The Elk Thread

[ELKAHOLIC]

So what's everyones take on when the rut was this year?? We hunted the last week of CO archery OTC, packed in deep, up high.....heard one bugle in 5 days. 3 yrs ago was much different, lots of snow pack the year before we were there, cold weather and lots of elk bugling. I think the combination of warm weather and dry conditions did not help this year.

Where we were it really kicked up on the last 2 days of archery season Sept 22 and 23. This is what I figured would happen.
If you read all the magazines they will tell you the peak of the rut is Sept 20th in Colorado. In my 21 years experience I have found that the 20th has been about the time it starts.
In the past few years they have changed the archery season to end around that time, It is really hurting the archery hunter. In the past 2 seasons I have gotten so close to sealing the deal on huge bulls on the last day. Just one more day and I know I would have gotten it done!
I think with the rise in archery hunters Colorado is pushing back the dates so the rut happens in between archery and first rifle. In effort to not have archery hunters break up the herds and give the rifle hunters (their bread and butter) a better opportunity. IMHO
Edit: I just looked up the dates for archery next year. Contrary to what I have heard the season will be Aug.31-Sept 29th. This is awesome! so may be My conspiracy theory is premature.

[ELKAHOLIC]

Congrats 3d you wont be going hungry this winter!

[Black Dog]

I hunted the whole archery season in Colorado this year. I also hunted 1st rifle season as well.
In between I spent a few days in Yellowstone National Park viewing full rut activity on Sept 28-29.
Not sure about the peak of the rut in Colorado, but I heard more bugling the first two weeks of season. The last two weeks were hotter than usual and a lot of the bulls I saw were not herded up like usual.
I did see one big 6 point with 13 cows herded up the first week and he was bugling his head off like it was the peak of the rut.
The bulls seemed to be actually responding to calls better the last week of season, but some of the big herd bulls were still alone.
Seemed to be a year of contradictions.
I found things were completely different just a few miles away though.
Seems to me the rut was late overall, as during first rifle season we were hearing a lot of bugling and some cow vocalization as well.
Sept 28-29 in Yellowstone we watched bulls fighting over cows and heard over 250 bugles in 30 minutes of time. We saw multiple bulls with herds and a lot of fighting and challenging for cows during that time.

I was thinking it was late this year as well for the most part. Another friend hunted south of us and had the same report we did. Cool pics, looks like good country!

Where we were it really kicked up on the last 2 days of archery season Sept 22 and 23. This is what I figured would happen.
If you read all the magazines they will tell you the peak of the rut is Sept 20th in Colorado. In my 21 years experience I have found that the 20th has been about the time it starts.
In the past few years they have changed the archery season to end around that time, It is really hurting the archery hunter. In the past 2 seasons I have gotten so close to sealing the deal on huge bulls on the last day. Just one more day and I know I would have gotten it done!
I think with the rise in archery hunters Colorado is pushing back the dates so the rut happens in between archery and first rifle. In effort to not have archery hunters break up the herds and give the rifle hunters (their bread and butter) a better opportunity. IMHO
Edit: I just looked up the dates for archery next year. Contrary to what I have heard the season will be Aug.31-Sept 29th. This is awesome! so may be My conspiracy theory is premature.

Well that figures, we left out early Friday, ha. I'm not one to give up and just enjoy being there, but dang I was tired of sweatin', and my partner and I both had pressing issues at home.
I saw the dates for next year, looks good!!!

[a3dhunter]

Got a text from coonazz today. He connected with a 6x6 in the Meeker area!!!!
Congrats! Tony!!!!
I will let him post his pics when he gets back.

He should be back by now, where's the pics?

[coonazz]

He should be back by now, where's the pics?

Here are some of my pics.

[ELKAHOLIC]

Beautiful, Tony! The one thing I miss about rifle hunting elk is the snow and the cold, I love that stuff! Congrats again

[drthornton]

Excellent pics...The only thing I don't like about rifle hunt is "the snow and the cold". Good job congrats again!

[Danthebugleman]

Great pics..& nice bull. I love hunting post rut, cold, snow.
I have 1 more hunt Dec. 10 hope to connect.
DanTBM

[a3dhunter]

Excellent pics...The only thing I don't like about rifle hunt is "the snow and the cold". Good job congrats again!

I agree.

That's what I love about bowhunting. Usually have good weather.

[drthornton]

With all my western hunts done and only whitetail and duck hunting left my mind is already on new gear.

Anyone else thinking about gear for next year?

I already bought a set of Sitka...started with a deal on Mountain pants my size on another classifieds I could not turn down, Kelvin vest on camofire and a zip t on 2011 close out. I had just commented "The one thing I don't need next year is clothes" I now have a set of KUIU, Sitka and Core 4 Element...guess I should write a review.

Thinking of upgrading my sleep system again. I went for comfort last year and I think I need to go lighter.

What I really need to do is take out everything and get some stuff up on classifieds myself instead of lurking thru them for good deals!

[Kolpin10]

With all my western hunts done and only whitetail and duck hunting left my mind is already on new gear.

Anyone else thinking about gear for next year?

I already bought a set of Sitka...started with a deal on Mountain pants my size on another classifieds I could not turn down, Kelvin vest on camofire and a zip t on 2011 close out. I had just commented "The one thing I don't need next year is clothes" I now have a set of KUIU, Sitka and Core 4 Element...guess I should write a review.

Thinking of upgrading my sleep system again. I went for comfort last year and I think I need to go lighter.

What I really need to do is take out everything and get some stuff up on classifieds myself instead of lurking thru them for good deals!

Already planning for next year also, but not buying yet have to pay all the bills and build up my hunting fund. Some more clothing is on my list and a lighter sporting scope and tripod. Also would like a lighter backpack I like my eberlestock, but at 9 pounds it cuts down on what you pack.

[a3dhunter]

. Also would like a lighter backpack I like my eberlestock, but at 9 pounds it cuts down on what you pack.

I've been running my kifaru timberline 1 without a lid this year, with the aluminum stays it comes in at 5.0 lbs after cutting out some non essentials.

[Kolpin10]

Thinking of upgrading my sleep system again. I went for comfort last year and I think I need to go lighter.


I bought one of the montbell ultra light super spirals 15 degree and it was great. It only got down to about 28 but I never even zipped it up all the way, only complaint is that it is a little to warm one night was 45 and I had to keep it unzipped about 1.5 feet to keep from sweating.

[drthornton]

I bought one of the montbell ultra light super spirals 15 degree and it was great. It only got down to about 28 but I never even zipped it up all the way, only complaint is that it is a little to warm one night was 45 and I had to keep it unzipped about 1.5 feet to keep from sweating.

That's the one I am looking at. I tried mummy bags and was not happy so I switched to a park series BA. Pretty good but after hauling it around in NV I see the need to lighten the load but I sure enjoyed the extra shoulder room at night. Hoping the stretchy Montbell may be that happy medium.

I ran a KUIU 6000 this year and I really like it. Some people said they had problems with it but I never had any. Seems like there are several of the 2011 KUIU and Mystery Ranch Crew cabs w/ nice frame packs around this year on the used market for good deals. Might check those out.

[Mister Bubba's bulletman]

Area 62 Uncompahgre and Area 18? Arapaho and Roosevelt NF

I just got in from my CO OTC Bull 2nd rifle season. Yes a little early. But it was fun and I learned a little more this year about Elk hunting and tried out two new places.

The first was area 62 on top of the Uncompahgre Plateau off Divide RD.

Recruiter(AKA Texasnavychief) and I spent opening weekend with some very experienced elk hunters hunting the Aspens, brush and gulleys. There must have been a couple hundred other people up there. I'm guessing it's a popular spot.

All I had this trip was a OTC Bull tag. Which was useless for me because all I saw was cows, doe and one humongous buck.

Since I had TWO!! knee replacements on my right knee this year, the last one in August, I was really wondering how I would hold up all day on the declines and inclines while trying to keep up with my mountain goat like Colorado hunting buddies. No problem with the knee but I guess I just have to accept that I have to go a little slower now.

We hunted really hard to find a bull but no joy. The elk steaks for supper, late night card games, and almost asphyxiating ourselves at night in the tent because somebody begged us to try his homemade green chili and beans will just have to serve as good memories till next year.

After a day to rest my knee and just about everything else I said Adios to Western Colorado and went to Denver to hunt with an old college buddy.

He has never hunted Elk but was willing to go so we got on google and picked out some places just west of Rocky Mountain National park that looked promising north of Lake Granby in Area 18.

Hint. Remind me to watch the weather forecast next year.

Went went over Stillwater Pass(?) and ended up hunting for the evening along Kawuneeche Rd is a log clearing area.

Back to the weather. By 5pm it was snowing hard and really blowing and I was getting nervous but we had seen around 75 Elk in a herd just out side of the park earlier so we were going to stay put no matter how bad the visibility.

Around 6:30pm I heard a shot down in the brush at the end of my spot and since it was close, and we really couldn't see anymore we headed to the truck. More snow. More Dark.

We headed down the road and just about where I heard the shot from we see a guy at the tree line with his son trying to clean a bull. We stop, help, talk some more, load it in his truck and leave.

More snow.

Now I've driven in bad winter weather at night while deer hunting in NY and it can be extremely bad there but I say CO can be just as bad. By the time we got to Frasier and Winter Park I was wondering if the state owned any snowplows because there was a foot of slush and snow on the roads and I just knew the pass would be closed.

I drove past some perfectly good hotels to drive up and down that pass. In a blizzard. I think I went 20 mph in 4x4 the whole way.

That was nothing. The road to Idaho Springs was really bad and the interstate was littered with cars and big trucks off the road or about to be.

Finally saw snowplow a few miles from 470.

It took almost 6 hours to get back home.

God willing I'll be back next year.

I didn't get an Elk but I had the honor of bringing Chief's daughter's first Elk rack and cape to Austin to get mounted.

The first two pictures are the Uncompahgre and the third and fourth are the RNP from Stillwater Parr and Elk on private land between RNP and Roosevelt NF.