Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Colorado 1st rifle bulls

Headed out to the Flat Tops for 1st season. Loaded up camp and packed in thinking the whole time that I should've brought board shorts and wife beaters to hunt in instead of merino and poly. A pard and I hiked our azzes off opening morning to get into a small group of elk at daylight. Buddy shot this 4x5 at 180 yards. .338wm 185GMX at 3085 souped some lungs. Packing this meat out of the burn in hot weather was no fun.

Hunted the rest of the week in an orange vest and no shirt. Got sunburned. Had a few cow encounters but no bulls and overall there were very few elk killed in the area. On the last morning I had one last spot to hunt and we were there at daylight and heard the first bugling of the season. Three bulls and a few cows were in some scrub oaks high above a meadow. The herd bull was in the woods bugling and never would come out for a shot. I ranged the second largest bull at 689. Dialed up and re ranged and he was at 700. Sent one his way and he dropped from a .338 185GMX. Fairly impressed with this bullet so far. Shot him from the lone tree at the top left of the meadow in the background. Was not happy with the packout to get the meat into horse range.

On another note I can't believe how many moose I see these days. Pretty impressive at their comeback.

Congratulations.

Well done and good shooting.

Nice those Flattops are a pretty area

Nice hunt, we were hot here too.

There must be some real rough stuff we can't see in the pic if you weren't able to get your horses to that second bull.

You guys really persevered in that hot weather. Congrats on your long distance run to get your meat.

There was a blowdown hell in the woods all around there. Had to climb, crawl, and scratch the quarters down to reasonably clear ground where I could get the horses into.

Well done!! Congrats!

Ahhh the east side of the burn just below a very well know peak..I've killed a few right in that spot myself !

Good times.....congrat's

Good deal, congratulations.

Kind of amusing. The 1st day of 1st rifle last year, my ass was sitting about 100 yards from where the first bull was taken. What's the chance of that?

That blowdown sucks.

Well done!!! Hell of a nice shot,those both look like good eatin Elk.Sounds like a tough pack out,will make the meat that much more tasty!!! ScottyO.

Congrats - both nice bulls & looks like some awesome country!

Good times. Beautiful country always makes a hunt that much better. I like that bullet myself. Very accurate for me as well.