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how high up was the snow?

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My camp was at 9550 ish... It snowed at TH (8500) and in Pagosa Springs, but not as much.

Early, early snow by all accounts. I was prepared for cold but kinda surprised by the snow. It nearly ran me off the mountain. I'm glad I stayed. Prob a 70 degree temp swing from when I left Texas. Nuts

We were planning to stay until Friday, but left Thursday because we were afraid we'd be snowed in. Our Jeep trail down the mountain was not a particularly good one. Sure enough, the guy who chose to stay behind is stuck on the mountain in 6"of snow.

When I booked with the outfitter that is packing us in, she made no bones about that when they come to get us on the 30th to be prepared to get out fast.

Mountain hunting is the most mentally taxing activity I've ever engaged in, esp when solo. It took a lot to convince myself to stay on the mountain and in that tent overnight after already having a good amount of snow on the ground. I'm glad I did bc I called that bull in about an hour after I took this pic. That alone was worth "suffering" for... An experience I'll never, ever forget,

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I want the story on this one!

He mentioned it on another thread. He shot it at Broadmouth Canyon Hunting Estate in Idaho.

Here's the Broadmouth Price List if you're interested.

Well, no luck for me either. 3rd trip of the year, went out Tuesday and came back Saturday evening. Since the fire blocked me from hunting where I found them two weeks ago, tried two different areas. Found some good spots, but never got on them and nothing was talking. Snow rolled in early Friday morning and after lots of hiking around Friday and half day Saturday we only had found one set of semi-fresh prints. So packed back out.

First year doing archery (year two for elk overall) and learned alot. Spent a total of 12 days hunting and covered about 80 miles on foot this season. Found some good spots and pumped up for next year already.

Cool pic of my buddy on our hike back out Saturday afternoon.

Nice place.

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He mentioned it on another thread. He shot it at Broadmouth Canyon Hunting Estate in Idaho.

Here's the Broadmouth Price List if you're interested.

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While I can't afford anything other than DIY over the counter hunts, I didn't think the open range bull hunt with 80% success rate was unreasonable.

I guess I can forget ever killing a ram.

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He mentioned it on another thread. He shot it at Broadmouth Canyon Hunting Estate in Idaho.

Here's the Broadmouth Price List if you're interested.

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While I can't afford anything other than DIY over the counter hunts, I didn't think the open range bull hunt with 80% success rate was unreasonable.

I guess I can forget ever killing a ram.

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I've talked with a few folks who all say Idaho is the best place for a "value" elk hunt. My co-worker went a few years ago and killed a 300 class bull for $4k (not sure of the outfitter). Of course, he caught a lot of grief from an office full of Wyoming DIY hunters. In fact, he transferred to Oklahoma a while back and it's still the first topic that comes up when the guys hear him on a conference call haha.

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He mentioned it on another thread. He shot it at Broadmouth Canyon Hunting Estate in Idaho.

Here's the Broadmouth Price List if you're interested.

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Dat's a HUUUUGE aoudad....

I am pretty sure the boys jumped up to around my spleen just looking at that picture.....

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how high up was the snow?

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My camp was at 9550 ish... It snowed at TH (8500) and in Pagosa Springs, but not as much.

Early, early snow by all accounts. I was prepared for cold but kinda surprised by the snow. It nearly ran me off the mountain. I'm glad I stayed. Prob a 70 degree temp swing from when I left Texas. Nuts

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can you shoot me an email please?

thanks

Will do. Hell, I'll give you Gps coordinates to the exact spot I was at when I called that bull in.

Email sent

More pics... Aspens are turning. Lots of color change since 2+ weeks ago










My "best" water source at camp... A short 10+ minute hike.

Looks good!

SOB, I'm drooling every time I see this pic.

Jay and silent bob in a backcountry archery elk post made us internetbestfriends. If you come through groesbeck we can eat the elk together

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Jay and silent bob in a backcountry archery elk post made us internetbestfriends. If you come through groesbeck we can eat the elk together

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I hope that ain't just the whiskey still talking. I might figure out a way to make that happen. I honestly can't remember the last time I had elk.

Honest injun. Sober and everything.

What do y'all wear for waterproof pants? What's your outer layer for cold conditions?

Also what about for energy? Coffee? Gatorade gels? Jger bombs?

I eat far far too much sugar if it's in reach when I'm up there.

On my backpack trip I just had coffee.

No waterproof pants, just gaiters.

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What do y'all wear for waterproof pants?

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Marmot Scree are my mountain pants. Made with Marmot's M3 soft-shell. Just the right weight for a cold season mountain hunt. Probably a little on the thick side for an early season archery hunt.

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What's your outer layer for cold conditions?

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My layers:

Bottom: Marmot Scree over Patagonia Cap1

Top: I hike with Sitka Traverse 1/2 zip over First Lite Llano 1/4 zip. Layering these two items with zippers allows me to unzip both and dump heat from hiking. I keep a Stika Kelvin Lite in the pack for staying warm and dry if things get wet/cold/windy - any kind of mountain nasty.

Socks: Thin wool liner under medium weight wool hiker

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Jay and silent bob in a backcountry archery elk post made us internetbestfriends. If you come through groesbeck we can eat the elk together

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I hope that ain't just the whiskey still talking. I might figure out a way to make that happen. I honestly can't remember the last time I had elk.

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Well, he obviously lives by the book, so he has to.

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I eat far far too much sugar if it's in reach when I'm up there.

On my backpack trip I just had coffee.

No waterproof pants, just gaiters.

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This is pretty much me as well. Folgers has single packs that work great with a Jetboil, but I drank a fair amount of hot chocolate as well. Clif bars for mid-day snacks, dried fruit/nuts in single serving ziploc bags.

I wear "tech" type pants (quick drying) but no water proof pants. I did carry rain gear in the bottom of my pack but only used it 2x. I use it more for sitting on high spots glassing (for stopping the wind) than I really did for rain. If it's wet or heavy dew then I'll wear gaiters. That serves a dual purpose for me. 1) I've yet to find a company that really makes mountain hunting clothing for full grown people, so everything is 1-4" too short for me. Without gaiters I end up with pebbles/grass burrs in my shoes. And 2) at knee high, the gaiters are tall enough to protect you from the water in 90% of the country you'll travel through. Young growth aspen/spruce was about the only place it didn't work, and the tech pants dry pretty fast.

On early season hunts I'm MUCH more worried about getting hot/sweaty than I am getting cold most of the time. Climbing 1000+ feet, even in temps mid-upper 30s will get you sweaty fast. So the only time I really worry about cold is in a freak storm, or when sitting and glassing on exposed faces.

Really weird this year. Way hot in SE Idaho, and full moon didn't help. We were still seeing bachelor groups of bulls up until the 20th or so. We saw elk every day, but no bugling or even cow talk. After the front went through bugling started. Called in a 6x6 at 42 yards but no shot. Passed up some cows and spikes. Now that cooler weather has set in and the moon is gone, should really get good. Of course the bow season ends before this weekend...

Hopefully they will still be talking during Utah rifle season in 2 weeks.

Sitka...
cloudburst pants and jacket
Kelvin lite vest
Primaloft puffy jacket
Long sleeve Tee with polygiene
Merino wool boxer briefs


First lite
Merino wool short sleeve Tee
Merino wool base bottoms

Smart wool
Socks

Lowa
Tibet GTX boots

When the reality of "waterproof" fades, all this stuff dries fast and still keeps me warm.

Got half my Sitka gear on clearance for 40% off.

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Let me know how the lite version is. I'm not in need of one, but it looks awesome. Trying to get a buddy to buy it so I can use it for "testing"....oh and I really like the Kylmit pillow so far

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It saved my ass... And I believe in the effectiveness of its 4.4 R value rating. Awesome, light and takes up little room. Worth every penny.

That and my merino wool base layers gave me the confidence to stay on the mountain after the front blew in and as it was snowing (4 inches) while I was already wet/damp from 24 hours of nearly solid steady rain.

I have to upgrade my shelter situation. That was a nightmare.

Rain/Outerlayer:
Gamehide Journey Pants and Jacket

Layers:
Longsleeve shirt
Down vest
Fleece - Heavy or lite depending on weather
Vented pullover - basically fishing shirt thats good for layering over above layers with a little warmth or for light rain
Leggings - heavy or light depending on weather. Mainly use for sleeping

Socks - Wright socks or smartwool. I do bring a heavier pair of wool socks to sleep in/backup
Beanie
Merrel moab boots - Vented or Polar depending upon weather.

I need to invest in some gaiters. My pants keep my legs dry, but they eventually get really damp (or frozen in the case of last weekend). Gets annoying/cold. Gaiters alone might be enough, but i got a steal on the gamehide pants and they're comfy in general.

Starbucks Via coffee every morning. In the case of last weekend I brought some cider mix for dinner and was a nice way to cap off the day. Had a few "Wilderness Athlete" mix drinks and liked them well enough, little dfiferent than gatorade. Dang Jay scott podcast product placement got me.

Nice! Yeah I believe in the 4.4R value after this past weekend as well (regular not lite version tho). Glad it worked out for you.

What was your shelter? I'm glad I brought a rainfly in addition to the tent. Nice to get out of the weather for dinner and breakfast. My biggest complaint was putting on frozen pants and boots in the morning wasn't fun.

For some dumbass reason I drug a cheap ass Magellan Scout from Academy out into the wilderness. I had small puddles of water inside constantly from leakage and condensation. I was somewhat relieved when the rain stopped and the snow started. The Klymit Lite is the honey badger of sleeping pads. It don't give a fk about puddles. It works.

I have a Eureka Solataire but I hate it. Frozen clothes do indeed suck.

I usually over correct big time on gear when I have such a failure... Which is why I've been looking at Kifaru tarps/tepees. The thing is... After this season I will definitely be doing more late elk archery season huntjng, so I have to have something bomb proof.

I'm with you on the tent. This year we're renting a canvas tent and wood stove from the outfit that's packing us in. However, I'm starting to think about future hunts as well.

Everyone has different needs and priorities, but after doing some research I'll probably get a tarptent next year. They have everything from minimalist rain fly's to bomb shelter style tents. Quality seems good and prices aren't crazy.

While weight is an issue I go back and forth on spending the minimum for a one person tent that's ultra light or get more versatility of a 3-4 person tent that can also be used for other things and is fairly light.

I'm currently leaning towards the cloudburst 3 or Hogback.

The double rainbow or Scarp 2 might be good options for what you're doing.

I have the Tarptent Cloudburst 3. Best volume/weight/price balance I could find back when I was looking. I had horrible weather on my hunt this year and the tent kept me dry.

I can't find my good tent pictures right now, here's the best one from my last trip.

I'll check Into those. Kifaru also has titanium wood stoves for their shelters... Stupid expensive stuff but my situation sucked this year, both times.