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Arrived in Nucula, Co. at mid day on the 13th, after topping off the water jugs and truck headed up the mountain and finding a camp spot around 3 in an area we had good feelings about. Got the camp set up and gear ready to go for the next day, as we turned in for the night we bugled from camp and had 2 bulls answer which at least for me made for a restless night thinking about what was in store the next am
.Next morning we headed down into the country below camp, it was also the start of muzzle loader season :-/(why Co runs the 1 week season with archery I don't get) so the orange army was running the roads hard, but few hunters in the woods. After working the east slope below camp we headed into a "north" facing basin around 11am. We had gotten about a 1/4 of the way through when we got the call over the radio, Bill had an arrow in a bull [smiley=yahoo.gif] and was waiting an hour before the tracking started. We started moving down to Bills coordinates about 45 minutes later and hadn't gone far when he called and said the he had the bull, it had gone about 120yds. A nice 5X6 to start the trip.
Now I figured that we would hunt easy and allow a couple of days to get acclimatized to the 9000 foot elevation, looks like the "training" schedule just got accelerated with a bit of packing to do
. After getting the bull ready to go, we hung most of the meat and took a load out with us that evening and go back the next am to finish the job and then take it to the locker.On Tuesday we headed to another canyon I liked the looks of on the map and immediately had a bull answer as we crested the ridge about 1/2 mile from the truck. We started working into the basin with the bull continuing to bugle and I saw something to my left and up the hill. Glassing it quickly I saw that it was a solid 6X at about 45 yds quartering away feeding. My friend Dave who has hunted with us for a few years now and hasn't killed an elk was right behind me, so I motioned him up just as the bull feed behind some trees :-[. He started a sneak up the hill trying to get a lane for the shot through the numerous trees and dead fall while the bull continued to work up the slope. Just as the bull neared the top he turned broadside at about 40yds, no lanes [smiley=wallbash.gif], about this time the other bull which we hadn't seen and was only about 20yds to his right decided the party was over and blew out of there. Oh well, we'll see them later with any luck. All this time the bull is still bugling down below so off we go. As we are moving in slowly Dave gets my attention and lets me know the herd is right off to our left moving through the trees. We are watching the small openings we have when a cow steps into a lane for me and I let Dave know I have a shot and he says take it. I range it and have 45 yds, settle the pins and send the muzzy on the way, right over it's back
, wtf I am shooting a bit downhill but not that much, the arrow struck a log and the elk just stood there didn't make a move. Nocked another arrow put the 40yd pin on the shoulder and hit the mark. We sat down and waited the hour before starting the tracking.
I went over to the spot where the animal was standing after an hour and had good blood, followed the trail for about 30 minutes when we found it. Ended up being a small bull, my wife kept asking for a young one ( I think she is talking about an animal ;D), and she got it. By noon we were packing and was able to get it out that day.
After another trip to the locker it was Dave's turn, so we headed to another draw to the north, Bill's moving the vehicle around to another ridge and will come in and meet us as needed. Dave and I head down the hill and finally get below the herd of cattle. I bugle once and get an immediate answer across the draw, so off we go. After dropping down about 200 yds we set up, Dave about 40yds in front of me close to the bottom. I start cow calling and the bull goes nuts, I can hear him coming down the hill, and there he is about 70yds slightly off to my right. I am just watching him and waiting for Dave to draw, and I wait and wait and wait, how can he not see the bull, I finally figure out that the tree he is sitting behind is blocking that lane. So after the bull stepped behind another tree from me I snapped my fingers to get his attention and got him to slide to the right but the bull was moving east at a slow walk. After waiting about 30 minutes we went after him and he started answering with bugles, setting up on a ridge about 400yds out from the original location we got him to come in again, only to give us a very poor lane with no shot at 42 yds.
Third time was not to be and this ended up being Dave's last chance at an animal. Another great trip with good friends and lots of memories.A few more pictures from the trip.
Looking southeast toward Ouray
Headed in
This guy reminded me of Nevada years ago, being very typical of the bucks we saw.
Beaver pond reflections
A spike bull we had at 27yds
