2011 Elk hunt colorado area 43 third and 4th Season
Started out great, watched the weather report in making the decision to camp on high ground or low ground, forcast was for 4-6 inches of fresh snow opening weekend then sun for the rest of the week, sounded great so we set camp on high ground 10,200Ft.
Drying out the Cook tent
getting firewood for the week+
Cook tent and Sleep tent
Then It started snowing... and blowing... and snowing
We started hunting, elk tracks were still coming and going through the area, at times within 200 yards from the tents. Opening morning I located a group of 4 two cows and two calves in an area I had patterned them, I could have gotten above and shot one but since we were the only one on the hill I thought I would take more guys the next morning. To my dismay an energetic hunter hunting below found the track and followed them up and ended up shooting the lead cow that evening. He didn't get out of the woods till midnight, with one rear quarter. the next two days he hiked up my hill (I was thinking he was packing out the reset of the animal) come to find out when he got back to it the coyotes had chewed it up so he left all the rest. This caused all the birds and dogs to be there all day and night screwing up my hill. Never did figure out what he was doing while hiking with a pack if he never got any more meat???
After things settled down a little we found two calves, feeding on the hill looking at the carnage of there mother, with three feet of snow and no herd of elk for them to join with we thought we would do the humane thing and save them from the coyotes and weather and filled my cow third season cow tag and the sons third season cow tag.
"Dragging/Riding" down the hill.
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We saw three bulls but were not ambitious enough to climb and pack them out so we just watched hoping they would come closer.
With weather and snow and work and to much alchohol some couldn't get there and some had to leave early so that was all that was tagged for third.
4th season... continued next post