 same program, get hunted my tail off. So, since the morning started, it's 9.30 now, I've made a big circle, really slow controlled stock all the way around my camp, but all I managed to run into was that mule deer right back there. I mean, she was just sitting there, the wind was right, and she was checking me out, and she looked the other way, and I was just sitting there, I was looking in another direction, looking for elk. I wish the elk were like that mule deer doe that was just standing there. It's hard, I'm learning a lot of things, but I'm still gonna hunt down the mountain. I'm gonna take a little bit longer away. I think I've just hunted this area too hard. You know, it's kind of like when you find a group of fish and you've got to turn them in or you just wanna go back and keep catching them, but you just run them out of there and you're better off just like finding a new pattern. I probably should have just gone to a different mountain and maybe come back here, but put so much pressure on them, running into them every day except for today. You know, they're not bugling anymore, they're just, they're pressured. I pressured them. We gotta pack up our small tent, put everything on our back, it's gonna be a big load and then carry it down, we'll hunt our way down. It'll be a stroke of godly luck if I run into one and get an opportunity, but stranger things have happened. So basically that, that, that, that, that, and this are all going in here. Good thing I got a big bag. I absolutely love this bag too. This is a great backpack. I beat the crap out of it. If you wanna do mountain hunting, be prepared to put the work in, that's for sure. The whole goal is to try to get most of your weight towards the bottom of the bag and like close to your back, like on your spine. So the first thing I start with is the sleeping bag. These are my clothes. I really only take a pair of, like what I'm gonna wear hunting and then something to sleep in. And I've got two jackets. I've got a puffy, puffy jacket goes up top and I've got a insulated layer, which I have on and I need to take off right now. So they go up here. I also keep like essential stuff that I need. Broadheads, knife, rope, some marking tape, stuff like that. Sleeping pad, go right there. This other side in the side compartment, I have my, my cooking utensils. Pellows are gonna go up top. Tense, a little heavier item. I want to make sure it goes in the middle. Push it down for our food. Food's gonna go on top, got it in the middle. We don't have much right now. Game bags and extra dry bag that can go up towards the top. Water, you want to make sure to have access to. I'm almost out of it. Another reason to get down. So that's gonna go right here on this back pouch. I've also got a Nalgene bottle. Oh, got a little bit left in there. Wow, platypus breaks. I've got something hard I can keep watering. My camera equipment, if I have lenses and things like that, that's gonna go in the center of the pack. And I wrap that up in a, in a dry bag. So they don't get wet. It's basically good to go. My little DSLR camera. Just gonna stick it in up top. So this one's pretty light. It's not a big deal. Anyway, I can't get access to it. And then just buckler down. Now the pack's ready to go down the mountain. Oh, in the bow, just carry it in your hand. This really isn't that bad. This is probably 35, 40 pounds. When you wear these, by the way, let the bag kind of sit on your hips. And the reason is, as soon as you do that, the weight goes to your hips. So then you can adjust. You can adjust the weight by loosening these straps or tightening these straps, whether it's more on your shoulders or more on your hips. And so just start somewhere out in the middle. When your legs are getting really tired, hips get tired, good morning to your shoulders. You can just go back and forth. So that's the nice thing about these nice packs. So, okay. Now it's time to grab the bow and hunt our way down the mountain. I gotta come back for that camera. So hit the like button. There's another mule deer. Go ahead and take off. You're just a dead deer. Why can't your bigger friends be like you? These mule deer, I might just have to come back for them. What an amazing place, y'all. You just look behind me. That was all the way up there. Went deep with them. I feel like I did everything I could possibly do besides taking my boots off and just really sneaking around. But other than that, I mean, I was basically wallowing up there with them. This is it. This is it for me. Hanging up the bow, taking off the release. Archery elk season, mountains of Colorado, 2019. It's over for me. Woo, I'm beat up, exhausted. Haven't had a shower in a week, but it's been awesome, y'all. You know, just some closing notes for the elk series. In my mind, I consider this trip a success. The only negative is that I didn't get an elk. But I wanted to come up here and I wanted to learn about elk hunting, this area, how to find elk. And I figured out how to do that. The things that I really need to get better at is calling. So I learned how to make a cow call. Had a couple of bulls actually come in. But I didn't know how to call good enough to close that distance. It was just kind of a half good call. There's a lot more to that. And I think I really, I tore up the mountain a little too much. I should have probably sat in some areas a lot longer and called more. That's where being better at calling comes in. I learned about thermals. As you can hear right now, all this wind coming down the mountain. It's 1146, about 10 o'clock every day. It starts coming down and in the mornings it's going up. So you have to worry about thermals, which carry your scent and wind. So a lot of times it's swirling. It's very challenging. So you always have to think about where you think the elk are and your position. Today was the only day that I did not see an elk. Every day I was here, I was able to get on elk. I consider that a win for my first time out. This area that I'm hunting, this unit, I think it's 11% success rate for archery hunters that come up here and hunt. I didn't quite make that 11%. I wanted to, but it just kind of shows you the challenge that is involved and I love it. I will 100%, 100,000% be back here and maybe not just do archery for elk, but I saw some bruiser mule deer. Had multiple opportunities today to shoot a mule deer dose and I was able to find the differentiating between the elk tracks and the mule deer tracks and different poops and what I really learned a lot. Really grew as an outdoorsman on this trip and obviously living out here in the woods with very little resources. Also just helps you be a better outdoorsman and I love doing this, but I'm ready to get back home to OSG and Emmy now. Not gonna be carrying back to elk meat, but what I am going to do is I'm gonna head back with some trout and some salmon. I still got my fishing poles with me. With my elk hunting license, it allows me to fish as well. It's a part of it. So I'm gonna take full advantage of that and try to limit out on trout and salmon and take those home to my lovely ladies. Guys, go ahead and smash the like button. I tried my ass off up here to get an elk. It didn't happen, but it was a step into a big journey that I'm gonna be doing this as long as I can. As long as my legs and my body will allow me to do this, it is awesome. And I encourage all of y'all if you really wanna just get into nothing, like nowhere, see absolute beauty in the outdoors, no cell phone service, nothing. Come up to Colorado and check it out. There's other places besides Colorado, but these mountainous areas that have these elk and these just amazing woodland creatures and trout, it's awesome. It's kind of like a symbolism of America, like the heart of America. Kind of makes me think about how pioneers back in the day came across all this stuff and wrote about it, it's really neat. So don't forget to subscribe to the channel if you wanna see more outdoor action like this. And I thank you guys for being here literally with me through the lens for this entire journey. I will see you on the next one. LFG signing off, 2019, Archery Elk Seas, out.