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<blockquote data-quote="aspenbugle" data-source="post: 670387" data-attributes="member: 6481"><p>Len - Thanks. If I was smart, I'd shut up now then, before I ruin your impression of me.</p><p></p><p>Dave - Great. Oh, first season. I thought you said something about leaving after second season - my bad. I'm sure you know, we only get to hunt one season here typically for each species. Whoa, I guess now that I re-read and think more, I'm more confused. Have you applied and drawn a tag? I could look (but am too lazy right now) - are the Flat Tops a draw only area? Usually all cow tags are draw only - you have to apply in the Spring and draw a tag, or get a leftover, etc. Usually first season is draw-only for bulls. 2nd and 3rd seasons a person can pull into town the day before and buy a bull tag for many areas of the state, with just a hunter safety cert. However, some areas are draw-only, for all seasons. Your post implies shooting a bull or cow, and hunting first season now, so unless you drew a first-season either-sex tag for that area your plans and legal reality don't merge in CO in 2012(?). I haven't memorized every rule for every area, but that should cover 95+% of all situations - maybe I missed something.</p><p></p><p>Yeah, I guess FL is vertically challenged. You can run on the treadmill to build up what you can aerobically, and do lots of lunges, squats, stairs, and overpasses to strengthen the legs. Strong legs there will equal strong legs here, it's the lungs and O2 intake that will take a while. If you aren't 50+ pounds overweight and have strong, fit legs you'll still be ahead of many of the locals here (most of us are lazy too). Just be sure you have some good boots that are broken in. You'll acclimate to the altitude, your legs will get stronger, but if you're all blistered up, that outfitter will be packing you out. Warm, dry and well-fed mean a lot - no jeans/cotton, wool/synthetics etc. are good.</p><p></p><p>You seem to have the biggest issues in hand. With many (certainly not all) outta-taters I run into their butt seems glued to their truck seat, or more often, to their quad (maddening). They ride their quads all over the forest, illegally, like it's Disneyland, up closed roads, off trails through the trees just to get to some remote meadow and drive around it at dusk, while some local (like me) hiked there on foot hours ago and has been sitting waiting for this last magical hour to arrive, just to have Mr. lazy-butt arrive "sneaking up" on his motorized chariot - which even I heard 20 minutes ago. Hey, CO guys do it too, but 90% of the time it's not...but I digress. The other big thing is 300+ yards is a LONG way to anyone who hasn't shot it. I've seen guys 200 yards from an antelope, saying it's WAY to far away and they need to get closer. I posted a CMSgt (ret) friend on a ridge where he had a whole herd of elk and 2 nice big bulls at 400 yards and he didn't shoot - too far. I guess we needed to talk that one over more..."Why do you think I sent you out there Walt, while I pushed some timber, to wave at 'em?" My bad, he was from Maine and 400 yds looked like a mile. You are on this forum, so that probably isn't an issue. </p><p></p><p>Last thing (I type too much), since you seem to be the other end of the spectrum: hike-in, long-range capable shooter, I will offer that you can go too extreme the other way (been there too). I used to think harder meant smarter too, and I was just going to hike further, harder, longer and hunt places no one else I knew ever hunted (too steep, too thick, too...) If you are miles back in already, you don't need to look for the deepest, darkest, steepest stuff to find elk. Given their choice, they'd choose rolling hills and meadows like a moo-cow, not some 70 degree slope 2 miles from the nearest food. They can easily cover incredibly horrible terrain, but my experience is, they'll pack up and move 10 miles in the night before they turn ninja and hang from some cliff-strewn nasty peak. All you'll discover there is why no one and no thing goes there, and maybe how to invent a few new curse words as you try not to break an ankle, leg or rifle. Meanwhile, the elk will be 200 yards into some timber/aspen grove, napping, not far from some beautiful meadow and stream - usually in a much less nasty place. Not always, but...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="aspenbugle, post: 670387, member: 6481"] Len - Thanks. If I was smart, I'd shut up now then, before I ruin your impression of me. Dave - Great. Oh, first season. I thought you said something about leaving after second season - my bad. I'm sure you know, we only get to hunt one season here typically for each species. Whoa, I guess now that I re-read and think more, I'm more confused. Have you applied and drawn a tag? I could look (but am too lazy right now) - are the Flat Tops a draw only area? Usually all cow tags are draw only - you have to apply in the Spring and draw a tag, or get a leftover, etc. Usually first season is draw-only for bulls. 2nd and 3rd seasons a person can pull into town the day before and buy a bull tag for many areas of the state, with just a hunter safety cert. However, some areas are draw-only, for all seasons. Your post implies shooting a bull or cow, and hunting first season now, so unless you drew a first-season either-sex tag for that area your plans and legal reality don't merge in CO in 2012(?). I haven't memorized every rule for every area, but that should cover 95+% of all situations - maybe I missed something. Yeah, I guess FL is vertically challenged. You can run on the treadmill to build up what you can aerobically, and do lots of lunges, squats, stairs, and overpasses to strengthen the legs. Strong legs there will equal strong legs here, it's the lungs and O2 intake that will take a while. If you aren't 50+ pounds overweight and have strong, fit legs you'll still be ahead of many of the locals here (most of us are lazy too). Just be sure you have some good boots that are broken in. You'll acclimate to the altitude, your legs will get stronger, but if you're all blistered up, that outfitter will be packing you out. Warm, dry and well-fed mean a lot - no jeans/cotton, wool/synthetics etc. are good. You seem to have the biggest issues in hand. With many (certainly not all) outta-taters I run into their butt seems glued to their truck seat, or more often, to their quad (maddening). They ride their quads all over the forest, illegally, like it's Disneyland, up closed roads, off trails through the trees just to get to some remote meadow and drive around it at dusk, while some local (like me) hiked there on foot hours ago and has been sitting waiting for this last magical hour to arrive, just to have Mr. lazy-butt arrive "sneaking up" on his motorized chariot - which even I heard 20 minutes ago. Hey, CO guys do it too, but 90% of the time it's not...but I digress. The other big thing is 300+ yards is a LONG way to anyone who hasn't shot it. I've seen guys 200 yards from an antelope, saying it's WAY to far away and they need to get closer. I posted a CMSgt (ret) friend on a ridge where he had a whole herd of elk and 2 nice big bulls at 400 yards and he didn't shoot - too far. I guess we needed to talk that one over more..."Why do you think I sent you out there Walt, while I pushed some timber, to wave at 'em?" My bad, he was from Maine and 400 yds looked like a mile. You are on this forum, so that probably isn't an issue. Last thing (I type too much), since you seem to be the other end of the spectrum: hike-in, long-range capable shooter, I will offer that you can go too extreme the other way (been there too). I used to think harder meant smarter too, and I was just going to hike further, harder, longer and hunt places no one else I knew ever hunted (too steep, too thick, too...) If you are miles back in already, you don't need to look for the deepest, darkest, steepest stuff to find elk. Given their choice, they'd choose rolling hills and meadows like a moo-cow, not some 70 degree slope 2 miles from the nearest food. They can easily cover incredibly horrible terrain, but my experience is, they'll pack up and move 10 miles in the night before they turn ninja and hang from some cliff-strewn nasty peak. All you'll discover there is why no one and no thing goes there, and maybe how to invent a few new curse words as you try not to break an ankle, leg or rifle. Meanwhile, the elk will be 200 yards into some timber/aspen grove, napping, not far from some beautiful meadow and stream - usually in a much less nasty place. Not always, but... [/QUOTE]
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