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Hunting - other than deer
Colorado outfitter recommendation
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<blockquote data-quote="ShortMountain91" data-source="post: 4800113" data-attributes="member: 19641"><p>For sure. So I had 8 days to hunt if need be. Day 1 I set up base camp and hunt over water in the afternoon. Hear some but not much else. Day 2 I go back to the same water hole but hear one and get to chasing him. That bull eventually shuts up and I hear about on the opposite hillside. Get after him and get within what sounds like 300 yards but the wind switches and I run out of daylight. Day 3 I put in some serious miles. Biggest part of the day is I see a bull bedded down (first picture) with a spike raking a tree. They're in some thick scrub brush but I try and work around to them. Going through as quiet as I can and suddenly a different bull I never seen pops out 10 yards and is staring me down. Draw back the bow and he busts down the hill. This runs out the bull I was after. Hunt till dark then 3 miles back to he truck. Ended the day with over 14 miles of rough terrain. Day 4 get up super early and climb to the top of the mountain to get a good view of the area and try to intercept any bulls working up to their bed. Don't immediately find any so start working the finger ridges coming off the main ridge I'm on. Eventually spot a nice bull (2nd picture) on the next over finger ridge. Watch him till he gets in the trees and make my move. Once I get over there I'm just slowly working toward the trees he went into. See antlers over the top of the brush coming right toward me. Get behind a bush and range a nearby bush that he's going toward at 30 yards. He comes right where I expect and I get my bow drawn. He stops right behind the tree I ranged. I can see his head and neck but vitals are completely blocked. We have a stare down at full draw for what feels like forever and he eventually doesn't like what he sees and turns around and goes the opposite direction around the tree. Pops out the other side and I think I have a shot. Let it fly and see the arrow fletching chocolate chip cookie a weird way. Don't know if I hit a branch or clean miss but the bull runs off and stops at 110 yards and I can tell he's fine. He goes over the hill and bugles as a final goodbye. This is the low part of the hunt. The afternoons a bust. Day 5 I head back to the same area but before I even start up the mountain I hear 2 bulls in the bottom with me while it's still pitch black dark. Work 2 of them in the dark for about an hour. It's about 20 min into legal shooting light and a truck comes rolling up and busts out both of those bulls. Wish the dude would've just slept in if he was gonna come in that late. As I can see better I realize there's some more guys in there also. The place I had to myself the day before is now got at least 5 hunters including myself. Head to a new spot for the after and after a few miles in bump a small bull. Keep working the top of the hill and get a response. Long story short I call to this bull and 2 others from noon till almost dark and he's talking but doesn't want to come in. About a hour until the end of shooting light a 4 wheeler comes riding down the ridge line I'm on. Dude sees me and leaves and I still talk to that bull till dark but he never comes in. That evening doubt starts creeping in and I start to feel like I missed my chance from day 4. Can't sleep thinking I might eat this tag. Day 6 try a new spot. Start up the canyon and hear a couple. Plan to get up high and cut them off as they work up. I'm in a big pretty open grassy draw and one sounds decently close. It's shooting light now and I set up behind a big tree and start calling. This bull bugles and sounds like he's within 300 yards. Up to this point multiple bulls had been answering calls but nothing was coming in. I thought of it like turkey hunting where in the morning you can get them to gobble but getting them to come in is a different story. Anyway this time with this bull is different. But some cow calls and he comes on a rope running in. Stops at 25 yards on his own and he's standing where I think he's just slightly quartering toward me. Put the pin behind the shoulder and let it fly. Hear that thump when you know your arrow smacks something. He runs maybe 15 yards and stops perfectly broadside like nothing happened. I knock another arrow and he's still standing there. Draw back then he takes off over the hill. Feel great about the shot. Go over and look for my arrow and blood. Can't find either and get a little nervius. It was early and the ground was moist so I can see his tracks pretty good. Track him for about 50 yards and find a pin drop of blood. Relief that I definitely hit this bull. Go another 40 or so yards on his tracks and it looks like he opens up and starts pouring. Track him to the edge of the draw I originally worked up. Pull up the binos and I'm pretty sure I see him laying dead in the bottom of the draw. Get really excited. Left some stuff back toward where I shot him so I go pick that up and get back over to the edge of the draw and pull up the binos again and now the bull is not where I was pretty sure I saw him laying. Go down to where I thought I seen him laying and I see him moving through the woods. He's not running. Moving more like a horse walking through a field. Seeing this I knew he was fatally wounded but decided to give it time. I just sit right for am hour and a half then get back on his trail. Find him piled up dead about 30 yards from where I bumped him. Finally get to put my hands on my first ever elk. Funny thing is at times I was several miles from the truck but since I got on this bull before getting up the hill I was only 1200 yards from the truck when I shot him and he went 400 yards toward the truck. Only had an 800 yard packout and all downhill. Doubt it will ever happen like that again! It was a really amazing hunt with highs and lows but an amazing place where I got to encounter a lot of elk. Can't wait to do it again.</p><p> <img src="https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191016/f07a2cfd8be127d4e61a9b6863a088b8.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191016/28f3c85215126f31696b53377398e998.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191016/ec51e6d58df125fc61d5ddfc4a777d16.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191016/1106fb7489f63976d1149c1be6748533.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ShortMountain91, post: 4800113, member: 19641"] For sure. So I had 8 days to hunt if need be. Day 1 I set up base camp and hunt over water in the afternoon. Hear some but not much else. Day 2 I go back to the same water hole but hear one and get to chasing him. That bull eventually shuts up and I hear about on the opposite hillside. Get after him and get within what sounds like 300 yards but the wind switches and I run out of daylight. Day 3 I put in some serious miles. Biggest part of the day is I see a bull bedded down (first picture) with a spike raking a tree. They're in some thick scrub brush but I try and work around to them. Going through as quiet as I can and suddenly a different bull I never seen pops out 10 yards and is staring me down. Draw back the bow and he busts down the hill. This runs out the bull I was after. Hunt till dark then 3 miles back to he truck. Ended the day with over 14 miles of rough terrain. Day 4 get up super early and climb to the top of the mountain to get a good view of the area and try to intercept any bulls working up to their bed. Don't immediately find any so start working the finger ridges coming off the main ridge I'm on. Eventually spot a nice bull (2nd picture) on the next over finger ridge. Watch him till he gets in the trees and make my move. Once I get over there I'm just slowly working toward the trees he went into. See antlers over the top of the brush coming right toward me. Get behind a bush and range a nearby bush that he's going toward at 30 yards. He comes right where I expect and I get my bow drawn. He stops right behind the tree I ranged. I can see his head and neck but vitals are completely blocked. We have a stare down at full draw for what feels like forever and he eventually doesn't like what he sees and turns around and goes the opposite direction around the tree. Pops out the other side and I think I have a shot. Let it fly and see the arrow fletching chocolate chip cookie a weird way. Don't know if I hit a branch or clean miss but the bull runs off and stops at 110 yards and I can tell he's fine. He goes over the hill and bugles as a final goodbye. This is the low part of the hunt. The afternoons a bust. Day 5 I head back to the same area but before I even start up the mountain I hear 2 bulls in the bottom with me while it's still pitch black dark. Work 2 of them in the dark for about an hour. It's about 20 min into legal shooting light and a truck comes rolling up and busts out both of those bulls. Wish the dude would've just slept in if he was gonna come in that late. As I can see better I realize there's some more guys in there also. The place I had to myself the day before is now got at least 5 hunters including myself. Head to a new spot for the after and after a few miles in bump a small bull. Keep working the top of the hill and get a response. Long story short I call to this bull and 2 others from noon till almost dark and he's talking but doesn't want to come in. About a hour until the end of shooting light a 4 wheeler comes riding down the ridge line I'm on. Dude sees me and leaves and I still talk to that bull till dark but he never comes in. That evening doubt starts creeping in and I start to feel like I missed my chance from day 4. Can't sleep thinking I might eat this tag. Day 6 try a new spot. Start up the canyon and hear a couple. Plan to get up high and cut them off as they work up. I'm in a big pretty open grassy draw and one sounds decently close. It's shooting light now and I set up behind a big tree and start calling. This bull bugles and sounds like he's within 300 yards. Up to this point multiple bulls had been answering calls but nothing was coming in. I thought of it like turkey hunting where in the morning you can get them to gobble but getting them to come in is a different story. Anyway this time with this bull is different. But some cow calls and he comes on a rope running in. Stops at 25 yards on his own and he's standing where I think he's just slightly quartering toward me. Put the pin behind the shoulder and let it fly. Hear that thump when you know your arrow smacks something. He runs maybe 15 yards and stops perfectly broadside like nothing happened. I knock another arrow and he's still standing there. Draw back then he takes off over the hill. Feel great about the shot. Go over and look for my arrow and blood. Can't find either and get a little nervius. It was early and the ground was moist so I can see his tracks pretty good. Track him for about 50 yards and find a pin drop of blood. Relief that I definitely hit this bull. Go another 40 or so yards on his tracks and it looks like he opens up and starts pouring. Track him to the edge of the draw I originally worked up. Pull up the binos and I'm pretty sure I see him laying dead in the bottom of the draw. Get really excited. Left some stuff back toward where I shot him so I go pick that up and get back over to the edge of the draw and pull up the binos again and now the bull is not where I was pretty sure I saw him laying. Go down to where I thought I seen him laying and I see him moving through the woods. He's not running. Moving more like a horse walking through a field. Seeing this I knew he was fatally wounded but decided to give it time. I just sit right for am hour and a half then get back on his trail. Find him piled up dead about 30 yards from where I bumped him. Finally get to put my hands on my first ever elk. Funny thing is at times I was several miles from the truck but since I got on this bull before getting up the hill I was only 1200 yards from the truck when I shot him and he went 400 yards toward the truck. Only had an 800 yard packout and all downhill. Doubt it will ever happen like that again! It was a really amazing hunt with highs and lows but an amazing place where I got to encounter a lot of elk. Can't wait to do it again. [img]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191016/f07a2cfd8be127d4e61a9b6863a088b8.jpg[/img][img]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191016/28f3c85215126f31696b53377398e998.jpg[/img][img]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191016/ec51e6d58df125fc61d5ddfc4a777d16.jpg[/img][img]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191016/1106fb7489f63976d1149c1be6748533.jpg[/img] Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk [/QUOTE]
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