Week Five

Virtual Elk Hunt

September 22/23, 2007

Unit 38

Near Tolland, CO

It’s the last weekend for archery this year and overall I’d have to say it was a quiet year. No major snowstorms or other extreme weather. In other words it was a normal September but a little on the warm and dry side. But not this last weekend. A nice soaking rain followed me everywhere I went. I don’t mind. The wool keeps me warm and I’m close enough to home to sleep in a warm bed while my clothes dry out. Hunting Unit 38 has its benefits I suppose. It’s no backcountry wilderness hunt with horses, wall tents and wood-burning stoves but it is still hunting. I’ve been so busy at work that it’s taken me two weeks to put this together. It’s hard to juggle work and elk this time of year.

Back to Jumbo Mountain where a variety of habitat awaits. Stuck between private lands and starting out with a long, steep climb there are plenty of places to go. Thick stands of aspen and pine. Small meadows and small springs near the top. Plenty of room and not another hunter to share it with. I suppose they all go up high on Rollins Pass road, Mammoth Gulch or in the James Peak Wilderness. That’s ok with me.

Down low I get myself tangled in the willows. What a wild maze it is. In my attempts to escape I ran across some fresh sign. Then a stick breaks just ahead of me. The wind is still and the rain is steady. Hunting the willows is like playing with a jack in the box toy. You never know exactly when it is going to go off. You can’t help but make noise either. You either break twigs on almost every step or trip over something in the high grass. The deep grass makes a swishing sound as it grabs at your feet. All normal sounds to elk. Wool is quiet so I don’t worry about that. It’s the sounds of plastic, metal or fabric that is unnatural in elk country. Elk know that and don’t stick around long – they know what make those human sounds. But in the willows it’s a different story. What they can’t see or smell they disregard. And the upcoming peak of the rut has left some bulls less than wary.

I see through the thick tangle a dark movement. Not far away as I sneak through. I often use my digital camera’s zoom feature to see ahead. It’s an elk! A young bull staring back at me not quite sure what I am yet. He smells the air like all smart bulls do. I can’t see how many points he has. Two photos later he is gone. Which brings me to the likely ending in such close quarters. He crashes away breaking sticks and his heavy hooves thump along on the ground. Then nothing. Not a single sound is made. Did he stop? Is he circling? Is he already on private land? I’ll never know. Who can get a shot in the willows? With limbs sticking out every which way. It’s like a jungle in there.

I walk a fine line between public and private land. Where I am on the map seems to justify where I’m standing. No fences, no posted signs to be found. I doubt there is any piece of ground that hasn’t been stepped on in these parts. One thing remains constant. Land is being consumed little by little every year. Sad to say but I wouldn’t mind a cabin in these woods. A place to go and read a book during lazy summer weekends. Or a place to tell stories around the fireplace on a cold winter night. But then I’d be taking up yet another section of elk country leaving a little less for them. Good thing for me and the elk I can’t afford a cabin. Only a van down by river. Maybe.

I don’t elk “hunt’ anymore. I do a lot more elk “hiking” instead. It seems to describe what I do best. Isn’t that what the N,S,E,W means on the compass? Never Stop Endlessly Walking. I put in the miles until I find fresh sign. This time of year it can be tricky. Wet pellets could be new or old. With nightly frost then a warming sun to melt the frost old pellets can easily be mistaken for new. You have to step on them. Pellets can dry up quickly. Do the smash under your boot? Or do they crack open? Best sign you can every find in elk country is fresh, green scat. Just like I found. I soon forgot how my feet hurt. I need new boots. Something comfortable. I hit the breaks got down to look under the trees. Because we stand upright we miss a lot of movement under the tree limbs. Elk, on the other hand, see our movement often before we see them because they are on all fours. A pair of legs moving is very different than two pairs. Once I find fresh sign I walk super slow. At this point ANY sound I make is too much. I remember what a friend and successful elk hunter told me. When you get close make no sound. His secret was time in elk country and the fact when he got close he made no noise at all. That can be hard but not if you move slowly. I look where I step before I move. Lucky for me the forest floor is soft and wet from a good steady rain. That’s when I caught the movement. It was every so slight. Just the twitch of an ear listening through the rain. The ear gives was to the head of cow. I see the white rump of another cow. They are grazing. Rainy days have been good to me in the past. The sounds are dampened, the wind is slight if any. Windy days can also be very productive as it can easily eliminate any noise and even our scent. I’m now practically laying on the wet ground to see under the tree limbs. More legs slowly moved from the base of a log or plant. There isn’t a lot of cover. I go from tree to tree to break up my human shape. I’ve closed in to 75 yards now. The bull is active. Checking his cows. All is quiet until he bugles in frustration. Just a low bugle. I’ve heard a lot of that type of bugle this year. If you’re not within 100 yards you’ll never hear it. I guess this is the way elk talk these days. They don’t want to give away their position as easily as they did in the 1980s. Not all elk do this low bugle but the herd bulls seem to. At least now, before the peak of the rut. It all depends on human pressure and competition from other elk I guess. I haven’t done a lot of calling myself this year. I just feel like we’re over doing it and the elk are catching on. I think the cows are too smart. They know every mew out there and it’s becoming harder to be convincing. Not a sound I remind myself.

The bull circles when I get too close. Not close enough for a shot but close enough to enjoy the moment. His nose high, smelling the air with a powerful nose. I’ve had several situations like this throughout the years. Where I dog the herd like a coyote only to inadvertently push them along in a direction I either can’t follow or can’t keep up. Darkness comes quickly this time of year. I’m still not use to the sun going down so early. The cows always seem to know when something is up. The lead cow takes her clan away slowly. Closer to private lands. The long walk back to the truck in the dark with my headlamp shinning on the rain is almost hypnotizing. It’s not long before I crank up the truck, turn on the heater and drive home. It’s been a good season like always. Any time in elk country is always a good time. Closing the deal has always been difficult for me. First of all I don’t spend enough time in ONE spot long enough to get an elk. Timing and location are the two biggest parts of hunting. Which is more important? It’s like the question: which came first the chicken or the egg? Elk hunting takes a lot of effort. I suppose one day I’ll time it just right and be in the right location. I know the timing of the peak of the rut very well now. The only problem is this year it fell outside of any hunting season. Even though 1^st rifle hunters will benefit the most (again) from a late rut. I’ll be out again with the rest of the orange army again in Unit 18. Playing my cards somewhere in the Troublesome. Though the Indian Peaks Wilderness is always a great place to be opening day of first rifle season. I just don’t have the energy for it. Too many steep slopes. I’ll trade that for more mild terrain and a larger elk population in the Troublesome.

Thanks for reading!