high country elk hunting in gunnison colorado with bows and archery

Bow Hunting for Elk in Colorado's Gunnison National Forest

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:00:00 -0400

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Recommended Gear:
Sitka 90% Jacket (shown) and Pants
Patagonia base layers (various weights)
Smartwool socks
2 boots - Lowa Tibet GTXs and Wolverine Archers
Cabela's lightweight raingear
Brunton Epoch 8.5x43 binocular
Nikon Archer's Choice rangefinder
DeLorme PN-20 GPS
Motorola Talkabout EM1000R Two-way radios
Browning Black Ice flashlight, Petzl headlamp
Marmot 5 degree mummy sleeping bag
Timber Hawk 1750-cubic-inch Rut Buster hunting pack
Duluth Trading Co. first aid kit, collapsible water bottle, ditty bag
Diamond Liberty compound bow
Easton ST Epic arrows
Rage 125-gr. Mechanical broadheads
Primos Hootchie Mama, Imaka Da BullCrazy, and Pack Bugle elk calls
SKB bow case

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Here's our gang (minus Eric, who had to ride out early) at the end of the hunt. Brian and I didn't get elk, and no one got a mule deer - they were higher up in the mountains than the elk were - but that was okay. A 60% success ratio (3 out of 5 hunters) is as good as it gets in bowhunting. The area was loaded with elk, the camp was well-run, the food was great, and the guides - especially Rodney - knew the area intimately.

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Snow fell on one of the high peaks. It snowed 15 inches during the week after we left, which would have meant tough climbing and hiking, but then more elk would have come down from the high country, looking for food.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Dark timber. We could actually smell elk in here as we still-hunted through, but we saw and heard nothing.

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Taking a page from the Keith McCafferty playbook, Greg built a debris hut to weather a passing thunderstorm.

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And bugling.