Like I said earlier, good luck!!

Thanks! It just keeps getting better.....it looks like we will also have acess to several thousand acres surrounding the farm we are hunting..SWEET!

Chad

Excellent. You have a good time.

Have fun. Sounds like a great setup. Just finish my strings before you leave, please. LOL

must be nice...good luck man!

I'm trying to sell bows so I can afford boots and gas to go on a cheap hunt...not quite something I'm used to doing! oh well life goes on whether or not I get to hunt.

Hope to have all string orders out before I leave--got yours on the way!

It just keeps getting better. Yesterday I found out that MAYBE I'll only have to pay about $550 for my license (instead of almost $780) because it's a landowner tag I'll be using--SWEET! Also got a car rented for less than $400--saved a few bucks by renting early, if I had booked it sooner I would have saved a little more. Still, the difference in gas (not to mention wear and tear, tires, oil, etc.) between driving a rental and my truck will almost pay for the rental. My regular car insurance will cover it, so I didn't have to buy the rental place's insurance (more than doubles the cost).

Shot a few arrows with my leafy suit on yesterday. After a few warm-up arrows, I kept 5 out of 6 in the "10" ring on my elk target @ 25 yds. The one that was out was a complete miss (low)--I just flat blew the shot. I'm going to practice with the suit on--at least the hood and jacket--every day until I leave. It's different, but doable, at least at 25 yds and in. I'm hoping for a closer shot than that, but I know I can handle at least 25 yds. (if my heart will just keep beating!).

This hunt is just a dream come true for me. I was able to hunt elk once in CO, a couple of years ago. Had a great time, but the elk didn't cooperate, and it was a short hunt. I should have 6 days to hunt on this one, plus no mountains to deal with, no packing in (can drive to the camp site), possibly no packing out or at worst a short pack out if we kill one (or two). Fresh water on hand (no filling up jugs with a filter pump), no horse to tend to (Leroy was cool, but he had to be taken care of every day).....there will only be two of us, but I think the company is going to be great. Don't get me wrong--I really enjoyed the CO hunt, and the company was excellent, but it was a lot of work and I wasn't in shape for it. I didn't get my lungs back until we were walking out--a bit too late! The rest of the time I was wondering where my lungs had gone! For that kind of hunt, I need at least 10 days, because it took me 4-5 to be able to breathe in the mountain air.


Every day I get more excited--may not be so hard to stay awake for the 1,300+ mile drive! Well, I'll get to stop just shy of 1,300 and spend the night in a motel (get a good night's sleep before we start hunting), but before it's over I'll have traveled over 2,600 miles round-trip. Actually it won't be much different than the drive to CO, just nobody to share the drive with. Did I mention I am REALLY excited?

Chad

Dan, life does go on, and it will get better. For a few years I was in really bad shape, financially and otherwise, but I never gave up and life has never been so good. You are still young--just hang in there.

Chad

That's awesome Chad, you have me excited and I am not even going anywhere this year. I look forward to see how everything works out for you, sounds like you have it going in the right direction.

Good luck!!

Thanks! I'm so wound up, I know I'm driving my wife crazy. All she hears me talk about is this hunt!

Shooting update: Today I shot from a seated position, at around 18 yds. First couple of 6 arrow groups weren't that good--too wound up, rushing the shots, not concentrating at all. Almost all were in the kill, but at that distance on a target that big it was awful.

Slowed down, focused on form and follow-through, put 6 out of 6 low in the "10" ring on my elk target--right where I wanted them. I have to make myself slow down and focus--hard to do when I'm going from wide-open in the shop to rushing to get a little shooting in before dark. I'm only getting a couple dozen shots in, but so far so good. I've been shooting this bow long enough that it's like a part of me, but I do need more shooting with the leafy suit on.

I'm feeling a lot better about the leafy suit. I didn't use an armguard today either (forgot), but only a couple of the shots caught the suit. Increased noise, but didn't seem to hurt arrow flight. Only seem to be catching a couple of the "leaves", even when sitting low. An armguard will fix that, no problem.

Chad

Got them yesterday. Thanks. They're perfect.
Think it's hard to focus now? Wait until that monster is 18 yards away bugling. LOL. I hope this trip is all you dream and more. Have fun and be safe.