Rookie Hunt 2011

This was my first time ever being on an elk hunt of any kind.  Archery was the weapon of choice this time out.  I was asked by Billy about eight weeks before we left for the hunt.  I had no idea of what to expect.  All Billy could tell me it that he would pretty much guarantee that I would see an Elk.  Well with only eight weeks to prepare I had a lot to do.  Get in shape, get a bunch more gear, get use to my new bow and do a lot of reading on how to archery hunt Elk.

The plan was to set out on a long drive to Denver at 10pm after got done with work.  Doesn't sound so bad until you realize the next day that you didn't sleep at all.  First thing on the menu once we reached Denver was to meet up with Will and do the SAMS CLUB RUN.  Ok how hard can that be just but some lunch meat and bread right?  Wrong these guys eat like kings!  I just pushed the cart and thought to myself what the hell are we going to do with all of this food?

The next thing was to pack the coolers then head out to the range so the guys with muskets could practice.  Pretty cool being at a range out in the middle of a pine forest. A first for me.  We had bugling Elk while we shotting, incredible I thought.  Shooting guns and hearing Elk bugle at the same time

Billy and Will reloading for another shot

So after we finished up at the range we still had to go back and load the coolers, 4-wheelers and all the gear on the in the two trucks and trailers.  I was dragging ass by this time and started to nod out on our way back Wills house.  The all night travel was starting to take a toll on me.  Hours later and well past dark everything was packed and ready to go.  We wanted to be on the road by 8am for our Journey to Parachute.  Another short night of sleep but the anticipation of getting out there kept me going.

The next day we were up, packed and ready to go.  After all of the thank you's and hugs to Will's wife for letting us stay, we were on the road.  Two and a half hours later we were in Rifle for one last stop.  One I had to get my tag yet.  What do I do?  I have no idea but Will was there he knew everything.  So all I had to do was fallow orders and pay for things.  Will had us stock up on dry ice too.  I had never dealt with dry ice before.  Who knew that you could freeze your hand off in seconds by touching it?  Just kidding nothing happened but the price is crazy for this stuff.  The idea of spending a $100 on ice was knew to me.

I heard stories of the mountain road/trail like how Will had broken a wheel off a truck.  We were in Billy's Ford F150 with mudder tires and a winch.  How bad could it be?  Turned out it wasn't bad at all since it had been a dry year the road was in great shape.  We were in camp and cleaning mouse shit out of the bunks before we moved everything in.  Fort Knox is a pretty big cabin but with four of staying in there it got full real quick.  I will say that most of the gear in come from three of us.  Ted had a suitcase and his musket.  We all laughed because we had bins upon bins of gear and clothes.  Not sure how Ted could fit everything in one suitcase.  That evening we decided to try and hunt around the cabin with the wheelers since we didn't have horses yet.  Nothing much to say about that hunt.  Later that night the owners showed up with a pickup and the horses in tow.  What a thing trying to learn what each horses name was what saddle on what horse and bridal.

04:00am came way too early I swear I just fell asleep and Will was getting us up.  The plan was for Billy and Ted to head to the promise land on foot and Will and I were going to go low and the wheelers.  So off to the races we went.  I was lagging because I didn't know the routine what gear to bring etc.  Down the mountain road Will and I raced on the wheelers.  When we finally sopped he told me to mark the spot on my gps like 30 seconds later he was like did you get it?  No I am still waiting for satellites I said..Fuck Will said lets go ok.  Now here I am some place I have no where and he tells me not to worry about it.  Well this means one thing.  I need to stick with Will who seems to know where he is but I don't have a clue.  Will said we were late and needed to get going so off we went.  A nice walk uphill for Will in a dry creek bed was a run for me trying to keep up.  Before long will was out of sight and the only way I knew where to go was by the branches moving.  Shit I have to go faster but my lungs need air lots more air than what there is.  Finally Will had stopped to see if I was still alive.  He asked when I reached him if I was alright.  I couldn't talk but I gave him the thumbs up.  He said keep up dammit!  Ok boss,  He lives and Colorado and is use to not having oxygen and stands 6'4" so his one stride is three of mine.  We kept pressing on, now off the creek bed and into the thick scrub oak.  Will would pause once in a while and say something but I couldn't speak back as I was gasping for air and usually hunched over.  Finally the sun was about up and we were hunting.  We saw a cow and a spike that morning and I got to smell the elk musk in the area.  Back to camp to rehydrate and sleep before the evening hunt.

Well it was horse time.  Time to get saddled up and head to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain.  There was one horse with a Tattoo that looked pretty cool I was hoping that I got that horse but nope Billy got ol Blue.  Then there was Prince the tallest in the bunch and the lead horse this is Will's horse.  Smoke the shortest in the bunch was perfect for Ted who was also the shortest in the group hunting.  So that left good ol frikin Nugget a real SOB of horse for me.  Hey I was noob and I didn't know enough to complain.

Ted on his pony "Smokey"

 Me with "Nugget and Will with "Prince"

Billy on good ol "Blue"

   That evening we made it part way up the back side of Sugar Loaf when Prince locked up in a couple of dead falls and wouldn't move.  Will order me to get off and walk Nugget up to the top and he would meet me there.  No in the middle of doing this a rain and hail storm blew in making things even harder going.  Keep in mind I don't know where the top is so I just kept going up.  I made it to the top and just took in the beautiful view.  I have never seen anything like and everytime I do I just soak it all in.  Picture just can not do it justice.  Will showed up with Prince in a not very happy state.  I was not sure what happened but I wasn't going to ask at this time.  He also sat and took it in for a bit and came up with the next game plan.  I was just glowing from the experience and the fun I was having.  I felt I just had to tell Will thank you for letting me experience it all. So I said to Will,  Thank you for bringing me up here this is just great.  I received an immediate response of Fuck You Tedd!  I was being sincere but he didn't take it that way at all.  I guess I should have waited for the flaring of his nostrils to stop before I tried speaking him, lesson learned.  He never did call me by my right name the entire trip I was always Tedd,Kent or who ever else he was thinking of at the time.

Two days later after crawling and digging through the thickest toughest spots he could think of to hunt Tedd and Billy came back with a big story of lots of Elk and shooting a prise bull.  This was great news for the camp except they couldn't find the bull or blood.  Did Tedd miss at 20 yards was his gun off  or did he just have Bull fever?  Who knows we all felt bad for him but also felt the need to give him shit about missing.

Tedd and Billy did land a great bull the following evening while Billy was looking at Facebook and calling at the same time.  Great job Tedd!  I believe Tedd had hunted Elk before but this was his first bull.

Ted with a great public land bull.  

Shot it with his muzzle loader

I remember having a conversation in the bunk on thursday night just before bed.  My body ached so bad from crawling through Cambodia with Will for the last six day.  I could hardly stand my knees hurt so bad.  I was kind of set on taking the morning off and getting some rest.  The lasting thing I wanted to do was climb back up on Nugget for another adventure.  Will agreed that we should take the four wheelers down to the bottom and try that again.  The same place we had our first hunt.  That was plan was made no horses sounded good to me.  The next morning Billy and Tedd were going to hunt up high on the valley while Will and I hunted the bottom of the valley.

Will started the calling sequence and had an immediate reply from a bull close by.  I stood in the scrub oaks with anticipation.  Will would call the bull would bugle but not move but wait what is that?  Top of a rack just 10 yards from me on the other sides of the oak.  What the hell I didn't hear anything and the bull is bugling further away than 10 yards.  My heart started to pound, was it a legal bull?  Just come around the corner I thought but no it started to wander further away.  Do I go after it or just hold tight the wind is perfect.  I am going to wait mean while in the wallow the same bull was still bugling it's head off.  Then all of a sudden a second and bull started to bugle.  So I had three bulls with a 100 yards of me.  Oh boy things are getting good.  My heart was pounding for 10 minutes straight now.  I looked up the ridge and noticed there are four more elk in hot persuit to the bottom of the mountain where we were.  Billy was noticing all of the excitement so he decides he is going to join in the fun and starts his high speed down the mountain as well.  I didn't know it at the time but he ended up right next to the wallow could see elk ears,hooves but could not get a shot at anything.  In a matter of a couple of minutes the lead cow that was coming down the mountain was the next ridge over just 40 yards away.  I was preparing to shoot because if she went another 10 yards my scent would blow right into her.  I had the mind set of its late in the week and and if she winds me all of the elk are going to blow out of there.  As I was watching and getting ready to draw she stopped and looked back down the ridge, there was the big daddy.  She turned back around and went down to him and came up the ridge I was on with the other cow,spike nd bull behind her.  The lead cow came right around the bush the 4x4 hid behind some 20 minutes earlier.  By this time my heart had been pounding so hard so long it was actually starting to slow the adrenaline was wearing off.  As she came around the bush and came right at me. I was a statue not even blinking walked right up to me, I could have touched her with my hand she was so close.  She must of finally knew something was up because she shot out of there but never said a word.  Next came the other cow and spike around the bush but went straight.  Above the bush I could see the rack coming right behind the spike.  I had my shooting lane all he had to do was follow the other two.  He did just that and even paused in the opening lane.  Womp and a crash YES YES I got him whoo hoo!  But wait what is that bull bugling 80 yards above me?  Is that my bull?  No mine was dirty on the side, wait it is dirty on the same side now as turned again.  What the hell am I doing celebrating when he is going over the ridge!  Oh no did I blow the 20 yard shot Oh man the guy are going to kill me and forget all about Tedds miss earlier in the week.  The bull crossed over the ridge and went silent the whole valley went silent.  I am shaking now because I don't know if I made the shot or missed.  What the hell I was going nuts but trying to keep it together.  Will returned after he heard the valley go silent and not returns from his or Billy's calling.  He came up just full of anticipation he asked me how many did you shoot?  I replied I don't know.  What do you mean you had to have been getting raped by elk he exclaimed!  I shot at one I said.  Well were is it?  Did you get it?  I don't know.  Now Will is getting excited and talking even faster.  I showed him where I was standing and were the elk was when I shot.  I stayed in spot and he went to the place of the elk.  No blood anywhere. Are you sure this was the spot he kept asking?  Yes Yes!  I marked where I shot from and joined in the search.  We looked for blood for 10 minutes.  I was really beginning to think I missed.  I kept smelling the strong musk smell so I followed it into the wind YES there he is piled up in a bunch of thickets.  I knew I heard the crash of a dead elk.  The celebration started and I was relieved as I closed the deal.  Just think I wanted to stay in bed that am.  Billy showed up on the scene after he heard the celebration and joined in.

This was my first Elk hunt and my first Elk 

The Master guide Will and one of Rookies

Thank You Will

The whole group made it to the celebration.

The Pack out on "Blue" not "Nugget"

After the pack out was complete it was time for a trip to town to get the meat on ice and for me to buy a victory dinner for the four of us.  Billy and Will had successfully guided to Ted and I into two great bulls.

Thank so much men for the great hunt.