First of all, THANK YOU!!! to Randy for putting this site together and to all of the members that have helped me learn so much through your experiences and my greenhorn questions over the past 9 months of planning for this hunt. I couldn't have been as prepared as I was without everyone's help!
My friend Randy M. and I decided last winter that it was finally time in our lives at age 45 and 49 to go on our first big game hunt out west. (Archery Elk) We prepared as well as we could and actually spent too much time on some things and not enough on others. But, in the end it all worked out. I don't have any great kill stories or pictures to share, but the hunt was still a success in our eyes. Randy M had never seen the mountains before and I had never done any serious hiking in them. So we prepared and worked out all spring and summer. It paid off immensely! We weren't exactly mountain goats but we got around pretty well for a couple of flatlanders. One day we followed a bull up the mountain and wound up 1650 feet above our camp. We had multiple bulls to call at, and try to sneak in on, but it just didn't work out. The area we were in was so thick that one bull was about 50 yards away we assumed and screaming his head off at us, but we never got to see him. Later in the week we had a similar situation and I got to 40 yards but could only see the head and antlers of the 5x5 bull. We only got to visually see 4 elk, but had many opportunities through the week at bulls that we could hear, but not see.
Our goal was to hear and see an elk, and we accomplished that on the first day. After that it was all a learning experience, as you can't begin to read as much as you can learn on the mountain. We felt very blessed to be there and to experience such a beautiful place. We ran into a guy from CO and 2 from KY on Thursday who told us that bad weather was coming by late Friday or Sat. and they were getting out. It rained most of Thursday night and was snowing at sunrise on Friday. We packed up and began our 5 mile hike out a day early so that we wouldn't get stuck there. We had been in the mountains for a full week now and I was ready to come home in a way anyway, as I had missed my daughter's Homecoming court celebration and I was ready to get home to my kids.
Anyway, I could ramble forever, but again THANK YOU to everyone that answered my silly questions, (you know who you are)
, I was amazed at how many guys on this site were willing to help us out with advise for both of my hunts. I am home for 5 days before leaving on the 2nd hunt to WY with my girls to hunt antelope with the rifle. that should be a great time as well.
Thanks again and may God bless all of you on your hunts as well as He did me!
Clayton
My friend Randy M. and I decided last winter that it was finally time in our lives at age 45 and 49 to go on our first big game hunt out west. (Archery Elk) We prepared as well as we could and actually spent too much time on some things and not enough on others. But, in the end it all worked out. I don't have any great kill stories or pictures to share, but the hunt was still a success in our eyes. Randy M had never seen the mountains before and I had never done any serious hiking in them. So we prepared and worked out all spring and summer. It paid off immensely! We weren't exactly mountain goats but we got around pretty well for a couple of flatlanders. One day we followed a bull up the mountain and wound up 1650 feet above our camp. We had multiple bulls to call at, and try to sneak in on, but it just didn't work out. The area we were in was so thick that one bull was about 50 yards away we assumed and screaming his head off at us, but we never got to see him. Later in the week we had a similar situation and I got to 40 yards but could only see the head and antlers of the 5x5 bull. We only got to visually see 4 elk, but had many opportunities through the week at bulls that we could hear, but not see.
Our goal was to hear and see an elk, and we accomplished that on the first day. After that it was all a learning experience, as you can't begin to read as much as you can learn on the mountain. We felt very blessed to be there and to experience such a beautiful place. We ran into a guy from CO and 2 from KY on Thursday who told us that bad weather was coming by late Friday or Sat. and they were getting out. It rained most of Thursday night and was snowing at sunrise on Friday. We packed up and began our 5 mile hike out a day early so that we wouldn't get stuck there. We had been in the mountains for a full week now and I was ready to come home in a way anyway, as I had missed my daughter's Homecoming court celebration and I was ready to get home to my kids.
Anyway, I could ramble forever, but again THANK YOU to everyone that answered my silly questions, (you know who you are)
, I was amazed at how many guys on this site were willing to help us out with advise for both of my hunts. I am home for 5 days before leaving on the 2nd hunt to WY with my girls to hunt antelope with the rifle. that should be a great time as well.Thanks again and may God bless all of you on your hunts as well as He did me!
Clayton
