Colorado Elk Hunt 2020 GMU 33

Colorado Elk Hunt GMU 33 2020: Camping with Rifles

My brother and I have always had the best time hunting elk because we consider it camping with rifles. If a bull happens to come across our path we won't pass up the shot. But the fraternal bonding is the overall joy we get from             hunting. Plus the good food. We had steaks every night, ribeyes, New York strips, and center cut sirloins. We ate good!

Why rife 4 season

I decided last minute to get an Over The Counter (OTC) or leftover elk tag for 2020. I had vacation for the rifle 4 season, so that is the season I decided to hunt less than a month before the season started. 

No time to scout

That pretty much eliminated any time for scouting so I did my very best e-scouting with Randy Newberg YouTube videos by my side. And I thought I did a bang-up job of e-scouting by the time I finished all 12 videos. 

Why GMU 33

I’ve had a certain area of Colorado in mind to hunt and it had nothing to do with where elk were. Lauren Boebert is a newly elected representative from Colorado’s third district. She also runs a restaurant called Shooter’s Grill in Rifle, Colorado. This is what I was actually hunting for when I decided to get an elk tag. 

Lauren Boebert: Shooter's 
Grill owner and Colorado 
District 3 US Representative

Okay, so now I needed to find a GMU near Rifle, Colorado. There are three GMU’s that touch Rifle, Colorado, 32, 33, and 42. Thirty-two and 42 didn’t have any tags left this late in the season. Thirty-three had leftover bull tags. Count me in for GMU 33 then!

Leftover tags

There is a reason leftover tags are leftover. I glanced over the colorado elk hunting stats for 2019 quickly and saw that overall, including all the seasons and manner of take, the success rate was a little low-nine percent. 

Fine, as I said, the point of the trip was to explore a new part of Colorado and visit Shooter’s Grill. I should have looked at the stats a little closer...9% = #fakenews. I still laugh at myself. On the first day of scouting, I checked the stats for GMU 33 Rifle 4 Antlered. It was exactly 0!!! There were no successful hunts in GMU 33 Rifle 4 Antlered in 2019.

Well, it took the pressure off of coming away empty if it came to that. I knew I’d be in good company. 

GMUs near Rifle, CO

Sunday opening day-3: travel day

During my e-scouting, I knew that the weather had been a little warm in Colorado so I thought that we’d catch some elk migrating from their summer range in the northern part of 33 to their winter range in southern 33. But as I made the drive over the pass on I-70 I came across a winter storm. 

Plus, if I hunt the borders of other GMUs I might have a better chance than zero.

So, I thought maybe they were in their winter range after all. But as I rolled into Rifle, the temperature was in the 50s. Well, who knows where they’d be. I was going to try the northeast corner of 33 first though. It had the least access and therefore would probably have the largest bulls. 

I was specifically interested in a south-facing finger that stuck out that was in the corner of 33, 24, and 34. 

I got a pretty good feeling about where I wanted to camp when I blew it up on OnXMaps and found an outfitter’s tent right where I wanted to camp. Okay, it might not be as isolated as I thought, but at least I was on the right track.

GMU 33

Monday, opening day-2, first day of scouting

We headed up into the northeast corner along the east side of 33. Now, this part of the country has a lot of box canyons and we ended up driving up the side of a cliff, in snow, trying to get to the northeast corner. 

We got stuck and were still 12 miles, and according to Google Maps, 1 hour and 4 minutes away from where we wanted to get to. Okay, that ain’t gonna work. No scouting happened on that day. I did scare up several muleys as I drove along though.

We headed back to town. And came across some guys from Minnesota that were going to try their hand at getting an elk from Colorado. I didn’t have the heart to tell them what their statistical chances were. 

Northern 33 had snow

Tuesday, opening day-1, second day of scouting.

I still wanted to try to get to the northeast corner of 33. Tuesday morning we tried to get to the northeast corner. I had given up on the finger in the corner. I was now just trying to make it to the Meadow Lake Campground. 

We forged ahead and tried to make it but got stuck again. So much for my e-scouting plan. The northeast part of 33 was blocked off. 

We camped in the snow on the northern edge of 33 (my truck was parked in GMU 23 and our camp was in 33. Opening morning we hunted a vast valley that looked like it would be good elk territory. 

Wednesday, Opening Day

Turns out it was great elk territory...for Rifle 3. A couple days later we ran into some GMU 23 hunters. They asked if we had any luck in the valley in 33 they were next to. We said that is where we spent opening morning. They said that valley did well in Rifle 3. 

By 0900 on opening morning we had thoroughly glassed the entire valley and saw nothing. And more concerting, we hadn’t seen fresh elk tracks in the snow. It seemed the 0% success rate appeared pretty accurate. 

About 0930 we were packing up camp, might as well camp somewhere not at cold if we needed to build an entire new hunt plan. At that time another hunting group approached our campsite to chat. They’d been around since Sunday and hadn’t seen an elk. 

Okay, at least we were on par with them. And more evidence that 0% success was accurate.

We hadn’t given up hope yet, but our plan was blown out and we hadn’t seen any sign of elk or heard of anyone seeing any signs of elk other than days old tracks in the snow. 

With being stuck twice in two days we decided to retreat back to Rifle and spend the night in Rifle while picking up some chains for the truck. Note: the folks from Minnesota also had chains for their ATVs. Something I will consider for next year. 

Meadow Lake Campground in GMU 33
on OnXMaps

Thursday, Day 2

We started back up to the northeast corner armed with chained tires. On the way, we passed a hunter in the middle part of GMU 33  and asked if he’d seen anything. He said that he had seen some cows and spikes and he pointed us in a direction and said we should take a crack at it if we hadn’t seen anything. We kept that in mind.

We slowly crept our way up to Meadow Lake Campground in the northeast corner hoping that the snow had melted enough to get to the cutoff northeast corner. We figured that with chains we might be able to be the only ones to get up there.

We got to a point just short of where we had gotten stuck just the day before when we came across a ranger. He said that there was a truck stuck in the road up ahead. 

Okay, so we weren’t getting to the northeast corner. We turned around and came across some hunters that were hunting GMU 23. They provided some great info. 

First of all they asked if we had hunted the valley behind us because that usually held some elk. We told them that we had. They said there had been at least a couple cows harvested out of the valley during Rifle 3. We told him we had hunted the valley and saw nothing. They concluded then that they had moved south and described the area where we saw the hunter who had seen some cows and spikes and suggested we hunt that area. We told them that we had already talked to a hunter in that area and that it sounded promising. 

Friday, Day 3

At sunrise we concluded a mile and a half ATV ride up to the area that held at least cows and spikes. We hiked in a ways and glassed a bit when the hunter who had seen the cows and spikes came in with a hunting buddy. We told him that we’d clear out since he was going to hunt the area. He said, “No, don’t worry about it. You scare them towards us and we’ll scare them towards you.” 

Cool. 

About a half-hour later we’d been hiking and glassing when I saw a cow. 

After cheating death on the first day on the side of a cliff we came up with our primary goal--Finish the season above ground. So far, so good. After not seeing anything on the first two days we came up with a second goal. See and elk.

So now we’d accomplished our second goal. We then strung together a series of goals.

3. See a bull

4. See a legal bull

5. Get in range to take a shot at a legal bull

6. Hang one on the wall.

We continued to hike with little success but something interesting came across our path. We found a muley buck that must’ve been gut-shot the night before. He was slightly consumed but there was too much meat on him for him to have been there too long. 

We hiked some more and were about to get back to the ATV when Brian said, “I think we should glass that hill.” It was a small hill about 600 feet vertical across a valley from us about 700 yards away. 

During Rifle 4 all the aspens have lost their leaves so it is easy to glass an aspen hill in no time. Elk know this. So we would quickly glass through aspens and then focus on the dark timber areas. This hill had only a couple acres of dark timber so I didn’t get too excited about it. 

“Hey, Dan, I think I see a bull...That is one.” He confirmed it when it stood up. 

“Where!”

It took a while for him to talk me onto it, but eventually we found it.

It was about 660 yards away. I’m comfortable with a 300 yard shot and will take a 400 yard shot. I carry a ballistics chart out to 500 yards because beyond that would be too far. 

We watched it for a while. The time was about 1100 and it was a west-facing hill. The reason the bull stood up was because the sun had just crested the mountain and was about to light him up. He knew he needed to move. 

Or did he stand up because we made him nervous? That could also be the reason so we stayed still for a few moments when we discovered a friend of his behind a tree. 

Our guess is that this was a bigger bull. Why? Because we never got to see his rack and by keeping his headgear hidden has kept him alive. Plus his body was larger than the other bull. At this point in the season bulls wouldn’t be hanging with cows so that is why we figured it was a bull. 

Dilemma: Do we crash through the face of the hill we were on to get in range for a shot and risk scaring them off or take the time to run down the backside and hope we get in range before they leave for the eastern facing slope?

The bulls ducked behind trees so we couldn’t see them so we crashed down the face of the hill. 

They snuck over the hill behind the trees and we never saw them again. 

Saturday, Day 4

We were excited to get back to where we saw elk the day before. We still didn’t know if we’d scared them off or if it was the sun that drove them away. 

We didn’t see any activity on the hill where I saw a cow so we kept moving along.

We hunted the same area but when we came upon the dead muley, Brian, who was about 10 yards ahead of me, froze and whispered, “Dan, mountain lion.” Brian saw a pair of cat eyes peer up from the opposite side of the muley.

Brian was my guide and unarmed. I had a 300 win mag in my hands...and I was 10 yards behind him. I was feeling pretty good about my odds. Brian? Not so much. 

Then a second pair of eyes peered over the muley. Brian wasn’t able to warn me about the second set of eyes because his testicles had receeded all the way to his throat cause a massive lump in his throat and rendering him dumbfounded. 

I, on the other hand, armed with my 300 win mag bee-bopped up the trail causing the two cats to go

Bobcat Tracks

bounding off into the forest like a couple of nymphs. 

Although bobcats can look ferocious in the eyes as they peer over a carcass and play tricks on your mind, they are quite harmless once you realize they aren’t mountain lions. 

Update on the muley. Someone had come along and cut the antlers off. Interesting. Don’t know if it was the person who shot the muley or just a passerby. 

Either way, it is better to mentally prepare for mountain lions instead of bobcats in an encounter rather than the other way around. 

By 1100 we were in position for a shot on the hill that held bulls the day before. We waited as the sun crested the hill but nothing ever showed up. 

We still weren’t sure if we’d scared them off or if they continued their migration south to the winter range. 

This small darkwood grove held
two bull elk

Sunday, Day 5 

We spend day 5 mostly scouting more of GMU 33. 

Again we found ourselves on the side of a mountain in dicey conditions because it was getting too slick and a little late in the day to take the time to put on chains and forge ahead. We carefully made a three point turn. But when I turned the wheel to go into reverse for the second point the nose of the car slid down the hill into position. I didn’t need to back up at all. 

Yep, it was time to get off that hill. 

Lessons learned from Colorado Rifle 4 Elk Hunt in GMU 33

-Always carry chains

-Elk bed on north facing slopes to stay out of the sun

-Always carry a sidearm

-Talk to other hunters

-Find out as quickly as possible where the elk are in their migration

-Bring great food to grill and a lot of firewood

10 & 2 (Quartering) Drill for Pointers

 10 & 2 (Quartering) Drill for Pointers from Ben Garcia at Hideaway Kennels

Why practice the 10 & 2 (Quartering) Drill

The main idea behind a 10 & 2 (Quartering) drill for pointers is to get them to cover ground you are hunting efficiently. It also builds some predictability in your dog and provides your dog an expectation of your behavior it can anticipate when hunting. 

10 & 2 (Quartering) Drill for Pointers

1. Start the drill in an organized manner. I kennel all three of my dogs and then lead them out with a short lead to the starting platform. They know what is coming and what is expected. Ben Garcia of Hideaway Kennels has them well trained. I’m just reminding them what they learned.
2. Set the dog up on the place board to start. I don’t have a formal place board as you can tell from the video. As Ben will explain I have my knee just behind Charlie’s ribs and I’m petting him a lot. Ben says “Whoa” means we’re touching each other and everything is good. Once my dogs got comfortable with the knee pressed up against them they knew they could lean into it and they’d get pets. They were free to look around, but the feet had to stay still. If you watch closely you can see Charlie release some tension once my leg was up against him. 
   
   
   
3. If you don’t have land to work with, an empty soccer field or so works. 
4. Ben taps his dog’s head to release him from the place board and then works a zig-zag pattern down the field (see diagram). No need for hand signals or verbal commands. Maybe a “good boy” here and there—I might be a little excessive with my “good boys.”
5. When you get to the end of the zig-zag, give a “here” and a “whoa.” Let the whoa settle for about 30-40 seconds so the dog doesn’t develop an anticipation to move. 
6. “Heal” across the back of the field to a second-place board where you “whoa” again. When healing his collar should go past my knee. Charlie did this very well. At one point I got tied up with the lead and let it loose and he stayed right in position until the end when he tried to mount the board from my right instead of my left. Still, he did a good job. 
7. Follow the same path back to where you started. On
   the second pass add in a 1,2,3 drill. 
8. 1,2,3 Drill. Ben developed a 1,2,3 drill to help dogs learn the whoa position. 1-you pull straight up on the dog’s lead and say “whoa.” Take one step and then return to the dog. Do this again with 2 & 3 except you take 2 & 3 steps for a total of 3 whoa commands. Once your dog is proficient you can do this in the middle of the cones and not necessarily on the platform. 
9. Repeat up and down the field three times. 
10. When you end the drill do it in an orderly fashion. My dogs go to their kennels where they will get a treat. 

Link to Ben Garcia’s 10 & 2 Drill for Pointers video

Diagram of Ben’s 10 & 2 Drill for pointers. 

How to Assemble and Install a GroundHog Max

 How to Assemble and Install a GroundHog Max video

More notes on How to Assemble and Install a GroundHog Max

GroundHog Max

1. Disclaimer: Read the GroundHog Max instruction manual
   
   
   for actual guidance. These are only my thoughts.
2. The weight of the ATV and rider provides the digging force of the plow. No need to attach a weight. It is not a drag plow. 
3. Can use reverse if necessary, if you get yourself in a corner, but it won’t plow as well and puts some stress on your hitch.
4. Plows better in turns. The instructions recommend plowing in figure 8s or oblong circles. I plowed a Zamboni pattern.
5. If you need a hitch conversion kit get one from GroundHog Max. Aftermarket conversions void your warranty.
6. It is 21 inches wide so you’ll need to go over the land a couple times.  
7. If you own a Honda or Polaris you may need to buy a hitch kit. But don’t buy an aftermarket one it will invalidate your 90-day warranty.
8. Maintenance-free. Wipe down and spray with WD-40. I use gun oil or Rem oil. 
9. Discs don’t spin like a bicycle but will turn freely after some use.
10. Don’t use it on steep hills. With that said, on inclines, depending on your ATV, going uphill the plow will dig in deeper and downhill dig in shallower. You may have to go overland you plowed on the downhill a second time.
    
11. Avoid sharp turns on hills and plow vertically up and down hills, not across. 
12. Performance is somewhat dependent on the type of ground you plow. The harder compact ground isn’t going to come up like softer dirt. Going over the ground a second or third time should help. 
13. It will plow wetland, but you may need a disk scraper especially if it is clay. See manual. 
14. Transport mode (plow upside down) doesn’t work on every ATV. Some ATVs don’t have the clearance. It is recommended that you transport in those circumstances with the plow on the front or back rack of the ATV.
15. Don’t install the plow too low. If the axel is too low it can stress the hitch. I’m guilty of this. I started off too low. Start off too high and go lower if necessary. 
16. 
    It is recommended that you drive up on to a 4x4 or something similar (I use 4-inch bricks) and attach the plow so it just touches the ground. Then move assembly up two holes. Theoretically, when weighted, that should set the plow four inches into the dirt. 
17. Taller ramps make it harder to judge the correct height to install. However, once you have figured out which hole works for your ATV, you can mark the hole and install at any height. 
18. The narrow side goes forward. Plow cuts into the ground and then spreads the dirt with the scoops of the blades.
19. If you plow the same area you can leave the 4x4 or bricks at your food plot. 
20. Drive about 3-10 mph while plowing. Manual says 5 mph is optimum. I’ve gone faster-much faster. This is not an endorsement to go faster.
21. Install the plow on level ground.
22. When installing put ATV in park. Set brake. Chalk tires.

November will be great!

November is gonna be Great!

First Week

I'm starting off November at work, but in Frankfurt Germany-actually a suburb of Frankfurt called Mainz. No hunting, but you have to pay for the hunts somehow. 

Second Week

Rocky Mountain Roosters

Charlie and Lily are gonna help me find some chukar. I plan on heading to Rocky Mountain Roosters to get some chukar and get their noses on some birds. Since it will have been a week since they were out there I'll probably pen the birds and do some fieldwork with them rather than a true scratch hunt. Tori was really good at her whoa compared to Charlie. But she busted a couple birds. Sometimes we all get a little excited. Charlie didn't find a single bird. It wasn't his fault. He's a great hunter. It just seemed like there weren't any birds there. In fact, I didn't see many pheasant tracks in the fresh snow that fell the night before. 

Snow

We got some snow this week so hopefully, the dogs will be able to catch a scent. 

Oregon Ducks

I was hoping to get out to Oregon to get on some Oregon ducks, but my trip to Frankfurt put a bind on my time so I'll probably hit Roosters a couple times during the week. I'm sure I'll get out to Oregon in December though and perhaps see a duck or two then. 

Third Week

Disneyland

No, not the Disneyland you're thinking of...but if you think about it, for a hunter...COLORADO IS DISNEYLAND FOR ELK HUNTERS! Yes, I got a leftover elk tag for Rifle 4. Someone asked me how I think I'll do. I said It is called a leftover tag for a reason. But I'll get out into the backwoods and have a lot of fun camping with my rifle, as my brother and I like to say. 

Elk hunt plan

I am building my hunt plan and have a solid idea of where I want to be hunting. I plan on catching some bulls migrating from their summer range to their winter range. I may have a preview of my plan up just before the hunt starts. So make sure to look for that later on in November. 

Thanksgiving Week

I'm hoping to have elk for Thanksgiving. Hope y'all have a big fat happy Thanksgiving! I actually prefer ham to Turkey. But elk is hard to beat. What is your favorite?

Looking forward to December

Maybe a goose hunt with Stillwater Outfitters in Colorado. And as I said before a duck hunt in Oregon. And maybe get the doggies on some Kansas pheasant. Should be fun.