Define Success

Colorado applications are due in a couple days and the windows for Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming are closed, we are forced to sit back and wait. Something I have found is not high on the list for which things I excel. For the last several months I have compiled statistics, built spreadsheets, and looked for any luck left in that horseshoe. Now we wait. This is a new concept for me every year; I enjoy daydreaming of the possibilities for the coming fall, yet the engineer me does not like leaving anything to chance. This coupled with waiting for turkey season still around the corner and five inches of snow on the ground today, I have an opportunity to reminisce to a hunt last year and hopefully provide a few tips for when the results begin to publish.

 

2014 brought a bit more excitement than previous years. Why? Well if you remember that horseshoe I mentioned earlier, it turned upside down on me last year. In May, I was rigorously checking the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website, waiting and hoping for my one preference point to be wiped for deer. In addition to archery deer, I had applied for a limited bear tag, a long shot in the hybrid drawing for unit 2 archery elk, and points across the board for the remainder of the Colorado species. Sitting in my office early one morning I pulled down the favorites tab on my browser and went to check if anything had changed in the last twelve hours. Where previously the web page had read “pending” it now read zero. Zero not only on deer and bear but also subsequent to elk. I had pulled my limited draw for elk in Colorado, beating the <.01% odds. Initially, I was elated; I shook with adrenaline truly having no clue to the experience that would follow.

The Draw

How to be successful in the draw? Contrary to popular belief, no I am not intertwined with some DOW corruption ring in which I paid off the guy pulling my name out of the hat. I PUT IN. Probability is defined by Webster as - the relative possibility that an event will occur, as expressed by the ratio of the number of actual occurrences to the total number of possible occurrences -. The key here is number of actual occurrences. Increase your odds by giving yourself the chance and always have a back-up plan. Although the number of hunters has increased exponentially in the last few years, there are still multiple states where OTC tags are available; some states giving you the opportunity to purchase multiple tags for the same species (male and female). Do your research and get outside; every second in the woods gives you one more piece of knowledge to put away for when the odds stack in your favor for a tag of a lifetime.

Preparation

In some way, I was thankful to see no other tags come through except for Colorado. The date was four months before opening day to the archery season and there was a lot to learn. As I mentioned above, most have years to prepare for the tag of a lifetime. I was fortunate enough not to have this luxury; however, this was going to make for a busy summer.

Step 1

Make a plan. Evaluate how much time you have available for pre-season boot leather and how much of that vacation time you want to spend on the hunt itself. Although I was to stay inside the boarders of my home state, the far east edge of the unit was a nearly six hours away. With the exception of dirt biking the sand hills on the north end of the unit in high school, I had not spent a second with my feet on the ground. Hopefully when you anticipate drawing a tag of a lifetime, you have the opportunity to spend a couple years prior to explore and learn the roadways and key pockets inside the boundaries. If not, fortunately in this day and age, technology can play a huge part into scouting. With the version of Google Earth available to the public, you nearly can pick out individual fence posts. This in combination with a land ownership overlay can be your best friend and potentially the crux to your productivity at work.

Google Earth Screen Shot with Ownership Overlay

Late Afternoon View

Step 2

Learn the ins and outs. When you move to a new city for the first time, it takes a few weeks to learn a new routine, right? What is the fasted route to work, where do you buy groceries, how long does it take to do these activities? Learning a foreign unit is very similar. When opening day rolls around, I didn’t want to have any questions surrounding how early I needed to wake up or which route was the most efficient around the canyons and drainages. Initially, I learned the roadways and lay of the land through hours of studying Google Earth. In addition, I ordered portable paper maps to stick in my pack and saved coordinates on my GPS. When the time came in early June to make my first trip to the foreign land, it was almost as if I had driven the roads before. From here, I spent my first days walking the high points and glassing the drainages to hopefully identify travel corridors, old rubs, or any other clues to give me an idea where the elk may be come August. In the beginning, it is important to not bog yourself down with spending days hiking one area. Efficiently cover as much ground as possible and identify key areas to which you want to devote further time. NOTE: Do not worry about finding the elk…yet. You’re learning the terrain.

Last Years Rub

Step 3

Begin to hone in. Following my first trip to the unit, I began to focus in on key areas I wanted to further explore and begin to identify the nuances I could use to ensure my success. What does this mean? Well seeing my time was limited to long weekends, I scoured the imagery, picking out hiking routes, glassing points, and water holes – all to visit individually my next trip out. Don’t use the excuse you don’t have enough time to scout. I reiterate, scouting is much more than boot leather. I was now close to a month into my scouting season and out of fifty or so hours I had devoted to the hunt, only twenty or so had been breathing the fresh air. I used this knowledge to make the most out of my second trip later in June. Although it was late into the darkness by the time I was pulling into my camp spot, I had an agenda for Saturday morning. The focus of this trip was different. I had a familiarity with the area, now I needed to begin diving deeper into the details. I set trail cameras on the tanks that held water and put my eyes on some great bulls; I began to understand how they used the terrain. The next three trips through July were similar in that my goal was the same; gain a better understanding for how these animals lived in the desert climate.

Afternoon Glassing

Step 4

Find the elk. In my head, this was the least critical step that contributed to punching my tag. It was more for pure enjoyment that I continued to spend time camping every weekend possible under the stars. When you glass the elk in the middle of July and early August, likely they still are sporting their velvet and are grouped into larger bachelor herds. Any hunter that has been out during the rut knows this activity is not typical in mid September. They will move and they will be unpredictable; it is your duty to adapt, utilizing the knowledge base you have built throughout the summer. From years of tag soup, I can say that regardless of the hours spent scouting, sometimes the stars don’t align like you would hope. Yet, all the hot summer days allow you to change your strategy to acclimate to the conditions during the hunt.

The second prong of this step is potentially the most critical for me; the time I spend outside in the woods is essential to my wellbeing. I live for every sunrise and sunset I have the opportunity to watch from the anywhere but behind my windshield. It is important we remember how we define our success. Every day during the summer months that I spent on the ground or planning the details from my desk contribute to the memory of this hunt. When opening day came in late August, I had spent over 20 days hiking around the unit. In my mind this hunt was already a success and I had yet to pull back my bowstring.

Late June Growth

The Hunt

Opening day came and with it, my planning had paid off. By mid-morning, I found myself just 50 yards above a bedded bull that would exceed all expectations of a trophy. I will skip the painful details but in summary, another twenty minutes found me inside 30 yards to the bull facing up the hill staring holes through chest. At full draw I felt the string pass by my cheek and watched as all my months of practice seemed to fly out the door; my arrow anchored into a cedar tree several inches above the bulls back.

2014 Archery Bull

Why do I mention this? Well for the next twelve days, I went without another shot. I was challenged to adapt and change locations to stay on the ever more rutting bulls. Without the planning and dedication throughout the summer, I would have been forced to hike aimlessly only hoping for a stroke of luck. Instead I was able to efficiently move throughout the unit and indentify yet another trophy.

Day 13 and I had found this trophy. I located him with a long growly bugle at the bottom of a familiar drainage. Within several minutes I found myself working him within twenty yards, only stopping to bugle one last time at a mere 10 yards. He moved beyond the edge of my cover at 2 yards where I yet again felt the string pass by my cheek.

At the end of the day you are only as successful as you define it. For me, it was the journey. 13 days hunting, 25 days scouting, and countless hours planning all contribute to the memory. Keep this in mind as the draw results begin to play out; no you may not draw the tag of a lifetime, but remember the experience is all what you make it. Get out and enjoy HIS work.

What is all for...

Seasons Change

As we wrap up what doesn’t feel to be much of a winter here in Colorado, I feel it right to reflect on some of the adventures. As I have mentioned, I tend to fall into the category of “does whatever it takes to be outside”. While the snow covers most trails and the rivers are low water, we have made a home on the ice. In the last several years I have gained a new appreciation for ice fishing in the dead of winter on some of Colorado’s high mountain lakes. Yes sometimes it is brutally cold, wind blowing, and probably every other stereo type you have heard about ice fishing. BUT sometimes things come together regardless of the weather. And hey, when they don’t we are still sitting under some of the most gourdous mountains in the county. And when you can’t see the beautiful mountains because the snow is blowing sideways and visibility is less than ten feet? ....well there’s nothing like a little rye whiskey to brighten your spirit in the brutal cold.

My target of choice is the king of the deep, the mackinaw, or commonly known lake trout. They are aggressive predators that poses a finicky appetite. They are known to eat what is nearly half their size, yet some days refuse every piece of plastic in my bag. Sitting on an undersized stool in zero degree weather, I played cat and mouse with these big fish some days only to walk home empty handed or with a bag of smaller snakes. This winter, however, there were several particular days where it all came together and I was able to fool some of these prehistoric creatures with the slight tap of a jig. Those days are the ones where every 4AM wakeup call and twilight drive home become insignificant. Don’t get me wrong, in between we had our share of success as well. A measure of success is all based on your expectations, and mine are to let every second spent enjoying this beautiful country count.

In addition, to a couple of big fish, I was able to spend countless hours with family and friends again enjoying the pristine rocky mountains. In the end this is what we are all in it for right? Hopefully you are entertained with the pictorial story of our 2014-2015 ice season. Now onto spring turkey’s, the definitive decisions for the 2015 draw, and shed season. To be continued…

Until Next Winter

Forward

 

My name is David Hoff. I am what some might call a bit obsessive over my hobby in the outdoors. But to me, this is much more than a hobby; it is a way of life. I am not here to hop on the recent band wagon of the extreme back country bow hunter or the gear nut craze for the hunters that find themselves matching their camo in the mirror to never leave their house. Nothing against either avenue, I like to look good in camo too, but I am here to hopefully share my passion and pass along some of the knowledge that I have gained through my adventures; successful or not. You will find if you stay along with me that my values as a sportsman are not dedicated to one hunting means or fisherman click - I aim to use every opportunity I have to enjoy what God has so graciously given us.

I grew up with a younger sister in Western Colorado on my family’s ranch. Early on, my dad decided that the city corporate life was for the birds (you may be realizing where I got it from….). He and my mom moved to the ranch across the field from her mother to start a grassroots dog training facility that has grown into a successful business attracting clients from around the world. Although my wife and I currently live in Arvada, CO, we still define this as our home base. From here is where I ventured for most of my early hunting career. Starting with upland and waterfowl and moving quickly to hauling a bow around the woods as soon as I was twelve (legal age in CO). I hunted the first few years with little success and turned to a Ruger .243 to fill the freezer each fall with a deer and a January cow. Now days I tend to lean toward the more traditional route of archery. It isn’t that I feel too proud or that pursuing game with a compound is too easy; my only reasoning is I have found solace in the added challenge and the art of the sport.

The idea of starting this venture to begin documenting our experiences all came while at work, an engineering desk job in downtown Denver. I was sitting at the desk and although I was focused on writing up my weekly reports, my mind was elsewhere. It was running through draw statistics for the approaching fall, it was visualizing new strategies to employ the upcoming hunting season, it was on a river during the spring spawn; well I guess you could say I was a little distracted. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy what I do as an engineer; but it is not my true life passion. We all have our reasons for work; to support our families, to keep our minds sharp, to have a sense of satisfaction at the end of each day. For me, yes it is a combination of all these motives, however, the biggest reason is to fund what I love most. This true passion was developed long ago sitting in the duck blind for the first time as a youngster with my father. He fed my need to learn every aspect of what it meant to be a sportsman and an adventurer with every chance he had. As I became more proficient for myself, I began to turn the tables and spread this fever with anyone that showed desire. Now married, I have been able to share with my wife, Hannah, why I find myself daydreaming about a cool September morning or a late summer night on the shore. Luckily, she caught on and is with me every step of the way, well almost every step.

 With all of the energy and time I spend mulling over every detail to make me successful on the lake, the river, or in the woods, why not share some of these experiences? If nothing else, channel this obsession I have created to something material? I guess I can wade around any justification I want for preoccupying my time looking for the next escapade, but at the end of the day I am here to enjoy this life with those who I care for most doing what we love most, staying outside.