I'm about 2 hours north of St. Louis, MO...they have both Cabelas and REI...I will look into REI...thanks. And yes, no doubt I will also have compass/map along with GPS.
Thanks for the laughs guys/gal (Christine, you must come)! Rob, Brett sleeps with REX! Gps-YES, Compass-YES, and good boots with a medium stiff sole-YES. Fishing pole-YES. Get your butt in the best shape you can. I have found those in better shape usually go home with elk! Stay positive and push yourself from now until the hunt is over! Attitude at altitude is everything!
I would suggest bringing two pair of boots if you have them VA and Brett cause you never know which pair won't work in those mountains. My trip in the Flat Tops gave me a big surprise.......my new but broken in pair of new Rockies sucked big time in those mountains, but were great here at home on flatland. Luckily I ended up wearing my old Wolverines, darn glad I did bringem. GPS.......I had a basic Garmin Etrex, not fancy but it worked really well. A question.......do most of you experienced elk hunters return to the main camp after afternoon hunt or just camp where you stop hunting and hunt from there the next morning? Reason I ask is I may buy a light, small tent to backpack while hunting.
This is correct. I'm one of the three from Texas that Russ was refering to. I'll be happy to help cook. I am an ex Navy cook and know my way around a fire. I'll be packing my Marquis since my Kanga longbow is a one piece model and not a takedown. All my overtime is getting salted away for this trip. The ONLY draw back I can see is 2 days in a car with KANGA! LOL!:D BTW, I'm hitting the treadmill every day and the stairmaster every other day. I plan to be the guy that everyone wants to keep up with!
Greg, for the road tirp, may I suggest a roll of duct tape. Among its many uses you could possibly add "holds roos still and silent". Yes, I always roll with two pairs of boots. You'll be surprised how wet this desert environment can be. A dry pairs of boots is a nice thing to have...cold mornings suck. Clothes should be packed with layering in mind. It will be right at freezing in the morning and will eventually warm up to 60-75 degrees. Night time jackets around the camp are usually a must. I doubt anyone will get lost, but a GPS definitely saves steps. Saved steps save energy. You will want all the energy you can get. High on the mountain has its ability to zap people. Cougar, I have never bivied while elk hunting. I like the camp camaraderie more than freezing with the lions and bears. Besides, your hunting adventure starts the moment you step outside the tent. The laughs start the moment you arrive-seriously (ok, well the moment Bailey arrives). You can bivy but it is not necessary. If you're driving, bring all the things you will need to sleep, and a folding chair for around the fire. If you're flying, get with me and we will make arrangements. I have limited supplies and will try to accommodate as many people as possible. If we must, things can be mailed to me. After the trip I will mail items back to their home. It would be nice if we could "sticky" attendees (hint) Dave, feel free to bring a few of your countrymen. You might want to post sometime on your forum there. I will drop a reminder note to the Aussies. It would be great to have a few lads from both countries-if possible.
I will reiterate that in order for you to fully enjoy yourself and most likely reward yourself with an elk, you need to be in pretty good to great aerobic shape. I hunt unit 161 in Routt National Forest and every year I return home vowing that next year I've got to get in better aerobic shape. I lift 4-5 times a week and am in pretty good shape physique wise but climbing up and down those mountains anywhere from 4-12 miles a day will kick your butt and make you feel it for the remainder of your trip. Make monthly goals up until your trip and stick to it. Compass, Map, GPS and flint fire starter are very important as it is fairly easy to get turned around deep in the forests.
You'll give them the impression i'm crazy Will , but even i would not bivvy out in them woods . Leave it with me Will , we British Bowhunter are few and i'm sure they all have other plans for this year , but we are planning a group Elk hunt with yourself for another year . I'll put up a post and see what kind of interest there is . Greg , I'll definately need some help if i gotta cook , maybe you can teach me a thing or two on cookin for a big group . I hear Russ suffers from mass flatulence , you may want to invest in a gas mask for that road trip
Okay, here's the updated list. I think. iamyourhuckleberry Cougar Mag GMMAT virginiashadow bz_711 txmarshmonkey kanga Txjourneyman Bails-UK KodiakArcher Miss Jessica Rex (A friend of mine from NY) Christine?
WOW , thats one heck of a line-up . I'm probably the only one that has not killed proper game with a bow ( or do Porcupine and squirrel count ? ) , anyways i'm sure i'll learn something from the wealth of experience that is going on this trip .
I know of a couple of Aussie's that are making the trip across. Matt Curry is one and hopefully Howie will be another. I will also probably be bringing a couple of spare long bows, plus the bow I have donated to Stickbowhunter.com as a prize so Matt can take it back to Aus.
There are so many people attending that each morning we arise from our beds and leave camp will feel like a Braveheart battle scene....
How many people can you handle? (can the mountain handle?) Pencil in myself and Kendall (carpsniper). I'm up for it but K is not quite convinced.
Russ, glad you are bringing some of your bows...I would like to give a couple a try...one might be in my future not long after this Elk hunt. Also, sounds like I don't need to worry so much about the quality of hiking boot - just need to make sure I got some leak-proof waders for around camp
iamyourhuckleberry Cougar Mag GMMAT virginiashadow bz_711 txmarshmonkey kanga Txjourneyman Bails-UK KodiakArcher Schultzy Chuck Miss Jessica Rex (A friend of mine from NY) Christine? carpsniper? Just keeps on gettin bigger Russ , thats a great gesture bringing some bows . Good on yer .
Christine, The Holy Cross Wilderness Area is vast. Our endeavors won't even scratch the surface. Seriously, I am not worried about too many-it's not possible. I admit though, if there were concerns, they would be: 1) more than likely, I will not be able to hunt with every single person, and 2) I cannot promise any guarantees. I hope people can find comfort in perhaps a well educated "finger point". We'll tackle this thing as a team-sharing info and adventures daily. If everyone comes with ZERO expectations, other than to meet and have fun, then everyone will win. When we kill deer and elk it will be nothing other than a bonus! It's all about stepping out... When Bails was here two seasons ago, we had seven rookie and three vetran hunters in camp. Two bull elk were taken, four six by six bulls were cleanly missed from 30 yards and under, one cow was missed, and a mule deer was missed. I think Dave will attest, every person in camp had an opportunity to kill an elk. The belly busting laughter was worth every moment of the pain it caused!
Just logged onto this thread after following Will's link from our aussie site so thought I had better introduce myself. As Russ said my name is Matt Curry. I live over in Melbourne, Australia which is in the state of Victoria down south. My preference in bowhunting is with traditional gear but have hunted also with compounds and spent may years with rifles and shotguns. I run an online magazine called Stikbow Hunter which is mostly dedicated to Aussie traditional bowhunting. I really look forward to meeting you all and having a great time. I plan to have an either sex Elk tag and a deer tag on hand but would be just as happy just to see some of your awesome animals roaming around. I will keep an eye on this thread. Looks like the place to be.
