I just got back from one of the greatest hunting days of my life. My hunting buddy and I killed 2 bulls and a cow within 20 minutes on opening morning of second season in Colorado. We each had OTC bull tags and private land cow tags. We were hunting unit 62 on the Uncompahgre Plateau. We heard bugling just after first light and found a group of about 50 elk with at least 7 legal bulls, including one that would score around 330". The bulls were herding and chasing cows and bugling constantly. My friend got to the herd first and shot a nice 4x5 with his .308 and then had the big herd bull stand broadside at 60 yards before returning to chasing his cows. Even after having an elk shot out of the herd the bulls started bugling again within minutes.

I kept moving downhill trying to keep the wind right and caught up with the herd about 20 minutes later. I heard a deep bugle just over the rise and then saw a nice 5x5 at about 60 yards. He saw me and started running to the left and downhill. I fired as he passed an opening but missed him high as he dropped over the rise. I ran forward hoping to get another shot and was stunned to see elk strung out for a 100 yards through the aspens below. I watched the 5x5 rejoin the herd and he was clearly unhit. I couldn't get a clear shot for two or theree minutes because the elk were stacked two and three deep and moving in and out of the aspens. When a big cow stepped clear I dropped her with a neck shot followed by a bull with another neck shot 60 seconds later. I didn't see the herd bull but I'm sure he was close by. When my buddy told me about him I felt a bit sick but I was thrilled with the bull I took anyway. I was shooting my .300 RUM with 200grn TSX bullets and both elk went down like they were lightning struck.

We then got to spend two days packing out three elk! Fortunately my buddy got so excited at seeing the big bull he forgot to shoot his cow or we would have been in big trouble as it was supposed to reach nearly 70 degrees and three elk was quite enough packing for me. It will be tough to top this experience but I'll do my best next season.

Congrats to all of you guys! Heard some great reports from 2nd season from my family as well in 551. Looks like it was a bit warm there lol Call me crazy, but I still love my elk hunting in eskimo weather

Man, that sounds like work! Congrats on the good luck and great shooting!

Darrell

quote:

Originally posted by DC Roxby:
I picked out a big cow and dropped her with a neck shot followed by a bull with another neck shot 60 seconds later.

And you broke the law. As soon as you shot the cow, your hunting was done. Party hunting is illegal in Colorado. As a resident you should know that.

quote:

Originally posted by Outdoor Writer:

quote:

Originally posted by DC Roxby:
I picked out a big cow and dropped her with a neck shot followed by a bull with another neck shot 60 seconds later.

And you broke the law. As soon as you shot the cow, your hunting was done. Party hunting is illegal in Colorado. As a resident you should that.

Not only broke the LAW, but the shooting at of the frist ELK and then shooting 2 more without first assureing that the first shot was "A MISS" is SLOB hunting. Where are your ETHICS?

Every hunter should do everything within their power to recover any and all animals that they shoot IMHO

Actually, I might have been too quick on the trigger. I believe a person can actually obtain a 2nd tag in some units after a certain date, but I'm not positive.

That said, if there were only two guys it still sounds as if only one of them had the cow tag yet both would have shot a cow given the opportunity, as in: "Fortunately my buddy got so excited at seeing the big bull he forgot to shoot a cow or we would have been in big trouble."

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but it sounds like they both had cow tags and both had bull tags. He said they'd be in trouble because they'd have to pack out 4 instead of 3.

Reloader

quote:

Originally posted by Reloader:
Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but it sounds like they both had cow tags and both had bull tags. He said they'd be in trouble because they'd have to pack out 4 instead of 3.

Reloader

That could be what he meant.

quote:

Originally posted by Outdoor Writer:

quote:

Originally posted by Reloader:
Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but it sounds like they both had cow tags and both had bull tags. He said they'd be in trouble because they'd have to pack out 4 instead of 3.

Reloader

That could be what he meant.

Yes that might be what he meant, but what is the excuse for not following up on the first shot?

Tony, you did jump the gun a bit it there. Thanks for the semi-reversal in your later post. We both had over the counter bull tags and both had leftover private land cow tags. We also had permission to hunt the private land we were on and were wearing legal orange when hunting. Perfectly legal in every way and that is the only way I hunt. I modified the original post to make the point a little clearer.

As for the first bull I shot at; I watched him run to rejoin the herd and he was standing no more than twenty yards from the bull I killed and was clearly untouched. I also got to watch the entire herd run by me at about 40 yards as they departed. That's one of the nice things about getting close to elk before shooting, you can actually see what's going on.

quote:

Originally posted by DC Roxby:
Tony, you did jump the gun a bit it there. Thanks for the semi-reversal in your later post.

And for that, I apologize. Thanks for explaining it.

quote:

Originally posted by Outdoor Writer:

And for that, I apologize. Thanks for explaining it.

No problem. My writing skills leave much to be desired.