noharleyyet
Well-known member
Craig and I had an awesome hunt in South Central Colorado. We began opening day hunting from a ridge overlooking oak brush and pine. Craig posted on a large boulder with an ample view of small clearings and a large meadow. I followed our guide up a lung busting ridge chasing a bugle. We got one glimpse of a heavy racked bull but couldn't catch up & decided to back off hoping not to blow him out of the area. We hiked back to Craig's position and decided to hunt down the slope and break for lunch. Craig is eating a sandwich with his rifle slung when we spot two mule deer bucks at 200 yards ambling across the meadow with their tongues hanging out, obviously hunter pressured. Craig unslings while I bring my binos up and tell him to take the rear buck. He hits him hard and he quarters away..Craig puts another 180 Nosler Partition thru the neck and it's over. A nice mature buck with 17" G2's.
I post on a oak brush knob that same afternoon glassing a pine/oakbrush valley with patchy clearings and an opposing hillside with a boggy seep ranging 440 yards. After several does and spikes come and go to the seep, a lone buck shows...definitely a shooter. I settle the rifle on a fence post thru a break in the brush, the crosshairs 4" below his back, right behind the shoulder and hit him good...hike down and make sure he's finished & now I'm elk hunting. There's still about 45 minutes of good light left so I post up in the same place and about 30 minutes later I see a bull sneaking from cover to cover. He hesitates at 320 yards before slipping behind a pine and I hit him behind the shoulder with a 180 Barnes TSX. He does the dead bull run about 75 yards straight thru small trees and brush and piles up in the nastiest ravine he could find.
It's almost over...except for the work. It was a long and rewarding night. We dressed and packed the buck out. We field dressed the bull and turned him belly down with his chest spread and rear propped up to let the meat cool...left a stinky shirt on him and sklinned, quartered, and packed him out the next morning.
Let me say this; Craig and I did our first guided hunt this year. I can't say enough about the skill and personability of Brian. He was a hard working gentleman with good 'ol cowboy common sense and no nonsense tactfulness. I'd share a campfire or hire him again in a hearbeat.
Well....Craig hunted hard thru all kinds of weather another 5 days but the elk gods didn't smile....I was on taxi duty and vacation. He did take a very cool buck home and made some great memories. We both did.
My buck:
...another view:
My bull..not the biggest but I wouldn't change a thing.
...Craig giving me grief:
Craig's 'sandwich' buck...great character I think:
...our bucks together:
I post on a oak brush knob that same afternoon glassing a pine/oakbrush valley with patchy clearings and an opposing hillside with a boggy seep ranging 440 yards. After several does and spikes come and go to the seep, a lone buck shows...definitely a shooter. I settle the rifle on a fence post thru a break in the brush, the crosshairs 4" below his back, right behind the shoulder and hit him good...hike down and make sure he's finished & now I'm elk hunting. There's still about 45 minutes of good light left so I post up in the same place and about 30 minutes later I see a bull sneaking from cover to cover. He hesitates at 320 yards before slipping behind a pine and I hit him behind the shoulder with a 180 Barnes TSX. He does the dead bull run about 75 yards straight thru small trees and brush and piles up in the nastiest ravine he could find.
It's almost over...except for the work. It was a long and rewarding night. We dressed and packed the buck out. We field dressed the bull and turned him belly down with his chest spread and rear propped up to let the meat cool...left a stinky shirt on him and sklinned, quartered, and packed him out the next morning.
Let me say this; Craig and I did our first guided hunt this year. I can't say enough about the skill and personability of Brian. He was a hard working gentleman with good 'ol cowboy common sense and no nonsense tactfulness. I'd share a campfire or hire him again in a hearbeat.
Well....Craig hunted hard thru all kinds of weather another 5 days but the elk gods didn't smile....I was on taxi duty and vacation. He did take a very cool buck home and made some great memories. We both did.
My buck:
...another view:
My bull..not the biggest but I wouldn't change a thing.
...Craig giving me grief:
Craig's 'sandwich' buck...great character I think:
...our bucks together:
