O:'s Bucket List Elk Hunt
- Thread starter O:gweh
- Start date
Based on @Jayclimber's advise. We stayed at the trail head, the day we arrived and waited until the next morning to load up and go. Her is my girl at sunset. Ain't she pretty !!!
My partner didn't want to set up the tent for just one night at the trailhead because it is kind of a PITA. I volunteered to sleep under my fly and he stayed in the truck. I didn't take any pics of the fly but it worked well. It dropped to the low teens that night and I was comfortable under it. I have a telescoping walking/shooting stick that i use to stake the fly out. I just staked it in the center and dropped the loose side after i crawled in. Blocked the wind well that way.
This is the fly I used:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RZ3QDF4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is the fly I used:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RZ3QDF4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For a sleep system, I used a Kelty 30 degree bag, snugpak blanket and a Byer of Maine Ultra Light Cot with medium weight wool longjohns. It worked great. My buddy got up in the middle of the night to piss and realized how cold it was outside. He walked over to check on me under my fly and as he walked closer, he could hear me snoring away so he left me alone. I was warm as toast. The only lesson learned is that the snugpak blanket tends to slip off of the bag while you sleep. Especially on the cot because you are up off of the ground. A couple of rubberbands on the cot legs down by your feet and tuck the corner of the blanket into it fixed the problem.
https://www.rei.com/product/129063/kelty-galactic-30-sleeping-bag
https://www.amazon.com/Snugpak-92246-Jungle-Blanket-Olive/dp/B00BTHREMK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2ZZDVVSKS0N4P&keywords=snugpak+jungle+blanket&qid=1573310878&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=snugpack+,sporting,178&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2N0AV89F1WJZL&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyR0VTNVpUOEpQR1dTJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTQ1NTYzMVczWFNTTkNXMTM1QiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzM2OTI3MkIwNjQ2TU9NU1BDWCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
https://www.amazon.com/Byer-Maine-L...+MAINE&qid=1573311805&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-1
https://www.rei.com/product/129063/kelty-galactic-30-sleeping-bag
https://www.amazon.com/Snugpak-92246-Jungle-Blanket-Olive/dp/B00BTHREMK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2ZZDVVSKS0N4P&keywords=snugpak+jungle+blanket&qid=1573310878&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=snugpack+,sporting,178&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2N0AV89F1WJZL&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyR0VTNVpUOEpQR1dTJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTQ1NTYzMVczWFNTTkNXMTM1QiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzM2OTI3MkIwNjQ2TU9NU1BDWCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
https://www.amazon.com/Byer-Maine-L...+MAINE&qid=1573311805&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-1
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Thats the way to do it. It allows you to relax a bit and get your bearings before hitting the trail! I'm sure the horses appreciated it to after being on the road!
Those flys work great for a shelter or as a fly for eating under! Good stuff!
That's great you were more than warm enough! Simple sleep system!
Could you have put the snugpack blanket inside your bag? Thats what I do with a woobie after experiencing what you did!
Cant wait to hear more!
Those flys work great for a shelter or as a fly for eating under! Good stuff!
That's great you were more than warm enough! Simple sleep system!
Could you have put the snugpack blanket inside your bag? Thats what I do with a woobie after experiencing what you did!
Cant wait to hear more!
So it was on my buddies bucket list to pack out an elk on his own horses. That's why we hauled them from NY to Co. You can rent horses once you're out there for about $500 each. for a week. We knew going into this, that 2 horses was not enough. That's why we made big efforts to pack lite. We discussed renting a horse once we got there but you take too much of a chance that it won't get along with the horses you already have. ( I have a good story about that later) I am glad we didn't.
If I could do this again, I would prefer to rent 2 horses per person. One to ride and one for packing. That would have been way more efficient and less taxing on our bodies. With two horses it was necessary to pack both of them and walk them up the mountain. We figured we would just take it easy and stop to rest often. My buddy said that 15min up the trail, the horses would tire and slow way down. NEVER HAPPENED. These damn creatures only have one walking pace and its WAY faster on 4 legs than my walking pace on 2 legs.
Jay's advice was to hike no faster than your resting heart beat in order to minimize the chances of altitude sickness. NOT possible when walking these 2 creatures, Up the mountain we went.......fast.
The other issue we had is Libby usually leads right on Poison's rear quarter. We never really practiced me leading her separately, at a slight distance behind Poison. That stubborn old mare just kept pushing me out of the way to get to Poison's quarter.
The trail up the mountain is literally 12" wide. In several places, it's so steep that if you step off the trail, it is either damn near straight up or straight down. Libby would push and shove me off the trail to get to Poison. She would walk the trail while i stomped through the brush fighting to get in front of her. On several occasions, the only thing that stopped me from falling down the mountain was my death grip on her halter while she dragged me along in the skinny spots.
The whole event was totally exhausting. Our camp was at 9000ft. By the time we got there, I was totally shot. Soaked with sweat. My head was POUNDING. I felt like shit but we made it !!!! The headache never actually went away but became more manageable after about 3 days.
The elevation really got both of us. My arms and legs felt like logs. A simple walk to get water was totally taxing. I'm am so glad we got in several days before season. It really help me acclimate to the altitude.
If I could do this again, I would prefer to rent 2 horses per person. One to ride and one for packing. That would have been way more efficient and less taxing on our bodies. With two horses it was necessary to pack both of them and walk them up the mountain. We figured we would just take it easy and stop to rest often. My buddy said that 15min up the trail, the horses would tire and slow way down. NEVER HAPPENED. These damn creatures only have one walking pace and its WAY faster on 4 legs than my walking pace on 2 legs.
Jay's advice was to hike no faster than your resting heart beat in order to minimize the chances of altitude sickness. NOT possible when walking these 2 creatures, Up the mountain we went.......fast.
The other issue we had is Libby usually leads right on Poison's rear quarter. We never really practiced me leading her separately, at a slight distance behind Poison. That stubborn old mare just kept pushing me out of the way to get to Poison's quarter.
The trail up the mountain is literally 12" wide. In several places, it's so steep that if you step off the trail, it is either damn near straight up or straight down. Libby would push and shove me off the trail to get to Poison. She would walk the trail while i stomped through the brush fighting to get in front of her. On several occasions, the only thing that stopped me from falling down the mountain was my death grip on her halter while she dragged me along in the skinny spots.
The whole event was totally exhausting. Our camp was at 9000ft. By the time we got there, I was totally shot. Soaked with sweat. My head was POUNDING. I felt like shit but we made it !!!! The headache never actually went away but became more manageable after about 3 days.
The elevation really got both of us. My arms and legs felt like logs. A simple walk to get water was totally taxing. I'm am so glad we got in several days before season. It really help me acclimate to the altitude.
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When we got to the camp location in the basin, the 1st thing we saw was this old guy who just killed a moose. He said it took him 9yrs to finally get a tag. Nine days of solid hunting to finally get a crack at a good moose and over 100 miles on his horse before he killed this monster. Shiras moose dont get as big as the other sub species. Even so, this thing is a monster.
Tickled My memories of Two Weeks at altitude, in the Uncompaghre, (Colorado), with My Buddy from High School, just after HS Graduation, and Just before I entered U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, waaay back in 1971.
The STARS! The Air! The solitude! One of those "Never Forget" moments that punctuate Your life.
The STARS! The Air! The solitude! One of those "Never Forget" moments that punctuate Your life.
We set up camp in some trees just over a little knoll from the lake. We debated setting up more in the open to let the sun get to us more but we knew a storm was coming so felt that a little security from the wind, etc was best. Thankfully there was a pile of left over wood from a previous camp that we used to heat the tent that 1st night because we only had an axe and bow saw to cut wood on this 1st trip. Man it gets cold up that high at night.
Setting camp, getting water, caring for the horses was totally exhausting. I felt like total shit. On day 2 my buddy headed back down the mountain riding Poison with Libby in tow. He came back with a second load of stuff on Libby. Grain for the horses. Water buckets for the horses and a small chainsaw. I took a nap.
We planned on bringing a modified 5 gal bucket for a make shift privy but there just wasn't enough room on the horse. One of the great things about camping is how much it makes you appreciate modern amenities, microwave.........toilet. 9 days of crapping in the woods in single digit temperatures at night is enough to test a person's fortitude. lol
Setting camp, getting water, caring for the horses was totally exhausting. I felt like total shit. On day 2 my buddy headed back down the mountain riding Poison with Libby in tow. He came back with a second load of stuff on Libby. Grain for the horses. Water buckets for the horses and a small chainsaw. I took a nap.
We planned on bringing a modified 5 gal bucket for a make shift privy but there just wasn't enough room on the horse. One of the great things about camping is how much it makes you appreciate modern amenities, microwave.........toilet. 9 days of crapping in the woods in single digit temperatures at night is enough to test a person's fortitude. lol
One of the most amazing things to me was the temperature there. The sun warmed everything beautifully. Mid day temps in the sun were 70 plus degrees but in the shade everything froze. You can literally sit at the edge of the sun / shade and stay warm in the sun but keep your drink cold by setting it in the shadows. The minute the sun went down, the temperature dropped like a rock.
The storm moved through in the afternoon / night of day 2. It was COLD. -4 F on my cheapie little thermometer. This is what we woke up to.
The storm moved through in the afternoon / night of day 2. It was COLD. -4 F on my cheapie little thermometer. This is what we woke up to.
