Colorado 1st rifle season

[FTTPOW]

We got back from Colorado's 1st rifle season this past weekend. Other than one of the guys in the group, this was our first time hunting in Colorado and we had a great time. We met up with Mtnsammy on one of our few trips to town and had a nice chat. We had a base camp set up at 7500 ft consisting of a 14x20 sleeping wall tent and a 12x11 cooking wall tent. We "cheated" by having a propane cook stove and heaters for the tents. We hauled water in a 30 plastic drum for camp use and slept on cots. That's where our luxuries stopped. After the horses were delivered, we rode up about 5 mi into the Wilderness to find an area for a spike camp. Spike camp consisted of a large suspended tarp to cover the 3 Army shelters for the 3 of us. We had a small lake surrounded by timber for shelter from the wind and hobbled the horses for grazing in addition to the bags of feed we packed in. Rain changed to snow by the time we arrived in spike camp the night before season opened. We calculated that the pressure from the foothills below would move the elk to our elevation, 10,500 ft. Opening morning found us in 6" of snow working slowly through the timber on a saddle we figured the elk to travel through once the shooting started down below. The only problem was that there was no shooting below. We probably only heard 7 shots all day and they were off in the far distance. We didn't even cut a track all day. Day 2 we decided to ride the trail to some open meadows to see where the elk were feeding. We hit some tracks then tied off to follow them to their beds on foot through the timber. A shift in the wind got us busted before we could spot them. All we got was empty beds and tracks busting down the mountain. Late afternoon found us slowly riding back to base camp to resupply and dry gear out. Base camp was like the Hilton compared to spike camp. After a short night we again headed up to spike camp the next morning. We decided to ride close to some large meadows and then sneak along the edge of the timber to wait for the elk to come out to feed for the evening. Nothing. Next morning, same tactic, same result. That afternoon we found a basin that held beds near the top of finger ridge in the timber. The next morning we "surrounded them" and sent someone in to get a crack at them before they could bolt, while we took vantage points to cut off their escape. It was a good plan but only one problem. They weren't using that basin that morning. We struck spike camp later that afternoon and ended our hunt, arriving back at base camp just before dark. I don't know if we chose to go too high or if there just weren't that many elk in the area. Hunting pressure was almost non-existant. For several days we saw no other hunters or tracks. A lot of outfitters were using that country, but we never saw them in the mountains and didn't hear any shots indicating where they were. So it's tag soup this year, but we had a great time and saw some great countryside. I've always wanted to do an old fashion Wilderness western hunt and wasn't disappointed. It sure would have been nice to pack one out, though.

 

[Z-man]

Sounds like a great time minus the tag soup.

Were you in Northern or Southern?

I hunted GMU5, probably my last time there. To much dead fall and I'm working on some place closer to home. The only elk I saw was the dead bull my uncle shot opening morning. Spent the rest of the day packing meat, the rest of the season hiking.

Oh, thanks for riding horses and not quads.....

 

[jls456]

Sounds like you had a great time. Good story too. I've had that same luck many times. But,also some great times and some good animals. Keep at it. Been hunting there over 30 years,but its getting harder and harder to draw the unit I used to hunt every year and know very well. Should draw deer w/8 PP's in 2013............

 

[FTTPOW]

Quads weren't in the equation since this was Wilderness. Quads have their place, but not on this hunt. We were in Unit 24 and wanted to do it the old fashion way. At least we got our way on that topic. We might have made it harder on ourselves in some repects, but that's the way we wanted it. I doubt it's everyone's cup of tea. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.