LAST EDITED ON Nov-06-14 AT 09:35PM (MST)[p]I had told part of this story in another post. I had applied for a Ranching For Wildlife tag a few years in a row and not drawn it. I was pretty disappointed this year and was planning to get an OTC tag but I wasn't really sure where to go. Plus I was getting discouraged because the point creep was keeping me from drawing the tag.
Anyways, out of the blue I got an email just a little over a week before start of season from CPW. The email said that someone had returned the RFW tag I had applied for and I was next on the list. If I wanted it, it was mine (I would lose my points if I took it, etc)
They gave me a deadline to respond of a few days later. I debated about taking it because I was not sure I could dedicate much time to the hunt being last minute and not being able to plan and take off much work. But in the end I decided to go for it.
The tag was for Wolf Mountain Ranch near Steamboat. I drove out the night before and hunted opening morning. I didn't see any elk in the morning, but could hear them bugling pretty much everywhere. In the evening I saw a big group of elk, but I knew I couldn't get close enough before dark. I was staying in Steamboat with my wife and little guys. I planned to hunt the next day in the same spot and was sure I could get in on some elk, but my son got sick at the hotel and was up most of the night. So i didn't hunt the next day. I headed back home and I had to work Mon-Thurs. Dirk Vanatta (the outfitter) called me during the week and said he was seeing elk everywhere and some decent bulls in the group. He was pretty confident we would get one if I came back (which I was planning on of course). I went back out and hunted Fri morning and saw elk all over the road before sun up on the drive in. I had to hit the brakes at one point to avoid hitting a spike that ran in front of me.
Shortly after sun up Dirk and I saw a big group of elk. there were 4 bulls in the group and one was a little closer to us. He was also bigger than the others. He was at 275 yards. This was my first time ever having a shot at a bull during a hunt, so I was pretty excited. I took a shot and the bull ran to the right into the tree line while just about all the other elk ran left. We heard a loud crash of branches breaking and imagined it was the bull falling but weren't sure. We waited about 30 min and then went to where we thought the bull was. Sure enough there he was.
The hunt was one of the best I've ever been on. It was a beautiful ranch and the guides and outfitters were extremely accommodating. Lonnie and Dirk Vanatta are about as nice a guys as you'll meet. They didn't have to guide the public hunters, but they did anyway and they put lots of effort into it.
heres a pic. Complete with lucky orange beanie. if it shows up
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos2/9127photo_2_(5).jpg
Anyways, out of the blue I got an email just a little over a week before start of season from CPW. The email said that someone had returned the RFW tag I had applied for and I was next on the list. If I wanted it, it was mine (I would lose my points if I took it, etc)
They gave me a deadline to respond of a few days later. I debated about taking it because I was not sure I could dedicate much time to the hunt being last minute and not being able to plan and take off much work. But in the end I decided to go for it.
The tag was for Wolf Mountain Ranch near Steamboat. I drove out the night before and hunted opening morning. I didn't see any elk in the morning, but could hear them bugling pretty much everywhere. In the evening I saw a big group of elk, but I knew I couldn't get close enough before dark. I was staying in Steamboat with my wife and little guys. I planned to hunt the next day in the same spot and was sure I could get in on some elk, but my son got sick at the hotel and was up most of the night. So i didn't hunt the next day. I headed back home and I had to work Mon-Thurs. Dirk Vanatta (the outfitter) called me during the week and said he was seeing elk everywhere and some decent bulls in the group. He was pretty confident we would get one if I came back (which I was planning on of course). I went back out and hunted Fri morning and saw elk all over the road before sun up on the drive in. I had to hit the brakes at one point to avoid hitting a spike that ran in front of me.
Shortly after sun up Dirk and I saw a big group of elk. there were 4 bulls in the group and one was a little closer to us. He was also bigger than the others. He was at 275 yards. This was my first time ever having a shot at a bull during a hunt, so I was pretty excited. I took a shot and the bull ran to the right into the tree line while just about all the other elk ran left. We heard a loud crash of branches breaking and imagined it was the bull falling but weren't sure. We waited about 30 min and then went to where we thought the bull was. Sure enough there he was.
The hunt was one of the best I've ever been on. It was a beautiful ranch and the guides and outfitters were extremely accommodating. Lonnie and Dirk Vanatta are about as nice a guys as you'll meet. They didn't have to guide the public hunters, but they did anyway and they put lots of effort into it.
heres a pic. Complete with lucky orange beanie. if it shows up
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos2/9127photo_2_(5).jpg
