Author Topic: 33 days in Colorado.. (Read 8444 times)

SAM E. STEPHENS · « **Reply #20 on:** September 25, 2018, 09:08:55 PM »

I will try and keep this as short as possible but 33 days is a long time and I’m sure I will miss some stuff but here it is. I have hunted Colorado 2 times for OTC elk and was lucky enough to get an elk both years. I did not go last season and had heard that the elk numbers were down and the hunting pressure was up but figured I could get it figured out. Many months were spent getting gear in order and new gear tested , bows ready and wood arrows made. So with everything ready I headed for Colorado , picked up a elk and bear tag and got my camp packed in a few days before season started. Saw a few other hunters around but no one around where I was. My friends Felix and Paul came in the day before season started and we got everything in order and went out and did a little scouting around. Upon returning to our backcountry camp we found that 5 other hunters had moved in and set a camp up about 100yds below us. Turns out one of the guys was the owner of RMSG , we talked with them for a while and parted ways. We saw a few elk the first week but with hot weather and the hunting pressure in the valley made for a tough time....

,,Sam,,

SAM E. STEPHENS · « **Reply #21 on:** September 25, 2018, 09:22:06 PM »

I tend to jump around so , on this hunt I carried my Galaxy Ember longbow 56@30 , Dug fir arrows with 200gr Grizzlies , 680gr total weight. So me and Paul and Felix had a good week saw some elk caught some fish. Had a bunch of quality camp talk , could not ask for better guys to hunt with. But with time up for them they had to leave after a week of hard hunting and then I was all alone. And to say it got frustrating after they left would be an understatement. The hunting pressure increased 10x when the muzzleloader season started. I had been lucky in the past and not seen the hunting pressure like this. I had people all over the place but it’s public land and they are there for the same reasons as me. But that being said a little common curtesy would go a long way with some of these guys..

,,Sam,,

BMN · « **Reply #22 on:** September 25, 2018, 09:30:36 PM »

Soonerlongbow · « **Reply #23 on:** September 25, 2018, 09:33:13 PM »

SAM E. STEPHENS · « **Reply #24 on:** September 25, 2018, 10:24:17 PM »

Anyway after so many others in the area I moved on farther back to get away from the pressure. And it worked I saw elk and got close on a few , up to this point I haven’t seen any bear sign. But not giving up and pressing on was the way for a week or more. Every now and then I would go change gear out to test it out and even at one point I hiked out and drove a few hours to buy a light weight bivy tarp. I tried 2 different pairs of boots and both were outstanding ( one pair was Scarpa boots given to me as a gift by my buddy Paul). Also used at one time or another 2 different tents , 2 tarps , 2 bivy shelters. To be honest the elk hunting was not going great so it was a good time to test stuff. Also I have some great friends down in town that I had met on my previous hunts in the area. Greatest people in the world and will be lifelong friends that I would do anything for at the drop of a hat. Anyway the hunting is slow and after I drove and got my new tarp I had stopped at the gas station and saw a guy that had a Trad Archery sticker on the back of his truck. So naturally I went over and started talking with him and he was having the same issues as me. I told him how to find my camp and we parted ways ( he is also a Tradgang member ). Oh yea I found a note on my truck when I had packed out from yet another Tradgang member that saw my name on a big icechest that was sitting at my truck.

So where were we the hunting is slow and I’m packed back in now again all alone , I hunt a few days close to camp with no luck. Then Matt the guy from the gas station shows up he found my camp witch was a good thing. But he had not brought a few key items in his pack and we are miles from the trucks. I will let him tell that story if he wishes to , turns out he is a great guy and a new friend. We hunted pretty hard together for several days with no luck but had a good time , told a lot of stories and learned some new things as well. Oh yea like I said I jump around a lot this was my 7th elk hunt and I had never killed a grouse but up to this point in the story I had killed 2 the week before. They sure are good to eat..

,,,Sam,,

SAM E. STEPHENS · « **Reply #25 on:** September 25, 2018, 11:27:56 PM »

Just noticed I did not take many pics the first few weeks but ended up taking a good bit the last half of the hunt. So the fishing with the tenkara fly rod was also good so the trout and grouse meals were a nice change now and then. Anyway me and Matt hunted hard without getting into anything but finally found my first bear poop of the trip. Matt had to leave so I packed out of the area also to move on to new ground. Met up with my friend that is a local and his son was in town hunting but his guys had also left so me and Jess hunted several days together and I was shown the area by locals and boy what a difference that made. Definitely in more fresh sign and seeing more elk now so getting the ( Research ) done now. So in my past years of hunting the area I did not have all the hunting pressure I saw this year , now all the stories I have heard make since about a hunter behind every tree. But like I have said get off your butt and go find a area with no pressure so that’s what I did. I ended up hunting 5 different units and doing a lot of driving and walking but it was all worth it.

So where were we , ok I was hunting with my friends Larry and his son Jess and learning from the locals and what an educational experience it was. But after a few close encounters no arrows were shot and Jess had to leave. But before he left I said I wanted to get a crack at a bear and have had no luck even finding and sign. He showed me an area so we went and glassed it from the top of a ridge with a small pond of water in the bottom. He said go down in there if you want a bear , but dam it looks like a pretty nasty little place very steep and not a very easy place to get to. Probably 700 - 800 drop down into blowdowns , rock walls , just a little piece of hell , looks like my kind of place. So plans were made for Larry to drop me off the next day with 5-6 days of gear on my back for my last week of hunting....

,,Sam,,

SAM E. STEPHENS · « **Reply #26 on:** September 25, 2018, 11:37:03 PM »

Me on day one about to set up camp...