Kinikin's in Montrose forgot to give us our back cape. We did not realize it till the taxidermist called and said it was not in the box. I called them and it took them 3 days to get back with me. Then after getting my address she tells me that I have to pay them to get it to me. I asked the worker twice before we left if this was all my boxes and he said yes. I know where I will not be getting an elk processed again.

Better late than never muzzle loader report. Drew into NM with a buddy both with bull elk tags. Left out of Dripping Springs fueled up in Lampasas to get the trip going. https://imgur.com/xLVPtwC Found an awesome spot to camp with lots of grass as it was raining and didn't want camp to become a mud pit if we could help it. https://imgur.com/Xis9hDO Did not do any scouting as the first two days where semi guided.

First two days were rather uneventful other than a few bugles. We tried calling and got some responses they just would not move. https://imgur.com/pRqTNZ2. Most everywhere was really heavy cover. https://imgur.com/OIB9uIe https://imgur.com/LgYBvUY

Day 2 my buddy did get on a nice bull about 1.5 hours before dark and got off 3 shots at him. He said the bull just moved off about 30 yards and stood behind a tree until dark still standing.

Day 3 the next morning he went back to look but never found any sign. I went after a bugle and after an hour stalk got a shot off at 245 at about 45% angle on a nice 6x6. All I heard was air no thud so I think I shot over and the smoke surrounded me for a good minute, I could not see anything. Went to check for blood but no sign, checked everywhere I could see for around 10 minutes and nothing. Then I had a screaming elk seemingly in my ear, look over and another nice bull at 475. Make a stalk on him to 325 in the pines. He was with around 15 cows in a small burn area with lay down pine every 10 yards. Had to do my best impression of an octopus moving over a reef to get into range. Got to 235 and missed, could not hold steady after all the climbing, bugling, crawling, wind blowing at my back right at them, elk fever, etc. We had practiced out to 250 yards so closing the distance on anything in all the thick cover and steep terrain was tough.

Day 4 Saw a nice bull with around 9 cows at 450 yards and went to see if I could close the distance. On my way I jumped another nice bull in the creek bed at 40 yards but he was in the thick brush before I got him in my scope. He headed up and took the bull I was after over the mountain so that ended that stalk. https://imgur.com/ROIwN3K

Day 5 last day heard a far off bugle around 8am, hiked around 800 yards up a trail and spotted 8 cows and a nice bull. They were 1000' straight up and at 645 yards. There was a small ridge that if I could make in time I could get a cross canyon shot. Took around an hour to get there and got set up just in time to see all of them one by one move through two small openings at 235 yards. Of course the bull 6x7 was last and he passed through the first opening quickly but stopped in the second. I finally made the shot count, he backflipped and rolled down the hill lodging in all the down fall.https://imgur.com/0k5U2jO. Took 2.5 hours to quarter, could hardly budge him as all the weight was going down hill under the logs in mud. Could not get him flipped over for the bottom quarters but managed to finally get them off and into game bags. Loaded up a ham and back strap on my pack rack and headed down the descent. About half way down I get my left boot lodged in a rotten log when the weight on my back shifts at which point either my knee or my boot is going to have to give because I am going down. Hear some grinding, hope its my boot not my knee. Boot finally gives, I go rolling down the mountain. Break a rib and some knee damage but could walk and hike out the remaining two miles back to camp.

Next morning season is over and my buddy and I retrieve the rest. I had to just swing two of the quarters down the mountain as I could not put any weight on my knee on the slope. My buddy had my pack rack and hauled out the head and one shoulder. He had his pack rack stolen by a sasquatch after he left it by a tree while stalking an elk on day 4 never to be seen again.https://imgur.com/ca7VzKk Took us all day so we headed home the next morning. https://imgur.com/oyx6v9T X rays show no ligament damage.

What unit?

How much for just 1 rib?

Hurts my brain to try and read that awesome hunt!
Get us some punctuation & location where you were hunting please!!

Cloudcroft area. We put in 9 miles averaging 3000' climbing each day. This year we drank a lot of Wilderness Athlete hydration and power powder drinks which seemed to work great, I would highly recommend. I know it seemed like a lot of bulls but actually the one I shot was the one my buddy missed two days earlier about a half mile away. Also the first bull I missed was the same one I jumped at the creek the next day about 1.5 miles away. Does anyone know why Bore Butter hardens up up there, altitude or cold weather as it was only 45 degrees? Sorry about the long post and punctuation I am just a rookie poster.

That first deer is a darn good buck, I don't care who you are.

aggie0959 said:

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Kinikin's in Montrose forgot to give us our back cape. We did not realize it till the taxidermist called and said it was not in the box. I called them and it took them 3 days to get back with me. Then after getting my address she tells me that I have to pay them to get it to me. I asked the worker twice before we left if this was all my boxes and he said yes. I know where I will not be getting an elk processed again.

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Kinnikin does just enough good stuff for the community, supporting the 4-H and FFA, to not get shut down for all their other bad behavior. The owner also owns an outfitting company that leased the property next to us.

Gates left open, beer cans, straight up trespassing. I have cameras out now and will go after his license if I catch them at it.

That's a bingo!

I sense an OB firemission forthcoming.

Dad and I still don't think we got all our meat. They did not give us any weights. I have this gut feeling that they saw an out of stater that they could screw with a quick turn around. My thought is they took some of our meat and added it to their "farm raised" elk that they sell

Hey what's the deal with Americans wanting to elk (or other big game) hunt Canada? Anybody ever put in for tags up there?

There's no putting in for tags because Americans can't hunt up there on their own. You have to go with a guide/outfitter. That's with pretty much every big game animal.

Made it to 36 in NM. Full scouting day tomorrow.

I hunted bears with a guide in Manitoba this past summer. They can get tags for bears, white tails and wolves for clients. He said that non-residents can't hunt elk at all though. Not sure if that's specific to Manitoba or all over Canada.

I know for a fact that Americans can hunt elk in BC.

But they could hunt elk in Colorado? Or does it go both ways?

Good friend of mine killed an elk in BC this year. They went as a family and also had bear and moose tags.

harge57 said:

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Made it to 36 in NM. Full scouting day tomorrow.

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Well? We're waiting.

Day 2 or my 3rd rifle cow hunt. Same unit I helped my dad and his buddy go 2 for 2 in during 1st rifle. Saw tons of elk then, just a few bulls so far...just gotta keep putting miles on the legs and glass

Congrats!

That looks like really pretty country.

No diarrhea this trip? Nice deer. How far as the shot?

280 yds. Hit him 3 times.

Camp looks quite a bit different on this trip. Family friends have a cabin up here. Pot roast, taters, and gravy for dinner, and have only had use the wet wipes once.

Yessssss

Awww yeah!!! Congrats

Never been to 21 but looks promising. Are y'all planning to hunt the lower BLM on the eastern side of B or the higher ground in the west and A?

We are in the lower BLM right now. Hunting in the arroyos above some of the ag. Looks promising but no deer yet.

Good luck!

harge57 said:

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Headed out to NM with my 12 year old nephew for a mule deer hunt.

Headed to unit 21. Anyone been out there? The unit is huge, so we have a lot of options.

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Are you a professional hunter?

Seriously - good luck.

Yeeeeah! That's a damn fine desert Muley buck! Woooo! Congrats to the nephew!