Back on for my CO hunt! Dad got moved out of ICU and is well on his way to recovery. My hunting partner never ended up testing positive for COVID and his family has all since recovered. Bag is packed and muzzleloader is dialed in (confirmed with some good shooting practice yesterday). Weather is looking gorgeous.

Blood

shaynew1 said:

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Blood

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&ct=g

Semi update:

Yesterday I killed a small bull. With an arrow.

I'll summarize and share the photographs when I get home later this week.

Drew a TPWD javelina tag a Chaparral in February.

BurrOak said:

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Had a nice 6 point at 30 yards and couldn't make it happen.

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Stay frosty. Another chance will present itself.

Just got off the mountain near Pecos, Nm. Went w/ Wes (bull valley outfitters- referred by CupOfJoe and WOW!

Incredible country here. MUCH harder hunt than I expected. 4 hour horse ride into the Wilderness and the first night of scouting we glassed up a few bulls and two dozen cows from a ridge about 1/4 mi from camp.
Bugling was heard all trip and through the night which got us pumped. The country here in NM was different than I would have imagined. It was higher elevation (10-12k), muddier due to the rainy season and steeper than I imagined !











Long story short: day 2 my buddy smoked a 6x6 herd bull off a wallow and I drew back on a 5x5 satellite bull that winded us and bailed. The next day I had a 7x7 satellite bull I intercepted at 54 yards moving from a wallow to a watering hole and I was able to get him stopped with a cow call and double lunged em. Day 4 Wes called in a big 5x5 herd bull. They spotted the Bull and his cows going into the woods. Wes cow called and got a response but no action. A bugle drew some cows back into the meadow to see what was happening then the bull was really was pissed, busted into the meadow and was met with two arrows at 60yards.



The one very sad and crazy part of the hunt is that one of the mules got spooked while packing an elk on its back coming back to camp and it just busted off running like a bat out of hell. Ended up breaking its neck In the woods.

Last day I got to enjoy catching some cutthroats. Goodluck to everyone else !!!

Some crappy screen shots of a wide 3x3.

So after applying off and on since I was 14, I finally drew Colorado mountain goat. I drew G12, which is in the Maroon Bells/Snowmass wilderness just south of Aspen. I have had several buddies hunt it before, so I knew where to find goats. A lot of my scouting was checking easier areas to see if they held goats.

First trip in was to Capitol Lake. About 15 miles round trip. 2600 vertical feet.


On the way in.

The lake and Capitol peak. One of Colorado's tougher 14er's. No goats on this trip.

Second scouting trip was to Cathedral Lake. It is a short, but steep hike. 3 miles and 2000 vertical feet.


I actually saw a goat on this one. The white spec in the middle of the picture is a goat.



The lake was glass the next morning. I managed to catch a couple of cutthroats.



So after visiting with my buddy that had hunted it 2 years before and with a buddy last year, that had volunteered to come with for a couple of days, we decided to try and hunt the goat I scouted. Most of the goats that come out of that part of the unit are Billy's, so it seemed like a good place to start.


We found a goat soon after arriving at the lake and setting up camp. Taken through 15x binos. Also found 2 other goat hunters. We watched the goat until dark.

The next morning when we got up, the other groups of hunters were already headed up the hill, but as my buddy said, "Don't go unless you know." We waited until we could see, found the goat, and the others were going the wrong way.

I'd spent a good part of my time scouting looking for ways through or up the cliffs in the area. It paid off. We made a plan and hauled ass.



These 2 guys deserve more of the credit than I do. Jerad and his 13 year old son Brylan. I think Brylan would give those mountain goats a run for their money in a race. They helped me realize how much further I could go and helped when I needed it.


I don't normally do rifle pictures, but this rifle was a gift from a friend that has left this world. It's name is Fred, 7 mm REM Mag. Pre 68 model 700 Remington BDL. Just a shooter.


It turned out that this goat was actually an old dry nanny. I couldn't care less. It was my animal and I was very proud. 7 years old. 8 5/8 and 8 3/4 inch horns.


Hide and head and camp in the pack. The hide weighed more than the meat.


Man it felt good to dump this pack here.



This picture was taken from camp. The red line is approximately our path on the stalk. The white dot is where the goat was. Another 1000 vertical above camp to the kill site. The shot was a little over 200 yards. I was trying to settle my breathing and heart rate (Jerad said my glasses were moving with my heart beat) when she turned like she was going to leave. Not today. Not a perfect shot, but she dropped and didn't fall far. About 12,800 feet at the kill site.

Incredible hunt in country that I can only describe as raw.

Edit to add a few details and fix typos.