Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Back from Colorado ranch elk hunt

In my 20+ years of elk hunting, this was the first time I've done it that way. Our usual elk hunt is in a wall tent or I'll drag my pop-up trailer if the party is small. This one we had a log home rented and watched the world series in the evenings on satellite TV, just like the boys down in TX.

The elk are still plenty wild and I would hazard a guess that if I set up a natural blind and sat for 8 days straight for 12 hours a day I'd probably have the same success. The private ground gives you few other options than to sit and wait. Usually after a few hours of sitting, I'm up crashing green timber until the evening sit.

1-It ain't different. Sitting in a blind and loading deer up in a truck is the same everywhere. Don't try to make it out to be more than what it is, you'll only embarrass yourself.
2-I don't need to ask the folks from the East, I can ask myself because I've done it. And it dang sure wasn't on a ranch with pickup trucks.
3-I don't care how most do it, this was a paid ranch hunt. Nothing more or less.

BTW-No. Observing and pointing out the obvious is something that comes naturally to me.



I'm glad WCC had a great hunt with his family. It wouldn't be so amusing if it weren't coming from a typical "Colorado is so great we do it differently here and nobody else understands how awesome it is" guy.

Sitting in a blind and loading elk into a truck isn't the norm here. That was the point. It was a unique hunt, probably the only one in my life that will be like that. I've killed 14 elk and only two have gotten loaded into a truck in one piece. My last bull before lat week took two full days to pack out of the canyon I stupidly shot him in. And I have to disagree on one point. This was a hunt on a ranch, not a ranch hunt - and their IS a difference. No feeders, no spotlights, and nobody drinking light beer.

Yeah, I want to do that some day......good one!

I wish I could take credit. Out of 150 or so pictures that was the only one worth a damn. Pure dumb luck.

Hunting a water hole and alfalfa field are drastically different than hunting a corn feeder, I'm sure.

Lost on the person who can't see the difference between bait and habitat.

The alfalfa was natural habitat, on a cattle ranch? Yall just stumbled upon some naturally growing afalfa that just happened to be in front of the blind yall were hunting and watched it until a deer found it too?

I'm not knocking your hunt. I did something similar with my kids last weekend. I just don't see why you can't say, "I hunted like they do in Texas and I enjoyed it."

So, anyway...sounds like a good time. Congrats!

Beautiful country. I climbed West Spanish Peak last month...fantastically beautiful mountain. I love the area down there. Those volcanic dikes are very unique. The Spanish Peaks Wilderness Area is some really fantastic country. I envy you for owning average where you do.

Hey Smokepole.....


Alfalfa fields, ground blinds and day hunts are obviously different.

I've killed a lot of big game in Texas. I was fortunate to be able to hunt a high dollar ranch in Lavaca County for several seasons. I could never afford to hunt a ranch like that...my brother got me on the place and took care of my end. The first time I went I killed a buck that scored 163 and 7/8. After the morning hunt, we came back to the ranch house and ate a biga$$ breakfast. Then hunted in the afternoon, and at night we ate biga$$ steaks, or fajitas...we always cooked outside on the grill. And we always had a big fire going in the fire ring. We drank good whiskey every evening. We slept in good beds, and were able to take hot showers. We had some great camaraderie outside around that big fire that we always had going. We ate great food, drank great whiskey, shot some good deer, and had an absolute blast all the way around. I loved every second of it.
I've done more hunting on my own though, in rough country, with no amenities at all...and I've loved it too...moreso than any other kind of hunting I've done.
But those high-dollar hunts in Texas were damn fun to me, and if I could afford it, I'd do a lot more of it...in addition to the kind of hunting that I normally do.

I appreciate the story, pictures and loved the experience you had. Contrats on a good time with the family.

Sure you are, you said he was hunting "like they do in Texas."

bwahahaha

The truth hurts, don't it?

Tell me more about how there are no blinds or leases or bait in Colorado.

I agree, beautiful pic!! Congrats on your hunt!

Eric

Not exactly like they do in Texas. I didn't shoot it in the ass...

You are thinking of uber washington hunts!