Just finished eating NY cuts from the elk for supper. They were great. We then went down to Best Buy to pick up another freezer, with 2 elk, 2 antelope and one deer we just needed more room.
Hunt report.. Drove to Sterling Co and overnighted. Got up at 5 am to a snow storm and drove to Trinidad. Called the outfitter Fred Eichler of Fulldraw outfitters about noon and were met and taken to his place outside of Trinidad, with a great view of the Spanish Peaks. Fred had us move into the house with his family. Thought the wife and I would be more comfortable there than in the other house with 5 other hunters, all guys. Then Fred ask if we would like to go out hunting that afternoon and start our hunt early. We said sure and our guide Ed picked us up about 230 and we headed for one of the ranches Fred hunts, This ranch was Freds own.
Upon arriving at the ranch Ed pointed out a lower field that a father, son and grandson took cows in that morning. Saw several coyotes on the gut piles. We went to another section of the ranch and drove the ranch roads looking for fresh tracks. Not finding any we were heading for another ranch when we went by the lower field and saw a heard, about 50 cows on the hill above. Ed got us down to the field and about 200 yards from the elk. I shot the one with the tracking collar and the wife got another big cow. It was about a 100 yard drag down the mountain to where we could get the truck. Fred happened by and we loaded them whole into the truck and it was off to the butcher in Raton NM.
Monday, our first day of the hunt, our guide Ed took us sight seeing. We stopped at the Whittington center and got a few souvenirs. Tuesday we toured Trinidad on our own. Wed. we picked up the Elk a headed home.
The collar will be turned over to the research group later this month and I will check back with Fred in January to get the info on the elk.
This morning we got an e-mail from Michele Eichler that Fred and Jeb, Oldest son, also took two cows in that field this morning.
That field and hill produced 8 cows this week.
Everyone at Fulldraw Outfitters were and are great folks. We couldn't have had a better time or met better people than Fred and Michele Eichler and family, 3 sons, and Ed our guide.
Thanks for posting the pictures, Iam still working on learning how to do it.
