well, the karma gods smiled on us this year. I thought this season was going to be a bust, the land we hunted last year wasn't available this year plus both of my hunting buddies couldn't make it this season. I took a chance and bought a cheap trespass hunt in Colorado on only 350 acres for 3rd season. So, my wife and I head out to Colorado a couple of days early to scout because we knew nothing about the area and the landowner didn't share a lot of details.
We meet the landowner who points out the boundaries from the hilltop and heads out.Picture this........ North boundary interstate 70,west..golf course...south...million dollar summer homes...east 150 acres of BLM , total 450 acres to hunt, luckily it's about half wooded with the rest in sage, plenty of water. I told my wife" I don't know what I have got us into, but , we will make the most of it ". We glass from the hill until dark and see plenty of deer but no elk, only a few elk tracks along the dirt road. I was afraid of busting them out by walking around so we decided to come back in the morning 'opening day ' and glass at first light. Next morning we were there an hour before light and were glassing as soon as possible, normally I would be in the woods before light but this property was too small to chance it.
first hour nothing but deer, then we spot 2 orange hunters coming in from the north end, there shouldn't be anyone else on the property so I signaled them with my truck lights and the retreated, but, as they left they bumped a herd of about 40 elk, the elk started moving west away from me. The other hunters got in their truck and drove around to the west side and re-entered the area, the herd turned around and started in my direction moving slowly away from the 2 hunters but not spooked. I drove as quietly as I could closer to where I thought they might come thru, I grabbed my rifle, not even taking my pack or knife and dropped down a 150 yd canyon. As soon as I got halfway down the hill I saw movement in the thick brush, I could see 2 elk about 100 yds away on the next hill, but, couldn't tell their sex, suddenly at the bottom of the ravine I see a young cow step out and look around, the wind is in my favor and the sun is at my back so I'm able to move about 30 ft to get a better angle, cows start following the lead cow up the hill towards me, I'm thinking they will bust me any minute, now I have cows on all 3 downwind sides of me and no bull! Then I see the tips of antlers coming thru the brush,I'm so stressed and excited that I can barely hold my rifle,The bull steps into a small open area and I can see one antler......6 pt...all is suddenly calm and I pull the trigger, the bull drops in his tracks, I shoot a .338 with 225 gr Barnes xxx that a good friend hand loads for me, I've killed 15 elk with this load and I've never had to track one yet. The bull is 6 on one side and 4 on the other, I have nothing with me so I mark the tree with my orange hat and head back to the truck to get my gear and try to rustle up some help,I could cut him up and pack him out alone but it's all uphill and would take all day. At the truck are the two hunters who it turns out manage the land for the absentee owner, and, through a miscommunication didn't know I was there. I ask if they know where I could hire a couple of guys to help and they volunteered, it's a lot to ask another hunter to spend opening morning helping a stranger pack out an elk, but, thankfully they insisted. Two hours later we were on the way to the butcher, A special thanks to Ramsey Romanin and his brother Riley for selflessly giving up opening morning to help an old man out!
We meet the landowner who points out the boundaries from the hilltop and heads out.Picture this........ North boundary interstate 70,west..golf course...south...million dollar summer homes...east 150 acres of BLM , total 450 acres to hunt, luckily it's about half wooded with the rest in sage, plenty of water. I told my wife" I don't know what I have got us into, but , we will make the most of it ". We glass from the hill until dark and see plenty of deer but no elk, only a few elk tracks along the dirt road. I was afraid of busting them out by walking around so we decided to come back in the morning 'opening day ' and glass at first light. Next morning we were there an hour before light and were glassing as soon as possible, normally I would be in the woods before light but this property was too small to chance it.
first hour nothing but deer, then we spot 2 orange hunters coming in from the north end, there shouldn't be anyone else on the property so I signaled them with my truck lights and the retreated, but, as they left they bumped a herd of about 40 elk, the elk started moving west away from me. The other hunters got in their truck and drove around to the west side and re-entered the area, the herd turned around and started in my direction moving slowly away from the 2 hunters but not spooked. I drove as quietly as I could closer to where I thought they might come thru, I grabbed my rifle, not even taking my pack or knife and dropped down a 150 yd canyon. As soon as I got halfway down the hill I saw movement in the thick brush, I could see 2 elk about 100 yds away on the next hill, but, couldn't tell their sex, suddenly at the bottom of the ravine I see a young cow step out and look around, the wind is in my favor and the sun is at my back so I'm able to move about 30 ft to get a better angle, cows start following the lead cow up the hill towards me, I'm thinking they will bust me any minute, now I have cows on all 3 downwind sides of me and no bull! Then I see the tips of antlers coming thru the brush,I'm so stressed and excited that I can barely hold my rifle,The bull steps into a small open area and I can see one antler......6 pt...all is suddenly calm and I pull the trigger, the bull drops in his tracks, I shoot a .338 with 225 gr Barnes xxx that a good friend hand loads for me, I've killed 15 elk with this load and I've never had to track one yet. The bull is 6 on one side and 4 on the other, I have nothing with me so I mark the tree with my orange hat and head back to the truck to get my gear and try to rustle up some help,I could cut him up and pack him out alone but it's all uphill and would take all day. At the truck are the two hunters who it turns out manage the land for the absentee owner, and, through a miscommunication didn't know I was there. I ask if they know where I could hire a couple of guys to help and they volunteered, it's a lot to ask another hunter to spend opening morning helping a stranger pack out an elk, but, thankfully they insisted. Two hours later we were on the way to the butcher, A special thanks to Ramsey Romanin and his brother Riley for selflessly giving up opening morning to help an old man out!
