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Western States Draw Deadlines: 2017

178,193 Views | 1605 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by AgEng06
AgEng06
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AG
Hell yeah man!
GottaRide
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S
I got a text from BradMtn346 this afternoon. He has been helping our buddy Ryan in unit 61. Ryan got a small 6x6 with his recurve this morning. No video of it but he says he has video of another that they called in. He won't be able to post anything until at least tomorrow, though.
shaynew1
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AG
Boom

AgLA06
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AG
Awesome!
AgEng06
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AG
Yessss
Sean98
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AG
One less Elk in the world!
stdeb11
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AG
Hell yeah! Congrats man! Super cool

All the whiskey for you is rightl
AggieGunslinger
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shaynew1
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AG
Alright girls I might have maybe had a couple. Here we go!

So I get back from the morning hunt and crush some homemade cookies and catch me a nap. I wake up around one, casually grab some lunch, and head out.

One chunk of the ranch here had not been grazed all summer. I was planning on some recon through all the water holes to see if anything was moving. Park around 2 and start my walk in. See a lone cow w a calf going in which excites me about the possibilities of something moving. Put it into stealthy but cover a little ground gear. There's a huge wind out of the south that I'm walking into as I hug the brush on the edge of this huge valley.

Get to the first water hole and there's little sign. Which is a bummer because I was hoping this thing would be wrecked. No worries, I have two to go. About half a mile in I see a lone bull napping in the middle of the valley, one giant 6x side jutting up into the sunshine.

Hell yes this is a dead bull. A straight 30 mile wind in my face and plenty of cover I can hug between us. Creep up a little closer and find that he has 20 cows and calves w him, heads of about half are up and looking around.

I think they are probably 80 yards away from the edge of the brush, and my plan is to just climb into cover and head straight to that spot. Big enough wind to cover lots of sound. Takes a good bit of belly crawling and bushwhacking. 20 min later I'm getting close, but by the time I get to my spot they are up and milling around towards the north. Didn't want to risk the wind at all so I head back into the brush and work my way around ahead of them.

This happens a couple times.

I finally commit to a spot above one water hole w a peninsula of brush reaching out towards it. Creep in as the cows come and grab them a drink.





Cows at 75, bull at 115. He is a 6x4, w an awesome 6 side and a completely pedestrian 4. No matter to me because I'm equal opportunity killer and would have committed to a way smaller one. I thought it would be cool to kill him out from under these 40 eyes too. I'm already 1.5 hrs into this chess game stalk and he's not quite in range. I was hoping he would come snag a drink after the cows and fall in behind them as they headed north into the wind. Alas they left out at a faster pace than he liked and he skipped his drink. So up and around I go again, but this time the cows are angling towards me. He gives me broadside at 90 and I am all for it. Draw back and settle. Or try to. I didn't realize I was hanging out into this mondo crosswind until I get my bow up. I think I yanked it as I released the arrow. I miss. Womp freaking womp. Before you roast me too bad...I practice a lot (w broadheads) at distance. He jumps but doesn't quite spook. I roll back into the brush and cow call a couple times to try and settle him. It works but I'm not happy about my shot and am trying to figure out what happened.

Then I hear a splashin in the water back behind me. I'llbedamn there's a bull in there wallowing. Quick glance and I see he's legal (I got an any elk tag...they all legal!!). Looks like 5 or 6 x 2 something interesting.
Someone should have told this dude I shoot the little ones.


Roll back over above him as he's literally laying in the water. Range him at 73. Get set up and wait for him to present me w a shot.

He finally stands up but is still jacking around. A few seconds later he rolls broadside, then quarters away.

I draw back, but the wind is so godawful sideways at this angle. I take time and extra time to really get set and balance into it. Let her rip. Bingo great hit for quartering away and from above him (he was probably 7 yards downhill). He jumps out of the water as I knock another arrow and prepare to whack him again. I can see air and blood flying out of the entrance wound so I count it and pull out my phone to video him as he piles up.

Hot damn a dead one!

Meanwhile this other herd is only 200 yards away. So I immediately hoof it up into the brush and out of the canyon so not to bust them out. We get on them later in the evening but don't get anything done.

Found a piece of my arrow and looks like about 22" of penetration.



I'm happy w that at the angle I tookZ



Shot him at 4:30, finally got my hands on him at 7. Loaded him in the truck true redneck style and he's gonna hang for a delicious few days.

Double bull year baby! I hope to come back up here for rifle season to help put some hunters on some bulls. I might be a one too many drinks in so I can tell you guys, but we're gonna have a baby in march!!! So I have to get all the killing done this fall. I'm pretty sure I can sell one trip next year, but I don't know about anything past that.

Watchful Ag
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AgEng06
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AG
Awesome, and congrats on the little one!
Maverick06
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bkf0005
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AG
Great hunt, Congrats!
Sean98
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AG
shaynew1 said:



Double bull year baby! I hope to come back up here for rifle season to help put some hunters on some bulls. I might be a one too many drinks in so I can tell you guys, but we're gonna have a baby in march!!! So I have to get all the killing done this fall. I'm pretty sure I can sell one trip in the next 18 years, but I don't know about anything past that.
fify

I bet it was fun while it lasted. See you in 2036.
shaynew1
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AG
It was fun
shaynew1
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AG
hopefully my wife has become too accustomed to eating elk to go without
Sean98
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AG
Good news is maybe by then I will have forgotten how stupid elk hunting is and maybe I'll want to give it one more whirl before I die. We can team up.
shaynew1
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AG
Fall '36...put me down
cupofjoe04
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AG
Thanks for sharing the story. Great hunt! "equal opportunity killer", I love that! Perfectly describes my mindset. I almost exercised that right on a little mule deer buck last night, but he was 5 yards further than what I really wanted to shoot, so I held my ground.
cupofjoe04
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AG
Got me some venison in the pack this afternoon. First mule deer ever, took a doe with a bow. Feels good to finally get one down for ME! Though I truly do enjoy helping others get their firsts, not sure which is more fun... I'll have plenty of time to debate that internally as I smoke some tenderloin tonight

Full story on the Meat Pole, so I'll let y'all read there. (or maybe I am backwards and supposed to do story here, pics there? I'm a newbie, forgive me).

Sean98
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AG
Hell yeah.
shaynew1
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AG
Congrats man. Nothing tastes as good as game whacked w an arrow!
shaynew1
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AG
Runned and gunned and put some guys on a small bull today but they missed. after we jacked w the big one I missed yesterday. They haven't left out but they're a pretty savvy bunch.

Some rain is blowing in tonight. Hope to get a big one whacked tmw.

shaynew1
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AG
I'm worried I might be the only one prepared and pumped to get out in the crap. Supposed to rain all day tmw
Watchful Ag
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AG
YES
shaynew1
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AG
No one else wants to go out in the rain
shaynew1
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AG
In their defense it has now gotten pretty wild.
AgLA06
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In their defense, it's not exactly fun. I toughed out half a day last year in rain and sleet while a front went through. I came to the conclusion nothing else was dumb enough to be out in it, why was I?
shaynew1
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AG
They elk are around. As soon as it lightens up a touch hopefully someone will want to go out.
cupofjoe04
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Got on a big bull this am in the pouring rain, but he was moving away with cows and we couldn't catch up. Stopped by my deer carcass, and BOOM- bear down!!! Pics and story later. Lots of work now
shaynew1
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AG
Hot damn!

It's gettin good here hopefully we can get one of these other guys on one.
BradMtn346
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Awesome!
AgLA06
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AG
You're on a roll!
CW2011
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AG
Well we came down off the mountain yesterday. What a trip. Had some serious up and downs but overall it was awesome!

Friday - Day 1: Got to the mountain later than planned so we just dropped camp by the truck and shot bows for the evening.
Saturday - Day 2: Packed everything up and headed in. Went about a mile in and decided to go ahead and drop camp and locate a good water source (easier said than done). Took us a good part of the day to finally find a small stream to fill up all our water from. We found a small water hole to sit for the evening, no luck there.
Sunday- Day 3: Finally set out in pairs to hunt at just before sunrise. Bulls had been bugling every morning and this one was the same. Had several bulls lighting up down the mountain from us. We did what we could to try and get to them but there was some serious scrub oak and brush that would rival the thickest brush I've been through in south Texas. Ended up finding an open spot about a 1/3 of the way down the mountain and did some glassing from there. Spotted an small fork horn (darn near a spike) about 200 yds straight across the valley from us. Watched him work and nibble on the brush for about 45 min. By that point the temps started to climb and he had worked on off so we worked back through the brush to the top. Took lunch and did some more waking around and cow calling. Winds picked up to 15-20 mph by the afternoon so we headed back to camp and stayed close to there for the evening. That night we had a bull bugling so close to our tents at about 1 am that it woke us all up. He had to have been within 100 yds. Pretty damn awesome.
Monday - Day 4: Set our minds to getting an early start and heading down the valley to the bottom below at sunlight. It was about a 1300 ft. drop and took us right at an hr and a half to get to the bottom. Found a carcass from a bull someone had shot probably first week of he season on our way down and tons of fresh sign. Right as we came out of the brush at the bottom and walked up to the small stream watched a good size bear swim across. Unfortunately my two buddies didn't buy their bear tags ahead of time and waited until we got up there to try and by them and they had sold out. So all we could do was watch it at about 35 yds. Ended up working down in the bottom all day and found some really beautiful country. Somewhere around mid morning we jumped a small legal bull. First spotted him at 175 yds as he was heading up the mountain. Got to watch him go up and over and decided the brush was too much to try and pursue him. About 3 we decided it was time to start our trek back to camp, this was where the worst part of the trip started. We were 50/50 between climbing back up the mountain we came down or going a mile further down and catching a road that wound around back to the top slowly. We decided walking the road would be easier although it would take us longer. Severely underestimated how long of a walk that would be. Long story short we ended up not getting back to camp until after 9 and had covered over 15 miles on the day. Absolutely beat us down. I don't think I've ever been so beat in my life. Big time learning experience the hard way.
Tuesday - Day 5: Wind was absolutely howling (35 mph gusts) and after the previous nights walk we slept in. One buddy had a cheaper tent and the wind ended up snapping two of his poles. Did not expect to have the wind that we saw from this point on. Did some driving around on the Polaris and 4 wheeler to try and get a better plan of attack for the next day. Loaded up on water and called it a day.
Wednesday - Day 6: Got up and got to the Polaris and drove down to the bottom to pack in to the spot we had dropped into on Monday. Walked about 2 miles in and it was absolutely silent. No bugles like we had been hearing each morning prior. Finally around 8 I let out a bugle and had 3 sound off almost immediately. Two off in the distance either direction and one directly up the mountain from us. He was about 1000 ft. straight up so I just kept calling to him every 5 min or so to see if he'd make a move. He was answering almost immediately every time and he started working towards the draw we dropped down Monday so we worked back to it to get into position for him to come down. Sure enough right when we get to it we hear him bugle about 1/4 of the way down the draw. He was coming! This was where I think we blew it. We tried to push in a little further and cut the distance down. In doing so we went right through a nice opening with great shooting lanes and favorable wind. Ended up getting into some very thick cover and had to try and set up best we could. We heard a chuckle within 150-200 yds so we dropped down and got ready. Cow called sparingly and waited. At one point we could hear footsteps but just never could get a visual because it was so thick. Wind started swirling and after 30 min of waiting we pulled back out. Not sure where he went but most likely caught our wind and headed back up. Little bit of a letdown but still damn exciting to call one down and get that close. Did more walking around and cow calling but the winds picked up about 10:30-11 (theme for the rest of the trip) and we had no luck.
Thursday - Day 7: Woke up to wind howling yet again (gusting up over 30 again). Decided to refill on water and make an evening hunt in hopes the wind would lay some. It did not. We got down to the bottom around 4 and hiked in. Made several cold calls with now luck. Small side story: The creek we were working along had several beaver damns and what not. Well as we are working between calling spots we walked up on its main area I guess and spooked it. Never knew a beaver could tail slap so damn loud. When we first heard it we thought a gun went off and about **** ourselves lol. It took it slapping a few more times before we fully realized what it was.
Friday - Day 7: Had originally planned to stay until Saturday but with the wind being like it was and rain forecasted for Saturday morning we decided to get things packed and get out before it got nasty. So this was our final day of the hunt. We got down to the same bottom to pack in about an hour before daylight. Got to the same draw we had been hunting and made some calls and mixed in a couple bugles. Absolutely silent. We were starting to check out mentally at this point to be honest. We kept moving and as we were working down the trail I spotted a 4X5 bull about halfway up the mountain straight across from us (same area we had jumped the bull Monday). He was in no hurry and showed no interest in cow calls so we dropped our packs and took off to make a move. (As we are dropping our packs we have a bear cross the trail about 40 yds in front of us, what are the odds?! Lol) We closed to about 180 yds directly below him and tried cow calling some more. No real interest and he was in a spot we could get no closer without giving up our cover. I decided to try some whiny cow calling and as soon as we went to that his interested peeked up and he started raking trees. He had been slowly working his way up the mountain but at this point he turned around and started slowly working back down. We had his full attention now and started to feel the excitement! I kept calling to him every couple of minutes and he kept slowly working down. Then it was like he decided it was time and he got more urgent and started moving quicker. We dropped back a bit (trying to learn from our previous mistake) and set up in a nice open spot. Had shooting lanes out to 35 yds in several directions. The bull got into the scrub oak and was just crashing through and in our mind we were a matter of seconds from having a shot. Heart was racing and he made a little turn seeming like he was headed towards my hunting partner (I could visibly see the brush moving as he was coming in) and then just stopped. We couldn't hear any more movement and thought he was just hung up so I went ahead and dropped back 30-40 yds (my hunting partner was about 30 yds to my right at this point) and cow called a bit more to try and draw him that last 10-15 yds into the open. Nothing. No movement. No crashing out. Not a sound. Wind was great until this point and then it started swirling. We waited and waited and waited. I kept sparingly calling with no luck. Our best guess is he caught a swirl of our scent and just silently backed out and went back up the mountain. So excruciatingly close and just couldn't get it to come together. We just sat there for a good 30 minutes after this about as defeated as it gets. So damn close on the final day of our hunt we could almost taste it!!
All in all it was a great trip! Only the second time I've ever actually been to Colorado. Beautiful, beautiful country. Learned a lot and will have a little better gameplan for next year. Physically I was in plenty good shape, but just the amount of miles each day finally caught up to me by the last day or two. We averaged between 7-10 miles a day and my lower legs let me know it lol. There were definitely plenty of campers and hunters off the main roads but all in all not as much hunting pressure as we had expected to run into. (I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammatical errors. I'm posting from my phone as we are driving home.)
CW2011
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AG

This was the 4X5 we had closing down on us yesterday.
 
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