For two seasons Noel, Steve, and I had hunted GMU 12, a productive — and popular — unit in northwestern Colorado. We had some success, tagging a young bull in 2017 and having an almost successful timber sneak last year, but had made several realizations about the location:
- To reliably find elk, we had to hike 4 to 5 miles and climb 1,500 vertical feet on muddy horse-trodden trails, and that far out we still competed with hunters on horseback;
- We lost a full day to the drive (10 hours total), which usually represented a significant share of our available time off; and,
- Enthusiasm for scouting the area beforehand was low, due to the drive time and its lackluster backcountry aesthetic.
So as the draw deadline approached in April, we put in for a different unit that we thought, at least on the whole, would be better.
Pros and cons: GMU 29
GMU 29 is our backyard. It encompasses roughly the southern half of Boulder County, stretching from I-25 to the Continental Divide. It can be a difficult unit to hunt, as I’ve previously explained:
- The big game population is small — it and adjacent GMU 38 are home to only 1,200 elk.
- Harvest numbers are low, with just 71 total elk taken last year.
- The limited public land is concentrated in the western one-fifth of the unit, with an additional patchwork of smaller holdings in the foothills.
But we decided to go for it anyway. The easy logistics were very appealing. We were successful here before, back in 2015. And I’d found many honey-holes while trail running and backpacking in the summer months, where they’d still be during a normal Second Season.
Noel and I successfully drew cow tags. Steve put in for a bull, but had to settle for an over-the-counter tag that wasn’t valid for GMU 29. So it would be just Noel and me.
The worst case scenario
As a non-landowner, perhaps the biggest risk of hunting GMU 29 is heavy early-season snowfall. If their food sources get buried, the elk must drop eastward, out of the high elevation public lands and into the lower elevation patchwork of public and private. There, the elk can find food and safe zones; meanwhile, we find No Trespassing signs and limited access points to public land.
Early-season snowfall is a low but legitimate risk, and this year it happened during Second Season. Noel went up to 11,000 feet on opening day, October 19, and was chased out on Sunday by blizzard conditions, reporting a foot of fresh snow, 3-foot drifts, and 30 mph winds.
Due to responsibilities at home, I couldn’t go up until Thursday. It had snowed again on Wednesday night, and the scene became increasingly laughable as we approached Hessie Trailhead at 9,000 feet. When we stepped out of the truck, we landed in 15 inches of snow!
Noel and I had discussed the merits of bringing skis or snowshoes, and had decided that, “If we need them, the elk aren’t there.” But to shoot one you first need to find one. And to find one, it can be sometimes helpful to determine where they are not.
So we slugged up the road to Buckingham Trailhead, four miles and 1,000 vertical feet uphill. We crisscrossed a handful of mid-storm tracks, all going downhill, which confirmed our suspicions. At Buckingham, the snow depth was consistently two feet.
Plan E
Weeks ago, Noel and I had settled on a hunt plan:
- Plan A: Out of Buckingham Trailhead
- Plan B: Way above Hessie Trailhead
- Plan C: Above Caribou
- Plan D: Jenny Creek via East Portal
Due to the snow, these four areas were entirely out of commission. The deep snow made it impractical for us to hunt, and the elk probably were no longer up there anyway.
So we were onto Plan E.
Deflated, we returned to Nederland to have a late lunch and to re-study our maps of the lands between the Peak to Peak Highway and the Front Range metro area. We decided we would work our way west to east, finishing near Gross Reservoir. Noel likened our prospects to finding a unicorn.
Getting soft
That afternoon we hunted the outer edges of West Magnolia, a mile outside of Nederland, but saw nothing to change our moods. We crossed a few deer tracks, but they were vastly outnumbered by those of humans, dogs, and vehicles.
It was already 29 degrees when we returned to the truck at 5:30 pm, and it was not lost on us that my house — with a cuddle-loving old cat for me and a guestroom for Noel — was just 45 minutes away. Tonight, we could be home before we’d have pitched camp here; and tomorrow, we could be at the trailhead before we’d broken down our camp.
So we jumped into the truck, bound for Boulder. I was disappointed that I wouldn’t get to test some new gear — including a Seek Outside Siplex shelter and a Sea to Summit Ether Light pad — but my own bed sounded better.
From 0 to 100
On our way out to the Peak to Peak Highway, I spotted three does grazing in the woods, just off the road. We didn’t have deer tags, but it gave us an idea. Rather than take the most efficient route back to Boulder, via Boulder Canyon, we opted to take Magnolia Road, which in places cuts through US Forest Service lands — maybe we’d see something.
Sure enough, as we rounded a corner, a half-dozen cows and calves ran across the road just in front of us. Noel pulled over a little bit beyond, and I turned on GaiaGPS to determine our location and the surrounding land ownership. Fortuitously, it was public.
I grabbed my rifle out of the back, chambered a round, and hiked briskly into the woods, hoping that I could get within range while maintaining my cover and while there was still light. When a shot corridor finally opened up, I took a knee, waited for the next cow to enter my sights, and fired. Noel was 20 yards behind me, and had tucked behind a tree when he saw me get into position.
It felt like a good shot — I was steady and within 100 yards, and she was broadside and slightly quartering-away. But it was difficult to distinguish her: she didn’t have an obvious reaction to the shot, and keeping eyes on her in the timber with other elk nearby was like a shell game. I thought I saw her go back towards the way they had came, but I wasn’t entirely sure. So I took note of the shooting lane and her approximate location when I’d shot, knowing this information would be helpful to have later.
Pack out
We quietly hiked back to the truck, where we tested our patience by waiting an hour. It took us a few minutes to find the blood trail when we returned to the site, but after that she was easy to track in the snow. We found her a few minutes away; she had not suffered for long.
Noel and I field-dressed her in about an hour, and packed her out in just half that, with five light round-trips between us (rear quarter x 2, front quarter x 2, and backstraps + tenderloins + rib meat + personal gear). Compared to our 2015 hunt, when the pack-out was 12 miles with 3,300 vertical feet of gain, this one was a breeze.
As we drove back to Boulder, we were still in disbelief. It was not the elegant backcountry hunt that we had envisioned or wanted, but we were thankful that it’d still worked out and that our freezers are stocked for the winter.
Tags:
Andrew,
Congratulations on the success this year! I’m glad that you continued to hunt and went out, despite some roadblocks.
I happen to read and reread your hunting posts, as I have recently gotten back into hunting deer in California and I find the strong focus on backpacking and hunting a good mix for my style. I was wondering why the posts have been slashed, specifically your gear posts for hunting; they were good sources of information for anyone who might be on the edge of jumping it hunting.
The gear-related posts were not removed, but recently I re-organized the blog categories to tighten them up. But now the hunt content is more dispersed with other content, rather than being on its own. For example:
* Hunt gear lists are under Gear Lists, https://andrewskurka.com/section/gear-lists/
* GMU assessments are in Guides, https://andrewskurka.com/section/guides/
* Hunt reports are under Trips & Races, https://andrewskurka.com/section/trips/hunting/
Generally, you can find all hunt-related posts by searching for “hunt”, https://andrewskurka.com/?s=hunt&post_type=post
Just a few minutes after, I searched for “Tikka” and found that they had been reorganized. A little more separated from the other hunting posts, and a little lost in with your normal backpacking posts, but hope it works better for you and to get the information out to more people, and possibly more hunters.
It looks as though you took a different approach, quartering with the skin on. The first time I saw someone doing this, I thought it was a great way to get the heck off a mountain in a hurry, and sometimes that’s a real treat. And I know what it feels like to have such an “easy” hunt, I had a buck this year that dashed and tumbled a total of about 130 yards towards a road, which ended up being another 300 yards from where he ended up. The walk from deer to road was closer than road to truck.
I’m really interested in some of the gear that it looks like you used. New pack? Gaia for hunting use (over something like onxhunt, or earth/caltopo/avenza medly)? Did you try that pillow case or bed sheet? Any changes to knives or any other gear that you found you can improve upon? Also, looks like you took the leg all the way to the hoof, was it just because it was so close to the truck?
Thanks again for all your content. Hours of information and unprecedented inspiration.
Congratulations on a successful hunt! Curious what your current footwear choice is for the current conditions in the IPW. I’m planning a few overnight backpack trips this winter and have dialed in just about everything but footwear. I’ve been reading all of your footwear posts (and comments) and am curious if your opinions have changed for the mountain west (cold, dry) environment. Thanks, Tom
This post still applies, https://andrewskurka.com/conditions-hiking-waterproof-footwear-winter-system/
I wore some Merrell WP boots with thick wool socks. My feet were good. The snow was light and fluffy, and we didn’t sit around glassing for hours. On the past few hunts, I’ve wished that I had insulated waterproof boots, but I just never get around to buying some. I run cold and need to stay moving in order to stay warm, so glassing in cold temps and wind is a killer for me.
Makes sense. I’m thinking the same regarding lightly insulated boots; ie Solomon’s. I’m normally a trail runner guy. Thanks Andrew.
We left the hooves on the quarters, and kept the skin on below the first joint. Above that, we removed the skin, which you’ll have to do at some point and which is easier when it’s warm. For a long pack out, we’d have cut/broken off the lower joint, but they were easier to deal with at home on a table and with good lighting.
* New pack. Seek Outside Divide. Too much “utility” and could afford to be cleaned up, but very nicely featured, very well built, and carries remarkably well for a 2.5-lb pack.
* GaiaGPS. It’s not targeted at hunters, but it does everything that onX does, and I’m more familiar with it since I use it for backpacking.
* The pillow case does not work as well as a high quality game bag, but it’s a cheap and valid alternative. The large opening makes it best for non-quarters and scraps, like the tenderloins, backstraps, and brisket, and neck meat.
* Love the knife. The ease and efficiency with which you can get a razor-sharp blade is fantastic. For processing at home, though, it’s nice to have a few conventional knives. A filet knife is particularly helpful with removing muscle sheaths and silver skin.
Hi Andrew, can you compare the SO Divide and the Osprey Aether/Ariel Pro or comment on your current pack choice for heavier loads? I need to replace my old bargain REI Flash 62 which buckled under load and is very uncomfortable over 30 lbs let alone 40-60+. I am a backpacker but now also hunting. Thanks!
The Divide is an outstanding pack, and honestly I’ve worn the Aether Pro very little since I got it. The Aether has a similar carrying capacity, but it has better external features (better side pockets, better hipbelt pockets) and it’s pack bag dimensions (wider and deeper than the Aether, which is tall and skinny) seem more user-friendly, or maybe just more familiar.
Thanks, Andrew!
I worked with the blog menus again (kept categories as-is) so that the hunting information is easier to find. It’s linked to the search results for “hunt.” That should capture just about everything that’s pertinent to hunting, without having to look through a lot of other unrelated content.
Congrats bro. Sometimes even the blind squirrel finds a acorn. Too funny. Enjoy the serious cold and snow this week!
Congrats on a successful hunt! I hunted 29 for the first time for mule deer this year (2nd season) and shot a buck in similar fashion to your elk hunt. Cut some tracks crossing Magnolia and followed them for a mile or so and eventually found the creator. Took a knee and took him at 50ish yards. While I was dressing it out, a 6 point bull elk came crashing through the woods. Spoke with another successful deer hunter and he said they were into elk everyday in the same area. Seems like it can be a pretty productive unit with the right conditions.
Andrew, do you have a hunting report for 2020?
No. Because of Covid I had to postpone some guided trips in the spring to October, and adding a hunt to the calendar also was just too much.