Hunting Pic and Story

[Wallary]

I'm blowing off the dust on my Hunting Rifle. This year will be my first time using a Rifle to hunt big game in 20 years. I've taken a couple of Antelope, Elk, and a few nice Bucks with my 270 and then one day I just put it away and broke out the Bow. Bow hunting has been a good escape and great therapy for me over the years. I love the Archery Season. It's five weeks of Colorado's changing of the seasons with the best or worst weather, you never know. Absolutely Beautiful and the best thing is that I've had some success with a bow.

[AR Will]

Nice job Larry, not an easy hunt with the Traditional bow.

[mr_will]

yea I havent seen someone hunt with a tradition bow or long bow in a long time.
I havent hunted with a bow in about 12 years. Last deer I killed with a bow was a nice size white tailed doe. Me and my cousins used to hunt beavers with bows


better than the people that use compound bows with accelerators that decelerate the thingy mijig on the upshift, with perfomance compitition cams and roller lifters. With a dyno tune and the new super supressor it makes the arrow fly supersonic but with a subsonic speed.

[Wallary]

I have a slow compound bow (285 fps) I take as a backup but rarely ever shoot it. It's a 1997 PSE Fireflight Express but, the String and Stick Bow is my favorite way to hunt Big Game now. I think it's because it's so quite and you can practice shoot, Arrow Golf ( at camp or walking to or from your spots ) and shoot small game like Grouse and not disturb the game. Try that with a rifle! lol! I've brought back Grouse many a time to camp for dinner while Archery Hunting. What drove me away was I just got sick and tired of hunting on over crowded State Lands. And the sea of orange is enough to make ya sick. I never had the luxury to go on any Private Big Game Hunts. It was like this. sight in your gun a few weeks before the season, make a plan with your hunting buddies, and pack up the Hunting Gear and head for your favorite campsite in the mountains. Two Decades ago you could pick just about any of Colorado's National Forests and they would be packed to the gills with Hunters wrapped head to toe in Safety Orange. Is it still like that?

[SigsRule]

Year before last I hunted in the Ouray area. There were lots of hunters but when we got more than 1/2 mile from the nearest road they mostly disappeared. Of course, the only Elk I saw was so far in it would have taken a month to get it out a piece at a time. Here's the general area. I was on the ridge off to the right of the picture and had a nice Cow in my sights under 200 yards - the only problem was I would have needed rapelling ropes to get down to it.

[rondog]

I wonder how many people have shot an elk/deer/moose etc., then realized the only way to get it out or even get to it was with a helicopter? How many animals have been left for the coyotes because of someone's lack of planning....

That a beautiful photo btw, SigsRule!

[HunterCO]

If I am way back in I bone them out and pack the meat out. It only takes about an hour to bone one out and a few guys can pack the meat out in one trip.

That is some great country around Ouray I have never hunted it or hiked it. I have driven up the million dollar highway many times on my scoot though.

[SigsRule]

Boning out wasn't the issue it was getting down to the Elk and then back out. It was an almost vertical cliff down to the little meadow where the elk was grazing and would really have taken ropes to get down safely. The nearest road on the other side of the ridge was probably a 5-10 mile walk. We let our brains do the talking and passed up the shot.

This was on the way down to the Ouray area. We got a late start and stopped for the night at the rest stop on top of Vail pass.


Here's me heading out. The binoculars are a pair of Swarovski 8.5x42 ELs - expensive but worth every penny!



If you look closely you can see two Elk in the small meadow with one about to enter the trees. They were out in the open when we first saw them.


After 30 years of hunting, about 10 of which is going after Elk, I'm proud to say I have a 100% shooting record - one shot, one Elk. I'm more interested in just being in the woods at a great time of year and getting game is secondary. So I'm not tempted to take the low percentage shots. Once you put one down, the fun ends.