shaynew1 said:

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2020 gon be a good year.

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This post aged well

Dang it really is all my fault isn't it

Took me a while to finally write our Colorado Rifle 2 recap, but here goes.

Got into the unit late Friday evening and checked into our hotel. The next day we planned to work a nearby state wildlife area that was productive for us last year.

Saturday: Picked our glassing spot in the morning, but had some other hunters working the valley we were looking over. Didn't end up seeing anything and pushed further back in to BLM and National Forest. Ended up working about 6 miles before getting into a good spot on BLM. We only saw a handful of deer, certainly no bucks to write home about. That evening we settle down to glass from a little knob. It wasn't long before my buddy spots 3 deer about 800 yards away. We can tell one is a doe, accompanied by a small forky and what looks to be another smaller buck. After study that deer for a while, we agree that at a minimum he looks to be as wide as his ears, so I pull out my spotter to confirm. Almost immediately it is apparent the buck is a true 4x4 so he sets off on a stalk. Unfortunately there really is no cover between us and them, but the buck is comfortably bedded for what I assume would be the night. I stay behind to guide my buddy in to position but quickly lose him over a small ridge and realize I wouldn't be able to see him get in to position. All I can do is wait and watch the buck through the spotter. A shot rings out and the deer doesn't appear hit, gets up from his bed a turns just a few steps. What seems like an eternity later, another shot sounds and I can tell the buck is hit good. He makes it only a few yards before collapsing (turns out to be a heart shot from 400 yards). I was filming through the spotter and confirm the hit on the footage. We get him quartered and caped that evening by about 9 and start the hike out. Unfortunately, the closest trailhead is not the one we parked at, and we decide to hang half of the meat back where we are for retrieval the next day. We hit that trailhead about 11, ditch all our stuff back in the trees and then walk 3 miles on the road back to our truck. Our heads don't hit the pillow until 1:30 in the morning.





Sunday: We were wiped out from the previous night and decided to sleep in a little bit before retrieving the remainder of the meat. Parked at the closer trailhead and made our way back in. My buddy deboned the meat while I glassed. While there the front pushed its way through, dropping from upper 50s, to rain, then sleet and finally snow and mid 20's. We decided to hike out the meat and not hunt that evening when near whiteout conditions presented themselves.


Monday: Hit the same State Wildlife Area in the morning with about 10-12" of fresh snow on the ground and still falling. We only see 4 does and cover about 6 miles. My hip flexor is in serious pain from the 2 packouts so we call it quits about lunch. That evening we scout some nearby patchy BLM that is totally overwhelmed with road hunters. Saw 6 does and 2 small bucks on public land and probably a couple hundred deer on private.

Tuesday: Hit some new BLM that actually requires hiking in to. We are greeted with one other group of hunters at the trailhead and they are after elk. We didn't end up seeing them at all that day. Place is covered up in good sign, including some elk and mountain lion tracks, but we only see 2 does all day after covering 7-8 miles. Froze our tails off this day, it was -3 when we started out in the morning.




Wednesday: Push back in to the same BLM and National Forest from the first day. Get up to a great glassing knob and spot some hunters down below cleaning a pretty decent 5x5 (especially considering this is an OTC unit). We immediately spot deer out moving in the warmer weather. Lots of tracks on the way in as well. Probably saw 20+ deer and 9 elk (cows and raghorns). Spend most of the day working this area. I eventually spot a group of 3 small bucks, one of which is a pretty tall forky meat buck. They spend all day alternating between bedding and feeding in this same high plateau, so I decide to make a move on the biggest one come evening if nothing better presents itself. That plan ends up coming together and I take the buck from 160 yards. We get him quartered, deboned and packed out by about 10 that night.






All in all a great trip and looking forward to next year. Really getting dialed in gear-wise and don't really lack for anything minus cold weather boots (wore my new Schnee Timberlines all week). Next year we are talking about bivying out 3-4 miles in if the weather cooperates so we can stay in the productive areas for longer.

A late post on my 1st elk hunt. My son and I drew tags for limited entry gun in units 41,42,411, 421,52 and 521. We started out focused on 411 because the GoHunt success stats were good for that unit but ended up moving to unit 42 and 521 as our primary and secondary spots.

We had 1st hand info on 42 from a buddy from work who has hinted it for years during archery season and great info from the wildlife biologist for 521. We went with 42 because of the 1st hand info and arrived Thursday night

We spent Friday scouting the meadow and learning our way around and my son saw 4 cows and a spike that night while I saw some Muley does in a different meadow

Picture 1

Opening morning - the meadow was barren and we ended up working our way up a drainage. We heard a grunt which we thought was a bull elk but it turned out to be be this bad boy later in the day at 25 yards -pretty cool. We watched him thrash a sapling for about 5 min before he wandered off

Picture 2 (bull moose - I had a video but couldn't figure out how to add)

We hiked to a high meadow on OnX that we misread - it was actually a big canyon. We sat and ate a snack and were talking about how hard we had hiked for nothing. My son blows his cow call and we get 3 different cows to answer across the canyon. It is getting late in the day and we weren't up for extra hiking that was needed to actually get down there so that was our plan for the next day. We hunted the original meadow that night and saw nothing

We focused on the canyon the next day - still getting cows to answer and worked out way up a spine on far side. We eventually find a way down in and then discovered a hidden waterhole with elk tracks all around it; however it starts snowing so we decide to head back to camp not knowing how much snow we would get

Picture 3

The next morning, there is enough snow left to track a little bit and we found this

Picture 4

I think it is mountain lion track but would like y'all input if it is something else

We hunted that water hole with no luck and were getting a little frustrated at this point. Lots of sign / cow call answers but no actual sightings.

Our hot "meadow" tip has yielded no sightings after the Friday night observation by my son - so we pick a hill overlooking some of the tracks from the previous morning on Tuesday. We saw nothing and climbed up to good glassing spot - we see finally spot some elk about 1.5 mile away and verify that it is still public land. My son leaves me in the dust trying to get over there which is more like 3 miles by the time we weave our way over there.

The elk are bedded by this time so we sit until midday and roasted in the sun waiting for the elk to come out. About 4:30, we hear 3 bugles over 30 minute period and then spot a cow coming out of pines about 550 yards out. She disappeared into the aspens between us and we never saw or heard another elk that night. I didn't do any bugling myself which was prob a mistake that I won't repeat next year.

Picture 5

This spot is we were overlooking and the cow came out of a window in the pines on the other side of the aspens. We hunted the area from the bottom up the next morning hoping to catch the elk coming down to bed but never saw a thing.

We ended up hiking 39 miles over the 6 days of scouting / hunting. Our gear was almost perfect as far what we needed to camp and hunt comfortably so we are set. We will probably move to the spot in 521 to get away from crowds - we weren't overwhelmed with other hunters but there was plenty of pressure.

We accomplished everything we wanted to for 1st time DIY hunt by 2 rookies - we saw elk, moose, mule deer and heard some bugling. Totally hooked and ready for next season already.

PS - tried to embed the pictures in the post but couldn't get them to copy in

Took me 8 hours yesterday to get from Steamboat to home, usually 3.5 hrs. They needed the storms though.

So here's my 3rd rifle doe tag experience.

Hunting north of Maybell area. This is not a mountainous area, and lots of roads, so a little different style hunting. Heard TONS of shots first three days and if I saw one deer hanging in a camp I saw 60. Of course Saturday I saw absolutely nothing. Crazy storm hit that night, lightning, sleet, some of the wildest wind I've been in. Wind continued through Sunday. Bumped a doe Sunday morning because I wasn't paying attention. Found a promising spot that afternoon. Monday night snowed, and snow continued all day Monday. Sat watching a draw that morning then walked into another spot before relocating and see three doe heads peaking at me over a little ridge. Make a crawl to get up to them and ultimately F-ed it up. Had an opportunity for a shot but wasn't sure on the range and was on both knees, would been free hand. Looking over it all I really shoulda taken that shot, was probably a hair under 100 yards and would a prevented the next string of events.

Pretty frustrated at this point. Had my opportunities buy just blundered them. Got in the car and was moving across the unit for another go. On the highway I end up having to come to a stop for a group of 4 does to cross the road in front of me. Check the OnX and sure enough they're crossing into my unit in public land. Watch them jump the fence and continue on not in a hurry. Here's a picture for reference:



They are moseying along the east side of that hill, so I bust a U and go back about a 1/4 mile to that road, drive in and make an attempt to cut them off on the back side of the hill. End up never seeing them so head back to the car and get back out to the highway. At this point near blizzard starts back up. Get on the highway and as I'm pulling out see 2 deer up high on the south side of the hill.

This is a small area and there are probably 4 different camps along the road back into the area, so obviously they got up the hill a bit then just hung tight. Another u turn and I walk down the fence line, get to where I can see them and start to get set up. Snow is bad enough that it's giving my rangefinder fits, but I get a good read off a big rock next to them. Right at 250 yards. Snowing good but I can make the deer out well in my scope on 18x. Watch it for maybe 45-60 seconds. Braced well on my hiking poles and send it. Deer does a 180 and sits down, stands up and stumbles a few steps back then tumbles about 10 yards Down the hill to catch on a tree. Watch it, no movement, dead. Over the top excited for getting my first ever mule deer and my first ever western kill after 5 empty tags.

Get up to were I hit it. The pin on the map above and get this pic:


You can see some blood, and can also see the deer if you look close, almost middle of the pic under some branches. Pic also gives an idea of the conditions, it's not zoomed in and deer about 10 yards away.

So I'm stoked. Send that pick to a few friends since I was finally successful, sit down for about 5 min to catch my breath and plan what's next.

Snow dies down and that's where everything goes to ***** Look down again and see a bit of antler on the left side. Immediately from a great high to one of my lowest lows. Luckily I've got cell service and call CPW right away to report shooting a spike. The 800 number people take my name and contact info saying a local officer will be reaching out. So I sit and wait feeling like a huge POS. Officer calls, tells me to dress it and meet him in Craig to look everything over.

So I get down to the deer and gets worse. Not a spike a small forkie. Call officer back to tell him and make sure I don't need to do anything different, says no dress and bring in.

Get the deer cared for and loaded and head in. End up meeting the officer in the Wal-Mart parking lot and get a $140 ticket, 5 points on my license, and he takes the deer to donate to a family in Craig. We talk a little about it and why/how it happened. Surprisingly to me he said he was able to give me my doe tag back and that I shouldn't let this ruin my hunt and go back to bag a doe, just be more careful. Definitely wasn't interested in that. In my book I'd killed my deer, and was and still am in the dumps a bit.

Tough way to be reminded of hunting 101, but I certainly won't make the mistake again. It never once crossed my mind the the deer wasn't one of the group that went over the road. Absolutely seems irresponsible and careless now looking back, but in the moment, amped up, there wasn't any percentage of me that wasn't sure that animal was a doe.

I'm fortunate to have only gotten the punishment I did and a family that needs the meat more than me is getting it, but a pretty ****ty way to kill my first muley. Didn't get any pics of the deer but he was a small fork horn all shorter than his ears, didn't even really check on how my shot placement was I was so dejected.

Everyone be careful out there.

get 20 points in 5 years and they can suspend your license privileges

ETA the pics aren't showing up for me. That's a rough story; thanks for sharing. I think anybody could make that mistake, and anybody who thinks they are "above" a mistake like that hasn't spent enough time hunting.

Think the points fall off after 5yrs after the violation.

And bummer to have that happen on your first muley. Mistakes happen and you did the right thing after so don't let it get you down. I've been there before and it sucks, but learn from it and move on.

Can happen to anyone that spends enough time hunting and is a good reminder. Thanks for sharing and keep at it and you'll get em next time!

I've been a bit quiet this year, for reasons I will divulge at a later date, but I'll leave these here to whet your appetites until I get around to doing a proper write up. Unfortunately, no big bucks, but some epic scenery, a TX public hunt, and meat made. And, no, that is not your typical doe, and she is NOT small.

Got my buck this morning. Walking down the trail in a valley and somebody shot up one of the ravines. A minute or two later a doe comes hopping down the hill followed but this buck. I opened up and shot him at about 50 yards. He's been fighting and broke the one side off but he's got some weight to him. 6:30 am when I shot him.

This was one of the toughest years we have had in a long time. It was super dry here this summer. I usually wait to graze a couple of pastures until after hunting season. I did not have that option this year. The deer still came through, they just didn't stay.

My BIL started things off after 2 day of not seeing much.



Cool extra point on this deer.

My son was out for meat. Tender meat. Ended up killing this little buck on Grandma's lawn.

Kristyn, a buddy's daughter killed on the second to the last day. She was trophy hunting for real. Passed on a 160 inch buck that morning. When this ancient monster came in, her dad talked her into it without much effort.




My daughter hunted the last several days after the youngsters were done. She had several opportunities. One at a buck that was just plain weird. We were in a blind and had to shoot off sticks sitting up. Her comfort zone is prone. Just took her too long. Had another chance at a good buck the last night. He didn't pay any attention to us, but just had a bad habit of lining up with a house whenever he presented a shot opportunity.

We will see you next year.