2015 DIY Colorado Elk hunt

Here's all my gear before it's on the pack a few days before we head out.

Arriving at the trailhead Friday morning in the rental. Sorting all the gear before the hike in.

Finally made the 6 mile hike to camp at 13400' and drying my feet because the wouldn't stop sweating..

Opening morning scouting. Didn't get any pics of elk but we heard lots of bugling and say a nice bull at 500 yards but I didn't have time to get set up amd we saw 5 cows.. Some pics of the land we were hunting.



Found this wallow and rub just below all the bugles. Both fresh from that morning.

Looks like the beetles killed the hell out of those pines!

Saw a small 4X4 and a cow Sunday evening at 700 yards. I was sitting really high on the mountain and decided to move down a few hundred feet to get a little closer.

Monday evening been watching a bull and a cow for 2 hours at 600 yards waiting for a clear shot. Covered the barrel so they can't see the reflection.

Besides the walk didn't take long to find my bull. Shot him at 580 yards through a hole between to pines. Finally got an elk from Colorado.

Well plenty of pics of landscape and toes . . . We getting any of the dead animal?

Dude one antler or not, again that's a stud 5x

Congrats!!!

The next morning getting ready to quarter my bull.

No tag soup here

Meat hanging

congrats.

That's awesome! Congrats!

Outstanding!!! Congrats on a great trip and dang nice trophy

View from camp after getting snow Wednesday.

Place where we chillaxed from the snow and rain.

Almost a mile to water so trying to save some energy.

Better than the four seasons

Congratulations!

Thanks guys. I'm trying to post the rest of it but my ipad keeps dying and my phone won't open photobucket

We got a little snow Wednesday night

Boiling water for some Mountain House

Almost had a pass thru

Home sweet home.

Drying my boots



Another view from camp

Looking for elk but they all left the high country

Nice. I feel better now.

I remember the days I did hunts like that. Took a couple bulls that way. Great days. Enjoy them and savor the memories.

Great job!!

Nice. Congrats!

Those jet boils are awesome

Lived on ramen and mountain house

Very nice bull. Great pics. Congrats.

Looks like a great hunt! Congrats!

Details on your rifle set up? Caliber, scope, ammo?

Thanks for all the pics....definitely on my bucket list.

LOVE IT! Well done.

Thanks guys it was a tough but awesome hunt. I was using a Sendero 300 Win Mag with a 6.5-20X Leupold Mark 4 and reloaded 200 gr Nosler Accubonds.

Awesome hunt and write up. Well done.

That's would be great hunt even without a nice bull on the ground. Congrats!

One of these days....

Congrats on a great hunt!

nice write up and bull!

Good looking heavy bull, looks like what ever happened on the drivers side, shifted growth to the passengers side. I have a bull like that and they are neat.

Congratulations. Was this a limited draw area? Did you see any other hunters? Where you hunting a wilderness area and hiked the six miles into it?

I've hunted several wilderness areas and found that most hunters only go a few miles in, then stop. The trick is just going in farther then the rest of them to find the animals. On all my hunts, I've hired a packer to take us in on horseback, then pick us up a week later. I've gone as far as 20 miles one way in Idaho to escape the crowds and be in the middle of good elk country. I hunted the Mt Zirkel WIlderness are out of Steamboat Springs and once we entered the Wilderness boundry, didn't see any more sign of people.

Sweetness!

Unless the animals are not way back in there

All the elk I saw this trip died within a mile or so of the trailhead.

We were 4 miles back camped in plus whatever we walked and saw very few elk

Little bit of Awesomness

Congratulations Sir on a Outstanding Kill!!!

It was over the counter behind widerness. Accessibility would only be foot or horse because it was so steep and thick.

So how was that first elk steak?

Great job Sq2!

Nothing like tenders on a campfire BOBO!!
Thanks BuckRage. I think I lost 10 pounds last week. Lol

IS the first picture Jordan Shipley?

Jordan shipley? Lol

Now that is the type of hunt that I dream about. Congrats on an awsome trophy, one horn and all!

Thanks Palehorse!! It's an awesome hunt just a lot of work!!