One last chance....one last hunt, one last hike up the mountain in the morning's cold mountain darkness, one last morning of opportunity for harvesting a Colorado bull elk. At dinner Tuesday night, we checked the forecast. A winter storm warning was issued for the area starting midnight on Wednesday. So we consulted with Roger and our guides (the knowledgeable ones about traveling 10,000 foot mountain passes in the middle of a snow event while pulling a trailer), and all agreed that it was smartest to depart the lodge early afternoon on Wednesday instead of our planned Thursday AM. This meant that Wednesday morning was our last chance to hunt.
Tom and Dad decided to not go out Wednesday AM, and instead stayed back and started packing the truck and trailer.
Unfortunately, neither Josh or I had any luck. Josh went with Moose to hunt through Bar-K Basin, and I went with Hayden up to the top of a ledge off of Sheep Mountain. Hayden and I heard a bull bugle a couple times, but could not pinpoint his location, so could not make a stalk. No last chance success for either of us.
We returned to the lodge by late morning, finished packing, and had lunch. We gave our tips to those that served us for the week (cash, Koepke Cheese, Usinger's Sausage, and Wisconsin-made chocolate bars), and said our good-byes. We departed at 1:00pm with a little disappointment of not harvesting an elk, but also memories of a great experience and a great hunt. As usual, can't wait to do it again.
Note a few photos of our group in action below.
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