First, many thanks to you boys for wishing us success in my post last week. It worked!
We spent a week in the Rockies, near Kremmling. First day on arrival---35 degrees, slight drizzle.
Next day and there after--Constant 30-60 mph winds and steady snow. We ended up with better than 2'. My buddy Gunny and his brother left early as the one way dirt road leading in was 16 miles long. We should have followed but........we are diehards and I always dreamed of being seriously "snowed in". (heck, we had plenty of grub, several hundreds rounds of ammo, uncaring attitude, and about a 1/4 tank of gas!
On the last day before leaving, my son Johnny (Sixgun Jr.) and I made a last ditch effort to bust an elk. Right at the end of the day as we were walking back to the Jeep, Johnny spied some elk. He instantly dropped to one knee for a better hold, pulled back the hammer on the 1886 Browning 45-70 and let loose one round. I thumbed off the safety on my Savage, lined up the Lyman ivory bead and was about to hammer another elk (not knowing if he connected) and Johnny hollars, "Don't shoot, mine's down".
Dropped in it's tracks--the power of the 45-70 was demostrated here. Range was a full 100 yards, closer to 120.We always agree that one elk is enough to deal with. Without horses, it ain't no easy job gettin' an elk back to camp. Our own Danny will tell you the value of horses.
One shot--one elk.
Thats my boy!! Browning 1886 SRC 45-70-- Lyman tang sight--old original Lyman ivory bead front sight---375 grain NEI gas check bullet with 40 grains of RL-7 for 1700 fps. I loaded this ammo in 2004 Took us about 4 hours to quarter it up and get her back to camp and we were only several hundred yards from the parked Jeep. Blinding snow off and on, pitch darkness with 14 degree weather the whole time.---fun!
We got the Jeep Rubicon stuck the next day leaving. Couple of guys gave us a hand gettin' it out and then THEY got stuck. We got them out and we got stuck again. Then a guy comes rolling down the road with a Ford 4 door diesel and helped us get chains on our Jeep. We got out, went a few miles and there was a Ford Explorer stuck in the road. We dug him out.......well, to make a long story short, it took us a full 3 hours to drive 16 miles with the most of the time in the first 6 miles in the high country
We got back to Denver on Wed. night and took another full day and a half to butcher/grind it up.
Date stamps on my camera took a jump forward--can't explain it.
My butt is draggin' and I'm gonna sleep 12 hours tonight!
Thanks guys--talk to you tomorrow when I wake up.------------Sixgun
Gunny, George, Johnny and myself. Day 2
Sixgun Jr. (Johnny) working to keep his daddy warm.
Our lovely home.
A buddy I met on the trail--very friendly little guy.
Camp life--Johnny and myself.---It was not that nasty when we started---things just get that way after exhaustion. The rifle behind Johnny is our backup gun, a Rem 700 in 35 Whelen. Ha! A bolt gun backing up two leverguns.
Me with the 38-55 Savage (and the snow!)
Johnny--cow elk and 45-70
Look at this---heart eatin' Johnson!
Entrance hole
Exit hole--BTW, no vitals were hit. It must have clipped a bit of the spine on the way in, though it looked OK. Don't know, must have been the force of a heavy bullet near the spine. Gotta ask our own Doc about this one.
A few days later--Saige, Sierra, Johnny and Cynthia. Notice that frying pan in the front? Its whats left of a couple of pounds of elk meat. THATS the way to eat tacos.
----You boys have a great day----Sixgun
danny
