Archery Hunt 9/18/04

Virtual Archery Elk Hunt

September 19^th, 2004

Troublesome Basin, Colorado

Let me first say if you don’t spend enough time in one area then you won’t see animals. Elk require time. Time and patience.

I was up at 0330 Sunday morning in order to make it to the trailhead at sunrise. I made it and the morning was spectacular. Nearly all the aspens in the Troublesome have hit their peak. It was a wonderful site to see. I parked at the Buffalo Creek Trailhead (aka King Mountain Ranch), which is 13 miles North and West of Granby, Colorado. The Troublesome is a huge piece of road less land. It has rolling hills and some big ridges (near 10k). Finding elk here can be like finding a needle in a haystack. CDOW can help narrow down your search with their online game map. Check it out here.

Today my destination was Ethel Creek. If you don’t have horses or mules don’t attempt this by foot. Do yourself a favor and contact Sombrero Ranches to rent a horse. You can walk the shoes off your feet before you see all of the Troublesome. Unless you can endure 10-15 miles every day, hunting the Troublesome is not easy. Elk can run from valley to valley effortlessly while you can barely make it over the first ridge only to see them disappear over the next. But this is where I play. And the elk are my game. Off-season training is so important for the enjoyment of hunting hard in the fall.

The Troublesome is known for its meadows. In this photo the ridge above is near 10,000 feet in elevation. The mixture of thick pine and aspens are magnets for elk (and deer). And by the way, do yourself another big favor and buy a deer tag. If there is anything like a sure thing then it’s a sure thing you will see deer in the Troublesome. They are everywhere. You’ll see them within a mile of the parking lot on the Buffalo Creek trail. The deer are funny. They will react to seeing you by taking two big leaps away. Then they will stop and try to figure out what you are. The rest is up to you. The elk are a different story. They tend to hide and if you see one consider yourself lucky. You just found the needle in the haystack. With all the meadows in the Troublesome you never see elk in them. Only on the edges of the meadows might you catch a glimpse. Summer is different. Elk are more relaxed in the summer. I’m certain the elk only enter the creek valleys when it’s dark. The best food is located in these valleys.

It’s a 2-hour hike to this intersection. The habitat in this area is perfect for elk. There are thick forests for cover, a big ridge to bed on and a variety of plants to eat. You’ll love the stand of aspen just past this sign. The aspens cover a lush valley and hillside. It’s the entrance to Paradise Gulch. The only problem is the hiking trail. It sees a lot of horse traffic so the elk stay clear of it. The Troublesome area is open range so there are cattle that summer here. That’s why you find trails to every creek valley. The cattle are herded out of the area before hunting season.

Another thirty minutes down the trail and slightly off I found these nice wallows. If you look closely you’ll see two wallows. The big one was recently walked in but other than that they were clear. The satellite photo of this area makes it easy to overlook these small, wet meadows. But they are worth checking out on foot. You can see this one makes a nice place to sit and wait for the bull to return. I did spook an animal just West of this photo in the trees. But I figured it was a deer since they are everywhere. When elk leave they normally crash their way out. However, they can leave quickly without making any noise except those initial few steps.

The Corral Peaks loom over this part of the Troublesome. If you are looking for tall mountains the Troublesome has only a few. East of Corral Peaks are a number of roads. The satellite photo proves the area was open to logging not long ago. You can get there by taking the Cabin Creek access road. I personally wouldn’t recommend hunting East of Corral Peaks because all the roads tend to scare off the elk. I’m sure there are elk in there, just not very many. Areas West of the peaks are wet, remote and road less.

Looking West from my location near Ethel Creek I could see McBride Creek (with all the aspens) and Sheep Mountain (that tall peak) behind that. This is where you want to hunt if you have horses. You could put in 30 miles or more each day and really cover some land. You can find elk anywhere but CDOW says there is a summer concentration of elk in the McBride Creek area. Years of radio collar tracking data can’t be wrong. The elk are really spread out this year but in the Troublesome that’s an understatement. There are water and quality plants to drink and eat everywhere. I found elk scat in every meadow. However, it was seasonal sign and I don’t rely on it unless it’s fresh. This photo really shows you the depth of the Troublesome. You can see forever.

I turn the corner and head up the meadow I wanted to check out. I found some fresh scat just on the edge of this wet meadow. That’s what I was looking for. Something fresh enough to know the elk are eating down by the creek at night and bedding on the nearby ridges during the day. Notice how the scat is olive shaped? That tells me the elk’s diet has started to dry out. The lush green grasses of summer have started to dry up. A closer look reveals the true color. I stepped on it breaking open some of the pellets. It was green and moist inside. The outside had already turned dark from the dry air and warm sun. Had I been in this meadow earlier that morning I may have seen the elk.

I took my nap around noon in this beautiful stand of aspens. The trees in this area were perfect. Lush aspen groves and deep, dark old forests. Perfect cover for elk. This meadow and the others around it were mowed down from a summer of deer, elk and cattle grazing in them. The Troublesome is the most perfect example of why I live out West. The incredible amounts of open space are amazing. The never-ending adventure each creek valley holds is intriguing. Taking a nap in the aspens is the most peaceful thing you can do in September in Colorado.

Then the rain moved in. I caught the weather on the radio while driving up. They mentioned wind and rain. But Colorado weather is the most difficult to forecast. I didn’t believe them. It was a nice soaking rain. I love to be out when the weather turns bad. The rain made the evening more likely to see elk. Rain like this doesn’t make them run for cover in the deep woods. I’ve seen elk grazing in this type of rain. Elk will take advantage of cool rain to help cool them down. Just as I got back to the truck the rain stopped and the sun tried to peek through the clouds. Bad weather will stir animals around. Often times that’s the only time they move out of their usual areas to areas that provide natural protection from the elements.

One more weekend left in this year’s virtual archery elk hunt. They predict cool weather during the week, which is when I prefer to be out. Either way I hope it helps get the rut started. I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition. Oh, and make sure you drink plenty of water. I went through 2 liters of water during my 10-mile hike and I was dehydrated when I made it to the truck. Luckily I had water in the truck. I drank a ton of water last night trying to catch up. I woke up with a headache from not enough water. Make sure you take a few gulps every fifteen minutes.