Virtual Elk Hunt

Wheatley/ Corral Creek Area

Troublesome Basin, CO

September 6-7, 2008

 

 

 

 

The first setof photos are from a friend who was up in Estes Park, CO for the festival.  This 7x7 is impressive.  His 3rds are exceptionally long.  His antlers have been darkened almost black as dark timber.  Where has he been hiding all year?  This is exactly why we say timing is everything.  Because the biggest bulls come out of hiding to participate in the peak of the rut.  You don’t see them at the beginning of the rut and you won’t see them near the end either.  That’s because they are almost always in hiding.  Truly big bulls are very solitary, remote animals. Trusting their own instinct and experience instead of the comfort and safety of a bachelor group to hang out with.   What most of us see are satellite bulls who take more chances and are more desperate to claim their herd maybe for their first time.  I don’t mind.  Satellite bulls make the best photo opportunities and come in closer than herd bulls do.  Those satellites will make more noise, cover more ground and try hard to steal a cow away any chance they get.  Sure the herd bull is mean, vocal and impressive but often times the satellites ARE the future herd bulls. They are just biding their time until it is their turn.

 

 

Notice how his antlers blend in with the willows behind him.  His tan color blends in so well with the tall grasses. Look at his 4th tine on his left side.  It is very tall.  Why doesn’t he have any cows?  Or why doesn’t he have any cows yet is more like it.  I’m sure he will.  He’s just in staging for now.  Soon he will find his cows (which might belong to another herd bull) and move in.  It’s just a matter of time for a bull this size. 

 

 

My friend first saw the bull from this view.  Can you find him in this photo?  I wonder how many times I’ve walked past elk and never even knew it. I don’t want to know.   I’m told the bull was bedded alone and chewing his cud (rechewing his food).

 

 

Uh oh.  Too many people getting too close for photos.  He’s out of there.  You can tell by his neck he’s been wallowing.  Not necessarily in mud but he’s wearing a stinky cologne to advertise his availability with any cows in the area.  

 

Back to reality.  EstesPark elk are a lot of fun to see and a great way to introduce kids to bugling bulls.  These elk are very domesticated.  Such a contrast compared to elk in the wilderness and public lands that are heavily hunted.  I’m certain we could all find elk. Location is very, very important but timing is everything.

 

I learned two things this weekend.  One, elk seem to be responding better to a realistic bugle than a cow call at this time.  A lot depends on the size of the bull too.  I witnessed something very interesting early Sunday morning.  It appears some other hunters were in the same area.  I saw what I thought was a bull at first light.  He was in a small creek valley.  I think the other hunters saw him too.  They tried cow calling but the elk just didn't budge.  No reaction at all.  After a few minutes they tried a bugle.  Still no reaction.  Honestly it sounded too fabricated. Like some bugles on the market.  It just sounded like a toy or the wrong kind of tube.  The elk didn't move.  However, the man-made bugle convinced another bull to bugle up the valley.  Just as soon as the real bull bugled (it was very convincing) the elk I was watching bugled right back. That confirmed I was looking at a bull.  He started heading in the direction of the real bull up the valley.  That's when I lost them both and it was quiet the rest of the morning.  I know certain bulls during specific times of the year only want to hear another bugle.  I call them fighters because they don't care to hear a cow call. They want to challenge the bugle.  I just wish I was that convincing with my bugling.  I can almost always tell a man made bugle. Bulls have a very unique way of calling that few manufacturers and few people can reproduce consistently.  Elk also know where a call is likely to come from.  A hiking trail or road is NOT one of those places.  Position and a convincing elk call will get you better results.

 

The other thing that happened I observed from up high around Corral Peaks.  I was glassing a lower valley just at the perfect time.  I hadn't seen anything moving on the fringes of the many meadows below.  Then I see two cow elk running uphill about halfway up this one valley.  Like something is chasing them.  They looked serious.  It was about 1 mile away from my position.  The camera didn't capture a thing but my binoculars did.  I kept watching them and finally I saw a large bodied bull trying to circle them.  He looked to be a 5x5 or maybe a small 6x6.  It was hard to tell from that distance.  I wish I had photos.  The whole event might have lasted 30 seconds or less.  The cows stayed ahead of him and he slowed to a trot as they went in and out of the trees.  I could see flashes of tan now and then. It was still early so I headed in that direction.  I didn't catch up with them. For all I know they could still be running away from the bull.  It was funny to watch the bull.  It was like he was doing it all wrong.  He was trying to force the cows to be in his harem and they were  saying NO WAY!   I marked the spot on my map in hopes of finding elk in that area.   I learned even if a valley looks quiet and it appears nothing is happening the elk are probably just hiding well.  This was around 930am.   That's why it's important to check out every valley. Either by glassing it or by hiking it.  You never know which valley is hot. 

 

 

My jump off point this weekend started from the Wheatley Creek Trailhead.  I would head north to see if I could repeatlast year’s luck.  What I call Corral Creek really isn’t a named creek at all. I should call it North Fork Corral Creek because the actual Corral Creek starts in a deep valley east of the Wheatley Creek Trailhead.  I wanted to head north and see if I could make it to the Confluence.  I would travel mostly off the trail and try to hit the small meadows along the way. 

 

The weather has been warm and dry.  Nights are cool and I’ve seen frost in some areas.  The sun is relentless in many ways.  It is very warm and it is very bright.  This is what archers have to deal with.  It could snow or you could come home with a deep tan. You never know. 

 

 

It is still very green andsummer like.  Flowers can be found inmany different colors. 

 

Mornings are still the best time to see elk.  Afternoons are often better than you think. Evenings are very quiet and darkness comes before the elk really come out.  There is a full moon on the way September 15th.  Days are warm and the elk are absolutely under trees with a nice cool breeze blowing their way.  This makes it very difficult to hunt but perfect for sleeping.  Best I can do is find a wallow that looks like it has been visited recently, sleep, read and eat. It’s a good life.  If anything it was a very relaxing weekend in the Troublesome. I see some hunters and give them a friendly wave.  Hunters rarely give up much information.  Or they flat out lie to you.  So a wave seems to satisfy everyone involved.  Hikers on the other hand are pretty helpful.  However, if you see any hikers in the Troublesome they are problem “elk hikers” like me.  Hunting is a very small part of the day.

 

 

I happened upon a meadow inthe general area of where I found a nice bull early in the season and then never again after that.  If you seen “ElkHeaven 2007” then you know the bull. Part of me wonders if he was also the bull I found dead in June 2008 near Hwy 40.   Click here to read about that discovery. But there are a lot of nice bulls in the Troublesome.  It’s also in the same general area of where I found a nice 6x6 in 2007.  You can read the details to that discovery here.  It is password protected so beware of that.  This area has produced a lot of potential for me over the last two years. It continues to produce.  And this is just a dot on the map if you look at the Troublesome area as a whole.

 

Two things are happening that benefited me. One the moon is waxing so nights are mostly dark.  Because the moon comes upearly and sets early.  Elk move more during the day when the nights are dark. That’ll change everyday as we get closer to the 15th.  The other thing that helps is the fact it is early in the season and elk are still sort of stuck in summer mode. They know the rut is on but they are also still relaxed. That will change when the muzzleloader season begins on the 13th. 

 

 

This bull was over 100 yardsaway (thank you zoom lens).  And he was on the move.  One thing about elk I learned is when they have some place to go you can’t stop them or change their mind.  I had the feeling he was either challenging or defending cows.  I started taking photos so I could track his trajectory on the map.  He’s very similar in size to the bull I found dead in June 2007 (above).

 

 

He’s healthy too.  See the veins in his left front leg?  Even his coat is very smooth and healthy.  The sun was relentless.  Even though he is sneaking through the trees at the base of a ridge he is only exposed slightly as he is walking fast.  I first detected him because of hismovement.  He was in the shade at thattime.  Notice the sun is even too much for his eyes.

 

 

Here is where it gets interesting.  He’s a 6x7 not a 6x6.  His right antler has an extra tine between his 3rd and sword (normally his 4th) tine.  Very nice!  I can’t believe he stopped to eat. He was walking for a destination and then he stops to eat.  Is he away from his cows?  Is he alone?   I was pretty shocked at this point to see a 6x7 alone.  He was headed into the wind and I was trailing so at least he wouldn’t smell me.  But I was in a bad position.  I was behind him.   I wasn’t going to catch him.  I needed to be in front.  The best position to be would be in front so he would follow his natural path.  You can chase elk all day like this.  It isn’t good. 

 

 

At this point I think he is suspicious of something but I’m too far off. It doesn’t take long and he walks out of the opening and into the woods.  I spent the good part of the day trying figure out where he went with no luck. The deep grass did show any prints. I tried to anticipate if he continued on a straight line where he wouldend up.  But without snow I’m not a good tracker.  I gave it a good college try but nothing turned up.  Maybe I can pickup here next week. 

 

 

He appeared to walk with his mouth open at times.  He’s probably smelling the air for the scent of a cow in estrus. 

 

 

And away he goes.  Up and over the ridge and who knows where heended up.  I learned over the years to never chase elk when they are ahead of you and have some place to go. This was one of those situations.  Did I learnanything?  Nope.  I tried to catch up. What was I thinking?  Even if I ran (yeah, right, uphill with gear.  No way.)  I would never catchup.  Never have but I’ve always tried. 

 

 

Walking, walking, walking.  This is why they call it elk hiking I guess.  I found some of this which closely matches my brother’s brain.  Or at least how I imagine it.  On a serious note this is very good sign.  It’s green and very fresh.

 

 

This is very encouraging but old.  A big scrape on the edge of a nice meadow.  Look how green the woods are since the pine beetle opened up the trees to allow moresun to hit the ground.  I found a lot ofscrapes from different years.  This place was hot last year according to the sign. I found a history of tree scrapes in the area.

 

 

Flowers are still out.  Some of every color.  It’s very green still. 

 

 

Fresh elk tracks going in my direction.  I was literally moments away from seeing a lot more elk.  Timing is everything.  I’m confident most of us could find elk without much effort. Anticipating them is an art.  You have to know the area and you have to know the elk. Timing is truly everything.

 

 

Look at the size of this shoulder bone.  Even rifle hunters have trouble missing this.  Many an elk has walked away from a shot by gun and bow when the bullet or arrow hit the shoulder.

 

 

I first found this leg. 

 

 

Then I found where the bull expired.  This area where the coyotes pulled off this hair was huge.  About the size of a Volkswagen. 

 

 

Then I found the lower half of him. His ribs were scattered in the nearby area.   I didn’t find a skull.  That’s the only reason I have to believe he was a bull.  Most people would leave a cow skull behind.  And this skull was no where to be found.

 

 

I kept part of the hoof to compare it to the large elk leg I found in June near Hwy 40.  The hoof I hold in the photo is weathered and worn but still very similar in size.

 

 

A side view of the hooves.  Notice all the scratches?  Those hooves have traveled many miles overall sorts of rocks, logs, roads, etc. 

 

 

Years in the making and suddenly this spring his journey was over. I wonder what he died of.  Old age?  Sickness?  Starvation?  I wonder if our paths ever crossed.  I wonder if we’ve ever seen each other?  Doubtful.  He may have seen or heard me stumbling through the woods lost and cursing. There are many, many elk in the Troublesome. 

 

It was a great weekend.  Relaxing, cold, hot, quiet.  I was happy to at least see elk and hear some distant bugles.  I was especially happy to see that bull. Knowing he is out there and I was close give me hope for another chance.  I didn’t realize he wasa 6x7 until I looked at the photos.

 

Thanks for reading.