Re: Who\'s Gearing up for Colorado?
Hello Dave
Looks like your ready for a good time in the mountains of Colorado.
Sounds like you have prepared yourself for about any weather change and that's good.
I doubt that you will see any nasty stuff though.
We strive for the white stuff and go during the 3rd season in hopes of getting it.
If all goes to plan, my wife and I will be heading to the western slope near Glenwood and Aspen for our annual hunting trip the 24th or 25th of Oct. Our season starts the 1st of Nov.
We meet 4 friends from California who camp a few miles from us and we also meet a resident ex outfitter who hunts the third season as we do, with his family. He camps about two miles from us.
Both groups have killed game at extreme range off my rifles and we meet every year at the same spot.
We will be going out 1 week before the season opens (Nov 1) and set up camp and just enjoy the area without ANYONE being around within miles of us. It's extremely isolated and we also look for game in the bigeyes in those days preceding the hunt.
Our trip out consists of my Dodge diesel loaded down with longrange equipment, food and hunting clothes and I also pull a tarp covered trailer which has the tent, coal, stove, generator, dry wood to build fires, extra fuel, the 4 wheeler if needed to pack out any game when the horses are not there, cots, sleeping bags, extra water and so on.
We travel out by way of route 80 instead of 70 which has more cities and congestion to go through.
I will be taking the 338/416 Rigby, the 300 Tamahawk, a carry LR lighter weight rifle in the 7/300 Weatherby with a bipod and 30" barrel and also my 280 Mountain rifle.
When we get out to Glenwood and before we head back into the rugged area we stop in town for any food items that we didn't pack in the ice chests. We also get our bull elk tags and check at the game commission office for any left over buck tags.
We then drive out to where the pave road ends and the worst muddy road ever thought of, starts.
Before we leave the paved small road, the extra large heavy duty chains are put on all 4 wheels. The mud there is the worst I have ever seen and the road going back 7 miles is straight off and a long way down if one were to go over the side.
Once we reach our camping area which is at 7500 feet elevation, the work starts and the tent is set and all equipment set up inside that we will need. A fire is built and it never goes out the entire trip. It's so warm in that military Arctic tent, I usually run around inside in my underwear when the temp drops to zero. Set up takes about one to two hours to do it right.
From the area we set up camp which is in the middle of large jack pines, I have a longrange spot that is hidden from anyone seeing us and we can leave our equipment set up all season if we want to. The shooting we have at that spot is fantastic and its about 75 yards from the tent. Shooting out to any range we want.
Our most popular shooting spot however, is about 2 miles further out and we normally drive there instaed of staying near the camp during most of the season. We have a spot out there that you can look all around you 360 degrees and see as far as you could ever shoot a rifle and there is usually game in every area we look.
Once were set up and back in, we don't come out till after the one week season is over. That means if we get in there 4 or 5 days before the season we are there at least 12 days without coming back to civilization.
I think my wife likes the camping as much as hunting. I like it to.
The big cats we hear at night make the tent walls seem paper thin and a much firmer hold on the rifle near the cot, seems to be in order. I have taken hold of it when the critters get to close.
We have seen a Grizzly in that area two years ago.
So I guess the answer to your question----Who is headed to Colorado? would be, Carol and Darryl are planning for it as the 13th or 14 th year in a row now.
I painted the trailor the other day, greased the wheel bearings, cleaned it out and we will be packing it up about a week before we leave.
Good luck on your hunt to Colorado Dave and Steve E.
Do 300 gr Match Kings kill game Steve?????????? I didn't know that? Come on Match Kings on game???
You bet---Best **** bullet ever devised for hunting.
Later
DC
[ 09-03-2003: Message edited by: Darryl Cassel ]
