This past 2023 season. 80 years old.Thought my elk hunting was done with. Two bad knees, bad back. Messed up lungs, problems with heart and on supplemental oxygen. I drew a muzzle loader cow elk tag in one of the worst areas in Colorado hit with winter kill.
Initially my hunting partner went with me, but due this health, he left after three days, leaving me to hunt solo. The first day I was out, I took a long nap in a sunny meadow I was so tired.
The next day, I got up at 2:30, had breakfast,fed and saddled the mule, and rode in about 4 miles, getting to my hunt area about 1/2 hour before light.
I tied up my mule and using my shooting sticks for a cane, I walked about 75 yards to a spot where I have killed 2-3 cows in the past.
I settled in and about 15 minutes there was enough light that I could barely see through my binos. As I scanned a small meadow, I saw three shapes feeding across it. Wind was blowing towards me, so I set up my shooting sticks and kept watching them until I could see the FO sights.They were approaching the edge of the meadow, and I hurried the first shot and missed. The smoke cleared and they were looking all around. I was able to reload, took a better rest, picked out what looked to be about a two year old cow and sent a 380 gr Powerbelt on it's way.
In a few seconds, the smoke cleared and there wasn't an elk in sight. I thought, well at least I saw elk and got a shot, but figured I better go check for blood. I reloaded, put my small day pack on, fixed my shooting sticks, and hobbled the 80 yards or so towards where I last saw them.
Weeds were about thigh high and it took me a bit, but as I was getting close, I spied a brown hump and darn if the elk wasn't laying there dead. Talk about being surprised..
I took a few photos and figured I would use the no gut method of breaking it down. First problem was there were no trees close enough to tie her legs off to and I did not have the strength to roll her over. So I split the hide up the center of the back, peeled it down as far as Id could, cut off the shoulder, and that side of the back strap.With the hind leg up over my shoulder, I worked the hind quarter free.
I carry a 10 x 10 sheet of thin plastic with me and pulled the two quarters to the nearest tree about 75 feet away and layed them out on the plastic.
I still could not move what was left, and I had to gut the elk and cut off the head. With that, I was able to roll her over and do the opposite side, plus cut out the tenderloins. I was about used up and had to sit on the ground while I cut out the hip joint of the last hind quarter.
By this time,the battery for my portable O2 unit went dead (3 hours). I got all the meat on the plastic, in the shade, and hobbled back to the mule.
I had a deal with an outfitter friend that she would pack any elk out for me, so I grabbed anoher battery from my saddle bag, mounted up, and returned to camp four miles away. Then to the outfitter's base, another two miles.
She wasn't there, so I left a note, went back to camp to get game bags and returned to the elk carcass. With a lot of struggling/grunting I got the quarters in the bags and hung, but only about six inches off the ground.
Nothing left to do there, so I mounted up and headed back to camp. About half way there I met the outfitter and her foreman.They were on their way to pack my elk out. Back to the elk we went and in about 20 minutes they had the meat loaded and on our way. Down off the mountain we split up. Me back to camp and her back to base to put the elk in her walk in cooler. Before leaving she asked me to come down for dinner that evening. It was already evening!
Back to camp, I got cleaned up. Me and the mule went the two miles to the base camp to enjoy a fabulous dinner along with her staff. What great lady and staff. ( J bar H outfitters).
I got back to my camper about 9:30, cranked up the generator to get my 02 concentrator going and recharge the batteries.
It was an eighteen hour day. I rode about 25 miles going back and forth. Something I never thought I could do again. I have killed over fifty elk in my 50 years of hunting. In 2018 I killed my last 6x6 bull on a solo hunt, but this one stands out. I am thinking I might even try it again next year, if the good Lord sees fit to keep me going.
Last edited by saddlesore; 12/01/23.
