Tried CO 4th season this year

[Elkduds]

A variety of forces conspired to influence my choice of tag this year. Chief among them: 1 preference point and curiosity about the unit where my RV lot is-49, a draw unit. 1 point only guaranteed a cow tag for 4th season. I spent half the weekends this summer scouting there, knowing elk would likely not be found in Nov. where they were in Aug. All through Sept. & Oct. I enjoyed reading about your adventures and successes, while getting anxious for my own hunt. A week before season opened last Wednesday, the forecast started predicting significant snow after a hot, dry autumn.

Tuesday after work I made the 90 min. drive to the RV campground. Dry roads, a few stars visible when I arrived. The winter storm watch was still in effect, but forecasters were waffling: the brunt of this storm will go north in CO. A few inches were forecast for my location. No tent camp to build this year. I just turned on the heat and electric blanket, microwaved dinner and laid out my stuff. Didn't really need the ceiling fan. I had some new pieces of clothing and gear to try, several spots in mind, and only a 5 day hunt. I never sleep well the night before season opens, but this time I did, failing to notice the snow start around midnight.

Roughing it @ elk camp

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The alarm woke me. Turns out it is much easier to get up and dress when your clothes and boots are warm! Back in the day my dad and his best hunting buddy would have termed this arrangement "candy-a$$," but the fact remains that I am much older now than they were then. Elk hunting is hard work, I'll take any slack I can get. Only an inch of snow on the truck, still coming down lightly. A short drive, a brisk hike, and I'm in spot #1 waiting for shooting light. I cut oven-fresh tracks within 20 min, @ least 2 elk.

Easy tracking, the new snow is a blank slate. I think they sense me, the tracks lose their meander and head straight down the hill through open timber, lightly logged many years ago. 50 yards of visibility, sometimes 100. I'm glassing every minute to see if they have stopped or turned. Scope is on 4 power, I can tell by feeling the zoom. My last lucky reload is in the chamber of my old 7 mag. I believe in these reloads, this rifle: 9 1-shot kills in a row on elk. Feeling confident over a mile of tracking. If I can see them, I can get them.

The tracks leave the timber, cross the open valley bottom. The sun climbs over the ridge we just descended. The storm is over. Daylight on the uphill side of the draw before me. It feels like I'm close. Don't even need the glasses to see tan and brown climbing, through gaps in the thicker timber. No logging in this draw. There, up and 150 yards out, a cow leading a calf. No time for binocs, I'm looking for others through the old Redfield scope. No dice, just those 2, about to reach the top of the draw and stroll out of sight. And I have a dilemma.

[Indian Summer]

I'm about to go to bed and you left me hanging! I'll have something to look forward tomorrow. So far a very good write up Elkduds.

[Elkduds]

Dilemma: Shoot either of a cow-calf pair? If there were 3 antlerless elk together, take one and leave two to cooperate through the winter. Shoot the cow and put the calf @ risk? That would be like accidentally killing 2 w one shot. Take the calf? There was not time for all that consideration. These 2 were in the trees, about to crest the ridge and be out of sight. The crosshairs bisected the last gap in trees as the cow walked across the scope image. The calf followed, 2 steps behind, and both passed from sight unscathed.

I held the scope on the last gap they crossed for a moment after they passed. Not because I couldn't decide, rather because I had decided years ago: I won't shoot a cow/calf pair. My finger lifted off the trigger. An initial sense of lost opportunity, a good chance this means another year of tag soup. Then, satisfaction: I tracked them well, and caught up without spooking them. I would have tagged out in the 1st hour of opening day, if there had been 3 elk. A summer of scouting was paying off well so far. And the tracking snow would last the day, at least.

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Alone in elk country, high peaks and blue skies. Hunting, tracking; this is what I dream of all year. So which would it be? Bumming about passing up a high-confidence shot, or making the most of the opportunity provided by new snow on opening morning?

I made a note to follow the elks' path some time later, having never scouted the hill where they crossed. Headed back to see if there were more where those came from. Back at the base of the first ridge they led me down, more tracks. Many more! A few sets soon became maybe a dozen. There was an elk party right here, shortly before I showed up. That bunch headed west, parallel to the ones I scoped, another reason to hunt this hill later. And a little farther on, 5 or 6 sets of tracks that had joined the herd. Backtracked those to their empty beds on the same ridge where I found the first tracks. The hillside that was so covered w elkduds during summer scouting was spilling its elk secrets now, sketched in rich detail in the new snow. It seemed like elk were thick on this hill.

[Elkduds]

Third and final installment.

Hard to slow my walking to a still-hunt pace. Glassing every 5 or so paces. No more tracks to follow. Probably looking for bedded elk, it would be good to see them before they notice me. Breeze is right to left, I angle a bit right. Slowly up through pine and spruce, left open by old logging. Staying focused, glassing slowly, looking for parts of elk, for small movements. Squirrels chatter, ravens converse. The cottontail rabbits here are the short-eared variety. These are the tracks I see, the movements that catch my focus. Back on top of the ridge, clearings and elk tracks. To the right is where I found the first tracks, I head that direction. Still glassing, walking slowly, stopping often. A small movement straight ahead, above ground level, rust colored, like a small bird. Instead of glassing it, I look where I'm stepping. When I look up, 3 cows are out of bed and trotting down the hill, 100 yards out. 3, my magic number. Cow calls don't slow them, and I notice the wind on the back of my neck as I doubletime down the hill on a parallel course to theirs. I've chased moving elk, lots of times, and seen them in range, a few times. Not this time. As the adrenaline fades, I find myself running down a hill through snow and old logging debris. 9500 feet elevation. It has become obvious they are out of sight. Did they scent me or see me? Out of breath, slipping and tripping, time to stop chasing. Act your age, I remind myself.

And those were the last elk I saw. Hunted all 5 days. The snow stayed in the shade, and I found elk tracks heading into steep, snowy slopes facing north. A rancher suggested a stretch of old road to cruise. at first and last light. To no avail. Hunted the hill where the first elk went, and several others. The weather warmed, the wind blew. I covered the country all day, through glass and on foot. Ended each day with a hot shower and an old DVD. Rushmore, 2 thumbs up. Raging Bull, not so much. Heard 4 shots in 5 days. Came pretty close, learned much about how elk use this country. Had a hell of a good time. Can't wait til next year.

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[elkstalker]

Great story and photos elkduds! Just getting out there and spending the days in elk country are worth the trip.

[Deanmac]

Great story I enjoyed the read

[ElkNut1]

Nice story Mark, I enjoyed the read sir, thanks for taking the time to share it! Good luck next year!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

Great story Mark. That is elk hunting alright.

[js80138]

Mark thank you for sharing your experience.