2014 CO Elk Hunt Story
- bowhunter15
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2014 CO Elk Hunt Story
In a nutshell: Tons of hunters, few elk sightings, no elk shot. I will put up a video after work. It won't be the same quality as the bear video, mainly because the 8" of snow on Sunday put my Canon Vixia out of commission until the last day due to moisture and my HD cell phone camera was the backup, but I will put something interesting and informative together. Will update tonight.
- backstraps
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Re: 2014 CO Elk Hunt Story
Sorry the hunt didn't go better. As always , looking forward to your video.
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- bowhunter15
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Re: 2014 CO Elk Hunt Story
All in all you could call it an adventure...
When we arrived at the trailhead after driving over 17 hours, we could barely find a spot to park. Several trucks, SUVs, and campers were already there, including a few horse trailers. The topo map only showed one trail (no motorized vehicles) leading out. We hiked in 1.5 miles on the trail, then another 2 miles plus elevation off the trail to set up first night's camp. Had we gone another few hundred yards along the main trail, we would have seen where the horse trail forked, with a heavy unmarked trail going right up to the top of the drainage. On opening morning, I was at the top of a saddle 5 miles in. One guy walked past right before shooting light. He said "I'm just going to be going on the back side of you a ways... I have two guys set up on the front side of the saddle too. At that point, I didn't really have anywhere else to take off to, so I sat there. At 9 o'clock, shooting started close. I walked over to the front side of the saddle to see a 5x4 downed. Had the bull been able to somehow maneuver around the shooters, who were posted up on open outcroppings with bipods and long range scopes, I might have had a chance. Still hunting the bedding areas showed tons of sign, and I even spotted two cows sneaking through the trees.
On Sunday, a heavy snowstorm engulfed the mountain. I don't know where the bottom of the cloud was, but I couldn't see it... for 36 hours. It snowed off and on the entire time, leaving behind 8 inches. After that, elk sign was incredibly hard to come buy. I'd put on several miles each day looking for fresh tracks, occasionally finding a couple. I heard no shots Sunday or Monday. Tuesday, I couldn't get out of the tent because my boots were frozen solid. I tried for 15 minutes. About to get out my stove and melt them, I said forget it and slept in another couple hours. I heard a couple shots that morning. One guy in my group missed a couple cows. They were starting to see more sign closer to the lot, which was starting to make sense. With the numbers of horse camps set up, the further back I went the more hunters I saw. The trip ended with no animals taken.
For next year, I am looking into archery hunts. This one sort of reminded me why I really don't like hunting the general gun season that much. It reminded me a lot of whitetail. Know the best escape route that isn't already going to be hunted, be set up there opening morning, and you'll do well. Otherwise you're playing catchup the entire week. I heard a couple bugles opening morning but not after that. Would have been nice to hear some more.
[bbvideo=425,350]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NYmNftgDj0&feature=youtu.be[/bbvideo]
When we arrived at the trailhead after driving over 17 hours, we could barely find a spot to park. Several trucks, SUVs, and campers were already there, including a few horse trailers. The topo map only showed one trail (no motorized vehicles) leading out. We hiked in 1.5 miles on the trail, then another 2 miles plus elevation off the trail to set up first night's camp. Had we gone another few hundred yards along the main trail, we would have seen where the horse trail forked, with a heavy unmarked trail going right up to the top of the drainage. On opening morning, I was at the top of a saddle 5 miles in. One guy walked past right before shooting light. He said "I'm just going to be going on the back side of you a ways... I have two guys set up on the front side of the saddle too. At that point, I didn't really have anywhere else to take off to, so I sat there. At 9 o'clock, shooting started close. I walked over to the front side of the saddle to see a 5x4 downed. Had the bull been able to somehow maneuver around the shooters, who were posted up on open outcroppings with bipods and long range scopes, I might have had a chance. Still hunting the bedding areas showed tons of sign, and I even spotted two cows sneaking through the trees.
On Sunday, a heavy snowstorm engulfed the mountain. I don't know where the bottom of the cloud was, but I couldn't see it... for 36 hours. It snowed off and on the entire time, leaving behind 8 inches. After that, elk sign was incredibly hard to come buy. I'd put on several miles each day looking for fresh tracks, occasionally finding a couple. I heard no shots Sunday or Monday. Tuesday, I couldn't get out of the tent because my boots were frozen solid. I tried for 15 minutes. About to get out my stove and melt them, I said forget it and slept in another couple hours. I heard a couple shots that morning. One guy in my group missed a couple cows. They were starting to see more sign closer to the lot, which was starting to make sense. With the numbers of horse camps set up, the further back I went the more hunters I saw. The trip ended with no animals taken.
For next year, I am looking into archery hunts. This one sort of reminded me why I really don't like hunting the general gun season that much. It reminded me a lot of whitetail. Know the best escape route that isn't already going to be hunted, be set up there opening morning, and you'll do well. Otherwise you're playing catchup the entire week. I heard a couple bugles opening morning but not after that. Would have been nice to hear some more.
[bbvideo=425,350]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NYmNftgDj0&feature=youtu.be[/bbvideo]
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Re: 2014 CO Elk Hunt Story
Sorry to hear you were surrounded by other hunters. I agree bow season might treat you better, less guys to deal with anyway! Beautiful country though!
- hunter_mike
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Re: 2014 CO Elk Hunt Story
Great video and looks like you gave a full effort. Better luck next time. My group felt similarly after leaving idaho (as though we could come back and have success next time). At least you got to hunt the mountains, looked like some beautiful country.
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“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
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Re: 2014 CO Elk Hunt Story
Thanks For posting. I am looking at doing a DIY elk hunt in CO and your video showed the reality of doing a rifle hunt...looks tougher than an archery hunt with the weather and hunting pressure. I am looking forward to your gear review video.
- AntlerAddiction
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Re: 2014 CO Elk Hunt Story
I watched the video. You still did a great job recording everything esp. under the circumstances.
- Edcyclopedia
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Re: 2014 CO Elk Hunt Story
Thanks for sharing!
Wish you had scored, but there's always next time...
Wish you had scored, but there's always next time...
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
- Beartown18
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