Typical terrain I saw while hunting. My wife has lost her enthusiasm for climbing deadfall. I can't really blame her.

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[Jhg]

I shifted to late rifle and tried to plan the snow events as these are migratory elk and you need to catch them coming down after a big snow or the snow has accrued enough depth that they want easier feeding.

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I wasn't very successful in doing that. Most elk had already come off the high country and were herding on private ranch land.
To keep with the deadfall theme there was more of that if I chose to climb through it.

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I saw a nice Lynx trail

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[Jhg]

I used Kahtoola micro spikes this year. Pretty nice for walking icy logs or anyplace (like rocks) that extra traction is needed.

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A curious and up close pine martin. My fav small assassin. There is either going to be pine martins, or fishers in this area. If a fisher is claiming territory he gets it as he is larger than the martin.

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A -5*F morning

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[Jhg]

I hunted hard. Fourth day, after not seeing any fresh sign or anything I hunted across a small sage valley that held a little spruce island on its other side. It was very cold, snowing and the wind was atrocious on the finger ridge I was on. Good vantage or not, I knew I couldn't stay long on that ridge being so exposed, so into the island I went, lickity split.

It was quiet in there, relatively, and moose had been bedding there.

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I thought to myself I should stay right there. But the urge to explore and keep moving that makes me a crappy fisherman held sway and I only spent five minutes in there. Dumb move and I should have known better.

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No sooner had I wandered out the other side two elk busted me. If I had just stayed where I was they would have walked right into me. To say I was annoyed with myself is an understatement. I could have tagged right there and had all day to pack out my animal and on a trail too no less.

[Jhg]

My beloved elk rifle leaning on a 110 foot tall spruce

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100 yards, free hand, aperture sights. Ignore the outliers. Concentration is not always a sure thing. Anyway, I can count on a 10 inch shot zone free hand at 100. The center red is 4"

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This is as good as I can shoot. A scope would improve me but I don't use them anyway so why bother. When I got the rifle I used a scope on it to see its accuracy and it was superb. I really like this rifle as you already know. It has good mojo.

[Swede]

Thanks for sharing. You don't come across as much of a braggart to me. You need to work on that if you really want to get nauseating.

[saddlesore]

I think you story is pretty much the same as a lot Colorado hunters this year. I have read a lot of "I saw no elk" rather than "I tagged out" Strange season for sure.
OTC seasons in Colorado have become pumpkin patches.

[7mmfan]

Thanks for sharing.

I too despise those that litter in our wild places. I've picked up an enormous amount over the years. Without fail, just when I get to a place that I'm sure is so far off the beaten path that I will not find sign of man, there is an old sardine can or beer can.

This year on a relatively new landing in a logging unit. I sat down to glass the cut below me. I knocked a piece of bark out of the way and under it was 2 empty tuna fish packages and candy bar wrappers. SOB's packed it 5 miles in to that cut, but were too lazy to put the garbage back in their packs. Drives me up the wall.