Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting How to start the New Year off right

New Years Day, 2017 ... 5 AM ... somewhere in Southern Colorado. Roll out of bed at 9,000 feet, remind the Wife that she thought this was a good idea yesterday, start the coffee maker and hit the remote on the frozen block of ice in the driveway that vaguely resembles a truck. Grab a couple of breakfast burritos, a thermos of coffee and at 5:45 AM navigate the six miles of gravel and icy chipseal to the highway. Thirty minutes later we leave the pavement for good and bounce down a few more miles of ranch roads ... parking behind some sheltering pinons just as the sky is getting light. 15 degrees and calm. Not bad, last time we did this winter hunt (three years ago) it was 30 degrees colder.






Glass the low country to the south expecting to see some early rising elk a mile away. Oops ... should have been sneaking down there in the dark ... because a lone cow walks out 600 yards distant. Make a stalk anyway ... which turns out to be just armed hiking. Back to the drawing board.







Move up a few miles and spend the middle of the day walking out ridges on higher ground.







Surprise a few there at 400 yards ... but they never slow down. Once again, no joy,so after lunch we move up in elevation.







Lots of fresh sign up here ... but nobody wants to make friends just yet.


So, we endeavor to persevere throughout the afternoon ... and as the sun is setting ... we find a big girl who wants to go for a ride home in the GMC.







Every time I shoot something on a mountain at sundown I swear never to do it again ... but by 8 PM we are bloody and tired and headed home with a passenger.

Never thought about football even once during the entire day. Perfect!