Where abouts are you hunting? We hunt the Greenhorn Wilderness every year. If we're lucky enough to get an Antelope tag, then we hunt the Eastern plains.of dreaming comes true.
@Buzzard Breath and I decided this year was the year to try and make an elk hunt come true. After close to 4 months of anxiously awaiting draw results we got the good news, tag drawn!
The purpose of this thread is to hold myself accountable, plain and simple. Feel free to follow along, offer tips or just stir the top like any good Tndeer member would.
I've always tried to stay in decent shape, just makes doing life easier. Having long and short term goals makes the fitness journey easier and a little more fun. Well, in 3 months a decade of dreaming is coming true. Chasing September elk in the Rocky Mountains! This is a goal that is worth being in the best possible shape as I can. Mentally and physically, as I could argue that both are equally weighted.
My initial goals are rather simple and straightforward. (1) Build my functional strength, endurance and mental fortitude. (2) Consistently shooting some arrows and throwing in some wrenches to simulate field conditions. (3) kill an elk
I'll be showing up to this thread to update my progress. It will be all about fitness, nutrition, scouting and just the normal things that happen while planning a hunt in advance.
Hopefully Buzzard Breath will throw his two pennies worth in. @tellico4x4 will provide the behind the scenes wisdom on actually killing elk, he has already shared his secret to keeping people out of his beer cooler, so I'm sure we will uncover some other secrets to a life full of elk killing.
You're never too old my friend. I'm 76, heading out with 2 of my sons on 9/13. It's tough sometimes, but always fun. Besides, I'd rather die in the field, than in a hospitalYou are doing something that is #1 on my personal bucket list.
I'll never be able to do an archery hunt, just getting too old & not able to climb as easily as I used to.
I will do a rifle hunt at some point over the next few years though.
Good luck, and keep this thread updated as you go thru the adventure.
Why you're just a young man BB. You'll do fine. What usually gets folks sometimes is altitude acclimation.
Yes sir, that seems to be one of the more reasonable outfitters. I've seen them go well over $15 grand. Never used one. Good luck to you guys.
I saw one in Wyoming that was green from rubbing on sage perhaps?? it blended in perfectly in the sage and thank God it rattled!Well, it's September!
I've paused my gym membership last week, been rucking with 46lbs and doing kettle bell stuff. I knew once I stopped lifting weights my body wouldn't like it, I've dropped 4 lbs. It's amazing how much lifting weights revs your metabolism up, it's also unfortunate how quickly one looses muscle mass.
Ive also been shooting 50 plus yards, 30 yards feels like a chip shot now.
Enough of the prep crap, it's almost go time!
I've been out twice at first light and once at last light. Mainly just to listen and glass to mark off spots on the map. No sightings yet but next week it's go time for me. I'll start hitting it hard.
Went out this morning to listen, pull cameras, put out my new ones and set up base camp. Before I get to the exciting camera pics, let me share SE base camp part uno. Tucked in some trees and off the paved road about a mile. Few nights of firewood already laying around that will easily be gathered.
View attachment 241957
Once "the crew" starts arriving we got something special to set up, something to give it that mountain feel. Stay tuned for that.
Speaking of the crew, they will never trust me to pick out a camping spot again. For one, I've got a trail cam surprise that isn't for the faint of heart and two….I discovered a huge fire ant hill right after I snapped the above picture!
View attachment 241958
Everything here is either trying to eat you, bite you or sting you. Sunday I went to a spot to glass, on my way back to the truck where I had camp set up I stumbled upon a big prairie rattler.
View attachment 241960
After we kill a couple giant bulls we can just place the skull on the hill and let them clean it for us
Ours is a little over 10,000'
We kind of camp and hunt old school. Very few modern conveniences. Just fun. I'll post some pics of the hunt when we get back. Next Saturday at this time we'll be "spot & stalk".
8200'
Hope that big boy has a hefty stand.....After BB and I came up with a plan for base camp uno I decided to put some el cheapo cans out closer to camp, if you consider 2 miles close to camp.
First spot was a deep ravine with some old rubs, second spot was a solid trail in a creek bottom with year round water and the third was basically the same as the first but not quite as much of a pinch point. Basically I surrounded the entrance and exit of the North side of the creek bottom.
I chose cheap cams because 1.) afraid someone might steal them 2.) that's all I had at the time
I think I got pics of every large game species in the unit with the exception of pronghorn. I even got a pic of our competitors.
Pic of bobcat in spot 1
View attachment 242081
The 2 legged competitor
View attachment 242082
I was actually surprised to see another hunter in this spot. Probably has hunted here before if I had to guess, also surprised he didn't see my cam, even though the card n batteries are the only thing worth a dang.
I'm afraid he will raid our beer cooler, gonna have to set traps to keep em out!
There were some good ways to keep food caches secured on ALONE. You might want to watch
that's a badass pic!!
