After many years of asking, it finally worked out for my daughter to join my friends and I on our annual pilgrimage out west. She gave up hunting for friends a few years ago so it was very nice to have her join me even at the drive me crazy age of 15. After a grueling 26 hour drive from Pensacola, Serena elected to hang around camp for a few days and let me have opening day to myself. On opening day I saw a total of 46 elk with 4 of them being shooter bulls but none presented to right opportunity. Getting back to camp I discovered one of my buddies got lucky enough to get a 6X6 that wound up scoring 330 gross and 322 7/8 net. WOW! to say the least (finished packing him out at 2:30 a.m. Another guy missed a 6X6 at 15 yards. All hunters saw shooter bulls that day. All but one guy slept in on the second day including myself (a first for me). The one guy that went saw 6 bulls and wound up killing a nice 5X6. That afternoon my daughter joined me and got to see her first elk in the wild. We wound up seeing 9 including 3 bulls. I called up a nice 5X5 and messed up the shot at 40 yards with my daughter video taping it for all the guys to see. You gotta love a lumenock to provide great video. 30 minutes later I get the radio call that one of my buddies has a 4X4 on the ground and we end our hunt to pack another one out. On day three my daughter elected to sleep in and about 11 a.m. I was wishing I had done the same. I had only saw elk, a decent 5X5 with no shot. Shortly there after I walked up on three cows that eventually winded me at 30 yards and took off with several more elk I had never seen. 10 minutes later a small 4X4 runs a cow to within 5 feet of me. She kicked dirt on me when she saw me and came to a screeching halt. 15 minutes later, a decent 5X6 appears from no where and skirts me at 60 yards. Fortunately, I had a cow at 35 yards and he turned and came right to her. After the shot, the bull headed for the road and pilled up just 50 yards. Finally a short pack out . That afternoon, hunter #6 failed to harvest a nice deer at 15 yards and got a little bummed. The next morning he passed a small 5X5 feeding at 40 yards. On day five he ended up shooting and loosing a nice 5X5. On day 6 we headed back south to the blistering heat. All 6 hunters had shots on bulls and all 6 passed on numerous cows. In total I saw 67 elk before I left and got tons of video. This was more elk than I have seen in my previous 6 years of elk hunting combined. Add on to that, I got to spend tons of time with my daughter. What a year to remember!
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Wow, what unit were you in? Public or private?

Great hunt and some really nice pictures. Thanks for sharing. Makes me want my rifle hunt to get started. Have to wait for another 6 weeks though.

With a hunt like that I think you should consider your daughter your good luck charm! She has to go every year now!

Congrats, those are some nice bulls. Can't wait till I can get out there this year.

I was hunting public land in unit 62. My duaghter has laready suggested that it was all due to her and that she should miss school every year to go. My only regret is that I will not be back in two weeks for the rut like I have been in the past. I really love getting one fired up and having him screaming at you.

Congrats on a great hunt. Some nice animals! Just an FYI, lumenock's are illegal in CO. I wouldn't broadcast you were using them.

That's awesome! I enjoyed reading your story. Congrats!

Congrats!!

One heck of a hunt, seem to really buck the trend as with the weather lots of guys aren't finding much action yet...congrats....