Colorado Mule Deer/Elk Hunt Recap

[Dawg]

Figured I'd do a recap on my trip to Colorado.

I thought I was really looking forward to this trip but soon realized that leaving my newborn daughter proved harder than I thought! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely enjoyed the trip but not as much as I thought I would.

This trip was one of "firsts" for us. It was the first time that we had to split our group into two. Camp can hold 10 people and we had 14 that drew tags with 2 that ended up not going. Still, with 12 people it would have been a little too cramped. It was the first time that we have seen so much green in the area we hunt. You would think that would work in our favor....turns out it hurt us. With the green vegetation and water in abundance the deer weren't up and moving to the areas we hunt. That and little snow in the mountains kept the deer in higher elevations. There were deer around but not the numbers we are used to.

It was also the first time I hunted elk and as you can see, I was successful!

We arrived in camp early Thursday morning (31st). Got everything set up and sat around. Friday morning we were out glassing the properties that we hunt. Around 0930 we spot a group of 8 elk at the back of the ranch. 7 cows, 1 small 4x4 bull. Later that day dad and I make our way into Durango to buy a cow tag. That evening I make my way back out to the ranch to see if I could get a cow. (Jeff, turns out the cow tags are good from Sept-Dec, they aren't season specific). I can hear them out in the wood line but they never made their way over the fence onto our side.

Saturday morning finds me back at the ranch. As I am walking to a brush blind at the end of a windrow, I hear the elk. It is still early morning so I really can't see. I stop and wait until there's enough light to see thru my binos. I spot the elk down in a swag, 100 yards from the blind I was headed for. Here I am out in the open ~350 yards from these elk. I drop to my knees and remove my pack, grab my range finder, shooting stick and binos and begin crawling my way closer. As I slowly make my way from bush to bush, I range the elk. Once I got to 253 yards I run out of bushes big enough to cover my large rear. I find a cow that is to the right of the group feeding by herself. I get the gun up, shoot....and it's a miss. :hammer1: Try to calm down, regroup, slow my breathing and finally make a connecting shot. The group run and jump over to the neighboring property with the bull standing there watching the cow kick around. I run up to ~80 yards of them both before the bull decides to leave. I place another shot behind the shoulder and finish her off.

Not the best pictures that could have been taken but they'll have to do.

Saturday evening/Sunday morning hunts produce nothing to fill my buck tag. Sunday evening I am glassing an alfalfa field and spot a good group of deer making their way out of a canyon. They head up and hook a hard right and spook. Later on I see a coyote chasing a few more deer. After the yote is gone I see 4 deer making their way toward the field. 2 buck, 2 doe. One buck is decent, not a first day shooter but decent enough that I decided I would shoot him that evening. They slipped behind a knoll out in the field. I eased up to the top of the knoll, found the deer, whistled to get them to raise their heads.....and found the buck I wanted to shoot....put down my binos, picked up my gun and while I was getting ready (not watching the deer), the buck I wanted walked to the left. I looked thru the scope, found antlers and shot. When I got down to him I was pretty upset....I shot the smaller buck.

I was in a hurry because light was fading fast and didn't wait to make sure it was the other buck. That's what assuming will do for you. I should have just waited. Lesson learned. He's a decent forkhorn that will make a good hat rack!

I'll post a pic of the buck when I get it off my camera.

All in all I had a good time and am looking forward to the next trip in 2015.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Dawg

[texastrophies]

Good story. Got you some good eats there. Congrats.

That's interesting about the cow tags, didn't know that.

Funny how family can effect you. I understand.

[Dawg]

Here's some more pictures:

[stevebeilgard]

lots of good eating there. congrats.

in the late '70's i booked a 21 day all game hunt in brittish columbia. on the 13th day i was so lonely for my famiy i told the outfitter to get me out of there. he said there were no refunds, and i told him i didn't ask for a refund, i asked to be taken out of camp. i was home the next day.

[colorado bob]

Good deal-----How did the rest of the group do? Guess you'll be back next year. Let's try to meet then. Bob