2021 Team 3

[wtnhunt]

Elkoholic and fly

[elkoholic]

Let's see if we can get it done.  Archery season has been open here for a week already and I've focused on elk.  Not having much luck seeing anything, deer or elk.  I have until mid December between bow, rifle, and muzzleloader, so if my back holds up there's plenty of time.  Good hunting!

[fly]

Hi Dave, good to have you on my team this year. I'll mostly be hunting my 32.5 acres here in IL but will go down to the Shawnee forest this year for the shotgun season as well as head down to Kentucky for an archery hunt or two. I also got drawn for a public ground hunting area called Walkers island around Christmas time. I have never hunted there so I have no idea what to expect. Probably not much given that it will be so late in the year. Good luck chasing elk! I actually purchased a WY elk preference point this year. I figure I may give elk hunting a try in 5-10 years when I have enough preference points.

[elkoholic]

On 9/13/2021 at 12:27 PM, fly said:

I figure I may give elk hunting a try in 5-10 years when I have enough preference points.

Frank, the sooner the better as I've decided that serious run and gun elk hunting is more of a young man's game.  On top of that, you never know what the future holds.  You will love elk hunting, especially during the rut.  Think about other states also as I think you may get a tag sooner.

For some reason there seems to be almost no deer movement in the mountains here.  I've seen a few doe and one spike over the past two weeks.  I see moose and bear several times a week and the elk bugle in the early morning hours before first light.  It has been quite chilly at night with temps in the 20s and daytime highs 40-50.  You would think everything would be moving.  Snow is forecast for this weekend so that might get things moving.  The best hunting has yet to come.

[fly]

Sounds like a great place to live. I am also considering Colorado DIY elk hunting in the (more near) future. When you are a non-resident the price tag can really be a limiting factor even on a DIY hunt. A friend of mine met an older guy while hiking in the RMNP this past summer.  The guy said he decided to give up Elk hunting due to father time and his health. He told my friend he would send him the coordinates of the area he has hunted for years and showed him pictures of the numerous bulls he has taken over the years. We are taking it into consideration. I always wonder how much is "talk" and how much is genuine. Ya, know...   Best of luck to you Dave - I hope you find the bull you are looking for.

 

 

[elkoholic]

A little update.  Nothing on the ground yet and have pretty much given up on the elk.  My legs just won't work well enough to allow much mountain hunting like I'd like to do.  Have been mostly sitting and watching game trails, which still could offer a chance at an elk.  Sitting on the ground does offer some interesting close encounters as I had a bear pass by at about six feet.  Have also had multiple buck within 20 yards but nothing I wanted to put a tag on.  Biggest one was a young basket rack 8 with long spindly tines.  He did have a chocolate colored rack and given several more years (If the wolves don't get him) might be interesting.  The next several days are forecast to be rain filled as a cold front arrives from British Columbia and I'm hoping there will be more game movement the day after it moves out.  I'll rest up until then and then get back to it.

[fly]

Hope that cold front gets them moving Dave. The IL archery season open tomorrow. I'll be looking to get in the stand and start the grind this Saturday.

[fly]

Went out this past weekend and saw turkeys, coyotes, and squirrels.  No deer, but the cameras tell me they are there - just moving at night still.

[fly]

Cold front come in this weekend and did the trick! Shot my heaviest buck to date. 212 pounds field dressed (270 estimated live weight).  The rack is all kinds off cool. I almost passed him because I only saw the 4 points on the left and wasn't sure of his age.  He was making a scrape and raking branches with his antlers which gave me time to judge, He turned and I saw the body and palmation on his right side and thought - better shoot this one. Perfect shot from the TenPoint Vengent - double lung. Of course his 100 yard death run was down into the gorge! Took me two hours to pull him out of it and up to my mule. I estimate this deer to be 5.5 years old.

[Maine Hntr]

Congrats Frank, that’s a tank! ?

[Ravin R10 man]

Congrats Frank!!  That funny!, I pulled my two does home the SAME way!!  Aint gonna blow my back out trying to get them in by myself!!!?

[hoosierhunter]

Atta boy Frank!!!!  He’s a stud and love the character!

[hoosierhunter]

Frank the tank!!!!

[wtnhunt]

Cool character on that big boy Frank.  Congratulations.

[elkoholic]

Wow!  That's a biggin right there.  I miss a week or so and you get it done.  Way to go Frank!

This Sunday closed out the archery season here.  I passed on some small, young buck and couldn't get the only one I'd have shot at to stop as he walked past at 18 yards.  He was either deaf or indifferent I'm not sure which.  He had a very gray, roman nose and a heavy, wide, short tined rack.  I thought the cold front here (morning temps in the low teens) would produce more movement than it did.  Next Saturday starts the five week rifle season and with the rut approaching, maybe, just maybe.

[fly]

Thanks everyone! spent all day Sunday butchering him up. Freezer is full!

In IL we get 2 buck tags, but I'd be hard pressed to do better than this one.  Best of luck with the rifle Dave and to everyone else. I'll get him entered shortly.

[Rhino]

Congratulations Frank!  That's an old toad.

[Strut10]

CONGRATS, Frank !!!!

Great deer !!!!!   Heavy and TONS of character !!!!!

[fly]

Thanks Al and Strut, More to the story... I posted this on a FB deer hunting page and a couple guys saw the buck, recognized it and sent me trail cam pictures and videos. They hunt a mile north of me and had been after this one for a couple years. They said he is at least 5.5 years old. This is him last year. He had been shot with an arrow in the neck and survived.

 

Edited October 26, 2021 by fly

[Rhino]

They sure have a will to live!  The response you got with the pics and age information is really cool.  Sounds like some good neighbors to keep in touch with.  I could share some stories with you about survivors. 

Besides that, in my lifetime, I've cleaned or assisted cleaning 3 does and 1 buck that had broadheads still in them.  The 3 does were completely healed over for at least a year.  The buck was wounded in MO several years ago by a guest...another guest killed him about 2 weeks later.  That broadhead was in the thick spot at the shoulder joint.

Congratulations again Frank!  Great old buck!

[fly]

Thanks Al - always love reading your stories - looking forward to the one you'll have here in a few weeks.

[fly]

Good deer movement today. No big ones but a couple 1.5 old bucks and a doe cruising around mid-day. Warming trend coming in Sunday - I predict it will shut things down, but it''s the 2nd week in November which equates to the best week to be in the deer woods.

Edited November 6, 2021 by fly

[fly]

Not a deer moving today and conditions were perfect which means we are experiencing lock down. Hunting is really good or really bad the next week.

[fly]

Well, not much happening lately. Had one evening where I saw a really nice buck fighting with a 3.5 year old 8 point. Happened at last light and was no where near my crossbow range. That was a couple days before Thanksgiving, since then everything on camera has been nocturnal. I have a public draw hunt in a few weeks. I have never hunted it before so I'll use the next week to scout it out and see if it is worth my effort. It's a flat island surrounded by marsh and swamp. A 4 mile hiking trail around the perimeter and from what I hear it is used heavily by hikers.

[fly]

I scouted out the island and have a stand placed in tree overlooking a field of winter wheat. I saw 3 does enter the field near the location of my stand. I'll be hunting each evening next week trying to fill my last archery buck and doe tag. I will not be picky.