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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Pat B on September 15, 2011, 11:48:00 PM
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I made it to Durango about 3pm on Sept 2 and was greated by my hosts Kenneth and Kathie Gorman. Kenneth and I hunted back in '06 when he invited me out and ever since has been trying to get me back out again. Finally this year I was able to make the trip.
Early the next morning we drove out to a parking area off of the Forest Service road. From here it is about a mile to the Salt Creek Trail head.
This is Kenneth..
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011015.jpg)
...and yours truely...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011016.jpg)
From this point we had about a 3 hour decent down the Salt Creek Trail to our Camp. Two weeks before Kenneth had packed a wall tent, wood stove, camp kitchen and some dried food items so we could pack in light(about 40# each).
At camp we put up the wal tent and got everything set up.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011018.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011019.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011020-1.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011021.jpg)
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Nice looking camp. Can't wait for the "rest of the story."
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...and here is home sweet home for the next 6 days.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011023.jpg)
Later that day Kenneth guided me down Salt Creek to a point below a large pine tree("The General"), this was where we parted and I headed up the ridge towards a stand Kenneth had scouted a few weeks earlier.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011066.jpg)
...after going up a bit the angle became less...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011056.jpg)
...then flattened out once I crested the end of the finger ridge. I skirted to the right and down that side of the ridge back into the wooded cove...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011048.jpg)
I was slipping along a game trail heading towards where this trail meets about 10 other trails at a small creek about 25 yards from where my stand will be.
There was some pretty good sign along the way...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011046.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011052.jpg)
It was a little darker down this side
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Same here...Great looking setup and love these elk-hunt-along's! :thumbsup:
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That afternoon I couldn't find Kenneth's stand so instead of tromping the area looking for it I hunkered down between 2 blow down trees to get a feel for the area. I headed back to camp early while it was still day light so I could get my breaings coming and going. Kenneth had gotten camp in full order so we ate supper, toasted our hunt with a little Canadian whiskey and hit the rack about 10pm. We wanted to get an early start in the morning.
After discussing in detail the stand area with Kenneth I was sure to find his stand in the morning. And what a stand it is. Again set up between 2 blow downs but this time right where the action should be...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011030.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011032.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011031.jpg)
You can see how barren the ground is on the other side of the creek. Only one little problem...no fresh tracks or sign.
As you know the weather can change quickly in them mountains. Just in case of a thunder storm this would be my shelter. The overhang is big enough to completely get out of the weather and the soil under it is bone dry and lacks vegitation. Fortunately I never had to use it.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011084.jpg)
I hunted this stand from dawn to dusk for the next 4 days and never saw an elk. We heard a few bugles each evening at dush and a few in the mornings on the high ridges but no other fresh sign anywhere.
On one of my site, shortly after noon I cought movement just across and above the creek. This guy walked out and turned down towards the creek. Just as I got my camera and took the shot he turned and headed down creek. At this point he was about 40 yards...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011100.jpg)
I'm guess this wolf weighed about 50# to 70#(about the size of a German Shepherd). About 2 hours later he came back up the creek, this time passing at about 30 yards just across the creek. I turned to get my camera and when I turned back around he had vanished. What a thrill to be that close to a wild predator like this wolf and not be detected.
"Did you see that?"
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011099.jpg)
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Pat
How certain are you it was a wolf? I don't recall the Durango area have a wolf population.
Was it perpahs a large Coyote?
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Unfortunately we never got close to an elk. The last day we slipped along a few game trails, bugleing and adding a few cow calls but to no avail. Here is Kenneth hunkered down as we waited for the elk to bugle the last evening to see if we could get close...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011114.jpg)
...and slipping through a small mountain meadow...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011107.jpg)
...and me playing like I was getting a shot...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011117.jpg)
...and being amazed and awestruck at the beauty of this vast country...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011101.jpg)
...but it was still one heck of an experience for this 61 year old almost flatlander. So much so I had to celebrate with this nice Trinidad cigar that Benjy sent me to take along...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/DSC014771.jpg)
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Over&under, I got a good look at his face and a side on view to me it truely looked like a wolf to me. He was about 50# to 70#, about the size of a Greman Shepherd. I've seen many coyotes and this wasn't a coyote that I'm used to seeing. Kenneth said he had heard an odd howel or two over the years but never gave it any tought. Kenneth was as surprised as I was about me seeing it.
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Pat
The mountains around Durango are definatly rugged enough to be home to wolves...glad you had the chance to see one, I bet there are not many others that get to.
Kinda like mountain lions I guess...I know they are there, but you rarely see them.
Looks like a great hunt and like you said, just being in that awesome country is worth the trip.
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Looks like you guys had a great time,congrats.
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Glad you got to go again Pat and thanks for sharing the pics and the story. Start planning the next one.....you know that third time's a charm thing and all.
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Thank you for posting the story and photos.
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Cool. Thanks for posting.
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Mate thanks for sharing, I love reading and looking at the pictures you guy's post up of your country and your camp set ups really cool.
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Pat, Sounds like a good time. Thanks for the pics and the read.
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Guys,
Great lookin camp. must be a lot of snakes out there as I saw the bottle of anti-venom on the shelf.
Looks like you had a great time. Thanks for the post.
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Looks like you had a good time. That sure is a rugged area.
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Originally posted by Pat B:
[QB]...
As you know the weather can change quickly in them mountains. Just in case of a thunder storm this would be my shelter. The overhang is big enough to completely get out of the weather and the soil under it is bone dry and lacks vegitation. Fortunately I never had to use it.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/ColoradoElkHunt2011084.jpg)
Pretty cool camp and trip. In case anyone cares, taking shelter under an over-hand or in a cave from a thunderstorm is risky. Your head is the electrode (like a spark plug) if a strike travels in the ground near you. I never understood why you should not do this until it was explained this way. Just some more info for us all to ponder.
I wish I had a tent like that in the other pictures. But until I can take the whole month off and I can stay up there all season...
Joshua
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Guys, this was a fantastic trip. I wish everyone had the opportunity to take a hunting trip out west or even to just visit the Western US. The vastness and scenery is almost unbelievable.
JHG, that is good to know. Never would have even thought about it. You can see lots of trees up there that were struck by lightening and I thought they would be acting as lightening rods but not a large rock.
I did notice on this trip that there seems to be a spruce/fir die off. About 1 in 5 of these evergreens were dead or dying. I wondered if it was a natural phenominon or something else. Some of the trees had saw dust around the base indicating a boring insect and you could see where the bark had been pecked off by birds and holes in the trunks. It reminded me of the Southern Pine Beetle damage I've seen in the South East.
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Thanks for sharing a dream hunt.
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Originally posted by Pat B:
... I did notice on this trip that there seems to be a spruce/fir die off. About 1 in 5 of these evergreens were dead or dying. I wondered if it was a natural phenominon or something else. Some of the trees had saw dust around the base indicating a boring insect ...
A small number of trees will have this but over the last several years we have experienced a huge pine beetle attack which has killed millions of trees. My own hunting area has seen an increase in dead from almost zero two years ago to about 40% this year. Next year will be easily 60-70% die off. Its the fungus the beetles carry that kills the trees. Not the larva themselves. The powder is after the fact from other insects moving in on the dead tree.
Joshua
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Thanks for the explanation Joshua. When I was in the same area 5 years ago the "dark side" of the creek was truely dark. This year I notices lots of green ground cover that wasn't there before indicating more sunlight hitting the forest floor. I guess the aspins and other early secession plants will take over. More food for the elk I guess but way less cover.
We have an invasive edelgid(aphid) here that is killing all of our hemlocks(Tsuga canadensis and T. caroliniana), one of our predominant evergreens here in the Southern Appalacian Mountains. It will for sure be changing the forest and forest floor here. It is interesting to see the change but it is a shame if we caused it. I guess it is natural even if we cause the problems. We are part of it all!
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Thanks for sharing Pat.....good looking bow you were tote'n.......one you made?
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Ron, I actually made both of our bows. The bow Kenneth is shooting is "Elkie". I made Elkie for my first elk hunt with Kenneth in '06 and when the hunt was over I left her with Kenneth as a thank you gift. I wrote an article for PA Magazine about it..."The Story of Elkie" (vol 15, issue 5 Oct/Nov 2007)
My bow is a 60" osage static recurve with choke cherry bark backing, 56#@26"
Elkie is about the same but reflexed tips and draws to 29". She used to have sinew backing but after difficulties I removed the sinew and added rawhide.
Here is the pictographs my wife drew on Elkie's rawhide backing depicting our hunt.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/Tradgangtradebow001-1.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/Tradgangtradebow002-1.jpg)
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Excellent ,,,,just plain cool! :thumbsup: :notworthy:
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Too bad it didn't happen that way! d;^)
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Thanks Pat. I seems like I've been waiting and waiting to see this thread and it's finally here!
Your wifes "cave drawings" are way cool!
Bona
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Too cool!
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Pat, thanks for the story and pics I have to break down and make plans to go. Each one of these elk threads makes me want to go more.
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Beautiful country there sir! Thanks for taking us along!
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Some good memories right there!
Thanks for sharin'!
Shoot straight, Shinken
:archer2: