Elk Hunt

[aspeck]

Just got back from a week in Oak Creek, CO elk hunting with my 15 year old daughter. We had a blast! This is my 4th hunting trip to CO and my daughter's first. I was really hoping she would score, and she did. The first day of the season she was dealing with a very bad cold and stayed in bed ALL day. As she was feeling better she was also dealing with the altitude and altitude sickness. In spite of that, she was able to bag a nice cow and just so we could both shoot one at the same time, I bagged a cow 5 minutes after she did. It was a great time and the freezer is full of elk meat! YEAH!


One of the stands that we used.


A view from the stand


Mule Deer


Elk



Sunset


Sunset in the area the elk were harvested

 

[aspeck]

Moon Rise






Flat tire/blow out on the way home

 

[gm280]

WOW that had to be a great time. Any time you can spend with you children hunting and fishing is the best. My youngest adult son and I were just talking about our past hunting day while he was over today. We had a mother black bear and her little cub come by us one day while we were bow hunting deer. And the mother was about 15 feet from out ladder stands and never even knew we were there. Amazing to watch them walk through our area that close and never know we were watching.

As for Elk, I was watching four cow elks on a live elk camera on the very last day of the camera broadcasting just this week from Pennsylvania. It was about 1/2 hour before dark and four elk cows were walking through the field on the live cam. Meat. Bravo on both of your harvests.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Great pix ART! I have that same jack in my street rod "just in case". Bummer you had a flat. But 2 elk in the coolers probably eased the pain......

 

[GA_Boater]

Pretty country. And plenty of meat from 2 cows. :thumb:

 

[southkogs]

At the Grand Canyon with the family right now - saw several elk (one bull) and thought of you guys! Great pictures, glad y'all had a great trip ... and a spare tire!

 

[angus63]

Outstanding. I have never tasted elk...

 

[angus63]

Question... how difficult was it to get an out of state license for elk in CO?

 

[Tnstratofam]

Awesome pics! Good that you are passing on to your daughter a love for the hunt, and the appreciation for what nature is and can be. Congratulations to you both on a successful hunt.

 

[bajaunderground]

Awesome...I got a cow last year so I was gonna forgo hunting...my freezer took a dump, now I'm out of meat Great hunting area in Oak Creek we're not too far where we hunt. Just out side Kremmling

 

[aspeck]

Question... how difficult was it to get an out of state license for elk in CO?

Come on down and I will grill you some steaks!

It depends on where you want to hunt and what season. We have never had an issue in the area we hunt ... Our area has a large population of elk, but not trophy elk, so lots of tags available. We prefer 2-3 season because we like to hunt mule deer also and mule deer aren't in 1st. (We were 1st this year because of accommodations). 2-4th season bull tags are over the counter sales. 1st season we have never been denied either sex tags and can usually get cow tags. You just have to plan early. If I could afford it I would go every year, but out of state bull tags are approx $650. Travel, lodging, food, trespass fees, it adds up. Every 2 - 3 years is about all I can do.

 

[gm280]

Aspect, what did you use to harvest those Elks? I see what looks like a heavy bore bolt action thumb-hole stocked rifle, what caliber 270, 3006, or even a 300 Win Mag? Looks like a Leopold scope as well. What ranges were your shots? An old hunter is interested.

 

[MTboatguy]

Good job. The .270 with the right bullet will put an elk down with no problems at all, I have been shooting them for over 40 years with a .270 my Dad and I purchased when I was 12, one shot, one kill.

Those that have never had Elk all I can say is

I am sorry, it is some of the best eating meat that you will ever have.

 

[aspeck]

GM, my gun (in the picture) is a Remington in .300 SAUM with a Leopold scope and Boyd stock. I got it from an ex-sniper and it shoots really fine. My daughter is shooting a Savage .270 that I lightened the trigger to 3 lb pull. It has a Center Point 3-16x scope with red and green recticle illumination. It also is glass bedded with a Boyd thumb hole stock and was tapped with a removable muzzle brake.

Her shot was 75 yards with a rest. She hit it twice (double lung both times) and it never moved from the time of first shot till it dropped. She did not want to shoot the second time, but I have learned to anchor those animals or you might loose them. As we were walking to her animal, mine was standing 150-175 yards away. It was an off-hand shot that spined the animal and it dropped in it's tracks. Daughter wanted to know why mine dropped so quickly. Good eating for sure!

 

[sphelps]

Incredible pics speck ! I've never hunted but I think it would be enjoyable .... I would imagine with 2 elk your freezer must be busting at the seams !

 

[gm280]

GM, my gun (in the picture) is a Remington in .300 SAUM with a Leopold scope and Boyd stock. I got it from an ex-sniper and it shoots really fine. My daughter is shooting a Savage .270 that I lightened the trigger to 3 lb pull. It has a Center Point 3-16x scope with red and green recticle illumination. It also is glass bedded with a Boyd thumb hole stock and was tapped with a removable muzzle brake.

Her shot was 75 yards with a rest. She hit it twice (double lung both times) and it never moved from the time of first shot till it dropped. She did not want to shoot the second time, but I have learned to anchor those animals or you might loose them. As we were walking to her animal, mine was standing 150-175 yards away. It was an off-hand shot that spined the animal and it dropped in it's tracks. Daughter wanted to know why mine dropped so quickly. Good eating for sure!

I see you like building custom rifles as well. I have so many that I've bedded and reworked triggers that I am use to crisp 3 lb no over travel trigger myself. Some people that shoot my rifles don't like that little trigger pull because they think (wrongly of course) that bumping the rifle will see it off. But that is never going to happen. I also replace stocks with Boyd and Richard MIcrofit stocks. And I install either Leopold or Burris scopes exclusively, nothing else. I've tried all those other brands and keep coming back to Leopold and Burris. For long range shooting I like my Ruger M77 .280 Rem and .300 Win Mag. All those rifles have been reworked with triggers and bedding and scopes. The .280 shoots a little less then dime size groups at 100 yards. The .300 Win Mag about MOA. But my favorite is the .280 Rem. I have the most confidence with that rifle. Timney, of the famed Timney Triggers company, actually did the trigger work himself on that rifle before he sold out to the company. He did some of my other rifles as well.

Tell your daughter that her Elk was dead standing on its feet but didn't know it at the time. I've seen that happen before and it does make you wonder. I have to say, very nice scenery and great harvesting two elk for food. How can anybody ask for anything more. Some of my best hunting memories was not even shooting anything. The wild life and scenery were the most exciting.