That line made me chuckle, knew how it was going to end.
Sounds like the voice of experience.
WyoM70, I was 57 the first year I hunted elk. It has become a passion. I intend to keep doing it as long as I can. I told my wife we needed to find an easier place to hunt but I don't know if there is such a thing. I have always tried to get beyond the crowd when I hunt. In this case the distance was vertical. If it was flatter country I would just have to hike further, so it probably doesn't make any difference in the end. The main thing is to stay healthy and in shape to do it.
The best way to find an easier place to hunt is to hunt in a better place.
Trying to get beyond the crowd in Colorado is difficult. Much of the Colorado country is carved up in such a way that if you hike far enough, you will just meet your counterpart coming from the other side. This is particularly true in the general elk areas.
In my experience, you have three options to make things work better.
First choice, get a tag in a good unit with limited numbers of licenses available. Better game opportunities with fewer hunters tends to make the hunt less of a marathon ordeal. You don't have to outrun so many other hunters either. You will still need good luck and good weather. A tough mental attitude that allows you to hang in there will often make a big difference. My first Wyoming bull elk was killed in the very last minutes of the last day of my hunt, after having seen almost nothing up until then.
Second choice, go on a fully guided hunt on horseback with a good outfitter in a good area. Weather and timing still play a huge part in the outcome. Costs can be high, even if it is a ranch hunt. And you have to sort out the good from the bad before putting down your money. It can work out very well though. Or as you have already experienced, you may never get a shot. Remember that the odds are against you, and most of the time you will be doing very well to get a single shot at a bull elk.
Third choice, get a horse of your own (there is never just one!), change your entire life to accommodate your new herd of horses (or mules), and try to find a good place to hunt where your your new livestock gives you significant advantage over the poor foot hunters (like me).
With five years experience, you are starting to become a much more experienced elk hunter. You are learning how to find elk, and how to successfully hunt them. You will get better with more time in the field.
Also remember that some years you simply will not get an elk, no matter what you do. But don't let that douse the passion inside of you for next year!
Best of luck for your next bull!!
