I just learned at the very last minute that my planned Colorado elk hunt is not going to happen.
We were scheduled to arrive in camp on Saturday for the last week of archery season. It seems that the drought conditions have pretty much eliminated elk from the landscape on the ranch we were to hunt. It is a 7,000 acres private ranch, and the water holes and grasses have pretty much dried up. A friend of mine has been there for the past week and has seen one cow the entire time.
The rancher is a great guy though, and was good enough to offer us the option to cancel our trip this year and put the deposit toward 2013. The way things sound, that seems to be the prudent thing to do. He has run this property his entire life and says he has never seen anything like it.
September in the Rockies is my elixer in life. This is going to hurt. When I had lunch today I thought I was 48 hours away from a lunch in the mountains. Now it's looking like it might be closer to 367 days....
As those who know me are aware, I'm not lacking for hunting opportunites, so I'll be fine, and I am more than thankful for what I have still on the schedule. My hunting partner will miss it more though. He wasn't able to do an out of state trip last year, and was really looking forward to this. He is already talking about looking for last minute cancellation hunts, so who knows, we will see what develops.
Sorry to hear. I always enjoy going along on your hunts,after the fact. Good luck at finding an alternative trips.
A week seeing nothing in the mountains is better than work:)
Whip, hate to hear that, maybe next year will be the "big un"
Bummer, maybe the wait will really pay off somehow!
Ouch! Hope the rest of the year makes up for this.
Hap
Sounds to me like you made the best possible choice under the circumstances.
Sometimes when one window closes generally another will open... watch for it even if it's not for elk.
God bless,Mudd
Wow, What a disapointment!! It'll make next year that much more special.
Sorry to hear it Joe, but it sounds like the right choice.
its scary dry out west. Last month in Wyoming I had never seen anything like it. I can't see how anything will survive if they have another year like this past
That's a tough one Joe. Preparation is almost half the fun of going on a hunt. It sounds like you've made the right decision though. Good luck with your hunting this fall.
Bernie Bjorklund
NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin
That is hard to put down right there. I hope we have a better year next coming. Between the fires and lack of grass the elk are moving a lot in search of food.
Very sorry to hear that Joe.
Y'all are kinda scaring me! I leave tomorrow to go to CO for my elk hunt. The outfitter has said nothing of conditions that would be that bad. I know it is dry and all but I sure hope we can find a few elk to chase after.
Sorry you are going to miss out on this one Whip.
Bisch
That really sucks, but with all the forest fires they have had this year it doesn't surprise me, I was hoping to go on a first time elk hunt this year but it was not to be, maybe next year we'll both be a little luckier.
Good luck in whatever you end up doing.
Hate to hear that Whip, what a bummer. Maybe something else will pop up and be a unexpected blessing ? :campfire:
I understand MAN! Smoke is thick as fog here. It has NOT been a good start to the fall hunting season. Glad you were offered the option for next year.
I think Montana has left over tags yet. Might be a possibilty? I can point you in a derection if you like grizzlies ! Its good hunting though!
I am sorry to hear that Joe. :(
I also feel your pain.
After the hunt of a lifetime in South Africa ( hopefully stories to be posted over the weekend )
I also had to return a limited draw tag to the Colorado dow the day before archery season started.
It hurts bout enough to bring a grown man to tears.
I'm really missing it.
Sorry you are missing out this year Joe. I don't know if I could handle that after all these years. I hunt an over the counter unit and it is very tough but at least I am able to go every year. I will put up with less animals and smaller bulls just to be assured of getting to hunt.
Really sorry to hear about your elk hunt, but glad to know you have several other avenues!
I'm anxious to hear about your Africa adventures Bill!
As for my year, I really can't sit here and feel sorry for myself. I've got an unfilled WI bear tag in my pocket. And whitetail season opens here on Saturday. I haven't hunted a WI whitetail opener in years. A November trip to Kansas takes on even more importance now. Things are not all bad, and I count my blessings for what I am able to do.
But I will certainly miss the mountains. At my age, I am always aware that elk hunting is tough, and gets a little tougher with each passing year. I hate the idea of missing out on even one. A season missed can never be recovered.
the drought is for real...lot of wallows..ponds...and small creeks have dried up here...hay production is WAY down...the good news is that we got some snow above timberline yesterday...hope it helps....hard to sneak up on anything when it sounds like walking on rice krispies.....the elk are starting to bugle here and there...
Big time disappointment, Whip. Sorry to hear it.
Good on you, though for looking ahead to other opportunities.
We've got a sign in our home:
Life isn't about weathering the storm
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
Onward...
Sorry Joe! Sounds like things there are as bad as here. Good luck finding a cancelation hunt!
Joe,
Sounds like the right choice. Not much fun to hunt elk if there are no elk. Trust me, that was my last Idaho hunt. LOL
Mike
Huge disappointment, good call though.
You should still come out next week. Get an OTC license and hunt with me! Saw a nice bull last night and 5 cows. Got within 50 yards. And you know how the rest of the story goes. I think next weekend will be better too the bulls were pretty quiet but I think by then it should be good. And colder, plus the "orange coats" will be gone by then. Consider it and give me a call.
Thanks Matt, that would almost be very tempting! We actually already have the licence. It never occurred to us that we might cancel, so we bought them online ahead of time so we wouldn't have to deal with it when we got there. So that money is gone.
The biggest problem is that all of our gear went out ahead of time with a friend. My buddy is a wheel shooter, and sent both his main and backup bows out earlier this week. We can't really think about leaving here until the gear gets back. In fact, he will have to sit out the WI whitetail opener here without his stuff! The guys out there now may end up pulling the plug early, but I'm not sure at this point when they are heading for home.
Joe,nobody can understand you more than me;I had to leave yesterday for Colorado for my elk camp,but I bad tooth infection has stopped me here for a week,plus I have lost the money spent for the ticket,no refound.Saying next year hurts me since my season are counted now and I leave the whole year for hunting elk and everything I own in archery is specific for elk hunting. :banghead: :banghead: To have killed a boar on Monday isn't an enough big medicine to recover.
Sorry to hear that brother! I was worried about the fires in Idaho but it looks like my spot went unscathed! GO get em next year and good luck with that bear tag! I know they can be tough to get over there!
Sorry to hear about the problem, but it is nice of the owner to allow you to apply the deposit toward next year. I understand, the ocean currents have changed and the winter will be different drier in the NW. Maybe that will mean more rain in the midwest and SW. Good luck.
Joe sorry to hear I hope you have better luck in the future and maybe something will come up quick.
Sorry to hear about your change from this year to 2013. Probably the best choice. We are so dry, I expect our season to be way off this year. Not seeing the animals like usual. Good luck.
Oh man Felix! That is really bad news for you. I'm lucky enough to at least have other hunts lined up for this fall, so my suffering will be relatively minimal.
Did you check with your airlines on their cancellation policy? We were not able to get a refund of our flight, but by cancelling we did get a credit toward a future flight and will simply have to pay a $75 change fee if we rebook a different trip before next July. I'm sure I'll find something to do before then ;)
Consider yourself lucky. I had the same scenerio happen on my first and only Elk hunt. We went to New Mexico, and the so called Outfitter never bothered to point out it was the dryest season in years. We spent the whole week in an area that so dust dry we didn't even see a coyote, let alone a deer or elk. No water anywhere. Be glad you can go back during a better time.
Tough news for sure Whip.
Lets go hog hunting in SC!!!
Sorry to hear it, sounds like the rancher is a great guy though, so maybe next year will be one for the books.
What are you doing next year? Join me in NM? :saywhat:
You know NM is my favorite place on earth Norbert. But the rancher in CO let us carry our deposit over to 2013, so I guess we are booked for there next year. I'm hoping for a heavy snowfall to bring things back to normal there next year!!
:( :( :( :( :(
God Bless the rancher for being truthful and up front about the situation. He could have kept quiet, let you make the trip, and pocketed your money. Sounds like the type of person you want to deal with. Step back, take a deep breath and get ready for your next opportunity. I'm pulling for your success and looking forward to your future post highlighting your many adventures. :archer2:
I spent a week up in the "hills" the first week of season. There was so little water it was scary. Even the reservoirs were mainly dry. However, the dark timber, of which this area has only a little, held some elk. Of course, I sucked and missed my one good shot. But it made the trip worthwhile. I snuck right in on a snoozing bull, up on a ridge top. The rest. . really didn't happen did it ?
Dang it.
(should have seen him skeedadle !)
ChuckC
That's a shame abouit hunting this fall, but sounds like you are getting a pretty good deal.
Well Whip that just sucks, but better a cancelled hunt than one that you go on and see absolutely nothing and no chance to rebook to make up for it. Sounds like your rancher is a great guy. Another good reason for trip insurance !! Good luck on those whitetails.
Just got my Comptons Walk in the Woods today. Larry Hudson had a great story on a Cous Deer hunt.
Best to ya, Ken
Bummer Joe.
Hope you more than make up for it on the bear hunt and deer hunting camp.
Sorry to hear that Joe. It was the opposite here with heavy monsoons this year. Everything was spread out with all the water.
Boy oh boy, tell me about 'dry'. I have hunted 11 days for elk, and have seen very little fresh sign, even in areas where there are creeks. This morning I found what should have been a wallow, that was basically some muddy dirt. I checked the forecast upon getting home, and our rain chances are zero percent for the next 10 days. Throw the warm weather and forest fires into the mix, and it doesn't bode well for elk hunting right now (although Ferret seems to lead a charmed life when it comes to elk). Be glad the rancher let you opt out this year, as next year almost has to be better.
That hurts!
Wow just read this...so sorry as I know how much you look forward to elk hunting!
Whip - check the Colorado DNR website, they have a refund application that's pretty easy and straight-forward. You just have to return the unused license (not sure about the timeline) but my father-in-law was to go with us and due to health issues, was unable. I called the DNR and they told me just submit the form, mail the license and they'd shoot him a refund. They were extremely accomodiating.
Hopefully it's not too late.
I just returned from my 3rd weekend of backpack elk hunting here in Colorado. I've only seen 5 bulls and 6 cows and no bugling in my area so far. Normally I would have been into 30-50 elk at this time in the season. Seems like the hot, dry summer has really affected the rut. Last summer was also very hot and dry (though not as bad as this year) and the rut was delayed about 3 weeks. I expect the same to happen this season and so far that is the case. I'm hoping this coming weekend will be cooler, wetter and more productive.
Just saw this Joe and was really close to feeling sorry for you but caught myself just in time. But, I tell you what. I will lift that penalty I slapped on you for shooting all those lopes with your new Stykbow. Get out there and shoot a bear with it.
Gee, thanks Greg.
I think.... :smileystooges:
So far the bear hunt is tough. Came up to the cabin to check baits again today. Only 1 of 4 hit in the past 4 days. I had seen a real nice bear on one bait last week, but he didn't come in. Went there today and a logging crew had moved in and started clear cutting. Cross that one off the list.
Anybody feeling sorry for me now?
Oh yeah, that's right. Here I am posting from a treestand while the rest of you worked all day.
Never mind.... :bigsmyl:
QuoteOriginally posted by Whip:
Anybody feeling sorry for me now?
Oh yeah, that's right. Here I am posting from a treestand while the rest of you worked all day.
Never mind.... :bigsmyl:
Nope.. A little envious perhaps as I'm here at home rather than checking baits and hunting.Our bears here are really putting the feed bag on Joe so hopefully your baits will start heating up :thumbsup:
When(if) I grow up I want to be just like Joe. :bigsmyl:
Tough luck. it would be a hard go when it's dry. I was out in the hills in Alberta this weekend and the duff is as dry as a popcorn f@rt. Saw nothing where I usually see at least a few.
That outfitter is a class act for saving you wasting time. Perhaps a bear under your tree will drown your sorrows. On the bright side you will be that much more jacked up for next year.
Joe,
I feel for you bud! The build up is such a cool part of the hunt and then to have it all be put on hold is seriously anticlimatic.
Hey PM me sometime as I would like to seriously talk to you about next fall.
Chris