We still haven't seen this so called bull yet

maybe he is still trying to get it off the mountain ...

That can't be it, Cleric knows the fastest way down.....

Dang, you guys are more impatient than a bunch of retired folk with large prostates and uncontrollable bladders.....wait you are.......

As the late Paul Harvey would say, "now....The Rest of the Story".

Left Midland at 0400 Friday morning and was anxious to get there early in hope of doing a little scouting with Cleric that evening. Made it to Durango by noon, ran through Wally-World like it was on fire, no line for a tag, grabbed few groceries and under 20 mins as back on the road to camp. Cleric had arrived the night before and scored the camping spot right next to the one we had two years ago. The Alabama boys beat us to the other one. Got to camp by 2:30ish, met Cleric for the first time, unloaded the truck and then we got to business. First thing I noticed was how dry it was. I have been going to a families ranch on the other side of Lizard for 15 plus years and never recall not seeing at least some of the aspens still holding on to shimmering fall colors of leaves. This year, not a single leaf on any of the trees. Grass was dry and crunchy. And that, as we have already been talking about was likely due to the extremely warm temps.

Cleric and talked about hunting strategies a little bit. Due to the warm temps we thought we would focus on going "up high". I had found a couple of nice spots on google earth prior to coming that were right at 11,200 ft (off to either side of the ridge of the mountain) but wasn't sure how hunt-able they would be in person. Cleric and I loaded up and drove 30 mins East to the trailhead and made a game plan to hunt there tomorrow.

About midnight or so TXBasser and his son drove in to camp. It wasn't soon after they had staked out their tent that we heard the truck start up and by golly, that sucker ran all night. Got a little chilly they did. Clerics alarm went off at 0330, due to the 30 min drive over and we weren't really sure how long it was gonna take to get to the top. Well, Cleric had a bad headache, and I had only slept maybe 3 hours in the past 24 hours, so we all just slept in and took it easy Saturday morning.

By noon it was go time. Cleric and I loaded up and headed to the trailhead which was just over 10,000ft elevation. We started up the trail making it to the ridge line and 11,200 ft after about and hour of hiking. Brought back memories for both of us from when Sneaky took us up the insanely steep Loading Pin Trail, 2 yrs ago for me, and last yr for Cleric. We headed south along the ridge to check out a couple places and I dropped Cleric off at a great spot that looked over a huge bowl just above tree line in spots with shot possibilities out to 1,000+ yds. I went north up the ridge peaking out just below 12,000 ft and found a clearing that had been logged in the past. We both had amazing views. Clerics side was completely isolated from hunters as there were no trail options coming from the East and it was extremely rugged and steep for someone to hunt. The only option was to come up the way we did form the West. I could glass about 4-5 opposing ridges/meadows 2,000+ yds from me where I watched 4 cows feed through a meadow. On my way back out I peaked off the 100-200 drop on the East side of the ridge and watched 3 mule deer feed. Otherwise nothing else was seen. No animals and no hunters. Cleric didn't see anything at his location. We descended down taking about us about 30 mins or so.




The game plan for the next morning (Sunday) was we would go back to the same spot on the ridge and see if we could catch them coming up top to bed down from feeding down lower. The alarm went off at 0400, Cleric wasn't feeling so well. Had a headache either from the elevation his body saw last night or something else. He had decided he was going to sleep in. I however, put my clothes on and was headed out to hunt. The funny thing about all of this was, yesterday we talked about if we did hunt together, who would shoot first. I asked if he had shot an elk before, and he replied no. I said, "unless its a wall hanger, which out here is highly unlikely, you can have the first shot because I have shot an elk before". He agreed and so that was the arrangement.

As I pulled out of camp I decided I would go back to where I hunted 2 yrs ago on the inaugural Group Hunt. I drove back to the gate, opting to not go further around and back to the 2nd gate because I had bent my passenger side running board on my, then, new truck when trying to get through the mud with Shawheel. Heck, even Sneaky about got stuck and he drives like a ......... well you know if you have ridden with him. :tax: I hiked the fence line to the second gate, walked down the long road downhill crossed the little stream and then headed West back up the hill. There was one small opening I would come to first and then a second larger opening that Shawheel, Creekrunner and myself all sat in the very first morning 2 yrs ago. The trail goes right through the meadow and looks like an amazing spot, however, as we all quickly found out 2 yrs ago, everyone and their dogs thought the same thing and/or used that trail to get to their location. There was just too much traffic on it 2 yrs ago we never sat there again.

So this year, I am approach the edge of that large meadow and immediately and hear what I presumed was a cow elk, let out 2 chirps. I froze instantly. Never heard footsteps or any other sounds. Then I thought, well maybe that's another hunter letting me know he is hunting there. I had no intentions to so I pointed my red lensed light towards the direction of the sound to let the hunter know I was a hunter in hopes that he would flash his light back at me to tell me to keep moving on. Well, there was no return light. At that point, I thought, I can sit here and take a chance, knowing full well that some hunter who decided to get up and go hunting at 7am would come blasting through on the trail and ruin it all for me or I could just keep moving on to where I wanted to go which was another 2 miles in. I decided it was worth the risk of staying. I found a tree 10 yds off the trail and sat down. I immediately let out a couple of cow chirps back but never got any response. It was roughly 5am at this point.

Around 6am, I let out a couple of cow calls hoping to draw something in or at least keep something nearby. I new darn well Bulls won't and don't respond this late in the year, but I have had success in pulling cows in with it and figured, usually, where there are cows there are bulls. Still no response. Around 6:45 i heard something crash through the timber behind me from the direction I came and immediately thought, "great, darn hunters are coming". They never came.

It's 0715 now, daylight. Sun isn't hitting me yet but it's definitely go time. Out of the corner of my eye on the opposite side of the opening just a couple yds back into the aspens I spot movement. I throw the binos up and notice its a cow elk. All I can see is her neck up. I start looking for more, but nothing. I watch her for a minute or two, let out a couple of cow calls. She hears me, looks my direction and then disappears. Ugh, I thought. Just ruined it. I keep glassing and looking with/out the binos, trying to locate her. Nothing. Then I spot a big bodied elk in the same vicinity but not into the aspens yet. I knew immediately it was a bull due to its size, but I couldn't see it's head. Then he walks past the tree blocking my view. "1,2,3...4,5..." Grace shooting sticks, grab gun, load a round (I was clearly not prepared to shoot an elk, lol), guess distance, hadn't ranged it, 100yds. Crap, now he is walking into the aspens. No shot, no shot, he is walking right to left. I advance to the next window of opportunity. He steps in, "KABOOM". .300 winmag lights him up. Great shot I thought (later confirmed), he immediately gets weak at the knees and looks dazed. The cow elk appears and bolts for the ravine 100yds away. I thought, "crap, if he has the steam to get to that ravine, I'll never get him out". Chambered another round, found his front shoulder, "Kaboo". DRT!

Unfortunately, my immediate response was, "oh man, I have never packed out an elk solo before. What am I thinking". That quickly passed. Temps were rising, and got to work. After tagging him, I chose to forego gutting him. Pulled the front, rear quarters off, backstrap and loins. The next thing I did, which was a gigantic mistake, was I took the head off. Now I had a heck of a time trying to roll this enormous animal to the opposite side. I could have used his head and antlers to twist his head and force the rest of the body to go with it. Instead I had to find a huge log, shimmy it under his belly and leverage it to get him to roll over. Started to work on the opposite side and then packed in game bags. I put a backstop and tenderloin in with each front shoulder, and then the rear quarters by themselves. So 5 loads total including the head.

Thank you Mystery Ranch for still having my pack on backorder. I had a Sitka Flash 20 as my day pack. It's great for day hunting. Packing out, lol, worthless. I had to go back to the truck to get my Osprey 7,000+cu in pack but I wasn't going back empty handed. Decided to jerry rig the head to my pack and carry it out. This by far was the worse load out of the 5. The pack just wasn't meant to carry a load like that. Once I go to the the truck, completely exhausted, I decided to drive it back around to the 2nd gate. Well, even with it as dry as it has been it was still muddy back there and extremely rough. And yes, I bent the riverside running board this time. So now I have matching bent running boards, both from the same spot 2 yrs apart.

It would take me 20 mins at a steady determined pace to get from the truck to the meat. I would quickly load it up, and then it would take me 25 mins to get the meat back out. I would rest for 15 mins, drinking fluids and eat a protein bar after every single load. After 7 hours from the moment I shot it and 12 miles logged, I was done. As I said before, this was the first time to pack out an elk solo before. I have killed several others, but it was on a private ranch where we just roll up in an UTV and hoist it up in back. I have a true new respect for those that venture out in the woods solo. If you aren't prepared it just might physically and mentally break you. I could have gone back to camp as I know all would have been eager to help, but I was against the clock due to the high temps. I would have spent 1.5-2 hours likely if I would have gone back for help. Though by the time I had finished, I should have.








This bull is by no means a wall hanger, but that was never my intention. Hunting OTC in Colorado is tough, odds are small, and especially in the area we are at, you might not see a single elk. My family loves to eat elk, and that was the purpose. As Cleric said and I agreed, "if it's legal and brown, it's down". The bar has been set, really really low I might add, lol. Missed seeing those I had hunted with 2 yrs ago. Got to meet Cleric, TxBasser and his boy however, and have continued to be impressed at the opportunities this forum provides people like me. Meeting great people, with similar interests. Only in Texas, only in Texas! Thanks for allowing me to share my story.

I am off to finally install the two new running boards I bought from Pitchfork Predator 2 yrs ago after I bent the first one.

Great read Ringworm, and I know just what you mean about packing them out, how it goes for me most of the time..Congrats bud, well done

Great read and congrats! Well done!

great write up and congrats

Congrats, well done and SOLO. Lifetime memory.

Great write up and pics Very well done Sir

Really enjoyed the write-up and the photos, great accomplishment!

Great write up! Congratulations! Packing out solo would be one of my worst nightmares but sounds like it wasn't that far from where you could drive too.

That ain't no small feat you pulled off young man. Very well done. Considering how he was taken, a heckuva trophy. (And it made my back hurt just reading the pack out portion.)

Congratulations Thanks for sharing your very interesting hunting experience, that had to be a lot of fun, hard work, good times and very cool memories to last until the next adventure

Did you do any physical training specifically for the hunt, if so what?

Yes & no. As a normal routine, I lift weights 3 times a week and cycle 50-100 miles a week. This is just my normal weekly routine. Granted it varies to some degree, a little more or a little less depending on work and family. I did not alter that routine for preparation for this hunt. I figured it would be sufficient and after the fact feel it was.

The only thing you truly can't train for is, being at elevation. That's what gets you. I sucked wind that first evening, mainly when I went from 11,200 to just shy of 12,000. It was very steep and the air a lot more thin at least to me.

I shot my bull at about 9200 I think. Elevation didn't bother me at all. It was physical exhaustion in my thighs and discomfort in the arches of my feet. I feel that the cycling paid major dividends in strengthening my lower body.

That is just outstanding. Great write up, too. All the details I was curious about. We'll done, ringworm. I wish I could have been there.

Congrats again Ringworm, and like others said well written summary. I know exactly where you were and that makes the story that much better for me! Maybe next year I'll be able to make the trip and we can "break in" those new running boards of yours!

Me too!

Puttin' in work! Congrats!

That bull was well-earned. Packing one out solo is no small chore. Nice job sir.

Good job

Congrats on the elk for sure. Thanks for sharing your story and the pictures.

Congrats. Is the rest of the group still up there?

Yes, Cleric and TxBasser and his son are still there. I hated to leave but with temps as high as they were, I'd have to drive in to town every day to buy ice to keep the meat from spoiling. I sure wish I could have shot it later in the week. I was really looking forward to 8 days in the mountains.