Last weekend did a little scouting/recon/work in our elk hunting area. Three of us packed in a substantial amount of supplies into our "spike camp" about four miles back in and cached the supplies for later in October. Cut some firewood (handsaws, shhhhhh!) and moved a deadfall or two for the tent site. After resting up a bit, we reconned some new areas and found new "ambush ridge" with a strong game trail and a sniper's command. Also located two new game trails with good "choke points" that should make for good stands. Saw one group of seven elk and another of about twenty, but.....

the most exciting elk encounter was the group I didn't actually see (and didn't chase after them either). They sounded like a careless army trudging through the fallen timber of mixed quakies and spruce, snap-crackle-pop-bang of broken/bumped timber, the bugling of bulls, and the mewing of cows. The killer instinct stirred but was suppressed for "later".

Slept one night under the stars at the spike camp location --- got serenaded to sleep by elk.
Tis the season. Life is good.

On a separate note, when we came back out to the trail head/parking lot Sunday we cruised further up the road and checked out the Elk Archery camps. It seemed a lot of folks were in camp when IMHO they should have been in the woods. A lot of ATVs (legal only on the graded roads) --- people riding around, racing, doing "donuts" in the middle of the road. I must not understand how this archery elk hunting thing works.

EKM

Sounds like a great expierence. I have often been disgusted at the misuse of ATV's. Indeed there is much of it. In the end the few will probably ruin there use for everyone. I still prefer horses but times change. Most hunter don't have a horse garage I quess.

Good for you. You are fortuniate to be able to go in and do some preseason set up. I do the same here for the archery bow season. My hike is not that far in but the atmosphere of the camp is much the same. In the woods, no driving around, out the tent door and to the hunt.
As far as those "archery hunters?" go, they're the type that leave more room in the woods for the serious and dedicated hunter. As long as the horse play does not interfer with the hunting or damage the area, stays within the law, I hope they enjoy their time out there.

Have a good hunt.

I am sure that got your blood stirring!!!

Yeah, I hate it when people misuse ATV's while hunting. I have seen a lot of it here lately, and have had a couple of hunts ruined because of ignorant people who use them irrisponsibly. Now, here soon I will be able to call myself a hypocrit because I am planning to pick one up at the end of the month. I am going to use it for deer hunting too, but to get to the end of the jeep trails, about 2 miles or more in some cases before I get to the wilderness areas to hunt (which will be on foot of course). Should be interesting, but I need something to make my work easier after just having my kidney transplant in April, and need to make the hikes as short as possible.

GOOD LUCK HUNTING THIS YEAR!!!

charlie brown,

To their credit they WERE obeying the law and staying on the graded roads per the regulations. It just struck me as odd that given it was the second day of the bowhunting season that so many were out riding around (on the graded roads) and not back in where the elk were; stalking, creeping, waiting, calling, scenting, or what ever it is that bowhunters do.

Perhaps these folks were part of the "support team" that came along for some Colorado mountain vacation while the "tag winner" went hunting. They were all dressed in camo and had the bow cases on the ATVs though. Maybe they were just on CDOW's "five year plan".

EKM

Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on how you look at it), I know way to many of these so called bowhunters. Never bothers me to see them though, since they aren't disrupting the Elk herds I chase. They are so lazy they don't even leave the sight of thier coveted ATV. They chase the lost Elk that wander to close to the roads (very few) and about every 3-5 years they kill something. That event keeps them coming back over and over again.

I too managed to get out over the long weekend to scout/hunt my area (Idaho). I was hunting since my hunt is open, but I won't be up there until next week for the entire week. I hiked about 8 miles and saw around 200 elk. Really got my blood flowing. The Elk weren't really bugling yet, but we did hear a few in the early morning and late evening. Starting to go nuts and ready to get up there!

Sounds like we think alike EKM. I went up to my spots this past weekend--just to look around. Saw lots of sign. I'm going in the 1st rifle season. Should be good. I also hunt crossing or saddles. As a bonus got several grouse that me & the Mrs. had for dinner on Labor Day.

On my way out---seemed like most of the bow hunters were in camp along the forest road. Elk hunting separates the men from the boys in a hurry !!

Colorado Bob,

Going 1st rifle elk season also.

I assume you are talking "blue grouse"? We saw three of them on the way back to the truck, but no scatter gun, it WOULD have been easy pickings. Given the amount we carried in I don't think we could have handled another thing.....

With that said, if yours were blue grouse, then (if I may ask) what is your recipe for them? Do you field dress them on the spot or will they handle waiting until you get back to camp?

I've always thought it would be nice to "harvest" a couple of them in the week prior to the season (close to the road of course).

EKM

While I was on my weekend bowhunting trip to the woods, I saw several campsites over the Labor Day Weekend, and saw the Atv's out cruising around and yes the donuts in the middle of the road, alot of these people I am guessing to be campers taking there last weekend venture for the year and several of them I am guessing scouting the area for the upcoming rifle elk season, and last but not least, the grouse hunters driving the roads for the birds...

I sure enjoy being a bowhunter and getting way back in the woods with my backpack and tent, no noise but the beautiful sound of elk bugling, the nice sound of a crick trickling, peace and quiet at its best, no rifle shots echoing from canyon to canyon, this is paradise for sure!!!

I am an avid bowhunter and rifle hunter that employes the use of a quad to haul camp in and meat out. Occasionally I will use it to get to a far away spot to hunt for the day. A lot of areas in Alberta have a quading after 12 noon only and this helps keep the woods quite till noon.

Unfortunately we have lots of groups that are trying to get the quads banned and if we has hunters aren't responsible we may loose this privelage. I packed out lots of animals on my back and there is something to be said about that.

Eric