1^st Rifle Season

Troublesome Basin, Colorado

October 14-15, 2006

I spent all my vacation days before the season arrived and what a season it will be. With snow every day for the short five day season. And 18 inches forecasted for Tuesday into Wednesday, the final day of 1^st rifle season in Colorado. Expect better than average harvest numbers from this season when CODOW releases that information in the spring of 2007. Well, depending on how many hunters like me were snowed out! The photo above is taken from the Continental Divide on the north side of Sheep Mountain. You can drive to this location with a two wheel drive truck or high clearance vehicle. This view comprises most of unit 18. I’ve hunted the wilderness area, the tallest mountains in the background. In 2007 that’s where I will concentrate. Where there is easy access there are plenty of hunters and you’ll have to walk further to find the elk.

The one goal I had was to locate some new areas and learn them well this season. I departed from Hwy 125 some 26 miles northwest of Granby, CO. Drove 10 miles down forest road 106 which is a very good dirt road. Perfect if you have a large camper or horse trailer. Plenty of room to park and hunt. This road is located in GMU 17 and I had a tag for 18. You can drive all the way to nearly the base of Haystack mountain that is located in unit 18. At the end of road 106 lies road 730 which is CLOSED after Labor Day each year for the sake of the wildlife. However, road 107 is wide OPEN with no gates or restrictions. I drove road 107 up to the top of the divide here. If you get here take a break and sit on the bench and enjoy the view. After a look around and several photos I drove down the very tight and potentially treacherous 4wd road. To this point I didn’t need to engage my 4WD at all. If conditions are dry you can drive the road to its very end with only a two wheel drive. If you have a little clearance you’ll be fine. However, if the weather is wet or snowy you’ll want chains and your 4WD! One small slip around the switch backs and you and your truck can end up on the valley floor some 800 feet below. Be prepared and drive safe!

Where the East Fork Troublesome Creek flows are smaller (but steep) rolling hills and miles of wonderful horse trails. Nearly every creek valley holds some elk. They are very spread out throughout the area. You’d think the area was full of elk by some of the sign you see. But you have to consider the elk are active and they have lived here for many, many years. CODOW says there are over 3,000 elk in the basin and it is a very large area. The elk in the area are strictly seasonal. When the snow gets over 18 inches the cows leave first. The terrain east of Sheep Mtn is mild compared to areas west. And that’s where road 107 takes you. A 2,000 foot drop from the top of the mountain takes you to the end of road 107 where Poison and Sheep creeks meet and become the main fork of Troublesome Creek. There is plenty of room at the end of the road and when I was there I shared the place with six other trucks and SUVs. I wasn’t the only one there for this elk season.

Saturday morning was cool but dry. It had frosted heavy down by the creek and the ground was frozen just a little bit. I jumped the creek and headed north. What is wonderful about this area are the old logging roads. If you hunt the area PLEASE don’t camp at the top of the big valley. It is the funnel where elk travel through during foul weather and ultimately how they migrate out of the basin. If you camp right in the middle of their route it will surely alter their pattern and ruin any chance of seeing elk in the big meadow. It’s only a 1 hour walk from the top of the meadow to the end. About 1.5 miles. Elk will filter into the big valley from the west from Birdseye Creek and from the east coming out of Poison Creek basin. You can hunt the entire valley and not see it all in five days. Archers should strongly consider this area during the September hunt. The basin has many creeks and small meadows. It is made up of Coldwater Creek on the west side and Poison Creek on the east side. With a major creek valley in between. During September and October hunts you should stick to 10,500 feet to find elk. That is, unless it snows. Then the big valley fills up with elk. The top of the valley is the wettest and the trees have to be several hundred years old.

This old cow died this past spring.

I found her in this perfect, small valley not far from this no named creek.

But that’s not where the elk were on this day. They were in this small meadow. The view is looking south and a bit west. It was clear the elk summer here too. They are in the big valley in late May no doubt. And they live in the basin until November or so. Depending on the snow. All signs pointed to years and years of elk usage from May to November give or take a month and based entirely on the amount of snow. The elk appeared to bed on the ridges surrounding these small meadows. Coming down to eat at night.

This is the Coldwater Creek valley and upper basin.

The elk trails in the whole area were well defined by many years of use. Between creeks is where the elk would bed and spend the majority of daylight hours. I found very fresh elk scat near where this trail intersected with another elk trail. I was so close so many times today to finding elk. I’d say I was only 30 minutes or less from seeing the bull that left his scat on the trail. So close. The scat was still green. I followed his tracks in the moist trail for some time only to be disappointed as they dove off the trail. He either caught my scent or heard my elk calls and fled. The problem with cold calling sometimes is the elk KNOWS he’s the only elk in the area. And when you call you’ve just announced your position and the fact you’re not an elk. So many times I found it better to just sneak up on the elk than try calling to them. My calling has ruined more than one stalk.

And there were many fresh scrapes in certain areas. This was one of those traditional rutting areas. I’m about at 10,250 feet here. The perfect elevation for elk most of the summer and fall seems to be around 10,500 where the terrain allows.

Here’s where I took a nap and this place was hot. I just missed several elk by mere hours (should have woken up early and walked the logging road back in the dark with my headlamp). If you have seen our first DVD “Elk Heaven” then you would recognize this type of terrain. It’s where elk live. I was very close to the no named creek between Coldwater and Poison creeks. This place is where the elk lived. They could feed in the numerous small meadows and bed in the cool dark timber. Without having to travel too far.

I really got the sense the bulls in the areas are mostly 4x4s and 5x5s. Very typical of a place that receives fair and consistent hunting pressure. However, I also saw enough large tree scrapes that told me there were a couple of very, very nice 6x6s in the basin. Mark your calendar and your maps. This place is going to be a hot spot in 2008 when the peak of the rut falls smack in the middle of archery season around September 10^th.

The sun went away around noon. And a cold chill filled the air. The weather was changing. I cursed the weatherman (again) for having ruined another forecast. Before I left home the weather was going to be warm and dry. Instead rain turned to snow quickly and it was coming down HARD and fast. This is the storm as it snuck over the divide and came after me. It’s also a nice shot of the Coldwater basin area. Not many trees have been affected by the pine beetle in this area. This is OLD forest. It took hundreds and hundreds of years for these trees to grow this tall and dark. Perfect habitat for elk.

Here’s a shot of the middle basin area. The series of old logging roads made it a PERFECT place to hunt. The walking was easy and you can’t get lost. If you hunt or visit here PLEASE don’t take your ATV, Motorcycle or Jeep up this road. You can’t get far past the top of the meadow for one thing. And any traffic on these roads will push the elk further away.

Elk eat the service berry when it ripens in the fall.

Grasses grow in patches like this here in the big meadow. This is where elk graze. I’ve never seen it this green in October.

The rut was active here just a week before I arrived. All was quiet during my stay. No bugling bulls.

Here’s proof the elk winter in the big meadow as long as they can. The big willows were very neatly trimmed at the base. The small willows in the foreground never have a chance to grow. They are always eaten before they can grow.

Another dead cow not far from road 107. She died in early spring or last fall during some part of her migration to or from this valley.

There was significant sign of elk coming off the west side of the valley around Birdseye Creek into the big meadow when the weather turns bad. Just a few weeks back in September, 2006. Here comes the snow. It is a prelude to a larger storm that would fill this valley with 18 inches or more of new snow. And that’s the kind of snow that won’t melt until next spring.

I was consumed by the storm that left several inches on the ground by morning. Perfect for tracking and enough snow to bring the elk closer to the valley floor. I was unprepared for the weather. Because the forecast was completely opposite. And I didn’t have chains or a wench to climb my way out of the valley. When road 107 gets wet look out. It’s easy to slide off the road at some points. Very easy. I’m certain the hunters I left behind would fill their tags in the coming days. As the big meadow was the only way out of this basin and a natural migration route. However, if the hunters can make it out with more than 20 inches on the ground, that will be the greatest achievement of all.

Note to self – stop wasting time on small tents and toppers. Buy a wall tent or kirafu tent and wood burning stove! You’re too old to sleep on the ground and freeze in a dome tent purchased from Wal-mart! Either use a snowmobile, Jeep or ATV to get into these places

That’s it for my 1^st rifle season. I have found a truly perfect basin to hunt which is just west of Haystack Creek. I came very close to filling my tag. Literally minutes away from seeing several elk on opening day. The further west you go the better it gets. Next stop Rabbit Ears Creek in unit 181. If the elk sign keeps getting better as you go west – then keep going! I found fewer hunters in this area. I never saw them in the field either. Not sure where they went still. I did hear two gun shots. One at 715 sharp on opening morning and one at 11am in the upper Poison Creek basin. During dry weather the elk are at 10,500 in September and October. When the snow falls high they are in the big valley and heading south towards Matheson Reservoir. There north part of the reservoir is private (Hendricks Ranch) so be aware of that.

Thanks for reading.