Vanish and FireTiger's 2025 Journal

[vanish]

I've gone back and forth on writing a journal once again. The drive to share isn't what it once was. That being said, I took some time to go back and reread some of my historical accounts ( see signature ) and it really is great for reliving the memories.

You may have seen in other threads that last year I bought a boat ( https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/colorado-boat-considerations.313499/page-2#post-3746546 ). This has done nothing for us on the hunting aspect, but I've really been enjoying it. I've got a fishing trip or two planned during the fall as well, so a little of that will probably appear in this thread, too.

Now that my daughter is 3.5, we are getting back into the swing of things. We both have the ability to handle a week alone with her, and the grandparents are able to help out once in awhile, too. Of course, some hunts she can even join on. This is going to allow significantly more hunts than last year. As of this writing, here is our current schedule:

Sept - Vanish +1 - CO Archery Elk
Sept - Vanish and FireTiger - WY Pronghorn ( 1m/2f )
Oct - FireTiger - CO 1st Rifle Doe Pronghorn
Oct - FireTiger+1 - CO 1st Rifle Either Elk
Nov - Vanish - CO 3rd Rifle Buck Deer

The 1st Rifle Elk could get even more interesting as two other friends have cow tags for that same area and season. I may tack on a trip to Nebraska if my 3rd Rifle ends early. I'm also toying with the idea of an AZ archery deer hunt in December since I'll be down there anyway. FireTiger will be keeping an eye on the reissue list for a 2nd or 4th Rifle buck tag. Hopefully we will get Ada out for some bird hunting, too.

 

[buckbull]

Always enjoy your yearly journal. Glad you decided to do one this year.

 

[vanish]

This elk hunt would be a little bit different. My friend T, who I've known since 2013, had hunted the unit several times and had a few good spots nailed down, but his usual partner(s) were unable to join him this year. He generally prefers to solo hunt, but these spots are deep enough that having help in packing is a major benefit, so when I expressed that I didn't have a prior commitment for elk season this year he invited me along.

We've never actually big game hunted together, just bird hunted, so this would be a good test to see if we were hunting style compatible. You never quite know until you do it. I have very few people I would ask to join me on a hunt.

Unfortunately, our work schedules didn't allow for being there for the Tuesday opener. The best we could do would be Thursday. I would be able to drive out Wednesday night, with the plan to hunt solo on Thursday morning, then meet up at 3pm with T to backpack in to spike camp. Having never been in the unit before and the camp location being critical we thought it best if I did not try to get there myself.

I was lucky enough to see a moose on the drive. Also, OnX now works on Android Auto, which was pretty sweet for finding my way to my launch point. Seems like it will be really useful for pronghorn hunting, too.

 

[Lab]

Great to see you posting! Check out the fishing board too. We made some good treks this summer.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Yay!!!

 

[kansasdad]

Yay!!!

Completely concur

 

[MNElkNut]

Always enjoyed your hunts. I cannot believe your daughter is that big already! She was just.....ah, I know, time goes so fast!

 

[wolfpup]

Glad to see you back at it. I really enjoy for hunts and stories. If nothing else, keep doing it so you can relive the memories by looking back at your journals!

 

[vanish]

I had done a bunch of escouting, marking likely feeding and bedding areas. T had given me a pin to where he'd gotten into elk before, and it checked out with my own data, so I decided to start there. The first day would see me hiking in about 2.5 miles in the dark 90 degrees to where we planned to spike camp later that day. It was a bit of a gamble: if I found elk it might seem silly to leave the, but I could also hunt them more aggressively.

Just as it was getting light and I was nearing my pin, I came across a wall tent right at the start of where I planned to hunt. Damn ... anyone here would surely already be on the herd. I reviewed my options and decided to check the area i thought any elk that would have been here would be pushed to, and made a pivot. ( I later learned this camp was likely empty. Never considered that in the moment! )



I only made it about 200 yards before taking a pause and realizing I had great visibility into the hillsides around me and I should glass. The instant I put my binos up I saw what looked like a solo elk on the edges of the trees. Scanning the hillside revealed a group of cows. They were a little more than half a mile away. Game on!

 

[Dsnow9]

I like where this is going!

 

[WildWill]

Good to see you posting the annual thread again. Will be following.

 

[vanish]

I looped around to where I thought the wind would be in my favor. It wasn't even 7am, so the thermals would still be pulling down pretty well. I'd be below, climb to their level and then side hill into position. It ended up being a week bit steeper than anticipated. Not sure the photo does it justice.



As I struggled my way up the chute, I kept trying to remind myself that once I was on their hill, it would be the animals I hadn't seen that would most likely screw things up.

I finally hit a flat patch, took a little break, and then took half a dozen steps up the next dirt slide before reminding myself to slow down and look around. Son of a gun, wouldn't you know it, I looked back over my left shoulder and there's half an elk sticking of from behind some aspens dang near on the same level as me, and I dont mean far either, at most 70 yards away. Beside the aspens it's head is behind, there is very little between us. My right leg is a half stride uphill from my left, 10 feet from the nearest level ground, and before I make any decisions on what to do, the elk turns and starts walking generally at me. Its very obviously a legal bull.



( dont look for him, he's not there )

 

[vanish]

The bull definitely looked at me, but walked a bit closer. He began to feed behind a small bush and I took the opportunity to get an arrow nocked. That little "tunk" as the nock went on the string might as well have been me saying "hey". He didn't spook but he did turn around and amble back the direction he had come. Still feeding, he eventually was behind the aspens again and I decided to cross the mud gully and close some distance.

I made it without incidental started creeping along the edge of the aspens. The vegetation downhill from me was incredibly thick. The bull was making plenty of noise, including mews, so I think he figured I was just another elk. One step at a time, but I could not see the bull. Eventually I stepped on a dry stalk and he lifted his head. Oh, dang, I'm sub 20 yards, yet all I can see is antlers, an ear and an eyeball.

Frankly, I dont remember what happened at this point, but it must have involved me doing something dumb, because I never got a shot. Good start to the season, though!

 

[wolfpup]

That little "tunk" as the knock went on the string might as well have been me saying "hey".

Happened to me one time also when I hit my release on my cam as I watched the bull and not the motion of my hand rising…. Still annoys me as that would have been a 40 yard shot!

 

[WNC2500]

Enjoying following along. Seems like a great year is to be had.

 

[vanish]

I get to write these entries in the spaces in between. This time it's dance class.

-----

After botching that first opportunity, I continued sidehilling towards the original elk I had glassed. The sun was starting to peek over the ridge, and the elk had already left for darker pastures. I had a bit of a decision to make - circle right, getting further from the truck but working through some nice dark timber where the elk had likely headed, or crest the ridge and work the bowls on the backside taking me closer to the truck.

As I was under the impression there were hunters in that wall tent that would likely be hunting the dark timber ahead, I decided check out one really good looking bench below a slide, then go over the ridge. The bench looked like a perfect place to find an elk and had a couple wallows, but nobody had been there today.

At the top, I took a little break for a snack, cell signal check ( none ) and photo op with an unfortunate buck i found at the bottom of the canyon.

 

[vanish]

It didnt sound like much but it had been over three hours since that first encounter. I had originally thought I'd get back to the truck, cook a nice meal and take a nap, but 3pm didn't seem so far away anymore and I was busy hunting!

The plan for this side of the ridge was two work the heads of a series of small side ridges. I've noticed a pattern where I'm likely to find bedded bulls on the first small bench down from the top. My strategy here is pretty aggressive and I might walk right past elk. I use cow calls to try to trigger a lazy bugle or prompt an elk to areas. Ill only do this in an area I dont have plans to return to in the near future.

The first canyon didnt yield any live elk, though it definitely was an active bedding area.

I worked my way around in elevation into the second canyon. As I closed to 100 yards from my next pin, I made several cow calls. Within moments I heard a single crunch off to my right, slightly downhill. The thermals were pulling up now so I was in good shape. It could have been anything but something to me it was an elk. I just stood there for a few minutes before doing another couple calls, which yielded a second crunch.

I moved about 10 yards off my original position and attempted to get my rangefinder out to check some ranges. I was standing in front of a tree but it was relatively open directly in front of me, then thick quick. For some reason, I could not get my RF out of its case yet movement in front of me told me the time for that had passed.



The bull stepped out just as I got clipped on to my string and looked straight uphill in my general direction. I hadn't yet drawn, but he seemed to be looking through me towards where I had been. The bull looked downhill, providing me the chance to draw. That caught his attention but didnt spook him, so it was too late. I settled my 30 yard pin, released and heard a hollow thump.

A closer look at where the bull was standing, in the dark just behind the deadfall.




As the bull turned downhill, I had a moment of panic as it seemed like most of the arrow was sticking out. Did I hit the shoulder?!

 

[F250]

WELL ?!?!?!

 

[Straight Arrow]

Tired, bored at long-winded, egocentric suspense threads ... I'm out!

 

[vanish]

The bull didn't seem to be moving fast. I gave some cow calls as he went downhill. Things got thick and quite steep below me so I couldn't see him anymore, but I could hear movement.

I marked my location on gps and tried to burn into memory the route the bull had taken and sat my butt down. It was 11:20am. I'm supposed to meet T at the truck at 3pm. What's the best thing to do? Its pretty warm, doesn't seem responsible to hike out and back before looking. T will probably figure it out when I'm not there. Every few minutes I'm hearing a stick break or thump.

I turn off airplane mode and am shocked to see I have some signal in this canyon. What luck! I get some messages out to T as well as some other friends as a distraction from tracking to early. During this, I hear a series of huffs, followed by a big crunch. Good sign! No sounds after that.

After an hour, I decided it was time to ease down to the point of impact. No blood, but I can see his tracks. 10 yards downhill I find most of my arrow. Yikes.




You can see just how much had broken off, but there is also some blood on the part not in the elk.