CO Elk 2010 Pictorial Essay

[Duckbutt]

My buddy, Rhett, and I have been friends, hunting partners and trad enthusiasts for years.  We also both share a passion for heading west and wearing out boot leather in the mountains.  However, we'd never made that trip together until wierd luck made it happen this year.  CO OTC...here we come.  We flew to Denver, borrowed a friend's truck and headed south almost to NM.  We got to the trailhead a little after dark and since the skies were full of stars, we just slept in the bed of the truck.  Woke up the next morning and started putting our packs together.  This is a pick of the X2 w/ Spike Duffel I got from Whip loaded for 8 days in the backcountry.  

 

[Duckbutt]

When you are going to be living for 8 days in the wilderness with only what is on your back, you've got to really make sure you've got the RIGHT gear....

 

[Duckbutt]

I decided I wanted to be in the hunt on the hike in.  We climbed about 1k feet and walked 4 to 5 miles.  What a beautiful place we had found.  We only heard one bugle going in that morning but that was enough to stoke the fire.

 

 

[joebuck]

Gosh I wish I had taken my flops countless trips before..great idea DB....got anymore pics?

[Over&Under]

This looks to be starting off well!  I have the X2 also and put it to the test this season and it passed with flying colors!

Looking forward to the rest!

[Duckbutt]

We had a lake picked out on the map for a potential campsite and it turned out to be just the kind of spot we'd hoped for....

"Doo Doo Doo lookin out my backdoor"

 

[Duckbutt]

After we got camp set up, it was time to start clover leafing our area to try and find some elk.  We walked, climbed, looked and called for the next couple of days hoping to put the pieces of the puzzle together...

 

 

 

[Duckbutt]

There was a state wide fire ban going on so a cup of hot chocolate was as close to enjoying the campfire as we could legally get.  My aching body started to love the Swiss Miss time.

 

[Steve O]

Julian,

You've got to upgrade to Crocs...

Great pictures so far, looking forward to more    

[Duckbutt]

My best friend had drawn an AZ tag this year and killed a nice bull right before I left home.  My son saw no reason for me not to do the same and let me know as much.  Trying to explain the differences between AZ draw and CO OTC tags, longbows vs compounds etc would be lost on a seven year old.  Well, when I was filtering some water one day from the creek, I saw a fish in my little draw pool.  I thought if I could catch it with my bare hands this might buy me a little Macho Dad insurance in case I came home with tag soup.

 

 

Don't know if sucker tastes good or not.  Well, when I talked to Evan on the sat phone a day later, he asked if it was a catfish.  I said no, son, it was a sucker.  "Well, I've seen'm catch catfish with their bare hands on TV, Dad."  Oh well....

[kennyb]

DB-totally cool! good luck to you guys and keep shootin' straight!! Love the updates!
Kennyb

[Duckbutt]

Our couple of days devoted to covering real estate to find the best prospects seemed to have paid off.  We weren't hearing much in the way of bugles but we found a pocket of sign that was so much more than I'd seen on my one previous elk hunt.  It was also hell to get to so I thought we may have found some unpressured animals.

 

Rubs were everywhere in this little area.

 

[Duckbutt]

Since we'd decided now to focus on a specific area, we moved camp to a beaver pond that would make it easier to hunt.  

 

I love ducks and this pond held some bluebills and teal.  I would sit and watch them during the down time through the binos.

 

 

[Duckbutt]

Rhett keepin the heads ready...

 

Me trying to find the feel...

 

[Duckbutt]

We hunted hard and our hopes remained high, although elk sitings and bugling was low.  The sign just seemed to good to me.  Well, one afternoon, we were standing in the woods discussing what to do next when sticks started popping.  I grabbed my bow, knocked an arrow and a cow appeared.  She was heading our way.  When she passed behind a knoll, I started to rise and twist to get read for the shot but apparently she was the last in the group.  There were two other elk at fifteen yards I hadn't seen.   Busted.

 

[Duckbutt]

The trailerhood....

 

[Guru]

Man great pictures!!  

[Duckbutt]

The weather was warmer and dryer than it needed to be.  Finally, about day four, we got rain and some cooler air.  We were stuck in the tent for about 20 hours but the cool frosty morning after seemed to be what might turn the elk activity on.

 

[Duckbutt]

The Loser's Evening Prayer....waiting for the wind to get right on the last evening hunt.

 

[Duckbutt]