Fall 24/25 Days Afield Thread

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Originally Posted by yeahman

I should really start hunting grouse. I could have killed at least ten in the past week.

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I used to bird hunt up by Conrad when I had good private access and friends with dogs but haven't been out in a long time. Everytime I go dirt road driving lately I could've walked up and rang some necks. Next year I'm grabbing a bird stamp and keeping the 20 GA in the truck. Grouse everywhere around here this year. Might have to make my retriever actually work( funny enough he comes from Fairfield with good birdog lines..)

Good luck everybody!

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Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian

Sometimes they don't give you much of a choice.

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Well done!


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I always tell myself I am done shooting mulies that aren't huge, but get a tag anyway. I've put in a lot of miles this year and when this freezer buck stood up 40 yards a way and just stood there. Well I couldn't resist. Got it all cut up yesterday with the help of byates and taking a ton of it to Daniels to get made into sausage/sticks/etc.

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Originally Posted by Bunion 2020

Shooting light about 45 minutes ago. The weapons restricted areas around my house sounded like Gaza for a little bit. Too many whitetails around here anyway.

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I should really get my all 6 of my available B tags. So many deer in our little fields and no HOA.

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Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian

I always tell myself I am done shooting mulies that aren't huge, but get a tag anyway. I've put in a lot of miles this year and when this freezer buck stood up 40 yards a way and just stood there. Well I couldn't resist. Got it all cut up yesterday with the help of byates and taking a ton of it to Daniels to get made into sausage/sticks/etc.




I should really get my all 6 of my available B tags. So many deer in our little fields and no HOA.

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Sweet!

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Took 5 years to get my first elk (last year), got another on day 8/9 of my local second rifle season on Saturday. 1.8 miles as the crow flies from my house.

May even be ready to upgrade myself to a bull tag next year.

^^Awesome man. I would love to shoot a cow this year. We have a two-week either sex window at the end of the season in a couple districts nearby. I plan to hit that hard. Trying not to burn myself out looking for a bull in the meantime.

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Originally Posted by yeahman

^^Awesome man. I would love to shoot a cow this year. We have a two-week either sex window at the end of the season in a couple districts nearby. I plan to hit that hard. Trying not to burn myself out looking for a bull in the meantime.

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If it's motorized legal, snow covered access roads inaccessible by truck, and you need help with access, let me know.....

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Originally Posted by Trackhead

If it's motorized legal, snow covered access roads inaccessible by truck, and you need help with access, let me know.....

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Thanks for the offer, hopefully it won't come to that! [emoji3]

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Originally Posted by yeahman

^^Awesome man. I would love to shoot a cow this year. We have a two-week either sex window at the end of the season in a couple districts nearby. I plan to hit that hard. Trying not to burn myself out looking for a bull in the meantime.

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I'm jealous of the long MT seasons, would have loved to be able to chase bulls and then fall back to a cow.

Good luck!

Good weather for hanging so I've still got three quarters to process. Good to see the freezer filling.

Had a fun week in cock country. The drought situation is real, though, and we worked hard for our birds compared to years past.

Big country out here.

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Rooster! Judy on point in the background.


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36 bars on that bird. Pretty sure that’s a PR for me.

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The real team. Judy in the green is 10 and was doing 18-20 miles a day, no problem. Younger sister Sam is a machine at 7 with even more miles. They had a lot of beautiful points with very few bumped birds. Really enjoying having two veteran dogs. My buddy’s dogs are in the background.

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Sam did work.

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Awesome!

Cow elk down. Went to a propert with a friend that is heavily surrounded by a big ranch. Occasionally a couple small herds will traverse through the 80 acres on the hillside. Got there just before legal light and I pulled the binos out on the ridge. Holy shit it's the heard of 200. I had a bull tag and he had a cow tag.

He went running high up the ridge I ran down low through a gully. Proned on the apron I could only see cow and they were walking up to him. I could hear Bulls still bugling like crazy so I tried running down to the fence line. Never got eyes on them.

Bang.

Buddy dropped a cow with a perfect shot. 200 yard down hill. Went maybe 40 yards. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...708d5f01df.jpg

^^^ Nice!

We watched 3 bulls for an hour on Wednesday. Fresh snow overnight. They grazed for an hour about 100 yds beyond the boundary into private land. Those fuckers KNOW where to not get shot at. That's for sure.

Heading totally blind to a new unit I have never hunted next week. Hoping to at least have glassable country. We have elk here but it's pretty much entirely walking in heavy timber and hope you jump some animals. Anything you need glass for is private.

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Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian

^^^ Nice!

We watched 3 bulls for an hour on Wednesday. Fresh snow overnight.

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Fucking Wednesday was the DAY, right? Wife and I we're on the CDT, cutting multiple tracks though we never caught up to anything. Smelling elk. The woods were quiet for walking. We stayed out until last light. I really thought it might happen. Meanwhile my buddy who was only a few miles away as the crow flies dropped a raghorn pretty much during the last minute of legal shooting light. Happy for him, wish it were me. [emoji3]

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Brightside: your buddy was carrying out heavy loads all night in the cold and dark, over all that deadfall, while you just had a pleasant sunset hike ;)

Rev, love the Sam and Judy photos, they could be cousins to my boy Pancho.

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Originally Posted by zion zig zag

Brightside: your buddy was carrying out heavy loads all night in the cold and dark, over all that deadfall, while you just had a pleasant sunset hike ;)

Rev, love the Sam and Judy photos, they could be cousins to my boy Pancho.

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Shit, the deadfall in that photo doesn't even begin to tell the story of the beetle kill mess around here. There are many, many hunting spots I can't even hike to anymore without risking life and limb climbing over the nastiest shit. It sucks. I don't think the elk like it much either, although it's hard to say how bad it has to get before they actually avoid a place.

And yeah, he had to break the animal down in the dark, but he only carried out one load that night. Went back in the next morning with his wife and a friend and got the rest in one trip. Only a mile and a half, and he hikes from his back door. He's got one of those sweetheart deals where he hunts public land but has to cross his neighbor's to get to it...and he's the only one who has permission. Everybody else has to hike at least 3+ miles to get to the same spot. But hey, more power to him. He's shot a lot of elk up there, but some years they aren't around so it's certainly not foolproof.

Yep, Wednesday was really only the 3rd day since beginning of archery that was actually good hunting weather. We had one cold wet rain storm in Sept and the Elk were firing and active.....then 8000 degrees the rest of archery. Then rifle has been mostly warm and quiet. One other good storm about 10ish days ago. Several elk killed.....warm again.....then finally this storm and Wednesday was popping. Lot of elk killed on Weds.

In the last storm cycle a friend of mine shot a bull 10-11 miles from his truck. Same day I passed on a cow cause we were 6 miles one way from the truck. Part of the way he could use his MTB and a trailer. He didn't want help. He had 3 days to get it out and did it all himself. 45ish miles on foot and MTB with a trailer in 3 days. Beast mode.

A few shots from the blind.

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Not a big turnout at deer camp this year. Buddy snapped a small 4 pt. I chased bucks but never got a bead on one and ended up shooting a doe on my last morning. Good times as always. Love this country.
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Hell yeah. Nice buck! Is that the MO?


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Marias

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Originally Posted by yeahman

Marias

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Ah, yes, I’m familiar. Pheasant hunted up there.


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Friggin A. Colorado 4th season was a roller coaster. Warm temps, no snow, lots of bucks on private, little rut activity, missed two different deer. I had relegated myself to forky patrol today, but after gathering my gear at a buddies house as to get on the road home for Monday morning meetings, I went out to his 11th hour spot. Turns out, it’s a lucky spot. Two bucks, mine and his, shot a year apart, closing day, 4:25 pm.
Glassed up this guy headed to private off BLM at 650, was able to get to 260 and the rest is history. Died less than 100 from private, a bit of a gamble but, send it. I’m exhausted, but I saw more deer, and more big bucks on this trip than I’ve seen in years. I hate to say it but I might be a mule deer guy? I forget who said it but mulies are for the wall and elk are for the table, or something. Time to go skiing, ducks will just be causal for the rest of the season.

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Very nice buck Phall

I'm on a break from grouse hunting this past weekend through next weekend due to the gun deer season and my dog is not happy. Hopefully I'll get back to it in early December.

I'd say the rut here felt late. I didn't see much for sign until the second weekend in November. With our gun deer season being very late this year I'm wondering how the kill numbers will look.