3rd Late Rifle Season -2

Virtual Elk Hunt

January 3 and 4, 2004

Unit 20

Northern Colorado

January 3^rd

I woke up to snow and it was going to snow all day. It took an extra hour to get to the trailhead and there was a crowd already there. This area I went to is well known and around fifteen hunters were in the area.

We sat on the edge of this meadow all day. The only exciting moment came when two coyotes sang us a morning song. We were still and one of the coyotes came within 50 yards on his way to meet the other coyote. Their tracks revealed coyotes were the only animals in this meadow today.

It was COLD. The forecast called for temperatures in the teens with the wind chill. I believed them. I got too hot on the way in so as soon as I stopped walking I got cold. I eventually walked around the area to stay warm and see if there were any elk sneaking past us in the many creek valleys. Nothing.

Here’s where the elk were all day. They hadn’t budged much. They were all on private property. As I drove home I stopped to watch over 200 cows and a few bulls cross the road. I’d like to think they were headed for the area we sat in all day. Maybe they’ll make it there during the upcoming week. I hope to check the area again on the 7^th.

Another photo of the large cow herd heading for a distant valley. It was really nice to see the elk even though we waited for them in the cold and snow and they didn’t show up. That’s hunting. If anything this herd only grew as the day went on. If you were wondering about the elk migration route in the area, yes, this is the area in the path. Check out the map at http://wildlife.state.co.us/hunt/gmumaps.asp

January 4^th

Sunday was wonderful. I’m on State Trust Lands today and if you ever get the chance make this your primary hunting spot (depending on the season). STLs are the best and always full of wildlife. Not many people know about them or take the time to visit. The sun greeted me as I hunted a lower area just East of where I was on the third. This area is huge. It was probably too big to find the elk in just one day. However, I could tell it was a great area with plenty of vegetation. Every valley was lush. The scrub oak was difficult to navigate but I made it up to the trees with some effort.

You can see forever up here. Here’s a view across the valley. I want to return in the summer to ride horses in the area. I’m in the Roosevelt National Forest today.

This is as good as it gets for me today. The valley fog caught up with me and settled in for some time. But that was ok. I really needed to spend more time scouting this area before the season. This was my first visit and if I had a good jeep or even a ATV I’d be back. The jeep trail goes for 10 miles. I’m sure there are great places to stop and glass the slopes looking for elk coming out of the valleys and into the trees. I just don’t have the equipment to do it right. Thinking of going back to where I was on day one.

As I said every valley was lush. This is one of them. Unfortunately it was empty. I did come across lots of deer tracks but no elk. I saw about seven hunters this day. No shots were fired while I was there. It was quiet. So ends my weekend of hunting for cow elk. It’s always enjoyable to be out in the mountains no matter what type of weather.

(If you want to see a larger picture of any of the photo's on this page, just click the picture)