DRAFTSTUD
Well-known member
Well, as I have already posted I got to meet Ken in Chama, NM and he is a great guy! We had supper and the next morning we went our way and Ken took his hiking Boots to his area. This year I took two of my horses and a couple of friends to Pagosa Springs to hunt the First Season. The horses did great on the trip up to Pagosa, but I still did not know just what they would do on the Mountain. Openning morning saw us Riding up an tough trail towards the Winnemuche, while the other hunter sat where I showed him to sit. (I normally do not like an odd man as it opens up a lack of safety). The first horse was Shadow, a Tennessee Walker and then Suger, a Strawberry Roan Appallossa. They did great, up the trail and straight up an Elk slide, over logs and really steep areas, I was real proud of them.
That evening when I was going to show one of the guys a place I knew I saw a faint trail that we followed with the horses for about 2 miles. It openned into a Park of about 15 acres...with no one hunting it! Wes and I sat on it as the evening turned into that Magic hour. I was crammed into a group of firs (?) when I heard branches break behind me. I did a small series of cow calls and 5 cows came into the Park about 75 yards from me. Now here is my motto when hunting an area as busy as this..."Am I looking at my First Elk or am I looking at the Last Elk I will see" So having an Either-sex tag I shot the Largest cow, as it and another cow fled Wes shot at the other cow from his position. He missed and I did'nt! Come to find out we were only 300 yards from another forest road. Easy pack out! But, I would not have found this area without my horses.
The next morning took the Elk to be proccessed and were interviewed by a Radio station about the Hunting. This was Sunday and my partners stayed in and relaxed. The next morning which was Monday as I was feeding the Horses one of them drove up all covered in Blood from the Elbows down. John W. had shot a nice 4x4 and Wes had shot a very large Cow. 2 Hunts on this Park, 9 elk and 3 Kills...Tagged out!!!
We carried these also to the Buck Stops Here Processor in Pagosa. Later the Reporter from the Radio Station came up to interview us again as we were having the most luck in that area, kinda cool as I called the wife in Shreveport and she logged on the report @ 8:00 our time and got to hear us being interviewed!
Now for a little Humble Pie...As I was leading my Tennessee Walker dragging my Elk out through a Pipe gap in the Forest Service gate she hit a sign and it startled her and she bolted until the Elk hit the pipe, she then ran over me breaking two ribs and stomping my upper leg. It hurt, but I helped pack out two elk with those two ribs, chit! But heck We're Elk Hunters!!!!!!!!!!!!! John
That evening when I was going to show one of the guys a place I knew I saw a faint trail that we followed with the horses for about 2 miles. It openned into a Park of about 15 acres...with no one hunting it! Wes and I sat on it as the evening turned into that Magic hour. I was crammed into a group of firs (?) when I heard branches break behind me. I did a small series of cow calls and 5 cows came into the Park about 75 yards from me. Now here is my motto when hunting an area as busy as this..."Am I looking at my First Elk or am I looking at the Last Elk I will see" So having an Either-sex tag I shot the Largest cow, as it and another cow fled Wes shot at the other cow from his position. He missed and I did'nt! Come to find out we were only 300 yards from another forest road. Easy pack out! But, I would not have found this area without my horses.
The next morning took the Elk to be proccessed and were interviewed by a Radio station about the Hunting. This was Sunday and my partners stayed in and relaxed. The next morning which was Monday as I was feeding the Horses one of them drove up all covered in Blood from the Elbows down. John W. had shot a nice 4x4 and Wes had shot a very large Cow. 2 Hunts on this Park, 9 elk and 3 Kills...Tagged out!!!
We carried these also to the Buck Stops Here Processor in Pagosa. Later the Reporter from the Radio Station came up to interview us again as we were having the most luck in that area, kinda cool as I called the wife in Shreveport and she logged on the report @ 8:00 our time and got to hear us being interviewed!
Now for a little Humble Pie...As I was leading my Tennessee Walker dragging my Elk out through a Pipe gap in the Forest Service gate she hit a sign and it startled her and she bolted until the Elk hit the pipe, she then ran over me breaking two ribs and stomping my upper leg. It hurt, but I helped pack out two elk with those two ribs, chit! But heck We're Elk Hunters!!!!!!!!!!!!! John
