 2004 HUNT PHOTO GALLERYGuest Quote. . ."It was so peaceful and beautiful. I came here with a predicted hunt in mind. What I got was a great surprise. You can't predict! My hunt was better than predicted! I slammed my elk from 350 yards. A memory for life! I can't say enough about John and the Buffalo Creek crew, Mike and Paul. They're the best. Words can't express what a beautiful place this is. It really is a piece of "God's Country." Thank you all and 'til we meet again, "Baldy" P.S. "Sweet!" "Huge!" Editor's note: I believe our guides use those adjectives more than common |
Archery Season: Archery at the Buffalo Creek Ranch is that particular form of nirvana hunters dream about, and it is even more remarkable because the ranch is reserved for the fewest hunters of the year, preserving a hunting atmosphere probably not found elsewhere in the state. The hunters who experience this one-of-a-kind hunt, have the owner of the ranch to thank, because it is his passion for the sport that dictates the rules. Truly wild elk with almost no human interaciton.
Richard MacLeod
pictured on left
Without
wanting to make the other hunters jealous, and if you know this guy, you'll know why anyway, but all of our guides vye to guide this excellent hunter year after year. I think
they share information about elk hunting and the Buffalo Creek Ranch, because Dick, a very frequent guest (he entertains friends and family here throughout the year), knows it as well as we do.
Anyway, John drew the longest straw this year, and together, they chose Friends' Draw for their evening hunt. Getting out of the truck, they heard several bulls bugling. It didn't take long to
decide to go after the bulls at the bottom. However, this was not an easy task, as there were several cows and calves feeding through the area. These seasoned sportsmen
finagled their way through and past them without leaking any proprietary information.
When they finally eased to the bottom, hunter and guide realized there were several bulls further up the draw. Guide John set up to do some calling while Dick moved in on them.
Judging from their bugling, Dick moved up after the largest bull. At this point, John lost sight of his hunter, and became the "huntee" as a 5X5 bull circled around him, then positioned
himself 15 yards from John and stared at the puny little bugler (John's not puny in human terms, but I imagine if you're a 5X5 bull looking for a rumble, John didn't seem too intimidating).
The staring contest ended after a ten full minutes before Mr. Bull meandered off to find a worthy opponent. After John's heart slowed to an even tempo, he hiked up the draw 50 yards to where
Dick was. In the meantime, Dick hand't been bored either. Bulls had surrounded him as well, but he never found the perfect shot and he also has a suspicion that a larger bull lurked further
ahead.
John settled in once again and began calling.
John says he counted eight different bulls bugling all around them as Dick silently moved in. John kept working the bulls from behind some bushes on a hillside (cow and calf talk with an occasional bugle) while Dick tried to
find the perfect shot. Several bulls peaked over the crest of the hill to check out the bugler. Then, with about only 20 minutes of light left, John spotted a huge bull running from Dick's
direction shooting across the hillside. The arrow shaft from its side indicated that Dick had seen it as well -- and it had been a good shot. The elk trotted past John and stopped in
an aspen grove about 50 yards away. John spotted Dick walking below and waved for him to join him. Together they watched the bull bed down and then rise. Dick snuck closer, but the thick
timber prevented him from putting another arrow into the animal. Within a couple of minutes, the bull went down and quickly expired. Night had nearly enveloped the scene, so when Dick and John
approached the animal, they were surprised and excited to find this beautiful 7X6 bull.
After Dick had left John bugling, he had several shot opportunities on several bulls, including a smaller 6X6, but he couldn't shake the sound of a deep bugle coming from the dark
timber on the side of the draw, so he held out. Suddenly this big bull came running down the hill after some smaller bulls and he made the lethal shot
while the elk trotted by at 40+ yards. Great shooting! As they field dressed and photographed the animal, the surrounding elk kept up a constant ruckus, bugling loudly and continuously as
they vacated the premises.
This animal rough scored at 330"+.
Well done, Mr. MacLeod. See you soon. The guides will be chiseling their lucky straws.
John Ziegman
pictured on right
John wasn’t going to take the time to archery hunt this fall until he spotted a “bull well worth going after” during his routine scouting session (a gosh darned
impractical job hazard). He explained his change of plans to me (his wife) with that glint in his eye . . . Since you’re reading the hunting stories section of this web site, you probably get that
glint in your eye from time to time as well. So since the glint was there, fellow employees covered the workshop, I got reacquainted with the crock pock (a cooking utensil that doesn’t mind
warming things for hours without totally destroying a meal), and John went hunting.
After the thirty minute trip to town for an archery tag, John went out the next couple of evenings with his friend and fellow guide, Cal (who was up to help us with cattle anyway . . . over the
years, our fishin’ and huntin’ buddy Cal has evolved into a buckle totin’ cowboy -- he even has the ropin’ decals on his pickemup truck windows). Cal left his silver buckle behind for the sake
of camouflage, and they got into some bulls with several good shot opportunities, but they kept seeing and hearing the big boy which put that glint in John’s eye to begin with. He had a herd of
about 50 cows and was very busy keeping them rounded up and wasn’t interested in being “worked” by Cal’s calling attempts. He just kept his ladies moving while countless other bulls came in to
check out Cal. John wasn’t interested in the bulls who were interested in Cal. Isn’t that the way it goes though, ladies? (I’m not exactly sure what I meant by that joke, so if it’s raunchy, I
didn’t mean it that way. I just know there is a joke in there somewhere.)
Anyway, John doesn’t hunt that way. If it’s not bigger than one he has on the wall already, he’ll go for a cow to put in the freezer and to fill the crockpot next time he gets that glint. He does
enjoy getting front row tickets to the rutting show whether or not he comes home with a bull.
The day came when Cal patted John on the back, wished him luck, excused me for my bad jokes which can be in poor taste, and loaded his ponies into the horse trailer for the trip back to Grand
Junction where they can rope and ride year round, leaving John to do what he had to do. John did the only reasonable thing a man in his circumstances COULD do. He called on fellow Buffalo Creek
guide and elk guru, Mike Schleppy to help quench the glint. A selfless act on Mike‘s part. He could go hunting with John or stay and overhaul the hunting suburban. Go hunting with John or go
overhaul the hunting suburban? Hmmm. Time to quench the glint.
Now we can refer back to paragraph Two, just change Cal’s name to Mike, because they had the same hunt. Lots of action. Lots of shot opportunities, but “Glint Maker” minded his own business and
snubbed our Buffalo Creek gurus. Mike and John did enjoy themselves in spite of old Glint and played with the other elk who thought the boys were interesting (remember the front row tickets to the rut show?). Fun can last only so long when you’re not shelling out money for the Buffalo Creek hunt, work from below beckoned, so guide and hunter began their trek back to the pickup (no roping decals) at about 9:30 that morning. Stopping in some dark timber along the way for a breather, John pulled out some new diaphragms to show Mike and tried a couple little squeaks. Boys do like their toys. Little did they know that those few squeaks during a breather would catapult them into the hunting experience of John’s lifetime . . . and it would be over in ten minutes.
“Check these out, Mike. I wonder if they’re any good.”
“Squeak.”
Immediately, a bull began bugling about fifty yards away in the timber. John and Mike decided to try something new. The snow’s thick crust produced a loud crunch and in the dark, thick timber,
the bull had a distinct advantage anyway. Together, they were going to drop the temptress game and charge in as a bull elk challenging . . . There was no other option with the noisy conditions,
and if it was Ole Glint Maker out there, it was going to take a new tactic anyway. And so they did. They walked in deeper, ignoring the noise of their footsteps, raked every tree they passed with
a stick and bugled aggressively. They became two big, bad elk on the rut.
Two real bulls accepted the challenge. They bugling aggressively in return and worked their way toward our hunters. Within a few minutes at most, they were practically face-to-face with each
other at under 20 yards. John caught a glimpse of the bull and could just make out that he was a definite shooter -- bigger than anything he’s ever gotten. John found a shooting lane in the
direction the bull was walking and quickly set up for what was going to be a 20 yard shot. “Sweet!” John thought. He pulled his arrow back and waited for what seemed an eternity, waiting for
the bull to take one more step past a small tree presenting a clear shot of his vitals. Mike, who could no longer see the bull or the shot, bugled at that very moment and the bull stopped dead in
his tracks and looked straight at John, who a split second before was sure of a good shot . Just one more step. It didn’t happen. The bulls spun around and trotted off in the direction he‘d
come from.
John let off his arrow and gave some cow calls while Mike called some more. It appeared the elk was making a circle and going to cross the shooting lane again but further down the lane. As the
elk approached the lane, John quickly got into a good shooting position, judging the shot distance at 45 yards. As predicted, the bull walked right into the lane, but just as he stepped in, he
turned, exposing nothing but his backside as he walked away. If you know John, it will not surprise you that the almost audible phrase pounding through his brain, “Texas Heart Shot” nearly
paralyzing him into a fit of mirth. (I apologize southern friends from the lovely Lone Star State -- I did not say this, my husband has some strange quirks.) At that very moment, Mike bugled
again and the bull stopped in his tracks and turned back giving John a tight quartering away shot. Doable, John thought. John knew it was a long shot, so he put his longest sight pin on his
vitals and let it fly. He heard a solid whack and saw the animal shoot down the hill into the dark timber and out of both his and Mike’s sight.
“Did you hit him? I only saw his ass?” Mike asked incredibly. John explained the bull’s brief turn in response to Mike’s perfectly timed call. John and Mike walked a few yards in the direction
of where the bull had been and heard some crashing. Off to their left, they spotted a nice 6X6 running away and thought it was theirs, but they could still hear some other thrashing. They walked
a few more yards and knelt down so they could view below the canopy. Not 50 yards away, they spotted John’s bull, Glint, take his last breath.
Retracing the series of events, they could see that the shot had been 55 yards and the bull died about 50 yards from where he had been hit. The arrow had cleanly severed his heart from the main
artery. It had been a spectacular hunt and a defining moment in John’s hunting career, the highlight of his 40 years on earth. It had been an aggressive tactic to hunt the way they did and it
worked perfectly for that particular spot and with that particular bull. The bull had been hot and on the fight. John knows he could have never achieved such a memorable moment without the
expert help of Mike. The bull rough-scored at 310”.
First Rifle Season: First season was enjoyable for everyone. The men brought their wives, so there was a nice family atmosphere, a rarity during hunting season. Not that a nice atmosphere is rare -- we've been really fortunate with the camraderie of the men we've hosted -- but it's nice to get to know their wives as well. And another thing that puts a smile on everyone's face: the hunters were top-notch and EVERYBODY got their elk (or even two).
Jim Black
pictured on left
In 1997 Jim Black hunted with us back in the Whistling Elk Days. We were unable to get an elk for him then, but we all sure enjoyed our time with this fine gentleman.
This year his wife Janet accompanied him as a non-hunter as well as his son, Tom, shown below, and his wife (again as a non-hunter).
These guys are smart. They get to hunt, and they still get points for taking their wives on vacation. I'm a wife. I know all the tricks.
But really, hanging out in a beautiful lodge by the fire, relaxing, breathtaking scenery, getting all of your meals cooked and served; what more does a woman need? It sounds nice.
I wonder if I could book a stay down the road. Ohhhh, Elizabeth. Are you reading this??? I'll meet you there.
Jim joined us this year, never having shot a bull before. The first couple of days, he saw a lot of elk, but never had the perfect shot opportunity. He did take one, but
missed. In the morning, hunting with guide, Paul, Jim spotted a small group of elk feeding in the open in the Whiskey Bill area of the ranch. They stalked the
herd while the elk were feeding their way back to the dark timber. Jim made a lethal shot (100 yards) on the largest bull in the group (this 6X6) in a small clearing with
thinned out aspen and pines.
We all were impressed with Jim's ability to hunt and hike as hard as he did, and are very happy that he has chosen to return next year with another son.
Congratulations, Jim! It's a beautiful trophy!
Tom Black
pictured on right
Tom joined his father (pictured above) on this hunt and was accompanied by his wife, Tammy, who was a non-hunting guest. She did accompany him on his hunt the first morning and they
sat in the blind together that evening as well. They both got to see elk, but a good shot opportunity never became available. They spent a couple of days hunting hard, and being in elk
constantly, but without any shots.
One afternoon, hunting with guide Paul, they ended up in dark timber along with about 200 head of elk bugling their heads off. In spite of having the elk all around them, Tom was unable
to get a good shot opportunity. Paul was finally able to bugle in this fine 5X5 into a very small opening. Tom made a confident and lethal shot as the elk faced them, in the chest
at about 60 yards.
I heard the report that Tammy loved her time at the ranch as well. She loved seeing the wildlife and enjoyed the lodge and food. Tammy, you're a woman with exquisite taste. That's my idea
of a vacation as well. We're glad you were able to visit and hope to see you again. That goes for all of you.
Dennis O'Neill
pictured on left
Dennis O'Neill was back again. This was his third hunt with us. We love it! And this time he brought
his better half, Sue, who accompanied him as a non-hunting spouse. Opening morning had him and guide, John, into a herd of 200 elk at first light as they moved
from their feeding grounds to bedding grounds near Buffalo Peak. The guide, John, made a drastic mistake by saying, "follow me Dennis, this is going to be easy, we just
need to get up this hill and get into position. The hike afforded them an incredible view and a chance to watch an entire huge herd of elk with more than twenty branched-antlered
bulls bugling, fighting, and feeding their way towards their bedding grounds. Unfortunately, the hike wasn't as easy as they hoped, because they were so winded, they never got their shot.
That afternoon, Dennis and guide, Mike, decided to head into one of the deluxe blinds, but the elk were already out feeding in the open at 3:00 in the afternoon! Both Dennis and guide made
a long stalk and got into position where they watched the herd for a long time waiting for this 6X6 bull to present a clear shot. Dennis shot this bull (200+ yards), then shot a cow for the
freezer out of the same herd as they continued feeding acros the hillside.
As a non-successful hunter myself, (meaning I've hunted in past years, but never got anything -- because I didn't know these buffalo boys then) it surprised me to hear that elk will frequently
not even notice when one of their herd falls. It takes a skilled shot, I'm sure.
Second Season: Second season had the wildlest pacing of any hunting I've ever seen on the Buffalo and one of the nicest deer I've ever seen. Read on to learn more.
Andrea Menard
with her BEAUTIFUL trophy mule deer
pictured on left
We're proud of all the animals that live on the Buffalo, and we're proud of the caliber of hunters we get to hunt with as well,
but every now and then . . . well, look at this buck, and you'll know why I had to put him first in the hunt photos. I am not
sure how he scored, but all the guides were drooling at his size and his atypical rack.
This deer is a continuation of Andrea's 2004 Buffalo Hunt Story, because her first morning here, Andrea had her 6X6 elk hanging
in the cooler by 9 AM. She didn't find this big guy until the second morning. Andrea, and guide, Paul, spotted him from one of our
ranch roads in early light as they were headed out for their hunt. When they spotted him, they realized their hunt had really begun
in earnest. An arudous climb up a ridge and a long stalk finally led them to a perfect shot: 200 yards and one very clean shot
brought her second animal in as many days back to the cooler by 9 AM.
The rest of the week here, Andrea kept herself busy helping her husband in his hunt and doing some serious
"hyena hunting" from the back of a spring loaded horse with an employee's three year old daughter.
Andrea proves not only to be a serious huntress but an unbeatable ally whether you're three or thirty something.
Andrea
Menard, 6X6 elk
pictured on right
And to your right is the product of Andrea's first morning here. Before light, Andrea, her husband, Chris (pictured below with his gorgeous elk), and guide, Paul, hiked into a herd of elk
feeding and bugling like crazy. Like her deer, Andrea
took perfect aim and waited for the right shot opportunity. She had this elk in one clean shot at 200 yards. An ethical, clean hunter. Our favorite kind of person at the Buffalo Creek Ranch.
Not to mention every year since we've begun Buffalo Creek Outfitters, Andrea has done her part to preserve our near perfect kill ratio, by being perfect.
Chris Menard, trophy elk
pictured on left
Like his wife, Andrea, this was Chris' fourth consecutive hunt with us, and I'd say these two
are getting to know the ranch pretty well by now
. On opening morning, he hunted with guide, Paul and his wife, Andrea. He snuck into a herd before sunrise and waited for shooting light where a group of 50 elk and several bulls were grazing.
Like the
gentleman he is, he let his wife take first shot, 200 yards at a 6X6. He and Paul pursued the herd, but were unable to get a good shot opportunity.
After caring for Andrea's elk, he and Paul went to another area, and by noon, they had worked their way into a small group of bulls. Chris shot the best bull in the group -- a real dandy,
rough-scoring
312.
Team Menard had their two 6X6 bulls by early afternoon.
Congratulations! We're looking forward to hunting with you next year!
Roger Locandro, Senior
pictured on right
In this business of outfitting
at the Buffalo Creek Ranch, hunters stir from their sleeping bags, shake a layer of frost from their nightcaps, and make the cold, achy trip (from sleeping on the hard ground) to the
campfire . . .sometimes riding their cranky horses miles just to get to the fire, where the guides go over the day's hunt plan whilst burning their tongues on boiled cowboy coffee.
(That's what they tell you anyway, right? I'm just trying to help these guys out.)
Okay, you want the real story? The part about getting up before dark IS TRUE. They do. And they DO go over the day's hunt plan with the guides while most of us are sleeping, but the rest
is a fabrication. A bit of a tall tale. Let's just say that beds, warm comforters (with themes, toss pillows and matching bedskirts), a widescreen plasma tv, and a seriously charming cook
are perhaps a little closer to the truth.
Anyway, back to Roger's story. Back to the part where the hunters get together with the guides to go over the day's plan. You can fill in the setting however you want: put in the campfire,
the achy bones, or you can put them in the dining room, around a custom crafted aspen table, private cook and a moss rock fireplace . . . so, Roger and his guide, John, decide to go to a
stand on opening morning. During Roger's sit, he watched A LOT of elk. I mean, A LOT of elk. If you're a hunter, you know how hard it is to sit all morning and watch A LOT of
elk who are too far away to shoot. Meanwhile, guide John, is not around. So Roger does what a hunter should do. He gets out of his stand and hikes to where John is waiting in his pickup.
But that's not the end of that story. As soon as Roger got in the truck, they watched, jaws dropping, as two different herds -- over 400 elk -- (please, this time I am not fabricating
anything!) walked within 100 yards of where Roger had been sitting on stand.
After a little refueling (snacks), Roger vowed to stay wherever the John put him until his guide returned. (I hate to toot our horn, but our guides know the elk habits on our ranch like most people know how to
maneuver from their lazy boys to the refrigerator) This proved a good move. The guide repositioned him in another "hot spot" and Roger ended up shooting this fine 5X5
within a couple of hours at about 150 yards.
Roger is a professor of wildlife at Rutgers University and is jam packed with information, making him a very interesting lodge buddy. Not to mention, he is a fan of our
hunting/wildlife management. This is the second time Roger has hunted with us, and we hope to see him again. A hint from Roger: put a little salt in your coffee. I'm not making that up
either.
Roger Locandro, Jr.
pictured on left
Roger Junior accompanied his father (pictured above) on their second hunt with us. Roger is a strong hunter, hiker
and a very comfortable long-distance shooter. On opening morning, he hiked up a mountain into a herd of over 200 elk. He took the opportunity of a long shot, which normally wouldn't
have challenged his markmanship. Unfortunately however, strong crosswinds kicked up and took the bullet off mark, wounding the animal. (It's okay, read on).
With persistence and skill (and aerobics classes, anyone?), guide Mike, and Roger, tracked the animal. Thanks to their tenacity, they had the animals dispatched by noon, avoiding the
tragedy of abandoning a wounded animal on the ranch, putting this fine animal in the freezer and a trophy on Roger's wall.
Congratulations, Roger, on a good job, and if I'm not confusing my hunters (an office personnel writes these little quips, so I don't know the hunters as well as the guides do), thanks for fixing
our sink and tightening our cabinet doors.
See why we love our job? We get to know some very nice people.
Dewain Combs
pictured on right
If you are an avid fan of the hunt and have been reading every one of these little quips, you might be thinking: I'm reading a lot about opening morning, second season at the
Buffalo Creek Ranch. If you've been counting, you realize that so far we've got 1 trophy deer and three elk hanging in the cooler on opening morning. Think about it. You have three seasoned guides, hauling, loading, skinning and trying to get
their clients' into position for a successful hunt. We still have three hunters out there -- well, actually 4, because Andrea, who got her deer, is still looking for an elk. At this point,
excitement is pretty high on the ranch. We like it when our hunters are successful.
Dewaine has been hunting with us for years, actually, since our Whistling Elk Days, so we've all gotten to know him pretty well, and he's even formed some great friendships with some of the other
hunters. He knows the ranch quite well. Opening morning, Dewain hiked up a ridge into a group of talking animals at first light, and got to enjoy some spectacular time watching a group of
elk feeding less than a hundred yards away, blissfully unaware of his presence. Dewain waited for a clear shot on this 6X6 bull and dropped him with one shot -- then shot a nearby cow
elk for the freezer while sitting in the same spot.
Okay, counters. We’re up to one deer and five elk opening morning. That's right, scroll back up. We're not talking raghorns here either. Now imagine the guides. I got to hear a lot of
radio activity. These guides keep chatter to a minimum, so I wasn't real sure what was going on. I remember at one point wondering, why can't they just get that darn elk to the cooler.
I thought they were professionals. (At the Buffalo Creek, we all are allowed one brief moment of doubt in our fellow workers per year. However, I might add,
I think they might abuse that system when they think about their ever entertaining, talented office manager. Send notes of sympathy and support to . . .)
Tony Pinizzotto, Jr.
pictured on left
Tony hunted with us successfully a previous year, accompanied by his father. Again, it's always
a pleasure to have a hunter return. Tony sat on stand during opening morning with plenty of excitement as several small groups of elk passed by. At one point, Tony missed a shot at a moving
bull. He moved to another stand in the afternoon with guide, Paul and came across another group of elk with several bulls. He made a great shot at 300 yards, successfully bringing
this 6x6 elk home.
Great job, Tony!
Okay, counters. Opening Morning, what do we have? Six bull elk (5 6X6's, 1 5X5), and one cow elk . . . out of seven hunters. Did anybody bring those guys coffee
to keep them up all night working in the meat room. What? Whaddya mean that was my job? Geeze. Oh yeah, right. Like they didn't have time to go get their own coffee. I was in the
middle of Gilligan Island re-runs. Ooooh, grumble, grumble, "I've been up since four and have to get up at four again tomorrow . . .blah, blah, blah."
Tony Pinizzotto, Sr.
pictured on right
I think this is an appropriate time to thank Tony for his restraint by being the only hunter in the group to wait until his second day to bring in this dandy bull. First morning, Tony
saw plenty of game, but didn't get a comfortable shot and practiced that restraint which is an important tool in a good hunters' bag.
Sitting in one of our comfortable blinds on the second day, he watched elk all afternoon until he finally got a clean shot.
Congratulations, Tony Senior.
Third Rifle Season: We came into third season rested up since the crew up above got all the dirty work out of the way by noon, Day Two. Of course there was a lot of meat to cut up, taxidermy mounts to prepare (our guides typically do a beautiful job of skinning the skull), but it was a great season, and we were expecting more of the same. We'd hunted with three of the hunters before and one hunter was entirely new. We were 100% going into third season and a 100% coming out.
Barry Lancaster
Combo Hunt, Nontypical 5X2 Elk
pictured on right
This is Barry's second consecutive year hunting with us. Last year, he opted for a mule deer hunt
and was quite successful, bringing home a beautiful trophy. This year, he chose to participate
in both species of hunting triggered possibly by last year's event: within his first hour of hunting
(mule deer), Barry had two 6X6 ELK standing broadside to him at only 125 yards. We're glad he
came back and brought his friend, Scott Schmid pictured below.
Barry hunted hard his first three days here with guide, Paul, and saw a lot of game, passing
on several bucks and bulls. On his fourth day of hunting, he took this unusual bull (5X2) in the
morning and this nice buck pictured below in the evening.
Every hunter leaves an indelible mark on our memory, and Barry's trademark is his great hiking ability as
a hunter who
enjoys covering a lot of ground and viewing a lot of wildlife. We are pleased that
he is planning on returning next year to hunt with us.
Barry Lancaster
Combo Hunt, Trophy Deer
pictured on left
Don LaFave pictured on right
We are lucky to have Don back with us again this fall. This fellow hunter post-poned some
pretty serious back surgery to join us in our 2004 Hunt. This relationship extends back several
years to John's Whistling Elk days where Don always successfully hunted some smaller bulls. Last year, he
joined us for his first Buffalo Creek hunt and passed on a raghorn at 75 yards and then later
avoided a near head-on with a very large bull, unable to get a comfortable shot. (shot of
adrenaline, anyone?)
So, with a pain in his back, and guide Mike, (who can be a pain in the backside -- I didn't say that, Mike. I am
just copying word for word here), they watched a large group of elk feeding up a hill, and shot this fine
bull at better than 300 yards.
Don has an extensive game room from his hunts around the world, and apparantly has the perfect
spot picked out for this beautiful trophy.
Even better news, we have word from Don that his post-hunt back surgery went as planned, and he will
be joining us next year.
Bill Hart
pictured on left
We met Bill years ago at the Whistling Elk Ranch, where tough luck hounded Bill
and his rifle, and although he was a great hunter, things just never stacked up in favor of him bringing home a bull. What we love
about Bill is that he still loves the hunt and seeing the animals, in fact, last year, we were starting to wonder if perhaps that's all
he liked!
Last year, he hunted on the Buffalo for the first time and passed on a couple of bulls while sitting in
a blind. He even filmed one bull, not sure how big it was. Imagine the guides' horror, when he
displayed his film on the big screen that night, and a gorgeous 6X6 elk displayed himself for all
to see. Immediately, they pounced on him, forbidding him to view elk through a camcorder viewer, and
instead opt for his rifle scope.
Meanwhile, Bill assures all hunting guides, the cook, the waitress and the wall that he is a confident
shot. Not to worry. This man is a very experienced hunter. He's having a great time.
I love these kind of hunters. That is the definition of a sportsman if you ask me, but do our guys believe him at this point? I don't know.
This year, Bill and guide Mike (who is not a pain in the butt, and I will vouch for that until I'm
blue in the face, and if anybody implies differently, they need to deal directly with me), hiked a long,
steep hill, then sat and waited patiently for a bedded-down herd to wake up and start feeding their way
toward them. Is Mike sweating a little at this point? I don't know. Does Bill pull his camcorder out
or his rifle? Well, it must have been his rifle, because that confident shot pulled through at 200
yards, and Bill brought home this magnificent bull for his wall.
4th Rifle Season: The fourth and final season. We came into the season at 100% and left it without dropping any numbers thanks to our final two hunters, friends Tim Kriewell and Scott Keith.
Tim Kriewall
pictured on left
When Tim was looking for a place to hunt, his taxidermist recommended our ranch,
since the trophies that consistently came through the Buffalo Creek Ranch were significantly larger
than than other outfitted hunts in Colorado. In other words, Tim came with high expectations, and
thankfully, the hunting did not let him down. Tim shot this fine 6X6 bull in the evening
on the edge of dark timber. Guide Mike was there to help him decide which one was the
largest.
Tim came to the ranch with a lot of experience in backcountry hunts, and he loved the terrain of the
ranch and hunted hard to see as much game and terrain as possible.
Scott Keith pictured on right
Scott came to the Buffalo looking for a great hunt, along with his buddy Tim Kriewall, above. A clean 200 yard shot, and he was able to bring this fine bull home.
Scott also took advantage of an opportunity to harvest a cow elk for his freezer and won the praise and admiration of the guides by cleanly dropping her with one clean shot on a two track trail (read easy packing for the guides!).
Scott Keith
pictured on left
Thank you all for dropping in to look at our 2004 Hunt Photo Gallery. As the editor/HTML person, I did not get to experience these hunts or hunters first or even second-hand. If you are one of the hunters, and would like to add details to your story, do not hesitate to e-mail me. As you can see, John's story was the longest--that's because I actually got to talk to him. I am sure many of your hunts were just as exciting, so drop me a line. Let's spice it up.
Also, if you are a hunter who wants to be featured next year -- call us (970) 723-4045. Book a hunt!
e-mail: john@buffalocreek.com