Colorado - Story Time

[Butts2]

Start this off with these are from an email message to various relatives/friends this week. Some know about hunting ehhh some do not. Some friends know where this takes place as well so I did not go into as much detail. Here you go..

Steve
We have relatives here from St Louis and Dallas so I only went up for a day and a half. It was going to be for only a day but for reasons beyond my control ....
I went to work at 5:30a.m Maggie was in Denver picking them up,  I left work at around one on Fri. and was hiking in about 1.5 miles by 4p:m.
Pack and gear totaled 53lbs. I am in the process of weighing everything to try and drop that number down.
During the night I heard probably 5 Elk bugles, can't believe the Elk are screaming this early in the season.
For breakfast I had that oatmeal concoction that you can take as you are on the trail....Great!!
From camp I take the route that will bring me out where we had lunch the first time Preston and I met with you. 1/2 up the hill there is Elk barking from above. Turned off the headlamp and waited 20 minutes before he/she finally quit barking and went away.
Get to the top and I hear jump jump jump...Mule deer. Turn my headlamp off as it is now 6:07, I can see the trail well enough with the headlamp off.
Walk the trail past the water seep which is 100 yards below...which you have heard about this seep.
I call it Preston's sleep hole.
Jump  jump jump I see this Mule deer going up hill about 30 yards in front. Too crispy of ground to get off trail and go after so I "barely" continue on.
Look up hill as I near a park or meadow and 3 Elk 70 yds up the mountain.  
GET DOWN
They are going from my left to right, not sure of exact wind direction. They are at about 1 oclock from me while looking up hill
Here comes another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, AND THAT WAS JUST THE COWS...that should have been 32.
Did not count all the calves as they kept going back and forth and to and fro thinking life is just grand because they have never seen a HUMAN.....yet.
I was stuck there for over ONE hour watching how it goes down.
AND while it was going down the OTHERS "plural" bugled "lightly" probably 10 X in that hour.
Two branch antlered bulls walked parallel numerous times, 3 spikes and 2 3x3's.
One of the Bulls numerous times would push and round up cows to go in the direction the majority were going.
The Elk finally are all up and over a small knoll. I go almost to the edge of the park and glass I see to make sure there are none.
I go back about 100 yards on the trail and go up near the top 150 yards which is above the meadow they were in, then drop down on the other side of the meadow through the tree's.
There is a bench I will cut across it, as it appeared the Elk were dropping down into some pines on a north facing ridge.
Karumba!!!!!!!!!!!
I am 30 yards from the entire herd bedded down!!! Mass confusion calves calling mamma, mamma calling calves.
They did not run as in fear at an all out run but just loped away. At this time (9:30) the thermals were east west north south so going after them and not knowing exactly where they were with so many eyes to deceive I would just push them out of the country so I backed out.
 
 This is story ONE and I have THREE stories.
I will quit now as the relatives are up. If you don't get back to me,  I will know you are bored with my hohum story.
The next story takes place only one hour later.
I think we are going to Crested Butte or Grand Junction or ???? so back later tonight.

[Butts2]

After the run in that morning with the Elk herd I continued on the trail for perhaps 3/4 mile and stopped to glass the terrain with my bino's about every 30 steps.
Turned around and headed back to the seep on the same trail some time later. Actually, got there about 1:30 pm
You go just past the seep by 200 yards and then go down the mountain side app. 100 yards. You then traverse the side of the hill for the 200 yards until you hit the seep.
I glass the seep and nothing is there getting water.
I am app. 20' above the seep as I get in close and work my way down to a set-up I put together 'from" someone else that put it together longggg ago.
Basically sticks/logs about 4"-6" in diameter are stacked together similar to when you fold your hands (fingers) together.
The seep is on a small bench about 30'x30' and above that is the bench which is about 15'x15' where the sticks are .
The square or blind set-up where the sticks are is about 5'x 6' which looks down on the seep which is holding about 1"-2" of water, it is 15 yards below at a 45 degree angle.
The last 2 years I have hunted elsewhere so it is necessary to clean the leaves/weeds/ tree roots from the "blind".
I lay my pack and bow down outside the blind (forgot to mention, blind is about 2' high) while I got that material out of there to be more quiet when I shuffel my feet etc.
How long would it take you to rake an area of this size to clear the leaves? 45 seconds???????????
I stand up from my hands and knee's and look at the seep and there stands ......
TWO 5x5 Bull Elk looking at me.
 
How the heck did I not see them only moments ago when I walked up?
Why did I not get my bow ready prior to cleaning up the blind?
How the heck can an animal that weighs 600-800 lbs be so quiet?
 
Did you know their eye's get really big.....since they don't know how to say the word "Oh crap"
 
3 seconds later they were 100 yds away and going fast.
I had one button Mule deer buck (antlers 1" long) come to the seep for 5 minutes.
3 mule deer Doe went by but did not come in as well as 4 Turkey.
 
Next morning well thats just another story

[Butts2]

Wake at 6 as I turned off the 4:30 alarm on my wristwatch. Still considerably dark as it is early and I have my tent situated between and touching 6-7 pines trees to protect me from the elements. Start folding clothes into gear bags, tightening down compression straps on sleeping bag, deflate air pad, roll up tent, fold stakes insert ground cloth etc..
Everything goes back into and onto my Kifaru backpack. Haul the bag over to a downed timber, put my foot on the log and hoist the bag to my knee. One arm goes into the strap, spin fast to get the other arm in there, tighten down and clip 1/2 dozen straps, ready to go. This is honestly one of the better times I have compressed everything down to make hiking with that amount of weight a real chore.
There is a bovine pond about 70 yards from the tent and numerous trail going every direction to/from that pond.
I get to the trail going the direction of the the pickup, get past the pond by 50 yards and there on the going up the hillside 100 yards away is an Elk looking in my direction. I take one step backwords and I now have a good sized tree between us and I can make slow movement and pull up my bino's. One step forword and its a 3x3 not legal. I stand there for maybe 10 minutes probably less and out steps another Elk, 2 points ..4 points and a fifth point on each side...more than legal.
They traverse slowly up the mountainside in a north easterly direction and away from me. When they are out of view off goes the pack grab the bow and go back towards the campsite.
I have in my pocket a cow call and wind check powder which actually smells like Elk. Spray the powder out of the 1/2"x3" bottle and you know where even a subtle wind is going.
I check the wind and the powder goes straight up, no wind. I head up about 200 yards north stop to check the wind. The wind is blowing to the east the direction of the Elk.
Double time for me as I hit a good sized bench I take off at a fast clip easterly to get far enough ahead or even with the Elk so they can't wind me.
I go perhaps 300 yards, find some good timber to get behind and continually call for 20 minutes...rats.
Another bovine trail heading south east go 50 yards and repeat the process of calling and checking the wind...rats.
2 more times I do this and same results...zilch.
Follow the trail and find another small pond, glass the area and see nothing. Put this pond in the memory bank I am thinking as I get closer and realize I know where I am, I just came in from another direction. This is a pond Preston and I walked in on Elk "bathing and is only 100 yards from where we had interupted a mom and 3 cubs eating a dead Elk. Lots of Elk tracks surround the pond, they all look recent.
Like all ponds mentioned previously the bovine trails go every direction from it and they "all" lead on the easiest path.....they are Mooo Cow trails.
I follow the trail heading south west towards the back pack. Fairly open area for 50 yards and I can tell I am coming to the edge of this bench as there is a row of Oakbrush on the edge. Oakbrush is some nasty stuf to get through with a bow. The "stuff" is about 12 foot high with branches as big as your arm that continually reach out and grab at you.
Stop when I am 25 yards from the Oakbrush, look to my right to see if I should get off this trail as its leading right to the Oakbrush or get off the trail and head back west.
Look back to the trail and yep you guessed it standing on the edge of the Oakbrush having just come through it is the 5x5 Bull Elk....
I can see that right in front of him is a 3"-4" diameter tree. He can't see me. Slowly pull an arrow from my quiver and feel the cool soft mountain breeze hit the back of my neck....gone.
Go over to where he was and then skirt the edge of the Oakbrush and glass below to see my backpack.
These animals, Elk, are grazers. If not startled they are not going to move fast and they are not going to go far.
That was strike 3 for me......but that was just the first inning, the season has just started Yahoo!

[4dogs]

 Just a matter of time.

Keep it coming! Great adventure so far. I am headed up there on the 15th and can't wait.

Good luck to you,

Bisch

[mmisciag]

Loving this!

Martin

[Tater]

Nice story...... sounds like you had a great opening weekend.

     Strange but I had Bugling Bulls two weeks ago on a little overnite scouting trip.
     Seems early..?

[bohuntr]

Very cool, thanks for sharing the stories!!!! I leave two weeks from tomorrow to hunt elk in Wyoming, yahoo!!!

[skilonbw]

Tater I actually ran into on opening weekend a dominant herd bull who had already gathered about 20 cows and there were a few spikes hanging around the herd too.

[Rick Butler]

Thanks for sharing, great story.  

[Hot Hap]

Thanks-Hap

[Elksong]

Great story Rick, but where are the pictures?  :confused:  LOL!

[NancyVTAS]

Rick can tell a story can't he?  I have hunted with him in this spot!!! But alas I just got back from #201 and"2,,,, Many big bulls, bucks,,, lope,, and a huge bull moose.   No blood yet, may hunt Elk with Rick this week.   Luck to all  Dick

[ArkyBob]

Wow it's going to be a long 2 1/2 weeks before I get to Colorado.  This story is getting me all pumped up.  Going to put my pack on in just a few minutes and put in a couple of miles....  Thanks for sharing!!!!!!

BOB

[AWPForester]

Good luck and God Bless

[Whip]

2 1/2 weeks for me as well.  Stories like yours are going to make it seem like months!!  
That really got me fired up - thanks for sharing!

[stykbow67]

Dang you got me fired up! 48hrs and counting!!!

[Thumper Dunker]

Awsome stuff.  

[rushlush]

Sounds like you are having a great hunting season so far!

[doug77]

?????