Autumnarcher Update

[Autumnarcher]

Been in the mountains of CO for over a week now a d logged some serious miles on our boots. Weather is hot elk arent talkin here at all yet. The wilderness area is full of grazing sheep which pushed elk out of the aspen benches. Sign has ben non existent thus far.
From what we've learned the elk are scarce all over and holed up high. Heading up to timberline tommorrow for a 4 day bivyvto check an area a sheepherder told us he had seen elk abo e his flock. Also said hes pushing sheep down tommorrow which is good news. If that area doesnt pan out we'll head aacross the road and up high and work the other mountain.

Nothing worth havig comes easy so we'll have to work hard to find elk. Takin it easy today came into town for some sightseeing and real food. I wanted to post a couple of pics but cant figure out photobucket for posting from my phone.
The oppoortunity to travel this wilderness with a longbow and a backpack is reallyvspecial. Several hikers have complimented us for huntin the hard way and wished us luck.
I'll have lots of pIcs to post when we return. Just picture a canvas tent set in the quakies..........

[Huntingnut]

Hope your luck changes!Look forward to hearing more of your story...

[longbowben]

Good luck and cant wait to see the pictures.Leatherneck and myself are planning on going back out west in 2013.  

[jamesh76]

Good luck.

[leatherneck]

[DBGJR]

Good luck to you and your son John, looking forward to the pictures,

[tracker1]

I can't wait for the rest of the story and the pics.  Good luck shoot straight.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

So far it has been  at tough year for elk.  Good Luck!

Good luck!!!

Bisch

[bentpole]

Best of Luck!  

[Whip]

Stick with em John.  Sometimes it takes awhile.  And get as far from those mountain magnets as you can.  We had those in WY last year and didn't find elk until we went where the sheep hadn't been.  
Post when you can - we're waiting!

[stik&string]

Best of luck!

[Margly]

Best of luck with the hunt and the adventure:)
If you have an Iphone there is a photobucket app to use.

[cacciatore]

Good luck,early season is always slowif you don't know a good water hole!

[dnovo]

Look for anywhere that doesn't have sheep. And we found that the elk were lower than normal cause of late snowmelt. Much better grass and feed lower on the mountain.

[ti-guy]

Good luck!

[Mike Vines]

Good luck, and we are all looking forward to the pictures.

[Hopewell Tom]

Hang tough, stay positive. Most of us are working or somesuch these days, so Elk or no, you already got most of us beat.

[Howard S.]

Hey John,
Good luck and you and Alex just keep at it. By the way I have Amy covered for the youth hunt weekend. I told her my deer dressing services weren't free.  She told me I only had to supervise.  Didn't have the heart to tell her supervisors make more.
Good luck and have fun

Howard

[Autumnarcher]

Here we are at the halfway point. We have left the Raggeds Wilderness. Its like hunting in a countybpark with all the hikers riders a d in some areas mountain bikers. We were descending when we spotted a rump sticking out of the brush 75 yds across a small drainage. We dropped to our knees to glass it and moments later were nearly run over by some idiot on a mtn. bike. That was the last straw.

As mnay others have experienced its tough hunting thos yr. Met a guy who gave us some good info about another area across the road in Unit 52. He had spotted a few cows while muley hunting.

We relocated our base camp to the trailhead and set a spike camp higher up at 10,000. Saw 2 cows so far but no shots. Hunting is still slow, today we took off as I'm not feelon too good today.  ML. Season starts tommorrow so maybe that will stir things up a bit. Gonna hunt our way up to spike camp if i feel better.

Alex shot a double on a couple grouse uesterday with some migjty fine shooting and fast shooting. Dinner rocked! Will update as possible.