Well, as some of you guys know, I was super excited to be heading to the mountains on Sept. 11th. It was my 3 hunting partners and I, and we planned on hunting at least 7 days in the backcountry. To say I was excited was an understatement. So, we head out on the night of the 11th and arrive on the evening of the 12th. We buy our tags and find a camping spot to park our truck for the night and try and get some sleep. It pours down rain all night. The next morning we wake up to a beautiful day with clear skies. Everybody seems to be amped up. So we decide to start hiking in. It doesn't take too long to figure out that my hunting party doesn't exactly like the hike up a mountain with a loaded pack. There was a little bickering/complaining to start with, but I figured it was no big deal and everything was going to be fine. It ends up taking about 5.5 hours for the whole party to hike in. It was a rough hike and was pretty proud of the rest of the guys for hiking in. I know that they hurt, because even I hurt some. I was in much better shape (physically and mentally). *Remember the mental part, it's key to hunting mountains for an extended stay. We get to our camping location, get set up, and decide to glass for the evening. So we split up and head opposite directions. None of us see much and decide to head back early because it is starting to drizzle rain. We get back to our tents and the rain continues on through the night, for about 11 hours or so. The next morning everything is pretty well soaked, inside and outside of both tents. That's when things started going bad. I could tell once everybody got wet that things wouldn't be good. These guys were not prepared for this type of hunting at all. We built a fire and tried to get things dried out, but it rained on and off throughout the day and they had a hard time drying their gear. It went on into the afternoon and I could tell that things weren't going to get much better, so I decided to put on my rain gear and hunt. It wasn't 10 minutes after I left camp that the sun came out and it was really nice outside. At this point I glass up a nice bull on the hillside opposite of me. He had a few cows and a calf with him. I let out a location bugle and he bugled back and started tearing up a small tree. I didn't think I could make it to him by dark, so I went to find the other guys and let them know what I found. I went back to where they were glassing the day before and found them all there watching the elk as well. They were also watching some bighorn sheep and some mule deer. They seemed to be in great moods and I felt a lot better. So back in our tents that night it starts to rain again. It rains all night and all their stuff gets soaked again. I had taken precautions to keep my things dry in case this happened again. The next morning I woke up, put on my dry clothes, and was ready to hunt. They all looked miserable. I went out to hunt by myself again and didn't hear or see much. When I got back to camp later in the morning I had a feeling that it was all about to be over with when I saw them. That's when they told me they were ready to go. They couldn't take it anymore. They were going back to the truck and were ready to go home. What could I do? 3 guys are ready to leave and 1 wants to stay. I had to pack up with them and go home. I was/still am so absolutely disgusted. I worked so hard and did so much research for this trip, and it was basically for nothing. I was prepared for everything. They were not. I guess that I was so excited for the trip that it blinded me to the fact that they weren't ready for this kind of hunting. I'm basically at a loss of words right now. To being able to fulfill a dream, to having it taken away from you is so heartbreaking. I guess that the only thing that I can do is learn from this trip and start planning for another one in a couple years hopefully.
Well, that's a giant downer. I couldn't imagine going on a mountain, pack-in trip and not being prepared for all the potential weather. I also couldn't imagine getting run-off by some rain.
That sucks man. I know you put in a lot of hard work for this. Maybe next time just take one guy that you know will hunt with you. Those mountains are not for everyone thats for sure. At least you got to see a few Elk before you left. I couldn't imagine going that far an spending that much $$$ just to turn around an come home. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 4
I was all excited reading through your post and then felt terrible for you. I would have no problem inviting you to go with our 4 guys the next time we make a trip somewhere for elk. Based on knowing that you worked hard to enjoy the hunt. I won't be going next year as I will be getting married labor day weekend. Maybe the following year would work if you wanted to team up with us. Just a thought. I really feel terrible for you on this. We got hard rain the first night in and a couple other times it rained pretty good. Having good gear is a must when depending on it for a week of hunting. Where we were at in Idaho it is usually pretty dry during archery season we were told. That can always change.
dang! Can't believe they didn't come prepared! I feel bad for you man. Still a head scratcher that they didn't know what they were getting into.
Snake that bites. I hunt in Utah and it was one of the wettest bow hunts I have had here. When I have taken in-laws (from southern Cal) out before elk hunting they don't realize what it takes and the work that it is. One year I had a brother in-law that wanted to hunt Mule deer and for the first day he had altitude sickness. I had never witnessed that before. I had to hand it to him he stuck it out. The next year he came up again but was a lot more prepared. You just learn from this trip. Hunting elk isn't for everybody. You got to see elk and be part of the hunt. A couple close encounters with elk and your hooked for life.
Sorry it didn't work out for you. I don't know what state you were hunting in but here in the Colorado mountains, the weather can turn from 65/70 degrees one day to 3 or 4 feet of snow and 20 degrees the next day, at anytime of the year. This year the monsoon rains have been unbelievable. You've probably heard about all the devastating floods we've had here. You might want to look into some new hunting partners. Being unprepared in the western high country is the same as playing Russian Roulette....it can kill you real quick.
yikes...feel bad for you...don't let it stop you from getting out again soon! It's one reason I ALWAYS drive...the keys are in my pocket then...I think my buddies might have just sat in the cold rain for a few more days
Thanks for the support everybody. I will definitely be hunting with new partners, or going solo. I haven't decided which one I want to do yet. I will definitely be getting back after it, but it will probably be 2 more years. I would next year, but I have too much work on my house to get done. Gotta save some money and get housework finished, the wife has to be happy so that I can go again. As far as anybody wanting to plan a trip within the next couple years, I will definitely keep it in mind. I will be going again for sure, I'm just going to use this as a learning experience and move on. Not much else that I can do with it. Anyways, thanks again for the support and enjoy the rest of the hunting season.
Man thats terrible, I had the virtually the exact same thing happen to me 7 years ago in Idaho. was supposed to hunt for two weeks, got 1 day! aww what a downer! have yet to make it back, but I dream about that place all the time! Good luck when you do get back there!
What a bunch on nannies - you should have dropped them off at the airport or bus stop and went back hunting :-)
Snake, I'm really sorry to hear your hunt turned out the way it did. I know how excited you were to go on your first elk hunt and you trained like a mad man to be in shape for the hunt. My guess is that the hike in and around the area was not a big deal for you. It's unfortunate that your hunting partners were not prepared for that hunt. Rain can really mess up a hunt but lack of preparedness makes it a challenge from the get-go. A friend of mine who is a guide in Alaska has two rules when he chooses a hunting partner. 1. They have to be in as good of physical shape as he is and 2. they have to have gear that is as good as his is. He said that by being in as good of shape as he is, it shows their level of commitment. I really hope you will get to go again next year. You probably learned more than you realize from this hunt and can use it to make you better and even more prepared the next time you go. As far as your next hunt goes let me encourage you to work on finding some hunting partners that are truly committed as you are. Going alone is really not a good idea. There are just too many risks and you'll want someone to call for you (and you for them) when you get into the elk. Packing an elk out on your own is just not fun and if you have warm weather, you could lose the meat if you can't get it out quickly. You have lots of time to plan and I hope you'll be able to experience a great hunt the next time. Good luck with your deer season this fall, I'm expecting to see a big buck on the board from you.
If you are going to hunt elk in Colorado you have to know that you will get rained on. It's a fact, it's just part of the territory. The same goes for the terrain, it will beat you up unless you can mentally beat it. Mind over matter is huge on any hunting trip and it sounds like you came into the hunt knowing that. I applaud you for that and as for the rest of the guys leave them behind and fulfill your dreams regardless of how long it may take. When the elk are rutting and screaming in your face and you gather your nerves to make that shot, that is an accomplishment that you will never forget. Elk are some of the smartest creatures in the woods and when you can go into their backyard and let the air out of one, regardless of antler size, you have have accomplished something that most only dream of. Good luck this year and for the years to come.
Thanks for all the advice and kind comments. I really would like to have a hunting partner to hunt the backcountry with. That being said, I now know what to look for. Not just any hunting partner is gonna cut it. I just got caught up in all the excitement of going on my first elk hunt and looked past the obvious in my hunting partners. I know that I won't be able to go again next year just because of putting some more money into my house, but I hope to be going back in 2015. I'll be better prepared for the next go round. I just have to find a suitable hunting partner in the meantime.