JBahr
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- May 29, 2016
- Messages
- 263
Recently moved to Denver and decided I was going to do an OTC rifle hunt for elk. Being new to the state and late to the game it was hard to find buddies to tag along. My brother moved to Avon, CO the same month and I pressured him to ask for days off to hunt. He has a kiddo due mid November and is a new veterinarian to the Vail Valley, a big ask on my part. Luckily he got Friday through Sunday off. That made my decision on where to hunt easy. Unit REDACTED were within striking range for him and he could get home to his wife if need be. These units were not my first choice due to the low success rates for 2nd season, but I figured, "what the hell, this is a first time rifle elk hunt for both of us, more of a learning experience." A learning experience it was!
I scoured Rokslide for information, I watched every possible youtube video on DIY elk hunts, I scouted, trained, emptied bank accounts on gear. Preparing consumed me.
I set up camp on Tuesday the 25th with just enough time to get out and scout the area I figured the elk would be considering the pressure they just got from the 1st weekend of 2nd rifle. Nothing. Wen't to bed a little discouraged. I know who get's discouraged after an hour sit the first night... I had really built this up in my head. New start tomorrow.
Wednesday was much of the same. I was up 2 hrs before first light, at my next glassing spot on time, nothing, hiked all day looking for sign and found some, nothing too fresh. I covered 11 miles, busting timber, scouting water, and finally sitting a park I thought was sure to turn up elk. Nothing. On my way in I was hit with a strobe light from behind, I slowed my climb up the hill to camp to let the hunter behind me catch up. We had very similar experiences, first timers, no elk. We shared knowledge hoping to help each other out. We made it to camp to find a string of pack horses being unloaded. This group had been there all week, shot 2 cows, a bull and an killer mule deer. They told us, you have to work harder... "They're out there"
Thursday, my new found friend and his buddy all pushed down into an unexplored bottom not likely to be seen by other hunters. I pushed the farthest from camp knowing that area had to be the least pressured. I was late as a result, did't study the topo carefully enough and got cliffed out at first light. Unless I magically gained the skills of Chris Kyle I was not going to have a shot at any animal from my vantage point. Pissed off I threw up my binos to look into the valley below and no shit, there's a bull right in the middle of my sight picture. I dropped my binos in disbelief, then put them up again, another bull, then some cows, more cows. I scanned my maps, estimated them to be .70 miles away, 1500ft down. Can't repel down the cliff, not going to get there in time if I go around, too far. Crap I decided to just sit and pattern them. They quickly made for the dark timber by 7:45am. I worked my way along the cliff to where I was directly above them. This was an easier slope but still 1500 ft plus what I had already gone through to get to this point. I had an arranged time to pick my brother up for the trailhead. There was just no time. I was not going to be able to see if these elk came back out tonight. I left them and returned to a closer park to wait out dark, again nothing. Picked up my brother and shared the news, "I found them, but you're not going to like where."
Friday, we wake up at 3:30am, gotta be out of camp by 4am, 2hr hike, unknown trail/obstacles, lots of elevation to descend. Leave camp at 4:50... We're Late! We book it, to make it into the bottom before first light. We're close, .50 mile from where I spotted the bulls the previous morning, wind's wrong! It's at our back blowing right to where we think they will be. We decided, "what the hell, we're down here, we have to try." We weren't even sure we could get a shot into this area, that was essentially a series of aspen benches in a river bottom that each run perpendicular to the river. We decide that we are going to sit on the next bench and glass and move from there.
At this point it was shooting light, headlamps off we ascend the next little bench, near the peak I snap a twig and the whole aspen grove explodes in front of us. Elk everywhere, we freeze and so do the elk. I could not believe we ended up right on top of them. I slowly try and chamber a round and did not have enough momentum on the bolt to cycle a round. I had to look down to fumble the round into the chamber and that sent all but one running. Having a cow tag and a bull tag I was not going to be picky here, again first elk rifle hunt. I freehand the rifle up and in the scope is the only elk left in our view. A Bull, a legal Bull! I pull the trigger halfway up the body in line with the front leg and the bull wheels around and is gone. Did I miss? Surely not, under 200 yards, ask my brother, "Did he look hit?" "I'm pretty sure you hit him" was the response. We waited 30 and then walked to where he stood, nothing. Couldn't believe it, I missed. We looked uphill, down hill, nothing. In disbelief I started walking down the trail the bull appeared to take. Down the trail about 150 yards stood the bull, looking away, not moving. I put the scope on him and study hard looking for evidence of a hit, hard to see anything from this angle, I move to his left and don't see anything. Okay, let's try again. Boom, hit a limb, didn't account for bullet trajectory. The bull didn't flinch. Boom, hit, the bull flinches but still stands. I am thoroughly perplexed at this point. Everything I read told me to shot until they drop so I reload and put another into him, this time he turns and faces us, another into him and he is finally acting like you would expect. He goes down.
I don't know quite what to think at this point. I know he's down but just couldn't understand the bulls behavior. I've shot whitetail before and never had an experience like that. I know elk are insanely larger and tougher but I thought my 300 WSM and 180gr Nosler Accubonds where up to the task. We start to walk to the second area where the bull stood. On the way we find one drop of blood. I did hit him with the first shot it turns out. We would find that it entered 3 inches high of where I aimed and poked a perfect .30 cal hole in his left side and destroyed the scapula on the other side, but did not pass through. Explains the small amount of blood we found in the original location and his strange behavior when I started shooting again. These are some tough animals.
Packing the bull out was the hardest physical thing I have ever done. 4 miles uphill the whole way 2000 vertical feet total was miserable. Started researching packers, renting mules, llamas the second I got back.
I want to thank the Rokslide community for all the knowledge shared here. You guys really helped me with decisions on gear, technique, and strategy. Can't wait for next year!
I scoured Rokslide for information, I watched every possible youtube video on DIY elk hunts, I scouted, trained, emptied bank accounts on gear. Preparing consumed me.
I set up camp on Tuesday the 25th with just enough time to get out and scout the area I figured the elk would be considering the pressure they just got from the 1st weekend of 2nd rifle. Nothing. Wen't to bed a little discouraged. I know who get's discouraged after an hour sit the first night... I had really built this up in my head. New start tomorrow.
Wednesday was much of the same. I was up 2 hrs before first light, at my next glassing spot on time, nothing, hiked all day looking for sign and found some, nothing too fresh. I covered 11 miles, busting timber, scouting water, and finally sitting a park I thought was sure to turn up elk. Nothing. On my way in I was hit with a strobe light from behind, I slowed my climb up the hill to camp to let the hunter behind me catch up. We had very similar experiences, first timers, no elk. We shared knowledge hoping to help each other out. We made it to camp to find a string of pack horses being unloaded. This group had been there all week, shot 2 cows, a bull and an killer mule deer. They told us, you have to work harder... "They're out there"
Thursday, my new found friend and his buddy all pushed down into an unexplored bottom not likely to be seen by other hunters. I pushed the farthest from camp knowing that area had to be the least pressured. I was late as a result, did't study the topo carefully enough and got cliffed out at first light. Unless I magically gained the skills of Chris Kyle I was not going to have a shot at any animal from my vantage point. Pissed off I threw up my binos to look into the valley below and no shit, there's a bull right in the middle of my sight picture. I dropped my binos in disbelief, then put them up again, another bull, then some cows, more cows. I scanned my maps, estimated them to be .70 miles away, 1500ft down. Can't repel down the cliff, not going to get there in time if I go around, too far. Crap I decided to just sit and pattern them. They quickly made for the dark timber by 7:45am. I worked my way along the cliff to where I was directly above them. This was an easier slope but still 1500 ft plus what I had already gone through to get to this point. I had an arranged time to pick my brother up for the trailhead. There was just no time. I was not going to be able to see if these elk came back out tonight. I left them and returned to a closer park to wait out dark, again nothing. Picked up my brother and shared the news, "I found them, but you're not going to like where."
Friday, we wake up at 3:30am, gotta be out of camp by 4am, 2hr hike, unknown trail/obstacles, lots of elevation to descend. Leave camp at 4:50... We're Late! We book it, to make it into the bottom before first light. We're close, .50 mile from where I spotted the bulls the previous morning, wind's wrong! It's at our back blowing right to where we think they will be. We decided, "what the hell, we're down here, we have to try." We weren't even sure we could get a shot into this area, that was essentially a series of aspen benches in a river bottom that each run perpendicular to the river. We decide that we are going to sit on the next bench and glass and move from there.
At this point it was shooting light, headlamps off we ascend the next little bench, near the peak I snap a twig and the whole aspen grove explodes in front of us. Elk everywhere, we freeze and so do the elk. I could not believe we ended up right on top of them. I slowly try and chamber a round and did not have enough momentum on the bolt to cycle a round. I had to look down to fumble the round into the chamber and that sent all but one running. Having a cow tag and a bull tag I was not going to be picky here, again first elk rifle hunt. I freehand the rifle up and in the scope is the only elk left in our view. A Bull, a legal Bull! I pull the trigger halfway up the body in line with the front leg and the bull wheels around and is gone. Did I miss? Surely not, under 200 yards, ask my brother, "Did he look hit?" "I'm pretty sure you hit him" was the response. We waited 30 and then walked to where he stood, nothing. Couldn't believe it, I missed. We looked uphill, down hill, nothing. In disbelief I started walking down the trail the bull appeared to take. Down the trail about 150 yards stood the bull, looking away, not moving. I put the scope on him and study hard looking for evidence of a hit, hard to see anything from this angle, I move to his left and don't see anything. Okay, let's try again. Boom, hit a limb, didn't account for bullet trajectory. The bull didn't flinch. Boom, hit, the bull flinches but still stands. I am thoroughly perplexed at this point. Everything I read told me to shot until they drop so I reload and put another into him, this time he turns and faces us, another into him and he is finally acting like you would expect. He goes down.
I don't know quite what to think at this point. I know he's down but just couldn't understand the bulls behavior. I've shot whitetail before and never had an experience like that. I know elk are insanely larger and tougher but I thought my 300 WSM and 180gr Nosler Accubonds where up to the task. We start to walk to the second area where the bull stood. On the way we find one drop of blood. I did hit him with the first shot it turns out. We would find that it entered 3 inches high of where I aimed and poked a perfect .30 cal hole in his left side and destroyed the scapula on the other side, but did not pass through. Explains the small amount of blood we found in the original location and his strange behavior when I started shooting again. These are some tough animals.
Packing the bull out was the hardest physical thing I have ever done. 4 miles uphill the whole way 2000 vertical feet total was miserable. Started researching packers, renting mules, llamas the second I got back.
I want to thank the Rokslide community for all the knowledge shared here. You guys really helped me with decisions on gear, technique, and strategy. Can't wait for next year!
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