The second season of elk hunting in Colorado proved to be a very frustrating one. Lots of walking, tons of old signs, and other frolicking animals.
I went scouting the weekend before in the Gunnison basin and found lots of fresh signs that elk were definitely in the area. So the next week Ben joined me. We got way back in the meadows on Friday night and got some fresh snow. The next morning, we left at first light and stalked around the woods. We made our way up cross mountain coming across grouse, bobcat, mule deer, coyote, and mountain lions tracks. Bobcats were stalking the grouse, coyotes chasing the deer, and the mountain lions were circling around us.
We had lunch in a old mining shack on the top of ridge. And after we made our way down a hollow and found a forest full of bull rubs. They had torn the place apart.
Discouraged, at the lack of any fresh tracks, we left and went to the pie factory spot. Nestled on the west-side on the continental divide, we camped next to old rundown ore refinery. We hiked off in the morning, staying low once again because we had more fresh snow. Alas, after much walking and stalking we didn’t find any fresh tracks. We did stumble of massive run area again. The bulls had stripped the trees between the 1st foot to the 10th.
We had no luck this year, but I definitely think I need to get a muzzleloader tag in order to get a bull.
Nice bugle.