Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

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Next Monday I will be leaving to do the same hunt being packed into the backcountry of CO with 4 buddies chasing elk. We plan to stay back there over a week elk hunting and trout fishing and telling lies over a camp fire.
 
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Dang it Randy, I respect you for not letting out unit numbers and all.....until you're in my neck of the woods. I'm convinced I know this area. Congratulations! With this hot droughty weather, it's been rough for lot's of folks.
 
Just a heads up Randy, I saw on one of your Social Media accounts that you cut the Colorado hunt short to get a Covid test to get into NM for another hunt. I just got an email at work that says the current Public Health Orders are being revised effective 10/16. Regarding travel, the email I got on my State Email account says the following:

"QUARANTINE

The governor will amend her executive order that requires a period of mandatory self-quarantine for individuals arriving into New Mexico from out of state. Individuals arriving from “higher-risk states,” or those with a test positivity rate exceeding 5 percent and a test positivity rate higher than 80 per 100,000 residents, will no longer be exempt from the period of mandatory self-quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of their arrival into New Mexico. All individuals arriving from those higher-risk states – a list of which is updated each Wednesday at cv.nmhealth.org/travel-recommendations – must self-quarantine for a period of no less than 14 days or for the duration of their stay in New Mexico, whichever is shorter."

Looks like Montana is on that list.

-Guy

@Big Fin
 
3855WIN said:
Congrats on an awesome hunt. What caliber did you use? Did you rent Colorado llamas?
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300 Win Mag with 180 grain Nosler E-Tips. Deadly elk medicine.

Hauled the llamas down from Idaho Falls (Beau's home base of operation). A bit of a pain to haul them that far, as you have to stop and let them out every 6-8 hours. But, worth the slight inconvenience.
 
NMGuy said:
Just a heads up Randy, I saw on one of your Social Media accounts that you cut the Colorado hunt short to get a Covid test to get into NM for another hunt. I just got an email at work that says the current Public Health Orders are being revised effective 10/16. Regarding travel, the email I got on my State Email account says the following:

"QUARANTINE

The governor will amend her executive order that requires a period of mandatory self-quarantine for individuals arriving into New Mexico from out of state. Individuals arriving from “higher-risk states,” or those with a test positivity rate exceeding 5 percent and a test positivity rate higher than 80 per 100,000 residents, will no longer be exempt from the period of mandatory self-quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of their arrival into New Mexico. All individuals arriving from those higher-risk states – a list of which is updated each Wednesday at cv.nmhealth.org/travel-recommendations – must self-quarantine for a period of no less than 14 days or for the duration of their stay in New Mexico, whichever is shorter."

Looks like Montana is on that list.

-Guy

@Big Fin
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Yup. Got that same email from a few people today.

So, our COVID tests now means nothing. Guess we could have stayed in Colorado a few days longer.

Now I am falling back on the exemption for employees of essential businesses, with your state defining media services as one of the essential businesses that are exempt from the quarantine rules. I have all my media credentials with me, being a member of many media organizations. I have just downloaded all the rules NM has related to these Executive Orders, so if asked I can show where we meet the exemptions. I have no idea why "media services" is consider an "essential business," but your people pointed me to that part of the Executive Order that defines "essential businesses." I am thankful for their help and they were quite helpful.

Even with the "essential business" exemption, we will quarantine upon arrival by each having separate tents in a dispersed camp setting, having no interaction with locals, going to no restaurants, getting only gas, wearing masks as required, etc.

I get the concern and understand each state will make rules to protect their citizens. My professional life as a CPA is heavily focused on compliance, no matter how extraneous or frustrating said law or regulation may seem, so I suspect my tolerance for these inconveniences is higher than most who are traveling. I have no idea how other traveling non-residents coming from high-risk states are going to meet these new/tighter restrictions without having some sort of exemption such as the essential business exemption that we can use.
 
Dang, I was hoping I could save you from getting your brain poked but I guess I was late to the party.

Good luck in NM!
 
Big Fin said:
At this point in my hunting life, the priority placed on a hunt is 1) the people I am sharing the hunt with, 2) new landscapes the intrigue me and are on my bucket list of places to explore, 3) the intangibles of season dates, hunting pressure, age class, etc.
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Couldn't agree more. That's a big bodied bull. The bull I killed in Idaho last year yielded 260 pounds of boned meat, so I can relate to the challenge.
 
Congrats Big Fin awesome Bull. Hearing stories about trips like these are what drives a guy from the midwest to head to the mountains. Can't wait to get my first western hunt under my belt.
 
Big Fin, so many wistful thoughts come to mind after reading and seeing the photos of your elk hunting adventure. At 82 I am afraid my elk hunting days are over. Luckily in past decades I managed to hunt elk from Canada, down through our Rocky Mountains even to New Mexico so vicariously can still enjoy the adventures of others. Must confess never used Llamas. Once a group spooked my pack string, lots of chuckles. Thank you again and Kindest Regards
 
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Big Fin said:
For many years I promised I would hunt elk in this high alpine unit in Colorado. Since it only takes 2-3 non-resident points for 1st rifle, I was not going to apply until I burned a big pile of points in a different unit in 2016. This year I knew my 3 points would get me the tag.

At this point in my hunting life, the priority placed on a hunt is 1) the people I am sharing the hunt with, 2) new landscapes the intrigue me and are on my bucket list of places to explore, 3) the intangibles of season dates, hunting pressure, age class, etc.

This is a five-day season, but do to our calendar and need to be COVID tested prior to traveling out of state, I was only able to allocated 2.5 days to this tag. So, we went down two days early, giving time to explore and scout. It is a long drive with a trailer of llamas to this trailhead. Then almost seven hours to camp. By the time we got camp set on Thursday night there was no time to scout, due to a trail shortcut littered to the point of impassable by blowdown beetle killed trees.

First morning was out of a playbook. Climb to the first glassing knob, seeing nothing, break out the bugle tube to amplify some cow calls. The first sequence had a bull screaming and coming our way. Dang, don't get too close, we don't want to spook you before season opens tomorrow. As he got closer, we circled uphill and to a different drainage to keep our scent from him.

A short hike later and a much bigger bull was cruising a ridge, working his way from the grass benches above timberline down to the timber where he would bed for the day. A surprising amount of sign up here at 12,000' elevation.

Dreams of a bull sauntering to our opening morning set-up was my last thought as I drifted to sleep. Normally I sleep well in the high crisp air, but I was tossing and turning all night. I suspect the shortened hunt has my mind bouncing from thought to thought.

Up and the trail an hour before shooting light, we were in our preferred glassing location based on the call-in sequence the morning before. Yet, like almost always happens, our best calling and strenuous glassing produced nothing. Dang, so much for the story book ending.

Hiking time. Three cows with no bull in tow. Then four more cows. Dang, lots of elk moving around, a void of antlers.

Got a bit higher and decided to glass. Within twenty minutes I had a bull to our south moving NE and downhill. I estimated he was headed to a small park the four cows were headed to. He was broken and bugling, but offering a great chance to intercept him if we dropped 400' and side-hilled about 1,000 yards. I looked to Michael and Kyler and told them to follow me....and fast.

By the time we looped downwind to account for the downslope morning thermal, the bull was now on the ridge above the park. He was on the south side and we were now NE of him. He was bugling frequently. I hope he would appear in a small opening in the thick timber. No luck, just too thick.

I told the crew I hate to call and let him know where we were located. But, given he was not coming out, I had no choice.

A couple whining call cows and he bulged. As soon as he stopped, I whined again. He bugled and you could hear him coming our way. We were set up. It was only 120 yards across this little glade. I was on my pack. Both cameras were running.

He stopped bugling. We could hear him raking. Kyler got some footage of him a bit back in the trees working over a small spruce. I had no choice but to cow call again. When I did, the bull stuck his head and neck from behind a 20' spruce. Damn it, take on step forward.

As I started to tell the camera guys to be ready for a shot if he moved, he stepped left across the four foot opening. I tried to reposition my cow call and stop him, only make the worst call if my adult life. The bull did stop, but now fully hidden by the trees to his left. He wasn't comfortable and turned straight away, moving into the same trees from which he first emerged.

I whined again. He stopped. I laid it on like I was the irresistible mate he had been looking for. He turned and came back to the same spot he first stuck his head from. This time, he revealed even less of a target. "Give me a break."

I had the crosshairs on him as he turned and headed back into the timber. I gave one last ditch effort to stop him. He stopped and turned broadside (head left), but obscured by the first set of brush. I put the crosshairs on him, only to realize the eight-inch shooting lane provided was a perfect heart-lung situation. I mumbled something to the camera crew and the trigger released.

He disappeared, making a hell of a ruckus in the deadfall, Kyler, having the wide angle announced the bull was crab-walking sideways. Immediately we heard the unmistakable sound of crashing among the deadfall. We couldn't see him, but all indicators indicated he was down.

We walked the short distance and there we was, piled up on a nice flat spot merely 50 yards from the shot. He was what I thought he was; a large-bodied old boy with three broken tines. Inspection of his ivories showed hardly anything protruding from the gum.

In our 13 seasons of filming, never was a bull as cooperative for the camera as this bull. Not the size of either bull we scouted, but with the compressed timeline and his camera-friendly behavior, his fate was written the second he started coming our way.

View attachment 157629

Thank God for llamas and strong young camera crews. We were able to bushwack one load to our camp without much elevation change, just a lot of bobbing and weaving to find a trail through the deadfall. For the llamas, we have to weigh/balance each load to the pound. This guy was 245# of boned out meat. That is the largest since we started weighing these bags with a calibrated scale. The meat accounted for 2.5 of our 4-llama capacity. The rest that couldn't be loaded on the 1.5 llamas was put in our packs.

On the way in, we were all a lot more enthusiastic and carrying much smaller loads.
View attachment 157630

I am thankful for this hunt, however condensed it was. It is some of the neatest country I've ever hunted elk; more impressive than I expected. And plenty of elk for those willing to trek these distance and haul the loads required. Not sure I can do that hunt by the time I build 2-3 more points. But, once is good enough if one does it right. This one, thanks to some great luck, was done right. Thanks to Michael and Kyler for their great work and optimism.

I love exploring new places with a tag in my pocket. I could go hike these places, but my hiking never puts my mind and senses on the keen awareness that comes with pursuit of game. The two experiences just don't compare, at least for me. Hope you all go explore some new place you have always dreamed of. Odds are you will be glad you did.
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Congrats on the elk. Sounds like a fun trip...though I always expect a grouse report as well from you. You know it’s an active elk hunt when there is no mention of thunder chickens in your story.
 
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