RockChucker30's 2012 Elk Hunt

[RockChucker30]

My buddy Jonesey and I are leaving midafternoon today from near Nashville, TN headed to CO. Google maps says it'll take 24 hours drive time.

This is the first elk hunt for both of us, so we're STOKED!

I'll update when I can throughout the trip.

[planebow]

Best of luck to you both

[Swede]

Best wishes. Shoot straight.

[WhackJob]

I bet you have already been having trouble sleeping!! Travel safe and have a great hunt here in our beautiful state..........good luck! All indications are that you picked a great first year to give it a go.....may well hit the rut just about right.

[RockChucker30]

Thanks guys!

The plan is to backpack in Saturday morning- hunting as we go- and set up camp the first night on a ridge overlooking a thick drainage. The next morning we'll hunt the head of the drainage, then make our way down to the bottom, making camp the second night at an abandoned outfitter camp. We'll likely hunt from there for several days, and pack out on Thursday, either back to the truck, or using one of several hiking trails to drop elevation down to a trailhead near town and then have a buddy shuttle us back to the truck.

Of course the plan will be flexible. We'll set camp and hunt where we find elk!

I've been working on my gear for hunts like this for several years now. My pack with 3 Liters water and 6 days food weighs just under 50 lbs.

Here's a gear list with almost everything in it.

Backpack Kifaru Timberline 3 w/ pockets
Chest Pack Kit Bag
Raincover Zpacks large
Grab-it Kifaru
Small Pod Kifaru UL
Medium Pod Kifaru UL
Tent Seek Outside BCS w/ pole
Tent Extra Seek Outside Expander Panel
Stakes 10 Groundhog
Tyvek 3' X 8'
Sleeping Bag w/ Stuff Sack Western Mountaineering Antelope 6'6"
Sleeping Pad Thermarest Neo Air Large
Sleeping Pad Gossamer Gear Thinlight Regular
Pillow Thermarest Pillow Case
Headlamp w/ Batteries Petzl Tikka XP2
Headlamp w/ Batteries Princeton Tech EOS
Candle Lantern UCO Mini
GPS Delorme PN60W
Satellite Locator SPOT
Extra Batteries 4 AA, 6 AAA
Camera w/ Case Canon Powershot G9
Tripod Joby Gorilla Pod
Cell Phone Iphone
Foam Seat
Stool Seat
Topo Maps
Pen/Paper Write in the Rain
Trekking Poles Black Diamond Contour Elliptic Carbon
Bow Hoyt Katera w/ quiver
Release Scott Sabretooth
Extra Release Scott Mongoose
Pistol Smith 327PD Loaded
Extra Ammo 8 rounds .357 Magnum
Rangefinder Leopould RXII
Binoculars Swarovski 10X42 EL w/ harness and cover
Spotting Scope w/ Soft Case Nikon Fieldscope 13-30X50
Tripod Velbon Ultra Luxi
Reeds Bugling Bulls Game Calls- 6 reeds
Bugle Elknut Lil' Chuckler
Kill Kit Knife, lash it, flagging, cont. bags
Leatherman Skeletool
Saw Gerber Sliding Saw
Game Bags Caribou Gear Carnivore
Altoid Tin Pills, moleskin, bandaids, super glue
Expanded FAK Ace Bandage, pills, gauze, tape
Altoids Tin Fire Kit
Compass
Ziploc Kit toothbrush, paste, sunblock
Hand Sanitizer
Biodegradable Soap Dr. Bronners
Pack Towel MSR
Razor
Insect Repellant Deet
Hydration Bladder 3 Liter Platypus
Water 3 Liters
Stove Snowpeak Giga, WS
Fuel Canisters
Cup Snowpeak Ti Cup
Pot Evernew UL 1300 ml
Water Purifier Katadyn Hiker Pro
Collapsible Water Container 6 L Platypus
Primal Cereal
Lara Bars
Snacks / Trail Mix / Granola bar
Beef Jerky
Kind Bars
Misc Gu, starbucks via, ziplocs
Shirt Icebreaker T-Shirt
Baselayer Top First Lite Llano
Baselayer Top First Lite Chama
Extra Socks and Underwear In stuffsack
Baselayer Bottom Icebreaker 200 Bottom
Jacket Montbell Thermawrap
Vest First Lite Springer
Toboggan Mountain Hardwear
Gloves OR Gripper Gloves
Belt Bison Designs
Jacket Kuiu Guide Jacket
Raingear Top Marmot Precip
Golite Poncho Tarp
Raingear Bottom ULA Rain Kilt
Knee Pads Foam
Gaiters OR Flex Tex
Boots Lowa Tibet
Camp Shoes Vibram Five Fingers

[ferris bugler]

Holy smokes!!! All that stuff only weighs 50 lbs? Where is Colorado are you headed? Good luck.

[Freebird134]

Holy smokes!!! All that stuff only weighs 50 lbs? Where is Colorado are you headed? Good luck.

There's no way!!! I'd love to see item weights if you got 'em and really got all that stuff under 50!!!

[kevin_t]

I know RockChucker30 and I know the area he is going in to pretty well. As for weight, I suspect items he's wearing aren't included in the weight, so the list perhaps looks worse than it is. Perhaps some of it is being left at the TH as well, or split with his buddy.

I think there are a couple things he might be able to pair down as well and given some of the terrain, a smaller lighter load might be more desirable in a few sections. There are some dog hair areas, and a couple steep sections that are difficult to find alternative routes that could be difficult with a real big load.

I hope he has a good time and great experience.

[RockChucker30]

West bound and down, loaded up and truckin.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1346974955.650634.jpg (51.9 KiB) Viewed 52025 times

The gear list has several things that will be left at the truck.

Thanks Kevin!

[Magic]

Have a safe trip, and good hunting.

[JP]

Good for you! Best of luck. We'll be headed that way (from SoCal) on Sunday as well. Can't wait...getting NOTHNG done at work the past few days reading all of the blogs.

[RockChucker30]

Oklahoma......,

[img]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc286/RockChucker30/712D1486-F53F-4BA5-A0D1-09C317CB3E5D-20010-00001F14E5E87EF1.jpg[/img]

[RockChucker30]

We had planned to stop at a motel and start off early this morning, but the longer we drove the more we wanted to be done driving.

I covered most of Oklahoma from 10-2 then turned it over to Jonesey. He took us to Texas from 2-4 then had to catch a couple hours at a rest stop.

Amarillo by morning, Amarillo I'll be there.

We should hit the trailhead early afternoon.

[easeup]

I'll be looking for eights when they pull that gate.....

[kevin_t]

Endurance driving love it.

I thought we should have a 48 hours of red mountain pass endurance driving event. Most laps win. When you drive the pass , you will understand the poor humor

Good luck
Kevin

[Harmy]

The Red Mountain Rally. Nice. Now, would that simply be back and forth from Ouray to Silverton or would it be a true circuit Ouray-Silverton-Telluride-Ouray??? If simply back and forth then it would have to be done in the winter...

[kevin_t]

I think back and forth is better, keep the curb as vertical as possible.

Although you could skip Silverton and go Ouray to T-ride via Black Bear pass and back via Imogene , that would keep plenty of edge of the seat moments

[RockChucker30]

I hate New Mexico. We have been driving through this state for 3 years. It never ends!

At least we can see mountains now.

[RockChucker30]

Made it. Camped at about 9800 and on our way up. This country has a whole lot of up to it!

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347118952.390951.jpg (87.39 KiB) Viewed 51830 times

[RockChucker30]

Up 1000 feet since morning. View from 10800.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347125732.335774.jpg (100.06 KiB) Viewed 51817 times

Seeing a lot of sign but none fresh. They're high.

[RockChucker30]

Lots of old sign up high.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347151998.049119.jpg (126.75 KiB) Viewed 51828 times

Had to drop off the other side of the ridge and lose 500 feet then gain it back with 9 L water.

We'll probably move camp in the morning.

[RockChucker30]

Change of plans. Jonesey's mother in law had a heart attack so he's going home today. I'll have to move on to Plan F.

[eltaco]

Sorry to hear that, buddy.

If you're staying up by yourself, make sure to let people know where you are and keep communication open. The mountains can be rough for even those familiar with them, going solo is not something to take lightly!

Good on your buddy for taking care of family first. Never know when something might go wrong back home, but family has to come first!

[RockChucker30]

Thanks eltaco. I've got a SPOT so people know where I am.

And fortunately Kevin T was kind enough to camp with me last night.

I've moved from up high down to an aspen area with fresher sign. In fact, Kevin brought an 8 man tipi up for me to see and where he set it up smelled strongly of bull pee.

Few more pics:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347276661.503812.jpg (84.05 KiB) Viewed 51746 times

[RockChucker30]

Jonesey after 1000 feet vertical.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347276738.102968.jpg (166.67 KiB) Viewed 51743 times

First nights camp.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347276768.721518.jpg (164.58 KiB) Viewed 51743 times

View from near camp.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347276804.079967.jpg (118.17 KiB) Viewed 51743 times

[RockChucker30]

I took the expander panel out of my tent so it would be smaller/lighter for just me and packed in yesterday to make camp.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347287948.532244.jpg (138.7 KiB) Viewed 51723 times

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347288007.024892.jpg (104.21 KiB) Viewed 51723 times

Then Kevin T came up, bring his 8 man tipi and I wound up sleeping in it. Heckuva way to wake up!!!

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347288072.999387.jpg (83.2 KiB) Viewed 51723 times

I've been hearing a bull bugle for the last hour across the drainage so I'm going back to the truck to drop some more weight and get my Lil Chuckler (which I forgot!) and then pack over there closer to him.

[RockChucker30]

Where I'm headed.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347288256.607401.jpg (124.18 KiB) Viewed 51722 times

[RockChucker30]

By the way, altitude sucks. Weight is everything. I left gear at the truck yesterday and I'll leave more today.

If its not a safety issue and you can do without it, then leave it!!!

[kevin_t]

I just pulled out my sleeping gear from last night and it reeks of bull pee. I'm airing it out now, and even though I know the scent is good cover, I'd prefer it to smell normal.

Good luck and have fun.

The altitude will get easier probably the day before you have to head out

[RockChucker30]

All my stuff smells like bull pee. I'm willing to shoot a cow... Maybe this will help?

View from new (and last) camp. I ain't moving again.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347316059.558514.jpg (93.16 KiB) Viewed 51683 times

[RockChucker30]

The move paid off. I got packed into a small bench a 100 yards or so from a series of meadows. This afternoon while glassing another meadow I heard a bull bugle behind me. He gave a locator, then a bugle and chuckles. He sounded like he was only 200 yards away so I started circling to get the wind.

I made it about 125 yards before I was busted by a raggy and cow. The wind was swirly so I don't know if they smelled me but I do know they saw me.

The herd bull shut up after that. Will they still be in the area tomorrow?

[ElkNut1]

There's always that chance they'll be there but be mentally ready to pursue other areas or drainages a bit further out until you do find them, they shouldn't be more than a mile away if they do move off!

ElkNut1

[kevin_t]

There isn't a lot areas to go from there. The other side of the pass is a possibility. The timber is very nasty above the pass, lots of blowdown. It doesn't last very long and is tundra a few hundred feet above the pass, with very few ways through, mostly considered mildly technical for a human. That leads over to another basin but it's probably 3 miles to timber again.

[RockChucker30]

They were back in the meadow this morning. I heard them leaving just before daylight. I'm headed after them.

[RockChucker30]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347373386.398851.jpg (95.86 KiB) Viewed 51644 times

Big 6x6 with a 4, 5, and spike. Putting them to bed.

[RockChucker30]

I think the 6X bedded up on the ridge. The other three bulls came down and crossed the creek to my side.

I tried to circle and get ahead of them but no luck. They were silent and I never got on them.

Planning to hunt the meadow near camp this pm. If the bulls are in the same place tomorrow morning I'll be waiting for them at the creek crossing.

[BarW]

That looks like a good bull

[RockChucker30]

Time slows to a crawl when you're waiting to go check for blood......I think the hit was good.

[Vanish]

Time slows to a crawl when you're waiting to go check for blood......I think the hit was good.

Oh snap!

[kevin_t]

Good job RockChucker30. An experience to remember.

[RockChucker30]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347514983.119819.jpg (114.28 KiB) Viewed 51549 times

I gave a nervous grunt and he stopped dead in his tracks next to that tree. 30 yards.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347515061.606960.jpg (114.17 KiB) Viewed 51549 times

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347515080.131548.jpg (143.69 KiB) Viewed 51549 times

More of the story later. I'm whipped.

[loopmtz]

Good job! I can't wait to hear the story!.

[Vanish]

Way to go, that bull looks huge!

[Dlove]

Wow. What a bull. You guys have me pacing the floor. We leave tomorrow for a full week. Congrats

[eltaco]

Good Lord Almighty .... that is one heck of a CO OTC bull. Nice work, buddy!

[WapitiTalk1]

Beautifull bull! Congrats. RJ

[RockChucker30]

And now for the rest of the story......

I moved camp across the drainage to where I heard bugling. There is a large park there that sees very few people, a very steep and deep rocky creek and then on the other side a series of meadows down low then above a large timbered bench.

I set camp near the creek on the bench/meadow side. The first afternoon I was glassing the park across the creek when I heard bugling behind me from the meadows. I tried to circle closer and get the wind but was busted by a raggy and cow.

The next morning I heard elk leave the meadow and go up toward the bench before daylight. I waited a while and started after them. By chance I glassed the park and up high I saw 4 bulls. I posted pretty shaky photos of the biggest. It's hard to take pics with an iPhone through 10x binos!

The bulls fed toward the creek. I lost the big boy in some timber but the other three (a medium sized 5, a 4, and a spike) continued on toward the creek. They took a trail I hadn't noticed down a very steep and treacherous trail and started up on my side. I circled and tried to get ahead of them but they were silent and I couldn't find them. I spent most of the day still hunting the bench with no luck. That afternoon I decided to go check out the creek crossing they had used.

There was a 60 yard stretch where trails came through. It is a great pinch point because the creek cliffs out above the crossing and there is a falls not far below. The area was tore up with sign. I resolved to hunt there the next morning.

Then it started raining. It didn't stop for more than a day. Late that afternoon I was laying in my tent listening to the rain when I heard light chuckles from across the creek in the park.

There is no cover there, but it was extremely foggy so I took a chance on a stalk. I wound up pinned behind a small pine watching a big 5x5 and his 7 cows at 150 yards with no way to get closer. I thought calling would only lead to spooking the herd so I backed out.

The next morning I settled into a small copse of pines in the middle of the creek crossing trails at about 6:30. It was still raining, and there was a chill that went through everything I was wearing. I huddled hugging my knees and shivering until around 9 when I heard a short growl across the creek, then the rattling of two bulls sparring. It was still too foggy to see but I got ready. I didn't know if they would come from the lower trail or the upper so I sat on one foot with the other knee up so I could turn and draw fast.

About 20 minutes or so passed and I heard the click of hoof on stone. "Upper trail!" the bull looked like a dinosaur coming over the edge. I drew. He was moving so fast he was through my first shooting lane before I knew it. I had one more chance but I had to stop him on the spot. As he entered the lane I gave him a nervous grunt and he anchored in his tracks. I held for 30 and the arrow was on its way. I heard a wet thump, the bull ran uphill, and I fell apart.

I waited 30 minutes and found my arrow then started blood trailing. He covered 100 yards before going down. I hit him farther back than I intended but suspect I still got both lungs.

Then the work started. It rained or poured the entire time I boned him out and shuttled meat back to camp. When I went back for the last load of both shoulders, head, and antlers it was hailing. We weighed that load at 100 lbs.

I then shuttled the meat and eventually camp to a trail junction a mile away. There Kevin T, his son, and friends Jeff and David met me to help ferry the loads down the remaining 2.5 miles of trail. It was dark and scary steep. When the locals say "Now on this last 3 tenths- if you fall to the left you're done. Nobody will find you." you perk up and step carefully.

We got back to the trailhead at 8:30 pm. I couldn't have done it without Kevin, his family, and friends. Thank guys!

[RockChucker30]

Me on the pack out with 100 lbs of elk.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347553816.025268.jpg (141.83 KiB) Viewed 51513 times

I'll do a gear review and lessons learned when I get to a desktop.

[eltaco]

You suck for being a first time elk hunter with that bull and smile on your face... just saying! LOL!!!

[TENFIVE]

Great thread! Thanks for sharing it. That is an awesome pic with the head/antlers on your back. You are grinning ear to ear. I can't wait until 11:30 tomorrow (Friday). We are driving from Massachusetts to Colorado. The months of preparation are over. Now it is time to get after 'em. Woo Hoo!

[RockChucker30]

Eltaco, I know the odds of taking a 320 bull on a first time, public land, solo, backpack, OTC hunt are akin to being struck by lightning while holding a winning lottery ticket! I do indeed feel lucky.

But I also think that elk are earned and paid for. You can pay big dollars to an outfitter and get a nice bull.

I paid for mine with pain and misery. I can't say that I'll go that far back alone again.

[eltaco]

Eltaco, I know the odds of taking a 320 bull on a first time, public land, solo, backpack, OTC hunt are akin to being struck by lightning while holding a winning lottery ticket! I do indeed feel lucky.

But I also think that elk are earned and paid for. You can pay big dollars to an outfitter and get a nice bull.

I paid for mine with pain and misery. I can't say that I'll go that far back alone again.

Oh, I'm positive that you've earned him... not taking that away from you!

Last year I was about 250 Mi on boot, and I couldn't help but think..
.where's my luck at? LOL! I'll talk a fat calf if it walks in front of me at this point!

I'm very happy to read that you were able to pattern this bull. Early season was incredibly random and I'm hoping that has changed some. I spent my entire first week calling for my family ... hoping to get a chance next week!

[RockChucker30]

View from my rear view.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347628513.411199.jpg (33.67 KiB) Viewed 51426 times

I stayed the last two nights with Kevin and Angie Timm, owners of Seek Outside- who made the tent I used on this hunt. I owe them more than I can repay, though I hope they enjoy the meat!

Here's Kevin with about 120 lbs on the pack out.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347628736.592289.jpg (118.83 KiB) Viewed 51426 times

The man is like a mountain goat fed performance enhancing drugs.

[hornart]

Congrats on a great bull,,Good Job

[RockChucker30]

Thanks guys!

I'm planning to do a euro mount. Does anyone know where I can get a pot big enough to boil and elk skull in?

[kevin_t]

Congrats to you Nathan. You really put your time and preparation in on this hunt and the outcome is a result of all your preparation. You put in a lot of time studying maps, learning the terrain, obtaining gear, and training yourself both physically and mentally. You spent a lot of time picking my brain on what I knew about the local Elk herds. You encountered many challenges along the way, especially once you hit the trail, but you adjusted, and were persistent. It was a pleasure meeting you, and sharing in those experiences. There are a lot of similarities between self powered big game backpack hunts, and mountaineering expeditions, adventure racing, and other endurance events. Sometimes it's time to get it done, and usually neither the weather or timing is optimal. What you gain though, in knowledge, confidence and memories last a lifetime. The result was because of your preparation, persistence and desire. I think I had mentioned in previous emails, that I thought one of the greatest detriments to success for the prepared hunter, was a lack of persistence and desire to finish the job. Often times it's to tired, to cold, to far back, to late, neither of which were a detriment to you. Once again congrats, and it was a pleasure being involved in your experience.

[kevin_t]

BTW

We will certainly enjoy the meat. That was very generous of you.

From a gear perspective, I would love to hear your perspective of what worked and what didn't. I'd love to see a final gear list, and what you used, what you did not use, what you wished you had and so forth. Not just in regards to our seekoutside gear(since we are gear manufacturers), but we are always looking at finding ways to improve the back country experience. As you noticed, I'm always experimenting with something. Weight is critical on something like this , but sometimes it's what you don't take that matters more than what you do, and sometimes people undershoot the weight and realize what they needed more than anything was a certain piece of gear they decided not to take. The challenges of steep mountain terrain, and ever changing weather make this all the more evident, especially when you must establish a certain amount of safety as well. I look forward to sort of a recap.

Thanks
Kevin

[FireWillie77]

Congrats on the beautiful bull!!! So awesome. Do you think the bull on the hill in the meadow that you took a pic of is the same bull you got?? Take care and congrats again

[gagodfrey]

Are you freaking kidding me???????? What a great story!!!!!!! I'm hoping to do the same in 2013.

How far would you say you were away from the nearest vehicle accessible trails/roads?

[ElkNut1]

Great story & outcome dude, way be persevering & stick it out through the bad weather!! Sounds like he nervous grunt strikes again!!! (grin)

ElkNut1

[JimKirk]

way to go rockchucker. that is one beautiful bull. the hard work and persistence paid off. when you put in the work that you did results usually follow and they did. Keep it up and start planning for next year! love the camp photos too. it really tells the story and gives a great perspective of what you were experiencing. thanks for the effort in posting a great read.

[RockChucker30]

Congrats on the beautiful bull!!! So awesome. Do you think the bull on the hill in the meadow that you took a pic of is the same bull you got?? Take care and congrats again

Thanks! It was definitely the same bull I snapped the photos of. I watched him for almost 30 minutes through 10x glass at 500 yards. It was really cool, and I can't believe I got a shot at him the next day!

[RockChucker30]

How far would you say you were away from the nearest vehicle accessible trails/roads?

I was about 3.6 or so from my truck, but it would have taken some up to get there so we took him out another trail. I killed him at about 10300, camp was at 9900 and 3 tenths of a mile from the kill site. Then it was relatively flat to the trail junction 3/4 of a mile or so away. The last 2.5 miles of trail drops 2000 feet, Total distance was probably 3.5 miles with 2800 feet of loss.

BTW, the next day Kevin showed me the trail we came down on the pack out. The last 3 tenths are on a sheer red cliff with only a few stunted trees growing out. I got chills looking at it. It's probably a good thing we came down in the dark!

[dotman]

Congrats and great story!

[gagodfrey]

awesome! Thanks for the update.

[RockChucker30]

Gear:

I went lighter the second day after dropping Jonesey at the airport, then went lighter again the next day beore spiking out where I killed my bull. I estimate my final pack weight with 3L water and 4 days food at right around 40 lbs.

Here's a list of gear that was changed or left at the truck:

Backpack Kifaru Timberline 3 w/ pockets
Chest Pack Kit Bag
Grab-it Kifaru
Small Pod Kifaru UL
Medium Pod Kifaru UL
Tent Extra Seek Outside Expander Panel
Tyvek 3' X 8'
Candle Lantern UCO Mini
Camera Case
Tripod Joby Gorilla Pod
Stool Seat
Pen/Paper Write in the Rain
Trekking Poles Black Diamond Contour Elliptic Carbon
Pistol Smith 327PD Loaded
Extra Ammo 8 rounds .357 Magnum
Spotting Scope w/ Soft Case Nikon Fieldscope 13-30X50
Tripod Velbon Ultra Luxi
Kill Kit Knife, lash it, flagging, cont. bags
Saw Gerber Sliding Saw
sunblock
Insect Repellant Deet
Cup Snowpeak Ti Cup
Collapsible Water Container 6 L Platypus
Jacket Montbell Thermawrap
Vest First Lite Springer
Toboggan Mountain Hardwear
Gloves OR Gripper Gloves
Jacket Kuiu Guide Jacket
Golite Poncho Tarp
Knee Pads Foam
Boots Lowa Tibet

After Jonesey left I switched packs from the Timberline 3 to the much larger and more capable Timberline 1. I took off the grabit, pods, and went with no added pockets to save weight. It worked OK. It was not comfortable on the pack out, but I don't know if any pack would have been. I also found the drawback to a cordura pack. After a day in the rain I bet it almost doubled in weight. 5 lbs may not be much, but when you're already carrying 100 lbs of elk carrying an extra 5 of water isn't ideal.

I swapped the regular Kit Bag for a runners kit bag and didn't take the pistol back in. I didn't miss it.

I took the expander panel out of my Seek Outside BCS to save weight and make a smaller shelter. It worked great.

I took some tyvek as a ground sheet but left it midway through the hunt. I was fortunate to set up when the ground was dry so I didn't miss it. If it had already been raining I might have wished I'd had it.

I started with a candle lantern but didn't need it so dropped it off at the truck. I left the camera case and carry strap at the truck. I just carried the camera with my extra socks. I took most pics with my iPhone. RE: the iPhone - I need to get a battery powered charger for it. I had service, which means my wife wanted to talk to me which ran my battery down pretty quick.

I didn't take the trekking poles. I missed them on the last 2.5 miles of trail, but that was it.

I had a boning hook in my kill kit along with an extra contractor bag. I left both at the truck. Once my bull was down I missed the boning hook because it allows you to be aggressive with your cuts without worrying about your fingers. I stabbed my index finger with a havalon piranta. They are SHARP. BTW, the havalon with several blades is all you need for an elk.

I didn't take the spotter and didn't miss it.

I didn't take a saw and didn't miss it. The same with sunblock and insect repellant.

Cooking gear - I left my ti cup and took the ti pot and jetboil. The only food I needed a stove for was morning coffee and primal cereal. The primal cereal is finely chopped almonds, pecans, a banana, cinnamon and salt, and some milk mixed and then dehydrated. Add a 1/2 cup of hot water and it's like oatmeal, except it has 800 calories per serving. It worked great as an energy source, but the flavor got OLD by the 4th day. If I had it to do over I would take more jerky, lara bars, kind bars, fruit leather, and trail mix and not have a need for a stove most days. I would take the Ti cup and an ultralight alcohol stove for tea/coffee and for heating enough water for breakfast a couple of days.

I lost 8 lbs on my trip, probably most of it on the kill day during the packout. I started 6'3" and 185 and ended up at 177 which I haven't seen since high school. I know I didn’t eat enough on kill day. I had 2 lara bars and 2 kind bars, plus 3 Gu gels. I was grateful for the Gu gels though I should have had 4. I crashed on the last 2 miles and really struggled.

Clothing:
I left the Kuiu guide jacket and didn’t miss it. It’s 28 oz and is too heavy. I left the montbell thermawrap and instead carried a marmot zeus ½ zip down jacket/sweater which replaced the kuiu and montbell jackets and the firstlite springer vest nicely. Temps were in the 30’s at night and 50’s to low 70’s during the day.

I didn’t miss the poncho tarp until kill day. I could’ve rigged it as a tarp over the bull which would’ve made boning a lot easier in the pouring rain.

The marmot precip rain jacket worked great as always. I tried a ULA rain kilt this year instead of rain pants and for the 3 oz it weighs it worked great. It gives coverage down to just below the knee.

I LOVE the Kuiu attack pants I wore. The color is major brown which blended in really well for a solid color. They came through with just a couple picks from deadfall, and they dried fast, are water repellant, stretch (= super comfortable), layer great, and are all around great pants.

Shoes – I started with Lowa Tibets which are a great boot, but they’re heavy. By the second day my heels were sore and my feet felt weighed down. I switched to my Inov8 trail running low tops with OR flex tech gaiters. This combo worked great. I felt very nimble, light, and much quieter stalking through the timber. They are extremely grippy. But they are not waterproof, and I paid for that on Wednesday. My feet were sloshing water on each step. But I got Kevin to bring me a pair of neoprene socks when he came up to pack meat and they helped a lot. The neoprene kept my feet warm even though they were wet, and the non-waterproof shoes are made to dry fast. I will use this setup again. Reason being – I covered roughly 20 miles on my trip. The Inov8’s weigh 2 lbs 14 oz LESS than the lowa tibets. If I’m taking 2000 steps per mile that means that wearing the lighter shoes kept my legs from picking up 115,000 lbs over the course of the hunt.

[kevin_t]

Thanks for the update Nathan

Your experience mirrors mine with Cordura packs. Unfortunately I don't have another option at this point for load out. Pack covers should work, but the reality is they often don't get used and by the time they do it's to late. I've used Dri ducks poncho that does dual duty as a ground sheet, and poncho. I carry it in a side pocket I can reach and put over everything when needed without taking a pack off. Non waterproof packs are a pet peeve of mine. A good waterproof pack, might be a little louder , but face it it's hard to not make noise even in fleece in the timber, and noise happens in the woods naturally. You can reduce stuff sacks and a whole lot more if your pack is waterproof.

Regarding shoes, I've never found a lightweight boot that would keep my feet dry. I either get wet from the inside or the outside and so the neoprene socks seem the best I can figure out. Quick dry also helps once your shoes are wet when you are there for a few days.

I prefer the Jerky and nuts combo etc for food and simplicity and the evenness of energy it provides is a good thing. It can get boring as well though. However, sometimes the situation arises that you will have a long day that is way beyond your normal day. In those instances having a few emergency gels is the way to get you through as you did.

Everyone has their gear preferences, but many of the more experienced people I know tend to gravitate towards similar choices if the environments and conditions are similar. I think to often people try to recreate the comforts of home when they are out but IMO that isn't the ideal. I prefer to choose gear based on effort, efficiency and reliability. If your gear helps you be efficient (for instance the shoe choice or a good nights sleep) and it takes minimal effort to use and is reliable then you are good. That is where weight comes in, it's about reducing effort. No one is efficient on 2 hours of sleep, or not enough food or water, so your gear needs to help you maintain efficiency. That's my $.02 at least.

Last but not least, even with the best gear things go wrong and sometimes it is of no fault of the gear or person. We recently heard from some customers that were on an 8 or 9 day hunt. They loved the tent, however a bear came in it 3 times. We will repair it for them, and the bear is since deceased, but there is always something that can go wrong, even if you do most things right.

[RockChucker30]

Kevin, I'm currently undecided on backpacks. I traded my Timberline 3 today for a ULA Catalyst plus some cash which I will likely use to buy your little tent when it's finally available. I'm thinking the Catalyst will be a good daypack/light backpacking setup. I'd like to trade my Timberline 1 for a Timberline 2 which is just a little smaller. I cant think than I'll ever need the snow collar on the T1. Then I'd still like to get a good frame pack.

What I'm thinking....Backpack elk hunt - take an external with the HPG Tarahumara and compression kit with a dry bag for the main bag. Leave the frame at camp and use the Tara as a daypack until one is down, then I've got the external to haul meat.

Backpack Mule deer hunt - take the T1 or T2 for comfort and ease - capable of bringing a boned out deer out in one trip with camp if necessary.

Truck Camping - use the Tara or Catalyst as a daypack and have the frame pack at camp.

Regarding bears - that would suck! I'm going to get some bear spray if I ever venture over to that other mountain you told me about. I don't think I need a pistol unless I'm in grizzly or methhead country. Seriously, I worry more about the crazies here in TN than I do the black bears in CO.

Also, I figured out how to boil an elk head. I've got to finish cleaning it up and then bleach it, but the euro mount is coming along nicely.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1347999719.266734.jpg (145.59 KiB) Viewed 51258 times

[FireWillie77]

Cooking gear - I left my ti cup and took the ti pot and jetboil. The only food I needed a stove for was morning coffee and primal cereal. The primal cereal is finely chopped almonds, pecans, a banana, cinnamon and salt, and some milk mixed and then dehydrated. Add a 1/2 cup of hot water and it's like oatmeal, except it has 800 calories per serving. It worked great as an energy source, but the flavor got OLD by the 4th day. If I had it to do over I would take more jerky, lara bars, kind bars, fruit leather, and trail mix and not have a need for a stove most days. I would take the Ti cup and an ultralight alcohol stove for tea/coffee and for heating enough water for breakfast a couple of days.

Gotta ask, are you a crossfitter??

[RockChucker30]

Nope, not a crossfit gym nearby. Even if there were I'm not sure I'd join.

I do try to eat primal/paleo. It makes a huge difference for me.

One more thing regarding food/nutrition. I drink a lot of water here at home. At elevation I was thirsty all the time and was drinking crazy amounts. The first night we were on a dry ridge which was strategically a good spot, but it was 500 feet of loss and gain to get water.

That simply wasn't feasible because I was drinking over 6 liters of water per day. Plan for this increase in water consumption.

[FireWillie77]

Very cool I eat paleo also and feel 100x times better

[Vanish]

My elk head is reeking on the porch of our apartment at the moment. Just waiting for management to come by and hand me a fine.

What kind of container is that, where can I find one? I recognize it but I'm a little slow after nine days out. Then I'll need to take it some place I can work with it! It'll be nice to have our own place soon enough!

[RockChucker30]

That's a 17 gallon washtub bought at a hardware store for $35. It's galvanized, so be careful when you light the fire. Breathing the zinc smoke off hot galvanized isn't good for your health. But I found that all the heat transferred to the water and I didn't get any smoke.

Also, I had to find three sections of excess tin roofing to prop around the sides of the tub to help funnel heat and block the wind to ever get the blamed thing to boil.

After it cooked a good while I took it out and cut as much meat off as I could, then put it back in and cooked it some more, then took it out and pressure washed most of the remaining bits off. A knive, a wire brush, a woodworking chisel, and some wire will get the rest of the bits out.

I need to bleach mine soon. That also helps loosen up anything else hanging on, and improves the smell a great deal.

[Vanish]

Ah yes, I realized it was a washtub a few hours after I asked. I've done whitetail skulls before but this will be my first elk. I think we're going to try the natural route since it already started while we were finishing the season.

I can't wait to see yours finished, great bull!

[RockChucker30]

The things take up a LOT of wall. I need a bigger house!

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1349738669.599547.jpg (58.79 KiB) Viewed 51016 times

[tracker12]

CVery nice. Where did you ge the hanger you have the skull attached to.

[RockChucker30]

That's a Skull Hooker Big Hooker. I've used skull hookers several times for deer euro mounts and I like the look. Plus they're a lot easier to use than a wall plaque.

[buglmin]

Nice nice bull sir...especially for Colorado...but FYI, the tag on the horns when youre boiling the skull, has to be left with the meat. We carry zip lock bags to put the carass tag in and then use zip ties to attach the bag to the meat. We were told years ago by a dow officer that having the tag on the horns and not attached to the carcass could lead to the animal being confinscated as an illegally tagged animal. Just something to remember in the future..

[sreekers]

Turns out some other people really liked this story too! Congrats!

http://www.eastmans.com/ebj/76/be-caref ... h-for.html

[BrentLaBere]

Awesome!

[ElkNut1]

Yes, very nice!

ElkNut1

[TJB]

Great Job RockChucker! That mount looks awesome! I got my issue of Eastman's last night and re-read your story for the third time! Great work. You are a celebrity now!

[RockChucker30]

Thanks guys! I was truly blessed with a trip like that.

[JimKirk]

got my EBJ today great write up. wish they would publish the extended version with all the minor details. congratulations on a well planned and successful hunt.

[Vanish]

I had just PM'd RockChucker about this but then I saw this thread again.

Was catching up on some "required reading" (Eastmans) when I noticed a familiar face ... then the next page I could not mistake, that big grin with the bloody skull on his back! Great story once again.