Driving home from my kid's soccer practice last night I spied a beautiful 5x5 bull and his small harem getting ready to bravely cross highway 119 into the big meadow with the three lakes. Locals know where I'm talking about - it's the place with the Elk statue at the gate. I assume they wanted to get a drink of water.

I swung the truck around to get a second look. Besides the Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park and Yellowstone, this is the first Elk I've seen in the wild this year. I usually see a few in my neighborhood over the summer. I live at 9,300 feet in the Rockies, for those in the audience (hi Mom) that don't know.

Needless to say, with 2nd rifle season only 23 days away, I'm in the throws of Elk fever. I know I still need to wax prolific on the merits of hunting. I will, in due time. Know that when I move up to Elk camp in a few weeks I'll bring a notebook and leave the laptop in the truck so I can run into town (Steamboat) and provide updates.

Hunt on!

A Good Day on the Range

I went to the Green Mill Sportman's Club yesterday with my buddy to help him sight in his new rifle. He's got a Remington 700 BDL in 300 WinMag. I've got a Remington 700 Mountain DM in 30-06, pictured above. After shooting my buddy's rifle a few times I can tell you that I am SO happy I got the Mountain version in the 30-06. At a pound lighter and less kick, I know I bought the right rifle for me.

Before we left for the range my buddy asked me if I thought we should stop at the store and pick up another box of ammo. You see, this was the first time he'd shot his 300 WinMag rifle and he had no idea how much kick (a.k.a. punishment) he was in for. I assured him that one box was plenty and I'd be surprised if he shot every round. He wasn't sure of my advice until the first time he pulled the trigger. My buddy's no small guy, so he figured he could withstand any beating the rifle could dole out. After 4-5 shots he looked at me and said "o.k., now I see your point".

The best part of the experience, besides shooting my buddy's gun better than he did at 200 yards, was putting a few in the black at 200 yards from a kneeling position with my own rifle. I've been a little nervous that my shooting skills were not up to snuff to be going out for the hunt. After yesterday I feel the most confident I've ever felt. Does this mean that practice is over? Heck no. I've still got a couple of boxes I want to fire off before heading into the woods. At least now I know they won't be wasted. Hunt on!

Things that go in your backpack when you're out in the field...

Ammunition: Hard to shoot an Elk without it

Matches & firestarter: Fire = warmth

Parachute cord: Hold the Elk's legs apart while you quarter it

Surveyor's orange tape: Mark a trail to your Elk (GPS works too)

Two (2) sources of light: Headlamp, flashlight, etc.

LOTS of batteries

Toilet paper

Rain poncho

Wet wipes

First aid kit

Latex gloves and/or arm length skinning gloves

WATER: At least 2 liters or more if you're going to be out all day

Skinning/boning knives; bone saw: I'll post a picture of the set I got

Elk call(s)

Approx. 20x One (1) gallon Zip-Lock Heavy Duty Freezer bags

Knife sharpener

Warm gloves, hat, extra socks, etc. Easier to stay warm than get warm!

Multi-tool: Mine is the classic leatherman

COMPASS

FOOD

Emergency blanket: Murphy's 4th law says "bring it and you won't need it"

MAP

Spare blaze mesh vests: hang'm near you while you bone-out the Elk

Give me a bit and I'll think of what I've forgotten. See something missing? Please leave a comment! Thanks.

Seminar at Bass Pro Shop with Jay Houston

I was fortunate enough to attend a seminar at my local (Denver) Bass Pro Shop during their "Fall Classic" hunting extravaganza. The highlight was meeting Jay Houston and chewing the fat with him 1-on-1 for about 20 minutes. Jay was at the gun counter signing copies of his new book "Elk 301" and there wasn't a soul around, so I talked him up and asked him one question after another. He was very patient, especially since I'm sure that my questions were the same questions he's answered in him books and at every presentation he's ever done...