It was a bull sanctuary where they would have food, water, and cover all in an undisturbed 20-acre area. We were hunting a spot I knew well that had produced in the past with sightings and a few bulls in the last decade. I told Mike I wanted elk burger this winter and thought we should go try and fill our bull tags. Mike ended up taking a nice buck a few days later, but the weather was not conducive for the old mountain monarchs to show themselves and with high pressure and warm temps forecast for the remainder of the season, deer hunting was going to be tough. A couple of small bucks and a few does were all we saw and the few rifle shots we heard were most likely little bucks hitting the dirt. On opening day, I sat with my buddy, Mike Messier, overlooking a canyon that has been productive for deer in the past. The author and his hunting partner had to backpack the elk quarters to a place where horses could pack them the rest of the way out. The fun wears off when it's time to carry elk meat on your back, but the reward is worth the pain. Mike and Mike posing with the last load out. Elk were expected to be holed up in unhuntable spruce jungles in the dark timber or on private land sanctuaries where almost no hunting was allowed. The kid behind the counter wished me luck and we talked about the warm, dry weather and lack of success by other elk hunters he knew, and the grim prospects to kill a bull with the conditions and previous seasons already taken place. Procrastinators take heed: I ended up at True Value Hardware on the afternoon before the 3rd season opener buying my bull tag. I’ve never been an archery hunter and wasn’t going to attempt an elk hunt with very little practice with my bow, so that realistically left me the 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons with unlimited tag opportunity in many Western Slope units as my fallback option. However, I do live in country with fantastic elk herds, even though many of them now magically find themselves on private land on opening week of archery season. I had drawn a buck tag, and with the season structure offering a later opening, I had prioritized that hunt. What I got instead was a refund and a bit of uncertainty on what my plans might be. I had applied for a limited entry unit as my first choice and then for a limited either-sex license in the 4th rifle season as my second choice. Last summer, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for elk hunting in my home state of Colorado. Avoid the Application Apocalypse and go hunting!
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