Colorado Elk muzzle loader update

[Westtrailed]

Just got back from hunting. This years muzzle loader season is 9/9-9/17, we hunted Saturday though Tuesday. A week earlier than 2022. I won’t out the unit but we saw elk everyday. Mostly single bulls and a couple small bulls together. One herd of 20 cows, 5 calf’s and one giant herd bull. (Out of muzzle loader range) The elk in this unit are definitely not in rut. They weren’t responding to calls at all, seems like they could have cared less. My buddy was at the tree line calling. Decided to leave the area and kicked out a bedded bull 200 yards away from where he was calling. All the elk we saw were high in elevation about 12k plus.

 

[Steven.Elmore]

That sounds just like the unit I archery hunted in the first week. Hopefully headed back the end of next week to see if anything has changed.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Similar experience in my muzzy unit this year, very little rut activity. Big bulls solo, uninterested, very few bugles. Did you notch your tag?

 

[Westtrailed]

Nope! No kill this year. How about you @Hnthrdr?

 

[Hnthrdr]

I punched my tag on a young bull early in the week since my season was extra short with family commitments, figured it was going to be a cake walk hunt, since I mostly archery hunt and getting bulls to 100 yards has been pretty easy, but with an almost non existent rut where I was I was glad to fill the freezer

 

[Westtrailed]

I passed on two young bulls at 100 yards on the second day. A 3x3 and a 4x4, I used to shoot the first bull I see but after shooting a single antlered bull last year I’m trying to be more patient. (I didn’t realize he only had one antler at the time but he was the first bull I saw that day.) I’m not concerned with meat, my father in law hunts a private ranch for elk so he’s guaranteed an elk every year. Plus he shoots 4 deer a year at his ranch in Texas. Most the time we give a lot of meat away to friends every year. Sucks I didn’t kill but it is what it is.

 

[sodaksooner]

We early rifle deer hunted during muzzleloader season. Saw several nice bulls but they werent talking much, except for one little guy behind camp. Hopefully firing up a bit more now.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I passed on two young bulls at 100 yards on the second day. A 3x3 and a 4x4, I used to shoot the first bull I see but after shooting a single antlered bull last year I’m trying to be more patient. (I didn’t realize he only had one antler at the time but he was the first bull I saw that day.) I’m not concerned with meat, my father in law hunts a private ranch for elk so he’s guaranteed an elk every year. Plus he shoots 4 deer a year at his ranch in Texas. Most the time we give a lot of meat away to friends every year. Sucks I didn’t kill but it is what it is.

that’s nice to have meat settled. I like getting an elk because then I get to be really picky with my buck tag in Nov and really look over some animals

 

[custis]

Getting bulls inside 100 yards has never been easy for me….once ina while but not every other year even.