By Bob Wood

On August 31. I left for Colorado to bow hunt with FullDrawOutfitters owned by Fred and Michele Eichler. I had my bear tag from the May drawing and would pick up a elk tag over the counter when I got there. Arrived at the their place at noon on Saturday, settled in the bunk house and did some shooting on the practice targets. Met my guide, Lane, and talked over plans for the morning. Sunday morning we drove to my location and we then walked some 500 yards to my treestand over a water hole. The weather had been very hot and dry, the animals where coming to water often. Lane had only been gone about 10 minutes when the first bear appeared, about 45 yards, maybe small, and only 10 minutes into the hunt so I passed. At 2pm a huge bear walked to within about 12 yards but offered no shot opportunity, too much stuff in the way. But, what a thrill, a animal like that close enought that you could hear him breathing. The next day, Labor Day, at about 5pm a large bull elk came to drink at 25 yards, perfect shot, and quick follow up shot before he disappeared into forest was it. I sent Lane a text message and he came prepared to get my elk out. We recovered him, skinned, quartered, and boned out the meat so as to cut the weight to a mininum for packing out to the road. So I had a very 6×6 bull elk that weighed somewhere between 600 and 700 lbs, but never did get my bear. Oh, about that bear, only five minutes after shooting my elk a chocolate colored bear came down the same trail as the elk. I was still so excited , and shaking from the elk that I missed low on the bear.

But, I did manage to scratch an elk off my bucket list, the bear will come another year.