[M.T. Pockets]

Roy, thanks for the horse pointers. The riding actually went pretty good. I had one "unplanned dismount" while sidehilling with a loose saddle. The saddle started tipping toward the downhill side with me in it, when I knew it was past the point of no return I calmly took my boots out of the stirrups and bailed out like like a skydiver jumping out of an airplane. Dusted myself off, adjusted & tightended the saddle and no more problems. This all happened on day #1 before daylight, get the screw ups out of the way early.

I've been a fortunate elk hunter, 3 for 3 on bull hunts (outfitted). 1 for 3 on DIY cow hunts. I just love every part of the hunt and the meat.

Grizzly bears are a nuisance. I don't think they hurt the elk population as much as wolves, but they're a nuisance when you get one down, in camp and wherever you bump into one. It's not a rare event - it's a daily occurance. One of our party was tracking a bull they hit and a bear got on the track before they could get to it. The bear kept it from bedding down and they never did recover the elk. The wolves concern me more, they seem to have a much bigger impact on the elk & moose population & behavior. Not to get on a soapbox here, but if wolves are not in the area where you hunt, it is very possible they will be in the next few years. Look out Colorado, with all your elk and wilderness, it would be ideal wolf habitat. You could be next. If wolves aren't reintroduced, they could easily drift down from Wyoming.

I have a habit of shooting til the animal quits moving. The first shot was right where I wanted behind the shoulder. He turned around and went downhill, I hit him again from the other side, he went down on his front knees then I hit him a little higher in the shoulder. It took about 2 seconds. He was dead after the first shot but I don't like to trail anything, especially just before dark in grizz country 4 miles from camp. Swift A-Frames performed as well as anyone could want. I did recover the last one on the far side after it went through both shoulders, a perfect mushroom. They all did significant damage and I'm very happy with them.

I hope everyone can go elk hunting sometime, and I with I could invite everyone over for an elk steak or burger. An elk hunt never really ends, you live it as long as you can remember it.