LoneStar308
Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2017
- Messages
- 13
I wanted to share my story for those that may be looking to embark on their first journey out west to pursue free ranging game in the mountains. I learn a lot from reading: hunting & shooting magazines coming to the house every month, online forums, websites, etc. Maybe this story will inspire someone as other's stories inspired me. This was my first time out west for hunting, my first time above like 4000ft elevation, first time hunting anything bigger than whitetail, first time fly fishing, first time eating wild bighorn and (spoiler alert) elk. I had a bunch of new gear, new rifle, and it was the lowest I've weighed and the best shape I've been in since high school (over 15 years ago). This is a really long story, and I don't even know if anyone will read the whole thing, but I'll try and mix in a bunch of photos to help tell it; if nothing else you can just look at those.
I had been planning for about 3 years to go backpack hunting in an OTC unit in CO. I couldn't find any buddies to go with me and was thinking about going on my own. The wife was never too keen on that idea, and with a little one at home and another on the way I have to be more accommodating in my decision making. Going on my own, my chances of success would be quite slim. I'm an engineer, I'm pretty good with numbers and I understand statistics. In 2016, only 18% of all elk hunters in CO were successful. 4 out of 5 dudes (or dudettes) are going home with empty coolers. Those aren't great odds.
View attachment 87137
Lots of roads like this in west/panhandle TX and NM. Pretty flat and pretty straight.
I ended up using a guide; I merely want to maximize my chances of being successful. Before you get your panties in a bunch and cry foul, this is in OTC units and still public land – this was not a for sure thing. I can't afford the luxury of scout trips, and I don't like coming home empty handed (fully understanding that is a part of hunting, I only said I don't like it). I don't even remember the name of the outfitter business, he doesn't have a website and doesn't want one. "Buddy of mine always said if you needed a website you were doing something wrong" he said. He goes by word of mouth alone, and that is enough to keep him and his army of guides busy. He was a stand-up guy and I wouldn't hesitate to use him again in the future. He was born and raised, 6th generation, in the town and lived there his whole life. Hell, his paps was the town mayor for 35 years or something – needless to say, he was familiar with the woods around those parts. His off-season is spent shoeing horses and fixing fences; he uses that time to scout where the elk are – I like this mentality. The one thing that caught me a little off-guard in our initial conversations – he guaranteed an opportunity. Now, this is hunting (on public land, no less), no one can guarantee success on a hunt, and even guaranteeing an opportunity seemed foolish to me. What is an opportunity? 400yds? 600? 5 second shot window at 250? I never did get those questions answered, but he did come through on the opportunity for both my buddy and I, and for that I am grateful.
Where to begin? Firstly, I've lived in Houston, TX for the last decade. Houston is flat. Really flat. My house is about 150ft above sea level, and I'm about 75 miles as the crow flies (far northwest side of town) to Galveston – 150ft of elevation change over 75 miles, yeah, that's flat. Houston is also pretty jampacked with people and concrete. Stupid light-wash makes it pretty impossible to see any stars at night. It's about as far from the "great outdoors" as you can get. I spent the first 20-odd years of my life in rural-ish northeast Ohio. The house I spent my childhood in was on a couple acres back in the woods and backed up to a nature preserve. We owned those woods growing up. Obviously, I want to get a bull, and I would be a little distraught to come home empty-handed; however, a successful trip to me would be just enjoying the mountains, getting close to nature, and spending time with my compadre and challenging myself to dig deep, and push a little further to try and punch that tag.
View attachment 87138
What I would give to have a supercar and no traffic!
If I'm honest, the trip would have been pretty worth it just for the peace and serenity. The air smelled clean, that might sound weird, but there is definitely a sense that there is less pollutants in the air you are breathing. The mountains are beautiful. Star gazing was crazy, you could see the milky way and 10-fold as many starts as you can see in the city. The first morning when we got out to the trailhead I saw a couple shooting stars, and that happened every day we were there. Things you normally take for granted. We stayed in some cabins just outside of Pagosa Springs – cool little town. It sits at about 7,900ft and borders units 77, 78, and 771 – all OTC units. We'd be hunting primarily between 8,500-9,000ft. Those that hunted this October will know, it was unseasonably warm. High-30s as lows and rocketed up to the high-60s by about 9am. Pretty crappy conditions for hunting. Although, much more comfortable at the same time, so there's a win-lose trade-off there. These units are not known for their trophy potential; we didn't come out here expecting or even hoping for 300" bulls.
View attachment 87139
Started to get into some hills in NM.
Anyways, the drive out there is a story all of its own. The important part is, after long discussions I secured first shot/opportunity over my buddy. Originally, we were going to draw sticks or something, but I drove the entire way and took the couch to sleep on for the week if I could get first shot. This trip (inclusive of new equipment and travel costs) was essentially wiping my checking account clean, so I wanted to be sure I at least had an opportunity if we only had 1 as a group. Plus, we were missing opening day because of my buddy's business stature and a meeting he needed to attend in Dallas on the way up – not cool. We got to town, checked into the cabin, got in touch with the guide and went over to his buddies to confirm zeroes.
View attachment 87140
I think it's cool when you can see all the sediment layers in the rock.
Let's talk about shooting for a second. I like to think I'm a pretty good shot. The first rifle I ever bought was a FN Herstal Patrol Bolt Rifle eXtreme Precision (FNH PBR XP, gotta love acronyms) – tack driver! It's a .308, Winchester 70 pre-64 control feed action, full-length aluminum bedded stock, 22" fluted, heavy contour barrel – but much too heavy to take in the mountains. I can shoot ¾" 5-shot groups at 100yds all day with different factory ammo. Every rifle since has been a disappointment. I think it was a mistake making that as a first purchase. I picked up a Savage 16 Lightweight Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor; because I love bandwagons. With scope it is right under 7 pounds. I have about 100 rounds through it which is only just broken in as far as I'm concerned. Rifle is shooting consistent 4" groups (3-shot) at 300 that open to 6" when the barrel heats up (pencil barrel, doesn't take long). $500 gun, $200 scope, I can't complain about those groups (my cheapest setup by a good margin). I go shooting one last time the day before we leave Houston. Shoot a couple groups, make sure the windage is centered and my elevation turret is dialed to zero. I'm in the camp of dialing the range on the elevation turret … well, at least I was in that camp before this hunt. When we were confirming zero in CO I put a nice little 3-shot group on the paper and it was centered left-to-right but about 1.5" high. I expected that because of the thinner air up there, but for whatever reason I neglected to change my elevation turret. I don't know why, but I left it as is. Looking back, I'm thinking there was just so much going on and so much going through my head that I didn't think anything of it.
View attachment 87141
I'm always amazed by the rock formations you can find.
Day 1, morning:
No elk. Lots of mule deer. No big bucks, and not really any 4x4s, mostly 2x2s.
We got to the end of a logging road and with our headlamps burning headed out into the dark. Went in a ways and took a break on some deadfall. Guide made a couple cow calls – we were on top of a ridge with drop-offs on either side. He made a couple bugles. Nothing in return. Silence. The sky was absolutely stunning. Saw 2 shooting stars as soon as we sat down.
View attachment 87142
We were really roughing it. Coffee anyone?
As it started getting light you could begin to see the drop on both sides of the trail. Could also start to see the beautiful mountain ranges in all directions. We saw 2 other hunters; 1 not wearing orange so he must have been a guide. There were no other guides allowed to be in the area where we were. They looked like they were going west, so we went east. We stopped on overlooking a cliff and glassed. Nothing moving. My buddy mentioned his stock seemed loose on his rifle. He was shooting an older Savage 16 in 300WSM, 26" barrel, tupperware stock. I showed him how my stock is similar and I can move it noticeably when squeezed against the barrel. But then I grabbed his rig, and it definitely felt … off. Then I noticed the trigger assembly moved when you moved the barrel. The actions screws were loose somehow. I joked, "Well, it's a good thing I have first shot, you shouldn't be needing it today. Haha." Nobody else found that funny? Oh well. (We'll head back to the guide's buddy's place before lunch to fix it up.) Packed up and went back to the other side, couldn't see the hunters anymore so we carried on west and down in the draws below. Found a little muley skull, small 2x2. Tons of sign everywhere. Scrapes, cow scat, bull scat, tracks. We stopped on the side of another ridge glassing west. You could see a big bull on the ground on a private ranch maybe 1500yds away. We heard the "ka-boom" a little earlier on the other side of the ridge, sounded close. We stayed at that spot a little longer hoping to catch elk moving away from the private. No such luck.
View attachment 87143
2 mile hike in, but we weren't too far from populated areas.
Kept going up and down draws. One was straight freaking up. Kicked our ***. Heart was pumping good. Throat and ears were throbbing. Breathing hard, definitely felt like you weren't getting enough air with each breath, but recovery was soon enough. Kept seeing more scat and tracks. We were in some thicker timber on a bench when my buddy spotted movement. Deer. 2x2 buck with doe and 2 fawns. Wind was in our favor. They walked within 50yds of us, stopping every few moments to look in our direction. That was the first time I've been that close to a muley; pretty neat. Down in another draw we found some bedding areas, some leg bones and another small 2x2 muley skull.
View attachment 87144
Sit on the side of hill and glass. Walk to a new spot, repeat.
Back to the truck, 7 miles total. We'll get to lessons learned at the end of my story, but let's just say my pack was the heaviest it was going to be right now. There was much weight shaving to do! I don't know if the guide was testing us or what, but that was the longest hike we would make for the week.
View attachment 87145
Set up on a water hole – figured with the heat they'd have to be thirsty.
Day 1, afternoon:
Took out the following from my pack: 15x50 binos, tripod, 2 jackets, extra orange vest, gloves, and a 32oz Nalgene full of water, shovel … quite a bit of weight/bulk. Went to the other side of town to the guide's uncle's place, which backed up to national forest. Another long hike with killer vertical and couple creek crossings. Bumped a buck on the way in, didn't see his rack but he had a big body. This was a sit and wait hunt, ambush style. My buddy and I split up on opposite sides of this water hole, the guide stayed with me. We were 360yds apart. There was another hunter 650yds from us that couldn't see my buddy. He was playing the same game we were – wait for the last 30 mins of light and hope for some action. Sun went down and temp seemed to immediately drop 20deg. No action. Lots of ducks on the pond; pintails and golden-eyes. (We do a lot of wing shooting in TX.)
View attachment 87146
Another view – lots of duckies in there, can't really see in pic.
I had been planning for about 3 years to go backpack hunting in an OTC unit in CO. I couldn't find any buddies to go with me and was thinking about going on my own. The wife was never too keen on that idea, and with a little one at home and another on the way I have to be more accommodating in my decision making. Going on my own, my chances of success would be quite slim. I'm an engineer, I'm pretty good with numbers and I understand statistics. In 2016, only 18% of all elk hunters in CO were successful. 4 out of 5 dudes (or dudettes) are going home with empty coolers. Those aren't great odds.
View attachment 87137
Lots of roads like this in west/panhandle TX and NM. Pretty flat and pretty straight.
I ended up using a guide; I merely want to maximize my chances of being successful. Before you get your panties in a bunch and cry foul, this is in OTC units and still public land – this was not a for sure thing. I can't afford the luxury of scout trips, and I don't like coming home empty handed (fully understanding that is a part of hunting, I only said I don't like it). I don't even remember the name of the outfitter business, he doesn't have a website and doesn't want one. "Buddy of mine always said if you needed a website you were doing something wrong" he said. He goes by word of mouth alone, and that is enough to keep him and his army of guides busy. He was a stand-up guy and I wouldn't hesitate to use him again in the future. He was born and raised, 6th generation, in the town and lived there his whole life. Hell, his paps was the town mayor for 35 years or something – needless to say, he was familiar with the woods around those parts. His off-season is spent shoeing horses and fixing fences; he uses that time to scout where the elk are – I like this mentality. The one thing that caught me a little off-guard in our initial conversations – he guaranteed an opportunity. Now, this is hunting (on public land, no less), no one can guarantee success on a hunt, and even guaranteeing an opportunity seemed foolish to me. What is an opportunity? 400yds? 600? 5 second shot window at 250? I never did get those questions answered, but he did come through on the opportunity for both my buddy and I, and for that I am grateful.
Where to begin? Firstly, I've lived in Houston, TX for the last decade. Houston is flat. Really flat. My house is about 150ft above sea level, and I'm about 75 miles as the crow flies (far northwest side of town) to Galveston – 150ft of elevation change over 75 miles, yeah, that's flat. Houston is also pretty jampacked with people and concrete. Stupid light-wash makes it pretty impossible to see any stars at night. It's about as far from the "great outdoors" as you can get. I spent the first 20-odd years of my life in rural-ish northeast Ohio. The house I spent my childhood in was on a couple acres back in the woods and backed up to a nature preserve. We owned those woods growing up. Obviously, I want to get a bull, and I would be a little distraught to come home empty-handed; however, a successful trip to me would be just enjoying the mountains, getting close to nature, and spending time with my compadre and challenging myself to dig deep, and push a little further to try and punch that tag.
View attachment 87138
What I would give to have a supercar and no traffic!
If I'm honest, the trip would have been pretty worth it just for the peace and serenity. The air smelled clean, that might sound weird, but there is definitely a sense that there is less pollutants in the air you are breathing. The mountains are beautiful. Star gazing was crazy, you could see the milky way and 10-fold as many starts as you can see in the city. The first morning when we got out to the trailhead I saw a couple shooting stars, and that happened every day we were there. Things you normally take for granted. We stayed in some cabins just outside of Pagosa Springs – cool little town. It sits at about 7,900ft and borders units 77, 78, and 771 – all OTC units. We'd be hunting primarily between 8,500-9,000ft. Those that hunted this October will know, it was unseasonably warm. High-30s as lows and rocketed up to the high-60s by about 9am. Pretty crappy conditions for hunting. Although, much more comfortable at the same time, so there's a win-lose trade-off there. These units are not known for their trophy potential; we didn't come out here expecting or even hoping for 300" bulls.
View attachment 87139
Started to get into some hills in NM.
Anyways, the drive out there is a story all of its own. The important part is, after long discussions I secured first shot/opportunity over my buddy. Originally, we were going to draw sticks or something, but I drove the entire way and took the couch to sleep on for the week if I could get first shot. This trip (inclusive of new equipment and travel costs) was essentially wiping my checking account clean, so I wanted to be sure I at least had an opportunity if we only had 1 as a group. Plus, we were missing opening day because of my buddy's business stature and a meeting he needed to attend in Dallas on the way up – not cool. We got to town, checked into the cabin, got in touch with the guide and went over to his buddies to confirm zeroes.
View attachment 87140
I think it's cool when you can see all the sediment layers in the rock.
Let's talk about shooting for a second. I like to think I'm a pretty good shot. The first rifle I ever bought was a FN Herstal Patrol Bolt Rifle eXtreme Precision (FNH PBR XP, gotta love acronyms) – tack driver! It's a .308, Winchester 70 pre-64 control feed action, full-length aluminum bedded stock, 22" fluted, heavy contour barrel – but much too heavy to take in the mountains. I can shoot ¾" 5-shot groups at 100yds all day with different factory ammo. Every rifle since has been a disappointment. I think it was a mistake making that as a first purchase. I picked up a Savage 16 Lightweight Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor; because I love bandwagons. With scope it is right under 7 pounds. I have about 100 rounds through it which is only just broken in as far as I'm concerned. Rifle is shooting consistent 4" groups (3-shot) at 300 that open to 6" when the barrel heats up (pencil barrel, doesn't take long). $500 gun, $200 scope, I can't complain about those groups (my cheapest setup by a good margin). I go shooting one last time the day before we leave Houston. Shoot a couple groups, make sure the windage is centered and my elevation turret is dialed to zero. I'm in the camp of dialing the range on the elevation turret … well, at least I was in that camp before this hunt. When we were confirming zero in CO I put a nice little 3-shot group on the paper and it was centered left-to-right but about 1.5" high. I expected that because of the thinner air up there, but for whatever reason I neglected to change my elevation turret. I don't know why, but I left it as is. Looking back, I'm thinking there was just so much going on and so much going through my head that I didn't think anything of it.
View attachment 87141
I'm always amazed by the rock formations you can find.
Day 1, morning:
No elk. Lots of mule deer. No big bucks, and not really any 4x4s, mostly 2x2s.
We got to the end of a logging road and with our headlamps burning headed out into the dark. Went in a ways and took a break on some deadfall. Guide made a couple cow calls – we were on top of a ridge with drop-offs on either side. He made a couple bugles. Nothing in return. Silence. The sky was absolutely stunning. Saw 2 shooting stars as soon as we sat down.
View attachment 87142
We were really roughing it. Coffee anyone?
As it started getting light you could begin to see the drop on both sides of the trail. Could also start to see the beautiful mountain ranges in all directions. We saw 2 other hunters; 1 not wearing orange so he must have been a guide. There were no other guides allowed to be in the area where we were. They looked like they were going west, so we went east. We stopped on overlooking a cliff and glassed. Nothing moving. My buddy mentioned his stock seemed loose on his rifle. He was shooting an older Savage 16 in 300WSM, 26" barrel, tupperware stock. I showed him how my stock is similar and I can move it noticeably when squeezed against the barrel. But then I grabbed his rig, and it definitely felt … off. Then I noticed the trigger assembly moved when you moved the barrel. The actions screws were loose somehow. I joked, "Well, it's a good thing I have first shot, you shouldn't be needing it today. Haha." Nobody else found that funny? Oh well. (We'll head back to the guide's buddy's place before lunch to fix it up.) Packed up and went back to the other side, couldn't see the hunters anymore so we carried on west and down in the draws below. Found a little muley skull, small 2x2. Tons of sign everywhere. Scrapes, cow scat, bull scat, tracks. We stopped on the side of another ridge glassing west. You could see a big bull on the ground on a private ranch maybe 1500yds away. We heard the "ka-boom" a little earlier on the other side of the ridge, sounded close. We stayed at that spot a little longer hoping to catch elk moving away from the private. No such luck.
View attachment 87143
2 mile hike in, but we weren't too far from populated areas.
Kept going up and down draws. One was straight freaking up. Kicked our ***. Heart was pumping good. Throat and ears were throbbing. Breathing hard, definitely felt like you weren't getting enough air with each breath, but recovery was soon enough. Kept seeing more scat and tracks. We were in some thicker timber on a bench when my buddy spotted movement. Deer. 2x2 buck with doe and 2 fawns. Wind was in our favor. They walked within 50yds of us, stopping every few moments to look in our direction. That was the first time I've been that close to a muley; pretty neat. Down in another draw we found some bedding areas, some leg bones and another small 2x2 muley skull.
View attachment 87144
Sit on the side of hill and glass. Walk to a new spot, repeat.
Back to the truck, 7 miles total. We'll get to lessons learned at the end of my story, but let's just say my pack was the heaviest it was going to be right now. There was much weight shaving to do! I don't know if the guide was testing us or what, but that was the longest hike we would make for the week.
View attachment 87145
Set up on a water hole – figured with the heat they'd have to be thirsty.
Day 1, afternoon:
Took out the following from my pack: 15x50 binos, tripod, 2 jackets, extra orange vest, gloves, and a 32oz Nalgene full of water, shovel … quite a bit of weight/bulk. Went to the other side of town to the guide's uncle's place, which backed up to national forest. Another long hike with killer vertical and couple creek crossings. Bumped a buck on the way in, didn't see his rack but he had a big body. This was a sit and wait hunt, ambush style. My buddy and I split up on opposite sides of this water hole, the guide stayed with me. We were 360yds apart. There was another hunter 650yds from us that couldn't see my buddy. He was playing the same game we were – wait for the last 30 mins of light and hope for some action. Sun went down and temp seemed to immediately drop 20deg. No action. Lots of ducks on the pond; pintails and golden-eyes. (We do a lot of wing shooting in TX.)
View attachment 87146
Another view – lots of duckies in there, can't really see in pic.
