Long Run Solutions

Colorado Bighorn Sheep Hunt

A friend of mine, Courtney Olson, bagged this beautiful Bighorn a few days ago. Below are his notes from the hunt. As he notes, his hunt will air on the Outdoor Channellate next summer. Congratulations Courtney.

Pre-season scouting, research, help from friends before and during the hunt (you know who you are) and some plain old good luck = a Colorado Bighorn Ram for Court.   See attached.

For those interested, from the Colorado Division of Wildlife check-in:

 

Left Horn:    ¾ curl        30 7/8”  length       15 1/8” base

Right Horn: Full curl 34 1/8” length     15 1/8” base

Spread:     20 4/8

Growth Rings:   9 (Ram estimated to be 10 years old)

 

Taken on 9/23/09

Unit:  #32 (Near Georgetown/Empire, CO)

Shot Distance:  Close.  45 yards with severe downhill angle in heavy timber and snowstorm.

Weather during hunt:  blizzard conditions for most of the hunt with very limited visibility. 

Score:  I am not sure... and it generally does not really matter much to me.  I am usually not one to measure my animals but I will compute it and the taxidermist will probably give me some idea.  A trophy in my mind no matter what the score!  If you are interested in the score I will let you know in the future.

 

More to follow as I receive additional photos from my On Your Own Adventures friends (Randy & Troy) who joined me to chronicle the hunt for Randy’s On Your Own Adventures tv show.  If you are interested in self-guided hunting on public land, watch for this hunt as one of the episodes next July-Sept time period on Outdoor Channel.  Caveat:  no laughing or cheap shots at my on-camera skills (or lack thereof)!  Hopefully the editors are kind to me.  Wait until you see the footage of the sheep and the weather/scenery..that really was more the story of this hunt.  One of the toughest hunts I have ever done because this was self-guided, on public land (with significant competition from other hunters) with intense weather conditions.   A wonderful memory for me. 

 

And the Bull Elk Play

Take a moment to read the story below and then check out the pictures after. Wow! Talk about exciting. The story and pics are courtesy of Fred McClanahan.

Time: 8:55 a.m. --- Saturday, September 5, 2009  
 
A 6x6 bull walked toward another herd of elk at Sheep Lakes in Horseshoe Park.
 
The herd bull was wary as he had many cow and calves gathered in his harem.
There were several spikes still allowed in the group too.
 
The intruder waded into the water after a cow as the herd bull moved his way.
 
It looked like the first bull (on right) had trouble moving around and was stuck in the mud so the herd bull charged.
Both bulls fought most of the time underwater and had trouble coming up for air since neither would give up.
 
After about a minute of a very competitive battle, the bulls separated.
As the bull on the right started to leave the water, the herd bull charged again, but the other bull countered with a charge.
 
With pond grasses still on the herd bull's antlers, both bulls kept posturing toward each other on dry land.
 
Both bulls bugle at the edge of the pond before the intruder retreated.
 
It was then back to work for the herd bull --- herding cows and chasing spikes.

Even the ducks in the pond caught some of his wrath and anger.
 
In all the years I've watched and photographed elk, this is the earliest in the rut I've ever seen this kind of action and behavior.

Fred McClanahan was there and took these photo’s.  Fred is a professional Photographer.

Thanks Fred. Great, great pics.

High Mountain Fly Fishing - South Fork of the South Platte River

When I write about high mountain fishing, I'm generally talking about a hiking trip that involves fishing. In this case, you can drive up for a day or car camp for a night. This trip is all about easy access.

Saturday my son Mitchell and I fly fished the South Fork of the South Platte River along Weston Pass. Weston Pass Road is several miles south of Fairplay on Hwy 285 and the pass is 16 miles west. The first two thirds of the drive is through an area of private land. You have reached the general area when you reach the well marked Rich Creek Trail Head.

Let me be clear: I don't believe there is any chance of catching a big fish. And, you won't actually be fishing the creek for the most part. What you will find, from this point to just below the pass, is a series of beaver ponds. The lower ponds tend to hold brook trout and the upper ponds hold cutthroat.

These small ponds hold bunches of fish that can be hard to catch in some of the ponds and easy in others. We found that the cutthroats are a little less skittish and more aggressive. This is a great trip for a beginner fly fisherman or young kids. Try fishing on top with an ant pattern or adams. Drop an gray emerger behind it.

Enjoy.

Colorado Bull Moose

The elevation I was standing at was about 10,600 feet. I had experienced snow and lightning at 11,500 feet and now the rain rain was falling steadily and the temperature was around 40 degrees. It had already been a fun day exploring Colorado. I had been within 75 yards of a 5x5 bull elk, chased a 4x4 and spike bull and managed to get within 40 yards of that pair, and now I stood in complete awe. Twenty yards to my east was a beautiful, massive bull moose. But, where was my camera?

The unfortunate answer is....no where to be found. Thankfully, I did have my phone and I was able to snap this picture and many others. I know, it looks like it was 40 yards away but it wasn't. This picture does this beautiful beast no justice.

I had worked my way down the valley occasionally blowing my cow elk call and right out of nowhere, when I looked to my left and I was staring at the first bull moose I've ever seen in Colorado. Keep in mind I had been around three bull elk during the day and I can tell you without hesitation this big guy made those bulls look small. And he was not one bit afraid of me. We stood across from each other for 10 minutes. I wondered if he were thinking about crossing the creek and kicking my butt.  Eventually, he turned his back on my and slowly walked away, pausing to eat leaves off the forest floor.

What a day!

Here is a link with information from the Colorado Division of Wildlife on Colorado Moose. As a point of interest, the Division of Wildlife lists where moose live in Colorado and I was not in any of the areas listed. I'd love to tell you where I was, but between the elk and the moose I might start a hunter stampede. 

Buffalo Meadows Loop - Rich Creek Trail

After spending 25 miles hiking around the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness area this past weekend I can tell you unequivocally that it is one of the most beautiful spots I've ever visited in Colorado. You can check out our photo album here.

We had never spent time in an area just like this before. There are literally miles of this hike through and next to high mountain meadows between 10,600 and 11,400 feet in elevation.

The Rich Creek Trail Head is on Weston Pass Road and is very well marked. Well marked does not mean well traveled through. The day we went in, Labor Day, there were only a total of 3 groups of two people that entered at the Rich Creek Trail Head.

In total this hike is a bit less than 12 miles. It begins at an elevation of 10,000 feet and tops out about half way through at or about 11,600 feet. With only two exceptions the trail is a nice easy grade either climbing or descending easily. The first exception is about a half mile in where there is a moderately steep climb of 400 or 500 feet. The second exception is while leaving Buffalo Meadows along beautiful Rough and Tumbling Creek. It is quite a steep downhill section and made us glad that we traveled the trail in a counter clockwise direction so we didn't have to climb it.

This hike includes three distinct areas of beaver ponds. The first meadow a few miles in is full of beaver ponds, especially the top of Buffalo Meadows is full of ponds, and then below the steep decent along Rough and Tumbling Creek there is pond after pond after pond. And each one is full of fish after fish after fish.

As one hiker told me, if he caught one fish he caught 150. Oh, and most were caught on top using an ant pattern.

There were two places on this loop hike that were confusing to us. First, after getting to Buffalo Meadows there is a trail intersection with the Rough and Tumbling Creek Trail. Don't take a right on this trail if your looking to do the loop. Keep left and follow the meadow lower descending along Rough and Tumble Creek. Second, we walked right by the trail head on the way out and started doing the loop again. We knew we were close because of the creek, but could not find the bridge across the stream. Hey, maybe it was just us, but be aware that when you see the road your near the end of your trip.

All in all, this was a nice long day hike and could make a great short backpacking trip. You can also make a side trip up West Buffalo Peak if you have the time. Drop me an email if you would like directions to West Buffalo from this trail.

Enjoy our photo album.

Climbing East and West Buffalo Peaks

Last week my wife and I decided to climb East and West Buffalo Peaks. It didn't take long to discover that there is a serious lack of information available for climbing these peaks. With that said, we decided to do some scouting the day before our trip.

 (The far left is East Buffalo Peak and the far right is West Buffalo Peak)

We learned a couple of things that will be helpful. First of all, we entered at the following coordinates: N 39 degrees 01.522 and W 106 degrees 05.844. This is a very good spot to start.

On our scouting trip, we made a very difficult bushwhack after about a mile. We learned that much of the information out there is erroneous regarding the forest roads and need to bushwhack. We understood there to be a criss cross of many old forest roads. What we learned was that there are really only two roads that switchback up the ridge covering the first 2.5 miles. The confusing part is that the switch back trails meet several times creating the illusion of many disparate unrelated trails. Here is the key with one notable exception. Always, always stay left on the forest roads. If you stay left, you will naturally follow the main forest road up the ridge. So, if you are bushwacking inside of two miles you have made a big mistake.

OK, now for the notable exception. Right after you start, within a quarter mile, you will run into the main forest road. If you go left, you will find yourself back at your vehicle within 2 or 3 minutes. From here forward, when in doubt go left.

This road will take you 2.4 nice trail miles up the main ridge guarding the approach to East Buffalo Peak. When this road ends a single track trail will begin. Take the trail into the ground willows instead of climbing more steeply into the boulder field. It won't feel quite right, but you will already be at 11,400 feet and there is no need to waste time picking through a boulder field at this point. You need to work your way around the slope while following the trail through the willows if possible. If you miss the trail, just follow the best game trail you can and slowly add elevation. You will be shooting for the saddle between a prominent 12er on your left and East Buffalo Peak. If you climb too quickly at this point you will needlessly waste time in boulder fields.

Ultimately, we were intimidated by the approach to East Buff. It just looks too steep for hikers like us with no climbing experience or gear. But, if you approach from the east and follow the ridge line it is climbable. Unfortunately, we did not make it.

(Picture shows the scary cloud that ultimately boomed thunder and sent us scampering back down to lower ground. This picture looks south from about 12,300 feet.)

The thunder scared us and the hail hurt us. We were at 12,600 feet when we turned back and it was very disappointing. After scouting for 5 miles the first day, we would log 13 miles in our attempt. We ended our pursuit just before we would have climbed the last 700 feet through a long boulder and talus field on the back side of East Buff.

Bummer. But we live for another day. Another try maybe. We verified a decent but broken trail through the willow on the way down. We had a beer and took a nap and explored the Weston Pass area. Check back soon and see my report on the incredible Buffalo Meadows Loop. Twelve miles of beautiful Colorado. Until then, here are a couple more pictures of our trip.

(I ran up the boulder field about 150 feet to snap this shot. That is West Buff in the background with Mr. Thistle in the foreground. Best looking thistle I've ever seen)

(Standing in the willows)