Back Down from the High Country

I’m happy to report that I’ve returned safely from the untamed wilderness of northwestern Colorado. Overall, I’d say our do-it-yourself elk hunt during the third rifle season (November 3-10) was a success despite being plagued by hot, balmy weather that was not very conducive to late-season elk hunting. To me, any time spent in the mountains is a privilege that I feel fortunate to have experienced. I won’t lie though, seeing a few more elk would have been nice.

A view of the valley where we camped for the week; Our new canvas wall tent performed very well on its first trip.

Our hunt took place entirely on public land, including the Flat Tops Wilderness Area and other lands managed by the US Forest Service. These areas are restricted to hunters on foot or using horses and contain some very steep and rugged terrain. The elevations from our camp to the highest hunting grounds ranged from 8,000 to 11,400 feet. The public campground where we stayed was shared by several small groups of hunters from neighboring states as well as a few local outfitters who used it as a drop-off point for their clients who were headed to nearby spike camps.

Our cook tent contained two Coleman stoves for preparing meals; A look at our sleeping quarters inside the wall tent

Our campsite contained two tents, one for sleeping and eating, and one for cooking meals. The canvas tent where we slept and kept most of our gear was 16’x20’ and was custom made by Davis Tent Company in Denver, CO. We installed wood stoves in both tents, but due to the unseasonably warm temperatures that reached 65-70 degrees in the afternoons, we only used them at night.

A few mule deer on private land; A cow elk feeding on a distant ridge on opening morning

The elk tags among our group of hunters included two cow tags and three bull tags, and legal bulls in our management units had to have at least four points on one antler or a five inch brow tine. Despite the lack of fresh tracking snow, our group of energetic hunters remained optimistic as we made preparations for the season opener.

The first few days of our hunt revealed that very few elk currently inhabited the densely timbered slopes surrounding our camp. After speaking with several other hunters and guides in the area, we learned that heavy snows in the second rifle season had initiated the annual elk migration and driven most of the herds to lower elevations which are comprised largely of private land with limited access. We were pretty disappointed, but with the huge amount of wilderness at our disposal, we were determined to locate some remnant elk that hadn’t yet migrated.

That’s me at a little over 11,400 feet; A pika shares my view of the north face of the Flat Tops Range

Knowing that any remaining bulls in our area would be at very high elevations to avoid hunting pressure, I decided that my time would be best spent by doing some serious climbing and covering as much territory as I could. When the alarm clock beckoned at 3:00am, I gathered my gear and began the long, dark hike to the top of the ridges encircling our camp. My strategy was to arrive at the highest alpine meadows before daylight and hopefully catch the elk in the open before they retreated to the dark timber. If I didn’t see anything within the first couple of hours, my time was spent sneaking through the thick timber of the north-facing slopes. I should clarify that I’m using the term “sneaking” very loosely because the frozen two-week-old snow usually made it sound like I had bags of potato chips strapped to my feet.

Large elk rubs were common in the black timber

Claw marks on an aspen tree signaled that we were in bear country.

I consider myself to be in pretty good physical condition, and I can tell you that the mountains of the Flat Tops Range are very humbling. Their slopes are extremely steep, and impassable shear cliffs are common. Not having a horse (or mountaineering equipment), I was limited to the terrain I could safely cover with my own two feet. I think it would be accurate to say that, on this trip, I saw more territory than my two previous trips combined. On most days, I traveled 10-12 miles and over 3,000 feet in elevation. One thing I can tell you is that I’m very impressed with the Medalist Silvermax silk-weight base layers. I wore these for five straight days of hunting and couldn’t detect any foul odors. They dry very quickly and are definitely the best option I’ve found for demanding hunts where working up a sweat is inevitable. I was also very pleased with the Cheyenne pants. They’re very lightweight, and the soft fabric was extremely quiet when I was crawling through sagebrush and thick blow-downs.

My morning post overlooking a huge alpine meadow; I was ready for a long shot, but the elk didn’t cooperate.

During my hunts, I saw all kinds of interesting sights and critters including squirrels, ravens, grouse, a mink, pikas, coyote tracks, wolf tracks, bald eagles, mule deer, and cow elk. You’ll notice I didn’t mention bull elk because that was basically the only thing I didn’t see throughout the course of the trip. I’m not complaining though, because I enjoyed every minute of it, and I can’t wait to go back. To me, avoiding disappointment is a matter of having realistic expectations of a hunt before you leave home. Hunting public land in over-the-counter bull tag areas in the late seasons is a very challenging proposition. Killing a big bull is not only difficult, it is highly unlikely. I knew that when I purchased my tag, and I was willing to accept the odds.

A curious porcupine kept me company one morning while I waited for elk; Our crew of hunters included me, Vince Hoover, Shane Hoover, Brad Jeannerat, and Dean Ritner.

I’d like to say thanks to the other guys on the trip for a great experience in absolutely awesome country. Everyone worked well together and stayed in good spirits despite the obvious disappointment of not harvesting any elk. Our empty meat coolers weren’t the only ones in the campground, as none of the neighboring groups of hunters (including the outfitters) filled any of their tags either. And that, I’ve come to understand, is the nature of elk hunting. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.