As one ages, they start to finally get the idea that there are times that we should put the safety back on. I have wisely followed that idea the last few years, but I had lapse this past year. I took a poke at a bull opening day of 2nd rifle that was way past the limit in terms of getting it out.Way up in the rocks at about 12,000 feet. Thank God, I missed. It took me an hour and a half to climb to where he would have been if I had hit it, and it was only about 400yards, but close to straight up in the nasty rock scree I ever traversed. Coming back down in the snow was worse yet. Very dangerous. Especially for this old fart of 76
.
This was higher than the bull I took last year in the same location and processing it up there took all I had as I was solo. I did get the pack mule up to that bull, but the saddle mule had to stay down lower.This is the same location that I have killed three other elk previously .So it would have made it the 4th one from the exact same spot I was shooting from.
I figure it would have taken me 4 days,1 trip a day to climb up there and somehow slide one quarter each down to where I could get the mules and then a 4 mile pack to camp. Plus a full day just to get it quartered and bagged. After I got down and met my hunting partner, we, went back to camp. It started snowing that Saturday evening and snowed thru Tuesday. Reports from guys making it back out Monday said there as 15" of snow on the main trail and that bull would have been a 1000 feet higher. No way could I have got it out.WE pretty much stayed in our campers those three days keeping warm and the mules fed and watered..
I have pretty much decided I am done hunting in the snow. Luckily I had that "B" tag for ML cow in September that I had already put in the freezer.
You think it is tough at 50 or 60, add 15 years to that.
