noharleyyet
Well-known member
Departed last Thursday at 4:30 am central time determined to kick Mapquest's ass.... stopping in Childress, Tucumcari, and Chama....rolling into Pagosa Springs at 2:00 pm. 10.5 hrs drive time around 660 miles. Buoyed by coffee, John LeCarre, ribald humor from some of HT's more deviant members, and the pure joy of heading to the Rockies. Grabbed a quick elk burger at "The Buck Stops Here" bar, grill, and meat market, checked into the Econo Lodge, poured a clear plastic cup of Cabernet, threw the bedspread into the far corner, fell between the sheets, and watched bad TV listlessly, nodding off the first quarter of the Panthers-Eagles game.
Friday morning I checked in early with my outfitter and received directions to the cabin I'd be sharing with 2 other hunters from Michigan, the cook, and two guides. Keeping with my plan of going in on Friday early evening I hiked to the same area of the ranch that my son and I hunted last year to spend the night solo and be ready for Saturday's opener. Settled in around 3:30 with 15 head filing noiselessly into the meadow around 6:30 at 500 yards slowly feeding west until out of sight.
....daylight view looking North....
I have a good down Kelty bag..but I'll never learn....a damn yoga mat is not sufficient padding. After a sleepless night, finally giving up on lying down around 1:00 am, I hold the bag around my shoulders and nod til 5:00, by which time the adrenal gland has worked it's magic. By around 6 am, with enough ambient astral glow and much eyestrain I discovered the herd had moved all the way to my right and was now at 300 yards. There were a couple small figures bluff charging each other and generally showing off. 12 others I assumed to be cows and calves were feeding, and one big dark block was aloofly, with slow deliberation feeding 1/2 step out of the dark shadows of the oak brush. I'm praying for enough light to discern antler legality while watching what I'm guessing is the herd bull urging him to get careless when at 6:45'ish a distant shot sounds. They all raise their heads and saunter into the timber. I am not daunted coz, you see, I have them patterned and know they'll be back that afternoon....yea right. So I wait till noon hike out have some lunch, refresh, grab a few winks and head back out with the certitude that I'd be tagged out with that herd bull by dark Saturday evening, but also with intentions of spending another night if necessary...this time with a cheap wally world Coleman self inflatable bag pad. The Coleman pad did work better, but not much. No elk Saturday evening nor Sunday morning. I hike out, rinse repeat and realize a more proactive plan is needed.
Plan B Sunday evening....a raunchy hike to a secluded parachute meadow.
I'm with a whippet thin 32 year old houndsman...Mike. Fine young man, polite, soft spoken...more about him later. We are finally at the floor of this honey hole when we hear a cow say 'humans' and see 20 elk skylining the west rim...they bust us but exhibit no urgency....but they are damn sure gone. We settle into the West end of the meadow, fashion a keep and watch the sun go down. I look thru my scope and kill at least 50 imaginary bulls for 3 hours.
Looking East...this place reeked of musk. 260 yards to the far end, 40 yards across surrounded by a timbered ridge....hard to get in and out. Really a cool spot and I'm glad I went in.
Untitled by
We hike out...I'm beat.
Plan C Monday morning
.....to be cont'd
Friday morning I checked in early with my outfitter and received directions to the cabin I'd be sharing with 2 other hunters from Michigan, the cook, and two guides. Keeping with my plan of going in on Friday early evening I hiked to the same area of the ranch that my son and I hunted last year to spend the night solo and be ready for Saturday's opener. Settled in around 3:30 with 15 head filing noiselessly into the meadow around 6:30 at 500 yards slowly feeding west until out of sight.
....daylight view looking North....
I have a good down Kelty bag..but I'll never learn....a damn yoga mat is not sufficient padding. After a sleepless night, finally giving up on lying down around 1:00 am, I hold the bag around my shoulders and nod til 5:00, by which time the adrenal gland has worked it's magic. By around 6 am, with enough ambient astral glow and much eyestrain I discovered the herd had moved all the way to my right and was now at 300 yards. There were a couple small figures bluff charging each other and generally showing off. 12 others I assumed to be cows and calves were feeding, and one big dark block was aloofly, with slow deliberation feeding 1/2 step out of the dark shadows of the oak brush. I'm praying for enough light to discern antler legality while watching what I'm guessing is the herd bull urging him to get careless when at 6:45'ish a distant shot sounds. They all raise their heads and saunter into the timber. I am not daunted coz, you see, I have them patterned and know they'll be back that afternoon....yea right. So I wait till noon hike out have some lunch, refresh, grab a few winks and head back out with the certitude that I'd be tagged out with that herd bull by dark Saturday evening, but also with intentions of spending another night if necessary...this time with a cheap wally world Coleman self inflatable bag pad. The Coleman pad did work better, but not much. No elk Saturday evening nor Sunday morning. I hike out, rinse repeat and realize a more proactive plan is needed.
Plan B Sunday evening....a raunchy hike to a secluded parachute meadow.
I'm with a whippet thin 32 year old houndsman...Mike. Fine young man, polite, soft spoken...more about him later. We are finally at the floor of this honey hole when we hear a cow say 'humans' and see 20 elk skylining the west rim...they bust us but exhibit no urgency....but they are damn sure gone. We settle into the West end of the meadow, fashion a keep and watch the sun go down. I look thru my scope and kill at least 50 imaginary bulls for 3 hours.
Looking East...this place reeked of musk. 260 yards to the far end, 40 yards across surrounded by a timbered ridge....hard to get in and out. Really a cool spot and I'm glad I went in.
Untitled by We hike out...I'm beat.
Plan C Monday morning
.....to be cont'd
