Colorado 2nd Season update

[D_Dubya]

Day 4 of Colorado 2nd season, I’ve been elk hunting an OTC unit. Got in Friday morning, saw elk everywhere we looked Friday afternoon including one stud for an OTC unit.

Marched in with the Orange Army Saturday morning, the elk had pulled a Houdini act and disappeared. Thought we’d backpack in Saturday afternoon and get away from the crowd - 4 miles in and 2300’ up we discovered 3 other camps already hunting that area, so Sunday Afternoon we pulled camp and went with Plan B.

Monday morning and evening we got into elk - but no legal bulls. Had a spike at 20 yards and cows at 50. Spotted about 10 Mountain Goats.

Hiked in to one of my favorite drainages this morning, but the snow and fog limited visibility to 200 yards or less, nothing seen.

My 15 year old daughter is flying in tonight to hunt deer (leftover/2nd draw tag in a “blue chip” unit), so I’m heading out to scout for deer this evening then head to town to pick her up. Good luck out there 2nd season hunters!

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Good Luck.

 

[ScottR]

Day 4 of Colorado 2nd season, I’ve been elk hunting an OTC unit. Got in Friday morning, saw elk everywhere we looked Friday afternoon including one stud for an OTC unit.

Marched in with the Orange Army Saturday morning, the elk had pulled a Houdini act and disappeared. Thought we’d backpack in Saturday afternoon and get away from the crowd - 4 miles in and 2300’ up we discovered 3 other camps already hunting that area, so Sunday Afternoon we pulled camp and went with Plan B.

Monday morning and evening we got into elk - but no legal bulls. Had a spike at 20 yards and cows at 50. Spotted about 10 Mountain Goats.

Hiked in to one of my favorite drainages this morning, but the snow and fog limited visibility to 200 yards or less, nothing seen.

My 15 year old daughter is flying in tonight to hunt deer (leftover/2nd draw tag in a “blue chip” unit), so I’m heading out to scout for deer this evening then head to town to pick her up. Good luck out there 2nd season hunters!

I hope the deer hunt is as good as promised, let me know if it was accurate by PM if you could.

 

[JimP]

It's been raining off and on here in my area for the last two days, but Wednesday is suppose to be a good weather day.

I'll head back up to my spot and plop down and watch for another day.

Good luck to your daughter, perhaps she'll bring you some luck on the elk.

 

[DoubleDropMuley]

minutes ago
Will be headed down for the 3rd season, hoping it’s raining bucks , good luck to all and be safe out there!!!

 

[D_Dubya]

I hope the deer hunt is as good as promised, let me know if it was accurate by PM if you could.

Will do

 

[Bonecollector]

Good luck bud

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Good luck to everyone. I'll be out scouting on Tuesday. Some showers forecast for Wed eve/Thur am. down here in SW Colo.

 

[D_Dubya]

It was a tough second half of second rifle season for us - we were on cow elk almost every day the entire season but just couldn’t ever get a shot on a legal bull.

My daughter flew in Tuesday evening with a buck tag so I switched my focus from elk to deer. We found a handful of average young 4 points, but for the life of me I could not turn up a mature buck. For five days she hunted hard - she never complained or wanted to quit even when we hiked up the steepest slopes before dawn, or in the cold windy evenings.

We ran into quite a few deer tag holders that had used a bunch of points for this hunt that were also having a very difficult time finding any good bucks. It appears the bucks had been pushed down from the high country by the snow the week before the season, but the mild temperatures after the snow kept them in the dense aspens and timber in the transition zone between summer and winter range - and they just weren’t moving much.

.Despite the fact that we went home empty handed I couldn’t be more proud of how hard she worked trying to find a mature buck. In the grand scheme of things it might even be best that she learned effort does not always lead to success - but I tried to convey to her that success almost never comes without effort. In the end it was five of the best hunting days of my life spent hunting with her, she’s already dreaming of getting another tag next year.

 

[Bonecollector]

Sounds like a fun family adventure for sure!

 

[ColoradoV]

Small world out there ….

Ran into you and your daughter on Saturday while giving my friend a ride back to his truck.

Quite a few years since I had been in there or last time was 2016 to be exact and man those bad winters in 2016 and 2018 are showing their effect now w basically a entire age class of buck missing. Kinda sad to see her in the shape she is…. I have offers to help buddies in there or adjoining units again this next week but decided to be north of there by exactly a negative 11 degrees of separation.. Winters were easier in …..

You were the 5th person I knew w that exact tag and all but 1 ate it. Lots of folks wanted the later dates. The guy who killed got a 175” or low 180” typical. A buddy and fellow mulie nut who hunts early season and fair to say puts in the time scouting said it was the worst year he has ever seen (I agree w this) ate his tag, and left after 3 days to hunt elk..

Pretty simple that can’t kill what is not there. I ate my tag as well this year but was in a different unit where I saw more good deer. Not all doom and gloom tho as there were 3 bucks over the golden mark (one stud) that were killed in the unit south of where you were…

If I would have known I would have talked a bit longer but we were moving out of that drainage and across the unit. Best I saw was a low 180’s type buck in 7 days a and we were looking for bigger. My buddies all scouted 2-3 days before the season then hunted every day - together they saw one other 180” buck and killed him.

 

[D_Dubya]

Small world out there ….

Ran into you and your daughter on Saturday while giving my friend a ride back to his truck.

Quite a few years since I had been in there or last time was 2016 to be exact and man those bad winters in 2016 and 2018 are showing their effect now w basically a entire age class of buck missing. Kinda sad to see her in the shape she is…. I have offers to help buddies in there or adjoining units again this next week but decided to be north of there by exactly a negative 11 degrees of separation.. Winters were easier in …..

You were the 5th person I knew w that exact tag and all but 1 ate it. Lots of folks wanted the later dates. The guy who killed got a 175” or low 180” typical. A buddy and fellow mulie nut who hunts early season and fair to say puts in the time scouting said it was the worst year he has ever seen (I agree w this) ate his tag, and left after 3 days to hunt elk..

Pretty simple that can’t kill what is not there. I ate my tag as well this year but was in a different unit where I saw more good deer. Not all doom and gloom tho as there were 3 bucks over the golden mark (one stud) that were killed in the unit south of where you were…

If I would have known I would have talked a bit longer but we were moving out of that drainage and across the unit. Best I saw was a low 180’s type buck in 7 days a and we were looking for bigger. My buddies all scouted 2-3 days before the season then hunted every day - together they saw one other 180” buck and killed him.

It was nice to meet you!