MEEKER, Colo- The Colorado Division of Wildlife and a private landowner in the Meeker area are teaming up to offer a special late season cow elk hunting opportunity in late November and December. Six hunters will be selected for this unguided elk hunt on the 2,900 acre Berryman property. Selected hunters must have a valid late season private land only cow elk license for unit 23 or an unfilled youth elk license from an earlier rifle season.

This hunt is open to anyone who is interested and eligible. Hunters interested in applying for the hunt must submit a letter of interest including their name, date of birth, contact information and CID number. Applicants must also submit a short note about why they should be selected for this special private land hunt opportunity. If a youth, the letter also needs to include the name and contact information for a parent or guardian who will attend the hunt with the youth.

Applications must be received at the Meeker DOW office by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. Applications should be mailed to Bailey Franklin/Special Late Season Hunt, PO Box 1181, Meeker CO 81641.

Six hunters will be randomly selected from all eligible applicants. The selected hunters will be notified by Nov. 16 with hunt details and specific dates for the hunt. Questions about the hunt or application process should be directed to the Meeker DOW office at (970) 878-6090.

My friend Rich Howarth sent me pictures from his Fall elk hunting trip in Oregon.  While he didn’t tag out, He called in a great bull for his friend, Jason Callahan from Junction City, Oregon.  Now if I can just get him to rattle me in a good blacktail this November!

 

In the morning Ed, Jason and I set off to a ridge top saddle that is a primary game crossing between canyons. Having set up to locate, we pulled in a cow, but she spotted movement and calmly made her retreat. As we carefully made our way up the ridge spine, a bull bugled at the three “cows” that were making noise. He was only 30 yards away but, unfortunately; Ed was in the lead and stuck in the middle of the dog hair. I was behind and pulled the bull over to 15 yards, Ed could see his antlers and hear him breathing, but just could not get a clear shot, it was just too thick. The wind was perfect but, eventually, after a long game of cat and mouse the bull followed his suspicious cows down into the drainage.

We followed them down to the bottom, but with the bone dry conditions, we lost the trail. After hunting our way to the other side of the canyon, we set up on a high spot which allowed us to call into three separate areas. The country we hunt in is not conducive to spot and stalk, one’s best chances are to get the elk to reveal their location, move in close and pull the bull in with calls. However, this was proving to be rather difficult this year, the weather was extremely hot and the elk did not appear to be very enthusiastic. We were fairly sure elk were in the vicinity, but try as we might, we could not locate them in the midday heat. We decided to wait it out until later in the afternoon and take up the chase again.

After lounging in the shade on top for several hours, we started discussing our plans for the evening. With a sudden itch, Jason let out a sneeze. Call it coincidence, call it luck, we heard a distinct bugle only 300 yards away to the east and down the hill. It was 2 in the afternoon and the breeze was extremely unpredictable, switching back and forth, and we debated whether to sit there and wait for a better wind, or push our luck and go right at him. Ed suggested we split up, send two down to the bottom and work the bull from below, and keep one person on top to set up in a saddle to ambush the bull if he winded us and tried to escape over the top.

Jason and I made our way to the bottom and moved over to approach from below. After some doubtful moments trying to relocate the bull, he finally sounded off again about 150 yards up the hill. We carefully made our way into position, trying in vain to keep a favorable wind, until we thought we shouldn’t press it anymore. I started calling the bull with cow calls. He responded quickly, but after several minutes did not seem motivated to get out of his bed. With Jason set up hill and to the side about 30 yards, I switched to a cow call, followed by a bugle with my Chuckler tube. Immediately I heard the bull get up and start down the hill. In seconds, I spotted the bull on a fast walk, his antlers swaying as he came to investigate. When he made it to a grove of small hemlocks, he stopped and proceeded to thrash the trees. I ranged him at 70 yards and he proceeded to put on a display of tree abuse for several minutes. I watched to see if Jason would close the gap with the bull occupied, but he could only move when the bull turned his back. The breeze kept shifting and I was sure it was only a matter of time before it betrayed us. I needed to pull the bull down some more to get Jason a shot, so I looked around, spotted a suitable hemlock below me, snuck down to it, started raking the tree with a limb and hit him with another bugle.

That did the trick, and the bull quickly moved down to close the distance. I knew he was in range of Jason, and although the bull was slightly obscured, I heard the loud twang of Jason’s trusty old Hoyt and watched his arrow streak across to the bull followed by the inevitable “thwack!” The bull sprinted down the hill away from us both, but as he left our sight, we heard a distinct crash and the bull let out one last gurgled bugle.

Jason misjudged the distance and the bull turned right at the shot. While quite high, the arrow punctured both lungs and ended up lodging in the back quarter. He only made it 150 yards before he could go no further.

Kelly Heard from Southern Oregon passed along some pictures and a story from her husband and son who are packed into some good Idaho Elk country.  Kelly was out hunting the local archery season and taking care of chores at home.  Kelly is an accomplished hunter herself and she has graced these pages with a pronghorn and a moose

I got a call from my son this morning. He was whispering, as they were glassing a big herd about a mile away across a canyon. He said that they heard more bulls and had seen more action today than any day they had been in there.

I got a quick version of his bull story though and here it is:

He and his Dad start each morning hunting together but within an hour or so out they have been sort of just splitting off without saying anything. Something will draw one to another area and they’ve just split up, which has worked well for them.

Tuesday, they climbing up almost getting to the top of a ridge.   About then he heard a bull sound off not far away. He moved towards it and began cow calling. nothing. He changed up his calls between 3 different ones and then BAM…he was coming.

Spencer said he pulled out his range finder, marked 2 trees and within seconds, there stood the bull. A really cool bull, according to him. The bull was standing broadside between the two trees, with his vitals being hid by a straggly little bush.

Spencer was at full draw so he scuffed his foot to make some noise to make the bull move. He did move, just stepping forward one step. He released his arrow, knowing he hit him good but could not see his arrow OR blood as the bull bolted away.

He sat down right there where he shot from and was going to just sit and wait it out, when who shows up behind him? His dad. He asked Spencer “what are you doing”? Spencer just said “oh…just sittin’ here. I just shot a bull and figured I would wait a while.” (you’d have to know him. he has a great sense of humor and can keep a very straight face). He said his dad about came unglued with joy! They both snuck over to where he shot him and did not see the arrow or any blood. So they sat. A few minutes later they heard a crash up above them. They still waited it out. Finally they began their search. They would find a small bit of blood here and there that was in fact leading to the direction of the crash they had heard.

They got up to where they thought they heard the crash and…no bull was easily seen. But dad went a little higher than Spencer thought the sound came from and low and behold…there was his bull, curled up in a ball at the base of a tree.

He said he is barely a 6 x 6 but are super cool one with lots of character. He said he is more proud of this one than his one from last year.  Great seconds and thirds and has a brow tine that hooks down.

The two of them got him back to camp in 4 trips. And on the fourth trip, the two guys that went with them were back at camp napping. They heard Spencer and without opening their eyes said “Oh, we thought you and your Dad were in your tent sleeping”. Spencer said “nah, just been out”. Ken (one of the guys) said, were you down by the creek sleeping? Spencer said “Well, not exactly sleeping by the creek but we were down there. We figured the meat would cool better down by the water”. They both jumped up and said “WHAT”? As you can imagine, everyone was happy!

Congratulations Spencer!  Both on getting your elk, but also on being able to spend the time in the backcountry hunting, as a college student.  It’s hard to balance school with hunting season.  Although I’m sure your roommates appreciate elk steaks!

A major two-year wildlife habitat improvement project in Costilla County in south-central Colorado is aimed at keeping elk in forested meadowland and off of the pastures below.

The project, which will create more than 700 acres of new meadow habitat, is a cooperative effort of the Dos Hermanos Ranch, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and the Mount Blanca Habitat Partnership Committee. Ron Rivale, a district wildlife manager in the area, explained that traditional elk winter range in this area in the western foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains has become densely forested. Consequently, elk move from the mountains in the fall onto high-value pasture in the valley between the New Mexico border and the town of San Luis.

“The elk herd is pretty big in the area and they can do a lot of damage to pasture and hay stacks,” Rivale said. “With this project we’ll open up some areas that we believe will keep the elk in a better location.”

The large mower grinds down a tree at the Dos Hermanos Ranch in Costilla County. The mower is being used to thin about 700 acres of thick forest to create wildlife meadows at the ranch in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains south of San Luis.

During spring and early summer in the last two years, the Dos Hermanos Ranch has worked with a private contractor to clear more than 700 acres of thickly-forested land. The dense growth prevented grasses and smaller plants from growing; consequently there was little forage available for big game animals. By clearing areas in a mosaic pattern, a series of meadows have been created that will be attractive to elk. With sunlight now getting to the ground, shrubs, grasses and aspen trees can grow–all of which provide food for elk, explained Jim Webb of Forest Steward Concepts, a Monte Vista-based consulting company that designed the cutting plan.

“The forest was decadent. There was no forage in those areas, just pine needles and downed timber,” Webb said. “Now we’re getting lush growth. Elk utilized the newly cut areas last winter.”

Ron Rivale (left) with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, looks on as Brian Rue of Rue Logging in South Fork, explains how the large-scale mower is used to thin overgrown forest.

The cutting work was done by Rue Logging, based in South Fork. The company used a large-scale mowing machine that can reduce shrubs and trees to splinters in a matter of minutes.

The new meadows also provide a safer environment for the elk, Rivale said. In the pasture, elk are fully exposed and they must be on a constant lookout for predators. In the meadows, the elk can move easily into the thick forest if they perceive any danger.

Earl Valdez, manager of the 11,500-acre Dos Hermanos Ranch, said that the new meadows also will help reduce fire danger. In the past, natural wildfires helped to thin the forest and open up areas for wildlife. But now that the area is settled, most fires are put out as quickly as possible.

“Much of the ranch is forested and we are concerned about a devastating fire,” Valdez said. “With this project we’ll reduce that risk, help the wildlife and keep elk out of our pastures and our neighbors’ pastures.”

This a large-scale habitat improvement project and will cost about $240,000 which is being shared by the HPP program and the ranch owners.

“We’ve been working on solutions to this problem for a few years,” Rivale said. “All of the land in Costilla County is private, so we need to work closely with the landowners to find solutions.”

The effectiveness of the meadow areas will be evaluated again this winter and more areas on the ranch could be cleared next spring.

The Habitat Partnership Program is authorized by the Colorado Wildlife Commission and the Colorado Legislature to resolve conflicts between agricultural producers and wildlife, and to assist the DOW in meeting game management objectives. Local HPP committees meet regularly to review and fund projects to assist private landowners. More information about the HPP program can be obtained by calling the local DOW office or by going on the DOW’s website: http://wildlife.state.co.us/LandWater/PrivateLandProgram/.

I thought that the results for the California big Game Drawing wasn’t due out untill the 24th, but like Nevada, California hustled up and had Drawing results available on line, well before the expected date. 

As I read my results I expected  to be mostly “denied”. 

MARTIN JOHN ANTELOPE: Not Drawn random # .902199

“That’s OK I have a Colorado tag for speedgoats.”  I told myself

MARTIN JOHN ELK: Not Drawn random # .058965

“That’s OK that tag’s season comes during my Nevada Mule Deer Hunt.  it would be tough to hunt that one too.”  I rationalized…

 MARTIN JOHN SHEEP: Not Drawn random # .611847

I told myself that “This was a loooongshot, so I am not disappointed in the least.”

Then I  came to the next line.  The species that would cap my year off with a November hunt in the rut for Blacktail Deer.  This would make or break my Psyche for The Hunting season to come….

MARTIN JOHN DEER: Drawn for 2009

 

Alright!   That’s what I was looking for.    Looks like I have some scouting to do. 

You may check your results here:

https://biggame.dfg.ca.gov/biggame/

John is on the road to hunt Feral Hogs  today.  So he thought you might enjoy this site below…

If you like to read hunting stories from a fellow Western archer, check out my buddy, Elkbreath.

He is a Stickbow shooting elk hunter from Wyoming and he has had a great year so far…I hope his luck rubs off on me!

John will be heading to Southern California for a feral hog hunt tonight. With that travel comes long time to think about what inspired his hunting adventures. Probably the greatest motivator was his early experiences with the Rocky Mountain Elk

In June of 1992, I left home to go to the University of Idaho for a summer session before Fall semester. I drove up Highway 97 through Oregon and made plans to spend the night near Meacham in a state park campground.

I arrived early and decided to spend the evening sightseeing. As the sun was setting I noticed the Forest seemed to be moving along the road. I stopped along side of a herd of elk feeding. They spotted me and all hell broke loose. When I saw a couple spikes and a branch antlered bull I immediately was gripped with Elk Fever.

I sat there by the side of the road shaking well after the herd of elk had run off over the hill. It profoundly affected me enough that I purchased an elk tag every fall for the next 5 years in Idaho.

The next summer (1993) I hired on with St. Joe Hunting and Fishing Camp as a packer. Will and Barbara Judge took me under their wing and taught me to pack, shoe horses and lead a string through bogs, mountains and rivers. Our Headquarters was a log cabin 6 miles from the end of a bad dirt road. I was in Heaven.

One day we had hrses out grazing the meadow near the lodge and I was doing chores around the place when I noticed a different colored critter at the salt lick. I grabbed my 35mm autofocus(yeah right)and used one of the grazing horses as a shield to get to about 50 yards from this young bull in the picture.