2016 Elk hunt.......

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

I ended up going after Colorado elk again this year and had the pleasure of ( oldrubline ) Dan C. From here on TG spend his first elk hunt with me. He was a great guy in camp and a very seasoned woodsman , never a cross word or poor attitude the entire time. I'm loading up several hundred pics now so it will prob be tomorrow until I post any. The trip was great I had cold , wind , hail , and lot's of rain with a little sunshine here and there. I hunted the same area as last year just a little further in this time , it is a walk only area no motor vehicles. I hit Colorado a few days before season started and packed my camp in did a little glassing and fishing.  Did not see as much elk sign as last year and figured some searching would be involved in order to locate a good area. I also figured the odds of killing an elk again this year were pretty slim but I was here for the adventures anyway elk or not. Just before I left Texas I also received a very special gift of a custom armguard for my elk hunt and it is now my lucky armguard. I will post pics and a big thank you to the maker here in a while as I go along. Also I hope Dan had a good time on the hunt , he showed me a few new things that I will be adding to my backcountry kit.....

[huntingarcher]

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

Camp was in  a nice little place at about 10300ft and several miles into the backcountry. Only other hunters around was Don ( DWT here on TG ) him and his two brothers were hunting the  other side of the valley from us about a mile away. It was also a pleasure to meet his dad and brothers all great guys. So we had no hunting pressure in the area witch was great , the fishing was great and the weather was right now we just need elk. Not much going on the first few days of season , Dan arrived and found me in camp on the second day after the opener. We said our introductions and got his stuff setup and squared away and started making our hunting plans. Witch was walk until we find good sign or actual elk.......

[CDK]

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

Ok so this is a DIY , Overcounter tag on public land hunt that anybody can and should go do. I killed a 5x5 bull here in the same general area last year and had a great time. So now me and Dan set out for some adventure and hope to learn new areas , out the map sits and we pick a location and head over the pass.I am hunting with my trusty old Bear TD and Dan is shooting a very handsome longbow his friend made for him. We both had elk and bear tags in our pockets and with good intentions to send an arrow through either off we hunted. As we travelled about we would find little pockets of good sign here and there and not much in between. So after a few days of hunting together we then started going out on our own and hunting then discuss the days events over the fire at lunch or at night. I will let Dan share his hunting experiences with y'all himself. And as I said before you won't find a better man to share a camp with , I always say you will learn very quick about a person on a backcountry hunt. And I learned very quick ol Dan is the real deal always doing more than his share of work and always willing to help. And not once the entire 10 days did I hear nothing but excitement about the days hunt or what tomorrow might hold....

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

I had a few close encounters with elk over the next several days but no shots. The mountain winds or sneaking bulls that come in silent and always where you ain't looken. On day 6 I called in a 6x6 bull and just never got a good shot at him then a bit later called in a 1x2 bull and had him at 8 steps but he was not a legal bull. I think that's why he offered me every shot angle in the book and hung around for about 20 minutes in bow range the entire time. So I found the spot with elk sign and elk , next day I went to the same spot but the wind did not allow me any hunting so I backed out and looked elsewhere. It was always fun in camp hearing about Dan's day , what he had seen and done. So now the morning of day 8 is here ( day 8 is the day I shot my bull last year ) I was up before the sun and with my new armguard on and my favourite brown plaid shirt and old hat on I set out for the spot....

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

As I am walking a side hill and several hundred yards from where I need to be I hear elk down below me. The wind is good at a cross wind. I made a fast move to try and cut them off and hoped the wind would hold in my favour. I made the spot I thought I needed to be and got my pack off and made a few cow calls. A few minutes later a 6x6 was below me about 60yds away ( wind still a good cross wind ) I hit him with a few sweet tender calls but be was just staring straight forward and would not even look up. I can hear elk all around me now and now another 6x6 shows up and they start a little shoving match. Nothing violent but made some noise and kicked up a little dirt. As they pushed around about a dozen cows made the location and I could see some other bulls off here and there but keeping a distance away. I'm pretty tore up about now I remember I was already shaking but I wasn't cold , man I just love this stuff ( this is what life is about )....

[Hud]

Very good start, sounds like a great area.  

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

Where I was at was some very nasty rough country up in the head of the basin or valley it all kinda started or ended here. Very steep draws with a creek in each one , blowdowns on top of blowdowns , rock , mud , and very steep on all sides. But the elk walk through just like I walk down the road , but they sure liked this area. I was up on a little bench looking down at what was unfolding below. At some point the wind switched and a cow caught my scent and took everyone with her. But the good news was I now had a few bulls above me. I let things settle a few minutes and gave a few soft calls and here came a bull down to find the sweet sounding little cow ( me ). He made a move to my right and below my location and I could tell he was for sure a legal bull. He was walking away now looking for this cow and I hit him again with a little call. He turns and starts my way from about 50yds out and is on a line where he will walk past me at 20 steps or so below me. When he gets in my opening I'm at full draw and call to stop him. He does stop but before he stops be turns and faces me almost dead on , I ended up holding at full draw for easily over a minute. I was shaking so bad I don't know how he did not see me
( he prob would have saw me if I was wearing camo ). He was looking all around me and finally turned and starts walking again I let down and and hit full draw again and stopped him at about 25yds and he was broadside and below me. I held on him looking at my spot and let her loose the shot looked good and he bolted down the draw. I let out a bugle on the reed call and he stopped and looked back I had put the binos on him thinking the shot looked good hoping he would give me a sign of the hit. And about them he fell over and rolled down into the little creek and never moved again. In just several more steps he would have had my wind , I think my new armguard must have brought me luck. From the spot the arrow hit him to where he fell was about 30yds the arrow hit him right in the heart and I had another Colorado bull on the ground , day 8 is just my day for elk in Colorado.....

[trubltrubl]

nice stuff..please post pics...congratz...you worked hard for that bull !!!

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

I go down and get a few pics and admire him for a while and sit down and let it all sink in. He ain't the biggest bull I have ever shot but I am proud of him as much as any. I may never shoot a really big bull cause I don't pass shots on elk I have always hunted hard and enjoy every moment I'm in the mountains and would not trade any of my experiences for anything ( don't get me wrong I would love to get a big bull one day I figure I'm working up ). I head back to camp for some help and find Dan there and ask him about his morning and after he tells me about his hunt ( witch was a good morning for him also filled with close encounters ) I say darn my quiver is missing an arrow and he says oh I will help you find it and I say well the last time I saw it , it was stuck in the side of a 4x4 Bull. After hand shakes and back slaps I told him the story. We then had breakfast and some coffee and went back and got a bunch of pics and boned out the bull and packed him back to our spike camp. Again I have to thank Dan for all his hard work helping me get my bull out and doing it with a smile. We sank the meat in the creek ( very cold creek I might add ) just below our bathtub hole. With all the meat back Dan went and hunted and I had him a good dinner of fresh elk heart and backstrap with mashed potatoes when he returned.......

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

I still had a bear tag and spent the rest of my time looking for bears but never found one that wanted to get shot. I also made some great friends with several local people down in town and plan on hunting the area again. The thought crossed my mind of just getting there next year and go out and shoot an elk on day 8 and then head back home. But that would take all the fun out of it so I won't do that , most of the fun is just getting to day 8. It was another awesome hunt in the mountains and I could rattle on for days with stories but I will quit here. Will get some pics up soon as the finish loading and might put it a few words here and there.......

,,,,Sam,,,

[Keith Zimmerman]

Great adventure!  Congrats!  Waiting for pics.....

[EWill]

Oh yea, elk stories are my favorite!
Congrats, great hunt and adventure.

[Tom]

Great story and glad you had a good camp mate. Looking forward to the pics-a big CONGRATS.

[KAZ]

Well done Sam      

[Tater]

Congratulations on the Elk, thanks for sharing your story. Will be looking forward to pictures.

                       

[deerhunter_w]

Congrats sounds like a great hunt.

Jeff

[stocker56]

Congrats Sam, great hunt.    

[cacciatore]

Well done again,Sam I always like your stories and your dedication to the sport. Any infos about your equipment(pack, tent ecc.)?