Elk 2012 Journals: Day 6

The series of Elk 2012 Journal entries continue. We are now half-way through the first week of our elk hunt, and September is just around the corner.  In Colorado, the last day of the 2012 archery elk season is September 23. Keep in mind - things tend to get more and more exciting as you near the end of September. Several exciting stories are upcoming in my journal entries, so hang with me as we journey through my hunt day-by-day.

MORNING HUNT: Nonexistent
Thursday, August 30

It's true.  We not only went to bed early last night, we slept in this morning - and MAN did it feel good! Around 8:30 AM we rolled out of camp and headed to town.  On the agenda?  Breakfast at a local restaurant that we frequent every year for the chicken fried steak and eggs is priority number one.  Then a stop at the laundry mat to turn our clothes into scent-free garments once again.  The truck is fueled up.  A quick visit at a local coffee shop to borrow WiFi and send my PSE articles on their way. (Did you know I'm blogging now for PSE?  Fun stuff!  Check it out HERE.) Water jugs are refilled.  And finally a quick stop at the grocery store for ice and soda.  Oh, and then back to the coffee shop to pick up my purse I left hanging on the chair.  It's a good thing my head is attached!

One of my favorite things about hunting is supporting the local towns nearby.  Often times you can find some of the best home cooked meals in these little mountain towns.  And during hunting season, the camaraderie you experience out in the field seems to flow through the veins of these quaint towns.  It's okay to walk into a dinner fully decked out in hunting attire... The waitress doesn't think twice about asking if you had any luck, and the conversation filters from your table to the next. Now, I would recommend making a trip to the laundry mat afterwards if you plan on wearing your hunting gear after breakfast.  I'm pretty sure that elk don't like chicken fried steak as much as my husband!

EVENING HUNT: Green Gate
This evening we walked the upper trail behind the green gate which really isn't green, but it was at one point in time - we just continue to call the area the "green gate" which works well because no one else knows what we are talking about. 

We ran into another hunter tonight.  It was the first time in the field this year we bumped into someone.  I guess the green gate area isn't that much of a secret, huh? Granted, we didn't hike as far this time but we wanted to take our time, because we've run into elk right-out-of-the-gate before (sorry - that was bad, but I couldn't resist).  Anyway... as we sat nestled against a few aspen trees, we watched this hunter walk right past us.  At first we were a bit annoyed because in order to head down this trail, he would have had to pass right by our four wheeler.  Typically it is polite to back out of an area if you see others are there first - at least that is what we do.  Plus, who wants to hunt right on top of someone else?  It just gets messy.  As I sat there getting a little more and more annoyed as he got closer and closer, Troy motioned to him and they struck up a hunter conversation. You know.. the one with a lot of whispers and hand motions.  Apparently this other hunter had a tree stand behind us over the hill. Okay, he gets a pass this time. Next time? blunts. (Settle down. I'm kidding!)

After waiting for our tree stand friend to make his way past us, we headed in the other direction.  The area just above the "DMZ" marked our location.  Around 7:00 a rain storm moved in.  We quickly put on our rain gear and started back toward the four wheeler since we were just about out of daylight.  It was a fun ride back to camp in the rain, dodging mud puddles and big white sheep dogs - I actually really enjoyed it.  A big muley buck and his doe greeted us along the path. Upon reaching camp, we wiped down our gear, hung camo to dry and watched Hunger Games in the camper while feasting on ham & bean soup.

​It was a good day!  I would relive this day in a heart beat.