Success Rates

2005 Success rates

Lion hunts: We had four lion hunters this year and killed two nice toms.

Cast and blast hunts: We had 22 hunters this year and only killed two bears and missed two bears. The berries were on up high so the bears moved up. We did get to shoot a lot of grouse and we had good fishing on these hunts.

Combination elk and deer hunts :

First hunt: We had 3 guided hunters, a group of 5 drop campers and a group of 2 drop campers. The first guided hunter shot a 5 point bull opening morning with his bow. This was the first guided bow kill we have had at Mile High. The second hunter broke his arm just before the season. He stuck it out and killed a nice 6 point opening morning. The third hunter wanted to use his 30-30 lever action and had to be within 100 yards. He got close and was in elk everyday, including a nice 300 class bull but he never fired a shot. The group of 5 drop campers shot two 6 point bulls and the group of 2 drop campers got into elk but never shot anything.

Second hunt: We had 5 hunters. A father and two sons shot three 5 points. Another single hunter shot a large 5x6 and the last hunter wounded a large 5 point.

Third hunt: We had 5 guided hunters and 3 drop campers. The first guided hunter shot a 6x7 bull. Two hunting buddies shot a cow (he passed up some bulls to shoot her because he just wanted meat) and a nice 6 point. A father and son did not pull the trigger but saw several bulls. The three drop campers shot two bucks.

Fourth hunt: We had 5 guided hunters. A father and son shot a nice 6 point bull and passed up several other bulls. A single hunter shot a nice 5 point bull and a 4 point buck. The last two hunters were friends. They shot two good bucks, a 6 point bull and a 5 point bull.

Fifth hunt: We had 4 hunters and a non-hunter. One hunter saw a group of 9 bulls, two of the bulls were very good scoring in the low 300 class B and C but he did not get one. He passed up some deer also but did not see what he was looking for. Two other hunters were friends. The first one had never hunted elk and mule deer before. He shot a 5 point bull and a small buck. The buddy, who had hunted out west several times, passed up several small deer and bulls. He missed a nice 6 point bull the second to the last day of his hunt. The hunter with the non hunting buddy shot a 5 point bull and a nice buck. He also missed a bull the first day of his hunt.

Sixth hunt: We had 7 hunters. Two of the hunters spiked out. They missed two 6 point bulls and shot two nice bucks. Another group of four hunters shot a cow, a 5 point bull and four nice bucks. The last hunter shot a 5 point bull and passed up several bucks.

Seventh hunt: We had 8 to 10 hunters, depending on how you look at it. We had a father and son come in for two days. They both shot nice bucks. Another father and son shot two nice 6 point bulls and two good bucks. They also missed two other bucks. A husband and wife also only hunted two days. They shot a spike bull for meat and then a nice 6 point bull. They left early because they did not want to be stuck in the backcountry if a storm came up. Another single hunter killed a really nice buck and passed several small bulls. My two buddies also came in and brought more stock with them. They shot a nice 4 point buck and a 7 point bull. The last hunter passed up several bulls and bucks. He and his guide, Justin, found a good buck and were chasing it but never got it. On the day the hunters were to fly out, it was cloudy and the planes could not fly so the hunter and I went out. We got lucky and ran into the buck. He shot it and it scored 194.

Eighth hunt: We had 13 hunters. Four guys booked a camp together. They shot a 6x6 bull, missed another 6x6 bull and shot two nice bucks. They also saw another really large buck but did go after it. They left early. 6 other hunters booked a camp together. They shot 5 nice bucks, two 4 point bulls and a 5 point bull. Another hunter spiked out. He shot a big 5x6 bull and passed up several bucks.

The last hunt : We had 6 hunters and two non-hunters. They shot a 5 point bull, missed a 6 point bull, shot a 6 point bull and shot one nice buck.

Overall it was a great season for hunter success. I probably missed a lot of the statistics this year because it seemed like it was really busy for us. Overall, we killed 29 bulls, 3 cows, 28 bucks, two bears and two lions and lots of grouse. We are producing a video this year and my hope is to help new hunters understand how rugged and tough the country is, get a feel for how to prepare for the hunt and just have some enjoyment of watching some great hunts. Hope to see you soon. Trav