the count down is on for our Colorado elk hunt!!!!!!

[adkmountainken]

1 lesson learned was do not close in to close to a HUGE rutting bull moose with a loud camera! had to change my shorts after that one......

[adkmountainken]

i learned so much on this trip and can not wait for next year! really want to give a big thank you to my bro John for showing me so much about elk sign, reading maps, elk habits and so much more! big thank you to Casey as well for over all camping help as i am a green horn at tent camping and he helped tremendously! side not, my pack will NEVER top #55 again!

[Doc Nock]

Welcome home, gents.  Spiritual indeed! The mountains have a way of humbling us beyond imagination!

[adkmountainken]

it rained EVERY day but the fist yet it never dampened out spirits! there was a whole lot of sitting around the fire drying gear, here is Drew and John doing just that!
 

[adkmountainken]

wet mocc's and boots, common theme.
 

[adkmountainken]

heart does go out to those in Fort Collins where we passed through that lost their homes and lives, terrible storm. as bad as the weather  was we were actually safe at 10,000 feet elevation.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Great Pics Ken, keep them Coming!

[Dirtybird]

Glad you guys made it back and had some close calls.  Maybe next year close the deal.  Looking forward to the rest of the story.

[just_a_hunter]

Looks like you fellas made Colorado proud..

The ones of us that matter anyway.

The hard part is done. You've learned the elks bedroom and next year it will be fire roasted heart for dinner.

Todd

[Adirondackman]

I would like to Thank All You guys that I shared Elk Camp with this year for making it a Great Hunt! Despite the weather Mother Nature threw at us. You could not ask for a better bunch of Guys to hunt with. Everyone contributed and We all had opportunities to make Elk meat. I look forward to hunting with all of you Guys again. I hope you can all make the Planned 2015 Alaskan Hunt.

  Thanks Again - John

[adkmountainken]

this is John who i am sure all of us consider our "guide" and brother! enjoying a nice fire.
 

[centaur]

Sounds like you had dinner in the People's Republic of Boulder, a great place to avoid when I am in Colorado. But, you did get to go to RMSG; I suppose nobody bought my bow that is on consignment there, though.
Too bad the weather got the way it did; I just got off the mountain after being poured on the last couple of days; the good part of that is that I can go back in a couple of days.
It sounds like you New Yorkers had a fun experience in the Rockies, in spite of the lousy weather. Better luck next time!

[Doc Nock]

I, too was wondering "WHAT?" college Town.  I had a friend 2 decades ago who taught at the University in Ft Collins. Stopped there once on way from MT to SC but didn't see much and it was a long, long time ago...

Folks put themselves on slopes and areas that Angels fear to tread... and then stuff happens.

Storms can be humbling beyond words...and devastating to us puny people.

[Hopewell Tom]

Man, that makes me envious!
Sounds like a great adventure with too much to remember it all. INTO ELK EVERY DAY! You can not ask for more than that.
What an experience, thanks for sharing.

[drewsbow]

Thanks to everyone for having me in camp with you . This was a great group of guys to hunt with and would hunt with them again in a heart beat . I just got out of my sleep deprived coma and haven't uploaded pics yet. I also just had to get a new computer as mine was locked up tight when I got home and no amount of pleading was getting it to free up.
I learned a lot from John and also Casey as we hunted . The knowledge between them is unreal.
 This was one of the most physically demanding hunts I have ever done as Casey and I went to the medecine bow trail and 1100 feet several times . The cave we found was awesome and something just kept pulling us back to it. That's where the elk where anyways and we needed the shelter a couple times.
Casey is hard core , he took me up some steep grades and hard terrain , dang near killed me a couple times .
 It was a great hunt and experience , cant wait to do it again . I will add pics soon , Drew

[Frenchymanny]

This hunt was more than a hunt! It was search for adventure with my brothers, and I loved every second of it, even the most excruciating ones!

Colorado is a beautiful place
 

 

[Frenchymanny]

Tracks in the yellow mud:

 

[Izzy]

Is that a big old cat track?  

[adkmountainken]

and now for the big bull that was not to happy with me! seems my camera makes a small beep and the flash really got this fella pissed, when he turned and looked at me with a twinkle in his eye i knew it was time to get out of Dodge!
 

[Killdeer]

Looks like wolf to me. I see claw marks.
Killdeer