2019 NW Colorado Archery Muzzleloader Report

Slugz

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Oct 12, 2014
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Woodland Park, Colorado
First i notice the big round wobbling rear quarters, then the small ears, then the brown snout. This is a big boar and he is close. 25 yards in front of me, nose on the ground and has no idea im there. I begin to pull an arrow out, dial in 20 yards, back up and slide up hill and out of the way cause he is still coming on a bee line. I create some angles and take a few more steps back as he is getting too close now. He is gonna pass at 10 yards broadsideand i draw back. Im shaking a little and clink i hear arrow on metal. Oh jesus. He spooks, i reset the arrow and make a few squeak sounds. He stops after 5-7 yards and looks back at me quartering away right front leg forward. I let if fly and tuck one behind the shoulder. I hear a good impact. He bolts downhill and after 5 yards the arrow flys out and i see the lighted knock on the forest floor. I cant believe he didnt take the arrow with him and a little sickness sets into my stomach.
 

Slugz

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Oct 12, 2014
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Woodland Park, Colorado
IMG-20190911-WA0014.jpeg

I take it all in for a minute then walk down to the impact site. Arrow has good dark blood up to the FMJ label and i have initial blood. I mark the first blood with some tape. I look around and take it all in and put the arrow in my quiver. Upon examination it looks like one 100 gr slick trick and 5 inches of an FMJ are in him and 14 some odd inches up the shaft is dark blood. Roughly 20 inches of penetration and dark red blood. I decide to give him 1.5 hours, break out some food and hydrate.
 

Slugz

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Oct 12, 2014
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Woodland Park, Colorado
1.5 hours takes forever to pass. I gather up my stuff and start down the blood trail. Seems light, then heavy, then dry, then light. So so to follow at first then further in easier and easier. He seems to be moving 100 or so yards then resting. After 700 yards the blood trail starts to zig zig a little almost like he is circling to check his back trail. I get into some really heavy downfalls and hes climbing up and down and over these things bleeding. Based upon how fresh some is i think he is close and still moving. I can only see 20 yards around me so i nock an arrow. Right about that time i hear a growl like sound and a loud scratching and scraping. ??? I recognize the sound. Hes going up a tree.
20190911_103957.jpg
 

Slugz

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Oct 12, 2014
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Woodland Park, Colorado
Im kinda like you gotta be kidding me. All that blood and you still can get up a tree. I circle him with binos for 15 minutes. I didnt want him to suffer and more as he was clealry a fighter. After finding a good angle i sent another and he came down with a thud and last breath. I knelt and said a small prayer apologizing for not making a quick clean kill. After examination he was a fighter. Mature with scars on his snout. One ear split. The other ear split twice. The initial arrow was a quartering away shot behind the right shoulder with the broadhead impacting the offside should blade. I figure thats when it broke. Once he moved his fwd right it spit out the rest of the arrow. Offside shoulder inside had a crack and star from the slick trick. Taxidermist took measurements today and estimated him at 375.
Inside ear to ear was 10 inches.
Im gonna have a full body of him done.

Below is a pic of the quarters laid out. Amazing how much fat was on him.20190911_131156.jpg
 

Slugz

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Oct 12, 2014
3,618
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Woodland Park, Colorado
Elk day #8.
Opener of muzzleloader.
Down the trail we go. Little earlier than normal as there is 8-12 more people at the trailhead. Our main focus was to get my friend and son a cow as they both had muzzle tags. I took my bow in case we ran into a wound up bull. We got to our normal 1st spot to check out and proceeded to see others walking through the woods. No worries, execute plan B, we have legs. In a little further and down a ridge we go to find a quiet woods and no good fresh sign. So, plan C. We set up spread out over a small park on the downwind side and have a cow party. After 10-15 minutes of random mews i let out one location bugle and then all quiet. We let that cook a little to see what the woods would say back. 25 minutes later a bugle from roughly 200 yards upwind and down hill. My son threw out a quick assembly mew and boom, bugle right back. He was a lover out looking for love. The game was on. Our initial set up and geometry was good, wind was good and he had to come one way due to the geography and a treeline. I snuck downhill about 30 yards to see if I could get eyes on him. Sure enough there he was at the bottom and coming on a beeline. I motioned back to the caller to move back another 50 yards and little north so he was past the skyline. Still coming he was starting to chuckle. He briefly stopped and raked up some brush and weeds as he was clealry frustrated. I felt like i was in good position and he should pass under 40 yards broadside to me as he goes uphill. Whoa he just bugled alot closer now. I quickly range a spot and get 33 yards and dial it in and he appears, clip on draw, center mass, move forward a little and let it rip. Pass though and he stands there for a second and takes off. Blood already coming out the entry side he bolts uphill further and into the timber. My son comes down and he sees blood coming out the exit side also. Seems like a good shot. We go find the arrow and have good dark blood broadhead to vanes. Excited we all sit at the initial blood and have something to eat and hydrate. We give him 45 minutes and begin to track him. Up and over a ton of deadfall 175 yards later we find him piled up on a steep slope being held by his antlers and a tree from going and further. 5 hours later and a bunch of paracord we have him broken down and on a meatpole. IMG-20190914-WA0005.jpg
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Slugz

Veteran member
Oct 12, 2014
3,618
2,247
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Woodland Park, Colorado
Elk day #9
The team is worn out after the bull packout but everyone beats back the zipper once again and heads down the trail. Quiet day in the woods from start to finish. To be expected though i think with the increased amount of human stink in the woods post muzzle loader. The muzzle loader guys didnt see or hear and animal all day. Archery guys had a lost cow come into a blind set up at 30 yards but a branch got in the way and deflected the arrow. Gotta keep a positve hunting attitude and keep the press on.
 
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