Coloradoboy's 2011 Hunting Chronicles

Coloradoboy

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After last years poor effort at documenting my hunting season, I've decided to give it a second shot. I really enjoyed following others hunts throughout the course of the season and I really like this idea whether there is a prize in the end or not.

Spring time is relatively slow time for me, excluding doing my research and doing my applications for the upcoming hunting season as well as spring turkey season that starts Saturday here in Colorado. After last year my elk points are all burnt and gone in Wyoming and Colorado, and both hunts resulted in success. Im looking at this year as a 'rebuilding' year as far as drawing good tags for me, but none the less Im looking to make it a successful one as usual. College seems to only get harder with time and im committed to Lineman school here at Mesa State for the Fall of 2011, which will most likely put a damper on my hunting. But on the bright side of things I go to school in North western Colorado which is located conveniently close to majority of my hunting areas and home.

With limited time this year, i've decided to focus my efforts here in Colorado for the 2011 season. Below are the tags im expecting this year:

Spring Turkey
E/S archery elk
2nd Rifle Cow
Muzzleloader Deer
Archery Bear

Also this year my dad should be expecting:

Unit 201 antelope
Unit 49 archery elk
Early Rifle Bear
Eastern Plains Whitetail only

Not quite the agenda compared to last year but should be a fun one! Im heading home Friday to do some turkey hunting this weekend, so be looking for updates to be coming soon with hopefully a picture or two of some Colorado thunderchickens.
 
Well, its 2:10am currently, opening morning of turkey season. I roosted about 45 to 50 birds tonight before dark about 15 minutes south of my house. Looks to like theres a couple really nice toms in the bunch. Im probably not the only person to lay eyes on them this week though. My plan is to get up there by about 3:30am and meet up with my buddy. My hope is to be the first one in there this morning and the sight of trucks will detour any other hunters. I think I have a pretty good idea as to where they are going to go after they jump out of the big cottonwood they are roosted in, but we'll see how it goes. Hopefully I'll have pictures up tonight of a bird or two.
Coloradoboy
 
Well guys,
The opening weekend of turkey season was a tough one for me, rather frustrating to say the least. I didnt carry my camera on me so you're just going to just have to take my word here. Opening morning started off with me located the birds roosted up high in the cotton woods just like I anticipated. I set up in a small clear cut that I anticipated the birds to fly into at first light. As light approached I could hear a few gobbles here and there, but nothing like it has been in the past on opening morning. About 15 minutes after first light I saw about 15 birds jump out of the roost about 250 yards to the south of me so i decided to try and make a move before they moved off. As I crept through the cedars I peeked into a clearing to see two toms strutted up with some hens around them 60 yards out. Looking ahead of me it appeared I had enough cover to close the distance another 20 to 30 yards to allow for a good shot with my bow. I put a small stand of oak brush in-between me and the birds and began to make my move; but as it typically goes with me and turkeys I slipped around the oaks ready to come to full draw and the birds were moving off further into the cedars at a good pace. I decided to see if I could trail them and get a possible shot, with them heading into thick nasty oak brush and the unwillingness of the toms to respond to a call I had no chance. The morning continued on to be slow until late in the morning I located a tom and 2 jakes across a big hay field pecking around along a stand of oak brush. Looking at it, I had a really good set up for a stalk. I got about 500-600 yards below the birds and worked up above them and try to slowly slip down from above them and try and catch them working up the hill towards me. Well, just my luck two greedy hispanic guys (who the hell knows where they came from) decided they could just walk straight across the pasture right at the birds and get a shot.. WTF? this caused the birds to start up the hill before I could cut them off and the only glimpse I had was a them booking in through a clear cut 70 yards out. People drive me crazy sometimes, I was clearly set up on these birds, and they think they can just dive right in and join me? Thats public land hunting for you I guess...
That afternoon I moved my efforts else where and once again got on birds. With the snow coming off and on throughout the afternoon it made the visibility poor at best. I spent the afternoon chasing gobbles and talking back and forth with toms but never could manage to get a shot. I found it extremely frustrated as I walked out that night after being in birds for a solid 4 hours straight and not getting a shot.
Sunday, morning I had a solid 3 to 5 inches of snow on the ground that morning, which made getting to my hunting areas tough. I had to chain up to get up on the ridge I spent chasing birds saturday afternoon. The snow seemed to really shut the birds down and I hardly heard any chatter. I spent the morning chasing one lone tom and but never could get much closer than 80 to 100 yards from me and the afternoon was much the same. With only a few birds found, little gobbling and scattered snow showers. I decided to count my loses and packed up for the day at about 6 o'clock and heading back to school.
Its a long season and Im hoping to locate a few birds around Grand Junction that I can chase around before and after class. Im determined to make it happen this year, and I think if I keep at it I can get 'er done before may 20th.
Coloradoboy.
 
Well guys its been a while my last post but I figure I'll get everyone up to date on my current happenings.
Things have been quite busy for me the last few weeks as I have taken a job on a ranch south of my house. Im currently in charge of all horse and fishing operations and its been keeping me busy. I wasnt able to fill my spring turkey tag sadly, life got busy and I wasnt able to get out much late in the season. I was able to get on birds on a consistent basis, just wasnt able to seal the deal. I was able to get my buddy a shot the last week of the season but he ended up missing the bird at about 40 yards or so. I just recently got the outfitting rights on the ranch and Im looking to start things up. I know its late in the game right now but Im really hoping to get a few guys booked for the fall. The ranch is loaded up with deer as 1500 acres of the ranch's 3800 total acres is irrigated alfalfa/hay. Along with the deer there are roughly (as I've estimated) about 250 resident elk on it. I know for a fact and past experience and living in the area that the place will fill up with elk as the fall progresses and when pressure and weather moves them lower. Im going to have some slam dunk deer and elk hunting from the 2nd through the 4th seasons. On top of that Im in the process of get some land locked BLM to the west of the ranch permitted to me so that will definitely pick up the productivity in archery through 1st rifle as it is higher country with zero roads. So if you're interested in booking a hunt with me I can be contacted on my cell at 970-319-6139 or my email address at [email protected]. Im in the process of working on my prices but I will be offering fully guided 2 on 1's on private land, Trespass hunts along with drop camp/fully guided hunts on the BLM land all in unit 42. If you would like to check out the ranch website www.porterranch.net. By the way the ranch is located just below the Triple J, which is the ranch Silver Spur Outfitters runs off where the likes of The Best of the West, Lee and Tiffany Lakowsky and Blake Shelton have hunted.
On the tag side of things my draw results were pretty limited this year;
I drew a muzzleloader deer tag and Im going to pick up an archery E/S tag and a archery bear tag. Dad drew unit 49 archery, early rifle bear unit 41,42,421, units 2/201 antelope and a late season whitetail only tag for Eastern Colorado on my God parents farm. Looks like a busy season for him with some quality tags in his pocket! Little Bro didnt pull his deer tag but drew a 4th season E/S in units 11/211. Looks like a good hear ahead of us as usual.
Coloradoboy
 
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