index

The 5th ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME Elk Hunt Colorado 2019

Right to Left: Roger, Scott, Levi, Kyle and Mike (Special guests not pictured are Shane and Hobbie) The classic picture in front of the main sleeping tent (we made Kyle, as the new unknown guy, sleep in his own tent until we get to know him better, or until someone else drops out of the line up or until we like him better). We went almost 4 weeks later in the archery Elk season but it was still hot and dusty. Though not as dry as last year’s once-in-a-lifetime hunt. Other than bear rifle (though none of us no any locals saw a bear this year) nothing else was in season except archery elk. We had hoped that a little later in season when it would be a little cooler and closer to the rut would improve our chances. Turned out that all we got was later in the season. It was not much cooler and we couldn’t tell if the rut was on as we hardly saw any elk. Fortunately, we were able to keep moral up with hardy suppers and talent shows. The rough gravel roads and dust played havoc on the piano for the talent shows so we mostly sat around the fire and honed our lies of previous hunting trips and played “Guess the Smell” (Guess the smell isn’t really all the challenging until the game escalates to naming ingredients). The shows were put on within the confines of the 10x20 easy up canopy that also doubled as our kitchen and chow hall, tripled as the storage area for all of our equipment so we could trip over it, and quadrupled as the command center as we poured over maps and iPhones in an attempt to determine where to hunt at the next day that may produce an elk and fifthly, shade (the tallest oak brush bush was only about 7 feet and were poor producers of shade.

Shortly after arrival, Shane, Levi and Scott take advantage of the many facets that the Easy Up offers.

Here, you see Barbie Dream Kitchen Set holding our main staple potatoes, being fried by Roger, while his tablet presents one of several creation documentaries he has been watching in preparation for the next class that he presents (no date set as of yet). The Barbie Dream Kitchen Set was awarded it’s name as a retaliation device when his propane oven still had not cooked some biscuits in 90 minutes or so on a previous camping trip and we dubbed it the “Easy Bake Oven”. We hinted that perhaps if Scott would have changed the light bulbs in the oven that the biscuits may eventually get done. Potatoes are a main staple on our camping expeditions. Surprisingly, as much as we like hot dogs and such, we did not cook one hot dog over an open fire. We did, whoever, stop at a rest station on the way home and devour 2 packages of them cooked on my grill.

After setting up camp we took a break, caught our breath and admired the beauty all around us. We then spent some time to catch up with Shane, our ‘Elk Guide’ friend from Indiana and Hobbie, our ‘Elk Guide’ friend from Colorado. When Kyke could take it no more, camp broke and the mighty hunters went out in search of monster elk. With the exception of Kyle, these hardened and seasoned hunters have been on this trip at least 4 other times and still not filled their tag. Levi being young and inconsiderate, had decided that he was going to shoot the first elk he saw, no matter the size, and not wait on a large or possibly even trophy bull. So shortly after starting the hunt, Levi shoots one only slightly larger than one having just been birthed (despite the mocking, an umbilical cord was not found on the baby young elk). Levi’s spontativitey and desperation to kill any sized elk coupled with his disrespect to let the elders in his hunting party to first refusall of the shot (they would not have refussed the first shot as they also just wanted to fill a tag after 4 previous years of elk hunting) had brought first blood. It also brought back strap steaks the following evening for supper. Kudo’s Levi. It’s looking like the 5th Once In A Lifetime Colorado Elk Hunt 2019 was going to be a success.

That night, Levi tried to relive and retell how he “Stalked” the elk (He was using the bath room when the poor thing stumbled into the clearing), and “Bared” down on it with his bow (the arrow ricocheted off of three trees, a fellow hunters back pack and finally off of his own quiver before falling to the ground near the animal) and how it went down (the elk laughed so hard that while walking away it tripped and landed on top of his arrow) and killed itself. He must have told the story 1,000 times. We patted him on the back as we eat the blackstrap telling him that the elk you can cook on a hot dog stick are the tinderest. As I wasn’t hunting (I just go along as a favor to the other hunters families to keep an eye on them; plus I can’t justify the price of an out of state license), Levi having killed the first elk (and as it turned out, the only elk) doesn’t bother me a bit. But it turned the others into quivering masses of green envy. That night (and the next couple), the temperatures dropped below freezing. For those that don’t do a lot of camping, this is known as “Good Sleeping” weather. Unless of course you don’t have a sleeping bag and think that a body suite will do the job, then it’s known as cold. But the morning produced a very good photo opportunity for Lil’ Red (my truck).

The rest of the week proved disappointing for the remaining hunters. They did see some elk but they were way off. I guess they saw some through some spotting scopes as they glassed the mountain sides from camp. As I receive pictures of the remainder of the rest of the week from the remaining hunters, I will add them to the webpage. Normally, since I am not elk hunting, I go off on adventures to nearby National Parks, remote roads, pawn shops or other site seeing touristy travels. I also spend a day or two in the woods with my camera equipment trying to get that next cover to Outdoor Life or something. This year though, Levi had shot his elk. On the fist day none the less. So I was reduced to baby sitter. So we went fishing, sight seeing and arrow head hunting. My usual secluded silence of the cab of Lil’ Red (my truck) as replaced with the yammering tale of how he had shot the elk and becasue of that good fortune, we could run around together. THE WHOLE REST OF THE WEEK!

Despite having no antlers, it was in fact, by default, a bull elk. Good job Levi. You saved us from starvation during our week of living off of the land (as is our usual operand).

Kyle had never been out to Colorado before. He had also never been stuck in close proximity to Scott and Mike for this period of time before. He took a half day break from the momently of not seeing elk and went to the Grand Mesa for some sightseeing and fishing with Levi and I. Thursday, he took time to go to the showers with me (Levi could have used a good shower) before we went to the Black Canyon National Park. He was really impressed. I’ve been several times over the past trips I took and I’m still impressed. I wouldn’t call the canyon pretty (except if you happen to be there at just the right sunset time, which I have been), but it is certainly bold and majestic. And to think that this is caused by a punishment (I’m giving you a break on this right now, but ask me some time, I dare you).

Levi can’t wait to get out there and find those arrow heads.

Levi, you make this too easy for me.

Yep, that’s what we call “Levi Fishn’”. He’s trying to get them in the floom inbetween the 2 lakes.

Truth be told, this is truely more like “Levi Fishn’”. Lines tangled in the trees. I wonder where he learned those words? I better talk to his mother about that.

More truths be told, Levi’s a pretty good kid and friend. And cousin or something like that. I suppose I could do worse. And I might be embellishing just a little in my story writing here. He might have actually caught 4 fish. He might not have spent to much time trying to snag one in the floom (or not at all). And maybe he didn’t use ALL THOSE words (he certainly does get in the trees a lot though). But he does make a pretty easy target. Well, I guess he didn’t use up all my truck cab space, patience and all. So I’ll post a few of my pictures here.

The hunters were reinvigorated when the “Guides” lied to them and falsely proclaimed almost certainty of good fortune if they just went over the hill Friday morning. Friday afternoon, all participants of the trip, had given up on hunting (but not given up on causing serious harm to the “Guides”) and we went for a short, quant and casual drive over boulders, switch backs, wash boards, and what might have been mistaken as holes left from military ordnance (no mistakenly though, holes from ordnance would have been easier to pass over getting to our destination) and do some fishing. The lake was reported to be a trout producer. Some trout would be a good end to last night in Colorado and in keeping with living off of the land. After scareously more than 2 hours of driving, we arrived at a pristine mountain lake. It had been pretty hot when we left our camp of around 8,500 feet. Apparently though, this lake was in some kind of thermovalley that it’s 8,500 or so of above sea level feet was much cooler. And after about 20 minutes, the hardened and seasoned hunters that I eluded to at the beginning of this story were shivering and begging to return back to camp. Actually, they were begging to leave the lake and go to a restaurant for a hardy meal (as they caught no trout; which as I deduce from their tales is impossible to land trout when shivering as badly as they were) before returning to camp and resuming living off of the land.

The 5 Grande White Compadres, “Living Off The Land” at the local BBQ joint in Hodgekiss. The only way I can get into a picture is via selfie, which helps explain why I don’t look nearly as good in pictures, besides not having a daily shower, as I do in real life. So be gentle with the quips you make at me. For the record, Kyle had Verizon and he was the only one getting a consistently good connection. The rest of us have ATT.

And the last night sitting around the fire, throwing back some Dew’s, Orange Juice, Milk and Coffee (we’re showing our ages) and listening to Levi continue to drone on about the one, the 5 x 5, that didn’t get away. His story telling has improved, but not that much.

Lil’ Red (my truck) in the morning mountain air sun rise.

And just like that, the 5th Once-In-A-Lifetime Colorado Elk Hunt 2019 rides off into the sunset. Thanks for sharing the week with me Scott, Mike, Levi and Kyle. Until the next Once-In-A-Lifetime Hunt…

I have no desire to go out and live in the Dust Pot of Colorado, but I bet that this place is awfully pretty in the spring when the land isn’t parched and could make for a pretty good spring/summer for one Roger L Waldrip.

Thank you for viewing this webpage of my “Once-In-A-Lifetime Hunting Trip” and those that participated in it. I took many more pictures, standard videos and 360 videos. But they are not ready yet. However, I wanted to go ahead and get this page up and going. As/when I get the 360 videos ready as well as a drive through a really cool canyon for your viewing pleasure; I will add them to the site. **Unfortunatelly, the recorded drive through Glenwood Canyon was once again a bust. Maybe I’ll finally be able to get it on the next Once-In-A-Lifetime Hunt. If the others from the trip would also like to contribute pictures and videos, and those contributions pass my rigid standards (basically they are given to me in a format I can use) they will to the page. So check back every few days for the next few weeks to see what might appear. Thanks for visiting and God Bless.

All pictures are enlargable by clicking on them.