Ok, so I’m a little late on the updates. This post is all about my recent hunting trip in Colorado, which was in mid-October.
First, I’m using “hunting” somewhat loosely, as it was my first time hunting anything. Elk was the primary game being hunted, but not everyone in camp had an elk tag. Hmmmm…..maybe I should give some background before telling much more.
Elk camp has occurred almost annually since the early 1990s. It was started by Donnie L’s family and friends. I went to high school and college with Donnie, and we have known each other for over a score (that’s 20 years for those who don’t remember the Gettysburg Address). I remember Donnie going to elk camp a few times in college, and I’ve had a standing invitation to participate for several years now. I finally decided to take advantage of the offer while I am relatively unfettered. Since it was my first time hunting, I decided not to pay for a bull or cow elk tag, as they cost $550 and $250 for out-of-state hunters, respectively. I don’t own a suitable elk hunting rifle, either. I was fortunate to borrow a .40-caliber handgun for the trip, to be used as protection against certain types of wild animals and eroding masculinity from years of a desk job.
I flew out to Denver a few days before the planned departure to camp in order to spend some time with grandparents and Mom. Having done that, I met Donnie and his parents at his brother’s house in Denver, where we hatched various strategies and generally prepared for the trip. There were five of us: me, Donnie, Doug (brother), Darrell (dad), and Caden (Doug’s son). We planned to meet two other guys at camp (Donny P and Rick), and three more (Cleo, Jim, and Garrett) would be arriving a few hours after us, bringing the total to 10 guys.
Elk camp is at Sawtooth Mountain, near Gunnison, Colorado. The elevation is about 9,500 feet above sea level, and we drove over the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass on the way there.
Eventually we turned off the highway onto a dirt road leading to camp. Shortly thereafter, we encountered our first wild animals: bighorn sheep.
We arrived at camp in the early afternoon, and the two guys who arrived before us had already set the tents up. We helped set up the bunks and stashed our gear, then had burgers for lunch. With 10 guys at camp, the next order of business was to dig a latrine.
These guys have really gathered together an amazing setup for the camp. There are two tents: one for storing food and some cooking, and another for sleeping and eating if the weather is bad. The sleeping tent has a homemade wood stove inside, complete with chimney, and it keeps the tent quite warm all night long.
At dusk, we had to take a short hike to Lookout Rock to try to spot deer and elk. The season didn’t open until Saturday, so there was time to scope out the area.
Fortunately, I remembered to pack the binoculars that Karis gave me as a gift several years ago. They worked great!
When we hiked back to camp, Rick had already started preparing a venison dinner. He brought some meat from a deer he shot last year, and fried it on the wood stove. Then he made gravy with the little brown bits.
Since the sky was so clear that night, I decided to try my hand at photographing stars. I’m not kidding – you could easily see the Milky Way if you walked 50 yards out of camp away from the campfire. Note to self: research and save for wide-angle lens! This isn’t a photo of the Milky Way, but it’ll do for now. I’m somewhat dissatisfied with it because there is visible horizontal banding. After I got back, I consulted with one of the Sacramento area’s premier photographers and got some advice on how to get better star photos.
On Friday, we got up and cooked a nice camp breakfast. Did I mention that these guys have the sweetest setup? This skillet is the best for cooking bacon and elk sausage, and then frying potatoes!

After our hearty breakfast, we headed down the hill to go fishing in a stream that meandered through an expansive meadow where a herd of sheep was grazing. I had a one-day fishing license, but also wanted to practice using my Gorillapod and RF remote shutter release.
Donnie brought his fly rod, and Doug brought a regular pole, but we had no luck.
Back in camp later that afternoon, we geared up for the season opening. Some of the guys packed a change of clothes and hiked up to a high point called the Saddle where the elk are known to cross regularly in the dawn hour. It’s important to pack a change of clothes because by the time you hike up there, your clothes are wet from sweat and you can get hypothermia if you don’t keep warm and dry. In order to be in position to shoot an elk at dawn, you have to be hiking to the Saddle by around 2:00 a.m. Needless to say, since I didn’t have an elk tag, I saw no point in hiking to the Saddle at that time of morning. When the hikers got back, we sat around the campfire and strategized and generally told tall tales of past hunting trips.
Later that evening, Rick had to get out of bed to defend his version of a story.

On Saturday, we set out through the dark timber, walking five abreast while making plenty of noise trying to roust the elk from their daytime sleep. Though we did encounter one elk, it ran the opposite direction of where the shooters were stationed, and we were unsuccessful. We tried again in the afternoon.
Back at camp that night, we settled in for some stew, followed by a Bible study around the campfire, and then some of Darrell’s famous Dutch oven peach cobbler.

If you haven’t experienced a meal from a Dutch oven, you’re missing out.
At this point, the latrine was getting a little full. Remember, it’s been three days with 10 guys at camp, and we’re eating nothing but meat, potatoes, eggs, and the occasional canned vegetables.
One last photo of camp:

After a week away from Jen and four days without a shower, I was ready to get back home. At that point, Jen was at 36 weeks and a little nervous about me being gone. I came home to a full social calendar, including an evening with the previously mentioned photographer, who taught us some new tricks!
More to come in the next week or so. Jen’s due date is November 19….












































