Knife-pilfering black bear adds mystery to western elk hunt

I’m back in the Adirondacks again after a great week-long Elk hunting trip to Carbondale, Colorado. There were a limited number of Mule Deer tags this year so none of our party got one.

With the number of Mule Deer we saw this year and an easy winter there should be more tags next year.

We saw well over one hundred deer during our hunt. I saw over twenty one day and then the next day I only saw one buck.

That day I moved several deer to others in our party but that was the only buck. On the third day of our hunt on Fender Ranch we saw several Mule Deer, two nice bucks just off the property, and one spike bull Elk.

A little after noon Bob Bernesby nearly stepped on a big bull Elk but was unable to get a shot.

We tried to head it off but never saw or heard the animal again. This was the only shooter bull we saw on the ranches we hunted on this trip. That evening I was looking for a field with my binoculars and saw nine Elk a little ways outside our area.

There were four shooter bulls and five cows just feeding along and not being bothered by anyone. The other hunters weren’t having any luck either so we didn’t feel too bad as there hadn’t seen another Elk after shooting the big bull the first day.

On the first day I saw some Black Bear scat in the road and told the others about it. That night Bob saw the Bear not far from where I had seen the scat.

The third day I covered a lot of ground and only moved Mule Deer again.

Some rain showers moved in that afternoon so we called it early and Art and Bob went to town for a few things.

Our host Bob Schenck asked me to go to his north forty cabin and help him turn off the water while the others were in town.

He suggested that I bring my gun because there are usually Elk there.

There were several switchbacks as we traveled up in elevation to the cabin.

Once we got there, we saw four Mule Deer nearby and Elk tracks all over the yard. We drained the water just as the rain turned to snow.

We looked around but did not see any Elk.

However, on the way back down we saw a cow and calf Elk right across from a house.

During the day a bull Elk was killed in the field next to where we were staying.

We knew there were some around, there just weren’t any hunters moving them from area to area.

When we got up on the fourth day it was snowing quite hard and we knew there would be more in the higher elevations.

Bob Bernesby had to fly home that day but he had some time to hunt before he left.

We went to Fenders and walked in across the big field because the road was slippery with red clay.

We saw Elk tracks in the snow crossing the field. When we got to the last gate we looked up the pipeline and there were eight Elk feeding.

The wet snow stuck to the trees and bushes and the wind was blowing in our direction— perfect conditions for a stalk.

We went up the fence line using the snow-covered Jack Oak for cover.

Going along old cow paths we got fairly close. I looked through the Oaks and a big cow was standing broadside, not fifty feet away.

I quickly shot and she went down. Three other Elk ran off to the left but two were still standing up the pipeline.

Bob, who was a little off to the side, was already on them and let one go. I heard a plunk, which meant a hit.

The animals disappeared into the brush. We walked up and the other cow was down. Then the real work began.

Bob had to catch his plane in Aspen so he had to leave. I started skinning and cutting up these animals for the pack out.

Art took Bob to the airport and returned. I had carried out a few pieces to the corral before dark as the snow kept coming down. I covered the rest for a take out the next day.

Bob’s plane got canceled so he came back for another night and was able to help carry out the next morning.

That saved me a few trips.

We went back up a little after daylight and Bob started carrying out the meat. I went up to finish cutting up the second animal and a Bear had visited overnight and took my knife.

I could follow his bloody track in the snow and found my knife about fifty feet away.

I guess he thought he needed it for his future work. Except for taking the knife, the carcass was untouched.

Art had driven in that morning as it was frozen but by the time we got all the meat to the truck the red clay had softened up. We slipped and slided through the last bar way gate but eventually made it out.

We got Bob to his plane in Aspen and the meat to the Gross Locker Plant in Silt to be cut up, packaged and frozen by noon the next day.

We did a small hunt in the afternoon Thursday (10/28) in Cattle Creek where I saw two fresh Elk tracks in the snow. By dark we hadn’t caught up to them. I saw a Northern Shrike hunting there and Mountain Bluebird perched along the trail. We ended our western hunt with the sound of a noisy flock of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead.

We had a few new experiences on our trip home, but that’s another story. See ya.