Calif_Mike
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Dad and I left California for Colorado on Tuesday Oct. 30th at 6:30 AM. Spent the nite in Kayenta, AZ . Headed out early in the morning and arrived in Cortez, CO around 10:30. Bought dad his over the counter bull tag (I had a cow tag already) and headed off toward the Dunton area of Area 71. Got our camp setup and had a little time to look around before dark. Spent Thursday and Friday looking around saw a lot of cows but every time we stooped to study them, some guy would come along and run us off, not sure what that was all about. Here?s a pic of one group.
Ha, ha ok one bad joke. In reality we didn't see much as far as tracks and didn't see any animals. The snow at the beginning of the second season really scattered the animals. Here is a pic of our general hunting area around Dunton.
Saturday we got up at 4:30 local time and headed into our hunting area by truck and foot. We have an area we like to sit where I watch up and across the side of a mountain through several meadows while my dad watches down the mountain. All told we can watch over 1,000 yards so if they come by we get a shot at them. Saturday passed without a thing happening. It was warm, clear and calm and it was going to be tough. Sunday brought the time change so we got up at 3:30 and headed back to the same spot. Just before 8AM I hear and elk coming down the hill on the run so I get up on my knees so I can more clearly watch the small opening in the aspens to my right. A cow elk trots into the opening about 100 yards away but kept going out the back side and I never had a shot. I was bummed. About 20 seconds later the cow came back at a trot and began to bounce like a mule deer coming quartering at me. I had a heck of a time staying on her with the rifle but let fly with a 180 grain Partition from my 300 Win. She piled up and my first elk was on the ground. I walked back to my truck and was able to work my truck right into our spot and too the elk. We gutted and then drug her to a large tree to hoist into the truck. Here is a pic of her and I after gutting (I'm squinting because I took my glasses off and am looking right into the sun)
We hoisted her into the tree and lowered her into the pickup and were off to camp. Here is a pic of her and my dad while still in the tree. She was a big cow.
We got her to camp and hoisted her onto a meat pole for skinning and cooling. Monday we took her to the butcher and ran some errands in town. Considering the conditions, we were thrilled to have an elk in the bag. We hunted another area for the evening where my dad could watch a large meadow. He didn't see anything but I was killing time looking way back into the Lizardhead Wilderness with my binocs when I realized there were a couple of elk back in a meadow at about 11,000 feet. We couldn't tell what they were but it was nice to see some animals.
Tuesday we went back to our usual spot and I put my dad in my spot since we usually see more elk from that spot and I sat in his spot to watch down the hill where I could call him if something came out. The day passed uneventfully and we got up around noon and visited, stretched our legs and looked for my empty cartridge from when I shot my cow. About 2PM we sat back down for the evening. About an hour before dark dad calls me to tell me there are two coyotes coming at him. I crawl over for a look and one is huge with a great pelt. We talk it over about whether to shoot it but decide to let it pass and I crawl back to my spot. I go back to reading a book and watching the lower clearings and snacking on some food. About 15 minutes before dark the boom of my dad?s 7mm Rem. Scared me so bad I tossed my book and lunch into the air. I jumped up to see what was going on and see my dad shooting from his sticks to the west at an elk in a clearing. He fired twice more and then the elk was gone. I took off at a run to see if I could pick up a blood trail before it got totally dark. My dad came up on the radio to tell me the elk had been farther up the clearing and for me to go farther. As I got over the rise I walked right into the 6x6 bull laying dead. I called my dad to let him know he had his first bull in many years of trying and he came over. Upon examination, his last shot broke both shoulders and the bull went straight down, that's why he seemed to disappear. I walked out to the truck and was able to work it right up to the elk. We took pics and gutted the bull in the headlights then hoisted it into a tree to load into the pickup.
We got it back to camp and started the skinning process. We finished up just after midnite and went to bed at about 1AM , it was a long day. Wednesday morning we took the elk to the butcher and hopped he could have it cut and wrapped by Friday, otherwise we would have to stay several more days into the following week.
Something that was very different this year was that we had mice in our tent and they would rattle around all nite long. So during one of our earlier trips to town we picked up a couple of traps. During the week we trapped 11 mice. Here is a pic I took of my dad with his trophies before the final tally.
We packed up Friday morning and headed to town to see if our elk were done. They were and we loaded 5 ice chests full of cut and wrapped meat for our trip home. It was a great hunt and a great year. My dad shot his biggest deer ever during our Sept. Calif. deer season and now got his first bull. I'm very proud of him.
Calif_mike
Ha, ha ok one bad joke. In reality we didn't see much as far as tracks and didn't see any animals. The snow at the beginning of the second season really scattered the animals. Here is a pic of our general hunting area around Dunton.
Saturday we got up at 4:30 local time and headed into our hunting area by truck and foot. We have an area we like to sit where I watch up and across the side of a mountain through several meadows while my dad watches down the mountain. All told we can watch over 1,000 yards so if they come by we get a shot at them. Saturday passed without a thing happening. It was warm, clear and calm and it was going to be tough. Sunday brought the time change so we got up at 3:30 and headed back to the same spot. Just before 8AM I hear and elk coming down the hill on the run so I get up on my knees so I can more clearly watch the small opening in the aspens to my right. A cow elk trots into the opening about 100 yards away but kept going out the back side and I never had a shot. I was bummed. About 20 seconds later the cow came back at a trot and began to bounce like a mule deer coming quartering at me. I had a heck of a time staying on her with the rifle but let fly with a 180 grain Partition from my 300 Win. She piled up and my first elk was on the ground. I walked back to my truck and was able to work my truck right into our spot and too the elk. We gutted and then drug her to a large tree to hoist into the truck. Here is a pic of her and I after gutting (I'm squinting because I took my glasses off and am looking right into the sun)
We hoisted her into the tree and lowered her into the pickup and were off to camp. Here is a pic of her and my dad while still in the tree. She was a big cow.
We got her to camp and hoisted her onto a meat pole for skinning and cooling. Monday we took her to the butcher and ran some errands in town. Considering the conditions, we were thrilled to have an elk in the bag. We hunted another area for the evening where my dad could watch a large meadow. He didn't see anything but I was killing time looking way back into the Lizardhead Wilderness with my binocs when I realized there were a couple of elk back in a meadow at about 11,000 feet. We couldn't tell what they were but it was nice to see some animals.
Tuesday we went back to our usual spot and I put my dad in my spot since we usually see more elk from that spot and I sat in his spot to watch down the hill where I could call him if something came out. The day passed uneventfully and we got up around noon and visited, stretched our legs and looked for my empty cartridge from when I shot my cow. About 2PM we sat back down for the evening. About an hour before dark dad calls me to tell me there are two coyotes coming at him. I crawl over for a look and one is huge with a great pelt. We talk it over about whether to shoot it but decide to let it pass and I crawl back to my spot. I go back to reading a book and watching the lower clearings and snacking on some food. About 15 minutes before dark the boom of my dad?s 7mm Rem. Scared me so bad I tossed my book and lunch into the air. I jumped up to see what was going on and see my dad shooting from his sticks to the west at an elk in a clearing. He fired twice more and then the elk was gone. I took off at a run to see if I could pick up a blood trail before it got totally dark. My dad came up on the radio to tell me the elk had been farther up the clearing and for me to go farther. As I got over the rise I walked right into the 6x6 bull laying dead. I called my dad to let him know he had his first bull in many years of trying and he came over. Upon examination, his last shot broke both shoulders and the bull went straight down, that's why he seemed to disappear. I walked out to the truck and was able to work it right up to the elk. We took pics and gutted the bull in the headlights then hoisted it into a tree to load into the pickup.
We got it back to camp and started the skinning process. We finished up just after midnite and went to bed at about 1AM , it was a long day. Wednesday morning we took the elk to the butcher and hopped he could have it cut and wrapped by Friday, otherwise we would have to stay several more days into the following week.
Something that was very different this year was that we had mice in our tent and they would rattle around all nite long. So during one of our earlier trips to town we picked up a couple of traps. During the week we trapped 11 mice. Here is a pic I took of my dad with his trophies before the final tally.
We packed up Friday morning and headed to town to see if our elk were done. They were and we loaded 5 ice chests full of cut and wrapped meat for our trip home. It was a great hunt and a great year. My dad shot his biggest deer ever during our Sept. Calif. deer season and now got his first bull. I'm very proud of him.
Calif_mike
