Virtual Elk Hunt

2^nd Rifle Season

Wheatley Creek

Troublesome Basin Colorado

October 17-25, 2009

If you are a non-resident of Colorado or just have a lot of vacation time to burn you would be hard pressed to find a better rifle season to hunt than second rifle season. First rifle season is nice and has very good statistics. Second rifle season is nine days long and is a combined deer and elk hunting season. November hunting seasons are largely dependent on snow to get the elk moving. Snow is a blessing and a curse. You will find it much easier to track animals in the snow. However, snow makes it much harder for you to get around on foot or by vehicle. One suggestion for your vehicles – bring a good pair of chains for your tires. You can read about my 2008 hunt in this same area here.

There is much more to the Troublesome that meets the eye. What you think is a short hike to a nearby ridge or mountain can take you through many creek valleys. It takes twice as long to get anywhere in the Troublesome. For example, in the photo above Elk Mountain appears to loom over us. What you don’t see are the many deep creek valleys between where we stand on the Wheatley Creek trail to the timberline of Elk Mountain. There are even a few roads in between. It would take hours to travel the four to six mile hike. What you don’t see on most maps are the details in the topographical depths and the many water sources that are so small they never make it to commercial maps. You want to hunt the small places. You want to locate the tiny meadows and small valleys where a little creek continues to trickle this late in the season. You always want to hunt in the trees and follow game trails slowly as you walk around from feeding to bedding areas. Remember every stick cracking sound IS something to investigate. That’s how we ran into moose during our trip.

If you like crowds then you’ll love 2^nd rifle season. It was BUSY! Here’s the trailhead. The National Forest Service has plans to trim dead trees out of this area. There are many dead trees that must be cut so visitors can visit and NOT have to dodge falling trees during their stay. Look for that to happen in 2010. Funny thing is we never saw another hunter in the field. We did hear plenty of rifle shots. Most shots seem to ring out between 8am and 11am in the mornings. And more shots were heard from 2pm until 6pm in the afternoons when animals were moving around. We talked to a hunter who took a monster muley on opening day. It was a huge buck for this area. The deer are definitely on the rebound after two harsh winters in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008.

We saw license plates from Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Texas, Utah, etc.

We found a previously used campsite that someone with horses and/or mules used during first rifle season. It was a good spot with beautiful views.

It appears the previous campers in this spot got a nice elk. They left some hide scraps behind. The hides were HEAVY. The winter coat elk grow are heavier than they look. First rifle season was a very good season. It snowed and the peak of the elk rut wasn’t far behind. First rifle season also holds the element of surprise. After a lengthy archery and muzzleloader season there is a nice break of about two weeks where the elk can return to their routine.

We head up the Wheatley Creek trail along a small creek and through many nice meadows and aspen stands. The Troublesome is a beautiful place. The boys are learning a lot. They learned how to read sign, where to find elk, what is fresh sign and what is old. They are also learning survival skills, bb-gun safety and how to be quiet and listen to the sounds of nature. The experience a child gets from being in the outdoors can stay with them for the rest of their lives. Thanks to my Dad and Grandfather for showing me the wonders of nature.

The elk migrate out this way. They’ll hold up here for a while in this lush valley eating aspen and nibbling on grasses. Snow determines when they will travel through this area. A migration down this valley leads to private ranch lands below where they will winter depending on how harsh winter is. The winter of 2008-2009 was very windy which helped to blow the snow away and allowed the elk to find food without digging through deep snow. Elk didn’t have to migrate all the way to Kremmling that winter.

The trail took us to this intersection where a small creek flowed from the right. That’s where you want to look for elk. Elk won’t be out in the open of large meadows feeding. They will be in the trees and nibbling on grasses down by very small creeks.

The creek was small but it was flowing. That’s all you need to find elk. I always hunt within a mile of water. Most water sources aren’t found on most maps. You’ll have to discover them yourself.

On one hand you don’t have to go far up the trail to find deer. We ran into three deer just up and over the ridge on the right side of this photo. We ran into two moose on top of the ridge. This photo shows the beauty of the Troublesome. Lush stands of aspens, rolling pine covered ridges and a trail that takes you through miles of beautiful terrain. Bring a horse and you’ll enjoy it even more. The grasses look brown in this photo but there were plenty of green grasses to eat for October.

Here’s where we got off the trail. We walked up this short but very steep ridge to the top where we found a very deep game trail. Elk love to run the ridges during the day. Nearly every ridge and creek valley has elk and deer in them. Elk tend to concentrate more in the middle of the Troublesome. Elk can be found in more rugged areas than this during rifle seasons. Like Paradise, Ethel, Siebert, Hay Park, Timber, Haystack and McBride creeks. Of course you can find elk just about anywhere. There are 3,000 elk in the basin and they are very spread out. Don’t forget the Poison Creek basin area. Hunters will really stir the elk around during a rifle season. You want to find the places in between that are quiet and NO ONE has visited yet.

We found elk beds about halfway up the ridge. There was a small herd that moved through the area recently. Timing is everything when hunting elk. Elk beds are easy to differentiate between deer and moose. Their size is larger than deer when bedded but smaller than moose. This sign was encouraging. If these beds were smelly then I would consider them to be fresh. I suspect the elk moved through between rifle seasons.

The pine beetle has done a thorough job of killing trees. Fir trees that grow at higher elevations have largely been spared. Parts of this area have been logged and reseeded. Those new trees have also been killed in some places. I don’t think the pine beetle prefers young tress but I also think they were desperate since most of the lodge pole pines are dead. What happens next is anyone’s guess. Will fire destroy this place? Will wind blow down the trees? We glassed the open area on the ridge for elk moving. It was getting close to dusk.

We walked a nice game trail on top of the ridge for a while. We made soft cow calling sounds as we walked. That’s when we started hearing some sticks breaking just over the top of the ridge. They saw us before we saw them but moose are rarely that scared of humans. The moose population in the area is on the rise. The Bull Moose is in the center and the cow he was with is heading off to the left.

This is the kind of game trail I love to find. Most game trails will parallel hiking trails. And in this area most ridges that run long enough will have a well-defined game trail running along the top. We followed this trail for a long way. We found plenty of fresh tree scrapes in the area. If you are in the area during the rut you shouldn’t have to search far for rutting elk. Archery is usually prime time for finding bulls roaming around looking and bugling for cows.

We awoke to a light rain moving through the area. I had hoped for snow but it was just too warm for snow. That’s Corral Peak in the background. There is a very long and lush meadow to the right that wraps around to higher elevations. The big meadow is met by lots of smaller meadows and creeks that flow into it. The bad news is the main road (FR 112) winds its way up an over the mountain nearby making this a not so perfect place to hunt. Studies show that vehicle traffic will push elk further into remote areas, especially during hunting season.

This game trail ends in this tight creek valley. We found a lot of moose sign in the area. Some elk and deer have been through here too.

The valley tightened up as the creek flowed downhill closer to a larger meadow. This is a good place to find elk. The trees provide the safety they need and the valley provides food and water. Nearby ridges allow for a quick escape if they detect danger.

This is a beautiful meadow tucked nicely between two tall ridges. Too bad it was empty today. This is also why the area is so deceiving. From the saddle we crossed up higher that led to this meadow it appeared it was a short hike to the nearby ridge tops. We had plans to follow ridge tops along a game trail and sneak through the forest like ghosts. But instead we found ourselves 500 feet below the ridge tops.

We found a LOT of moose sign in the area. Beds, tracks, scat and even a wallow. I didn’t think moose wallowed but apparently they do. As you can see there were plenty of green grasses to eat in the area. It had been a very lush summer.

Higher up FR 112 there is a cut off to FR 125. FR 125 will take you into the lush upper meadows on the south facing side of Corral Peaks. Despite all the dead pine this area is still very lush. Notice the reseeded younger pines in the middle of the photo. They didn’t survive the pine beetle either. This area has been heavily logged in the past. This area is like heaven if you are looking for a nice place to camp in the summer. The roads in the area are very good - until they get wet.

The Gore Range looms in the distance. This view is looking west near the saddle on the road between Elk Mountain and the Corral Peaks. This is the point where you look over all the huntable land and ask yourself why you are here. The elk could be anywhere. This is a lot of land to hike in search of elk. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Elk prefer much more remote areas than this. You’ll want horses, a warm wall tent and plenty of time to find the elk. I’ve been in this area since 2003 and have yet to find that traditional rutting area where all the trees are rubbed and the ground is churned up. I’ll just have to keep looking.

At the summit looking east towards the front range mountains you can see more endless huntable areas in Unit 18. There are more roads on this side in the Cabin Creek access area. There was more snow as we were near 10,500 feet. Our destination was the Elk Mountain trail and the upper Ethel Creek area.

Looking north you can see the Never Summer Mountains. There is so much land to hunt and so little time. Where do you start? Start in the middle of the Troublesome. There are many, many people who hunt the edges where access is easy. To find elk you really have to get away from the roads and put in a lot of miles on foot.

We found this lone bull track along the hiking trail. That was encouraging. As we headed further along the Elk Mountain trail we saw a LOT more elk sign. Maybe we should have camped up higher where there was more snow and places for elk to hide. Some of the sign showed elk escaping out of the upper Ethel Creek area into Sawmill Gulch.

Here is where the trail splits. Elk Mountain Trail heads along the top of the ridge to the right in this photo. We were headed into the upper Ethel Creek area to the left. There are many lush meadows in the Ethel Creek area.

We slipped our way down the muddy trail. This trail is STEEP. If you are on horses you better be careful. Notice the snow on the north side of the trees ahead? There are some large bulls that make this area home during late seasons. A big bull can postpone his migration down the mountain longer than cows. The fir trees in the area provide plenty of cover. From here it may be a 20-25 mile slow migration down the mountain. I’ve seen very large winter elk scat in the area in the past.

Looking northwest from upper Ethel Creek you get an idea for how vast the area can be. I believe the peaks in the background are Sheep, Haystack and part of Parkview Mountains. There is so much more to the Troublesome that you can ever see on a map or satellite photo. I highly recommend the area to anyone who wants to experience a classic western elk hunt. Bring horses and a lot of your friends and make some memories. It is one of the most beautiful places in Colorado.

My best experience in this area was in June 2007 when I found not one but two nice 6x6 skulls not far from here. I believe one was a winter kill and the other died in a fight. I found them closer to the Wheatley Creek trail-head than the Elk Mountain trail-head. But I didn’t have a map and the truck was parked at the Elk Mountain Trail-head so I had to hike the long way back with two skulls. That was painful.

Some lucky hunter carries a young 6x6 in the back of his truck on a rainy day. I would have liked to hear his story. Second season can be a long season. It will wear you out if you are not in shape.

Remember those elk hides we found at our campsite? Once we got the hides home my dog “Buddy” found them. It wasn’t pretty. He turned from cute puppy into a rabid wolf! Here a photo of me trying to pull him off of “his kill.” He wasn’t playing around. His instincts kicked in and he saw me as a threat.

A split second later he turned his white fangs on me! You should never mess with a Yorkie when he is working on a fresh kill. This isn’t the first time he has tasted the blood of an elk and went mad.

During a recent snow storm the dog got out again and found the hide under several inches of snow. I followed his tracks to kill site. This made for another photo opportunity. I should really move those hides to a better (higher) place.

That’s it for 2009. Our season comes to an end and now the editing begins. We have some good footage that you can watch in “Elk Heaven 2009” on DVD coming soon.