My hunt started Wed night leaving from socal (1000 feet above sea level) to drive to CO. I arrived mid afternoon thursday and started scouting and glassing. I soon found everything was above timberline about 12000 or 13000 feet. I spotted a small herd. The next morning i scouted the same area and spotted 3 more elk. nothing impressive.
I moved to another area took a rough 4x4 road to the highest spot i could find and glass the mountain tops. i was glassing mountain tops about 2-3 miles away or more. I spotted a herd of 9 with a decent bull in a high bowl that would be tough to access. I made my decision then to drive down to the bottom and hike in from the trailhead.
I was by myself so there was no one i could share my load with. I packed in a spike camp about 2.5 miles up the creek. the next morning i got up at 4:00 am and started straight up the mountain. I gotta figure i started about at about 10000 feet and was going up to 12500. It took a couple of hours and i got to timberline at daybreak.
All hell was breaking loose up there. I heard several bugles. I cautiously moved up the bowl on the top of the mountain. It was about a 500 acre bowl. I moved up slowly and spotted the herd with the bull making the most noise.
i had set a goal for myself to shoot a bull larger than my bull on the wall at home. an approx 300 6x6.
The bull was a little larger than that so i decided to make my move. this bull was going nuts he ran back an forth from a sattelite bull that was bugling to his small herd. I got within 270 yards and in the swirling winds i believe they winded me and they started moving off over the summit.
I heard other bugling further up the bowl so i moved out slowly because i was tired as hell at this point.
There was a herd of about 30 elk slowly feeding up and over the actual sloped peak of the mountain. They were calling back and forth. I moved as close as i could. my disadvantage was that they were looking down on me and i had little cover there above timberline. I got as close as i could about 300 yards away. in this herd was about 7 bulls but one was an absolute toad. the bull was at least 340 and his back tines were at least 17" long and major mass. none of the other bulls were close to his size. If it was rifle season i would have had a real trophy.
I started cow calling. I used all 3 calls i had brought along to try to sound like a few different cows. I got a great response. The primos hyperlip seemed to get the best response. the 7 bulls were all bugling at me. I called for about 30 minutes and was starting to shiver. It was pretty cold up there. it had rained on my spike camp the night before but up there it had snowed pretty good.
The herd kept moving up the hill but 2 of the smaller bulls just could not help themselves. they really thought that they had a chance for some action. Thankfully elk dont always think with their head like us.
they broke away from the herd and started moving steadily toward me.
I was crouched in some bushes below a smaller hill. I watched the bulls disapear below the hill. Then the larger of the 2 bulls appeared above me. I had not yet decided to shoot them yet but it was just to cool the way he stood on top of that hill looking down at me about 60 yards away. He could not make me out and i called again.
He stared down on me. My thoughts raced. in a few seconds i decided that i better shoot him because hiking up to timberline every day would soon kill me.
I took aim and fired.
He just stood there. I cow called and he stood there in shock. I waited thinking he would fall. I bet i waited 3 minutes and then i started trying to reload. i had crap everywhere. getting a patch wet, screwing the attatchments on, dry patch , powder, bullet, find a primer fumble to get it in.
I got it done all my stuff was on the ground in front of me. the bull cooperated and didnt take a step. I shot him again and still he stood, i reloaded again and still he stood, i reloaded the 4th shot and before i could shoot he dropped.
What a rush. he was a nice 5x5 . not my original goal but a real nice bull.
now the work started. I shot the bull at 8:20 am and i didnt get the first load (head and 50 lbs of meat) to my truck until 3:00pm. That afternoon i hiked back to my spike camp packed it up and headed back up the mountain. I got about 2/3 of the way up to timberline and reset my camp . By now i was dying. I went on this trip out of shape and now i was really paying for it. I also cut my left hand badly on the way back up and it was completely bound up to try to stop it from bleeding so i was basically one handed. I got up there the next morning and boned out the rest of the elk and made a heavy load and brought it down in my pack.
this is a trip that i will remember for a long time. I just keep replaying in my mind that bull appearing above me on that hill staring thru me. What a rush!
Since i was alone i only have pics of the skinned skull i took at home but i will get them posted.
I moved to another area took a rough 4x4 road to the highest spot i could find and glass the mountain tops. i was glassing mountain tops about 2-3 miles away or more. I spotted a herd of 9 with a decent bull in a high bowl that would be tough to access. I made my decision then to drive down to the bottom and hike in from the trailhead.
I was by myself so there was no one i could share my load with. I packed in a spike camp about 2.5 miles up the creek. the next morning i got up at 4:00 am and started straight up the mountain. I gotta figure i started about at about 10000 feet and was going up to 12500. It took a couple of hours and i got to timberline at daybreak.
All hell was breaking loose up there. I heard several bugles. I cautiously moved up the bowl on the top of the mountain. It was about a 500 acre bowl. I moved up slowly and spotted the herd with the bull making the most noise.
i had set a goal for myself to shoot a bull larger than my bull on the wall at home. an approx 300 6x6.
The bull was a little larger than that so i decided to make my move. this bull was going nuts he ran back an forth from a sattelite bull that was bugling to his small herd. I got within 270 yards and in the swirling winds i believe they winded me and they started moving off over the summit.
I heard other bugling further up the bowl so i moved out slowly because i was tired as hell at this point.
There was a herd of about 30 elk slowly feeding up and over the actual sloped peak of the mountain. They were calling back and forth. I moved as close as i could. my disadvantage was that they were looking down on me and i had little cover there above timberline. I got as close as i could about 300 yards away. in this herd was about 7 bulls but one was an absolute toad. the bull was at least 340 and his back tines were at least 17" long and major mass. none of the other bulls were close to his size. If it was rifle season i would have had a real trophy.
I started cow calling. I used all 3 calls i had brought along to try to sound like a few different cows. I got a great response. The primos hyperlip seemed to get the best response. the 7 bulls were all bugling at me. I called for about 30 minutes and was starting to shiver. It was pretty cold up there. it had rained on my spike camp the night before but up there it had snowed pretty good.
The herd kept moving up the hill but 2 of the smaller bulls just could not help themselves. they really thought that they had a chance for some action. Thankfully elk dont always think with their head like us.
they broke away from the herd and started moving steadily toward me.
I was crouched in some bushes below a smaller hill. I watched the bulls disapear below the hill. Then the larger of the 2 bulls appeared above me. I had not yet decided to shoot them yet but it was just to cool the way he stood on top of that hill looking down at me about 60 yards away. He could not make me out and i called again.
He stared down on me. My thoughts raced. in a few seconds i decided that i better shoot him because hiking up to timberline every day would soon kill me.
I took aim and fired.
He just stood there. I cow called and he stood there in shock. I waited thinking he would fall. I bet i waited 3 minutes and then i started trying to reload. i had crap everywhere. getting a patch wet, screwing the attatchments on, dry patch , powder, bullet, find a primer fumble to get it in.
I got it done all my stuff was on the ground in front of me. the bull cooperated and didnt take a step. I shot him again and still he stood, i reloaded again and still he stood, i reloaded the 4th shot and before i could shoot he dropped.
What a rush. he was a nice 5x5 . not my original goal but a real nice bull.
now the work started. I shot the bull at 8:20 am and i didnt get the first load (head and 50 lbs of meat) to my truck until 3:00pm. That afternoon i hiked back to my spike camp packed it up and headed back up the mountain. I got about 2/3 of the way up to timberline and reset my camp . By now i was dying. I went on this trip out of shape and now i was really paying for it. I also cut my left hand badly on the way back up and it was completely bound up to try to stop it from bleeding so i was basically one handed. I got up there the next morning and boned out the rest of the elk and made a heavy load and brought it down in my pack.
this is a trip that i will remember for a long time. I just keep replaying in my mind that bull appearing above me on that hill staring thru me. What a rush!
Since i was alone i only have pics of the skinned skull i took at home but i will get them posted.
