Meyers: Tale of Elk that Got AwayBy Charlie Meyers, The Denver PostPosted: 10/25/2009
Brad Gomer with his bull elk, which was
much smaller than the one seen the
previous day. (Special to The Denver Post)Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of a big-game hunt is that excitement and uncertainty lurk just over the next ridge, and every day ends in the thoughts of what might have been.
In the early moments of the Oct. 11 opening day of elk season in the Buffalo Peaks area south of Fairplay, a Colorado Springs friend related the account of Pat Glunz, a Nebraska hunter who, with his companion, responded to an outburst above them.
As the hunters approached, they were met with more bugling from a second bull. When it broke through the timber, Glunz took his chance. Presented with a clear shoulder shot, the opportunity he'd come for, he took it.
What he did not know, could not know, was what lurked just a few yards away. That was revealed in an e-mail a few days later from Matt Smiley, hunting with a friend, Brad Gomer, from Cañon City.
As Glunz came up one ridge, Gomer stalked the other bull, a monster 6x6 that Smiley described as "one of the largest I've ever seen."
"We were on the other bull at 30 yards, needing only a second for him to step from behind one last tree. The bull was a massive 6-point, in the 350-plus point stage.
"When the other hunter shot out of nowhere, all the cows that were with his group ran straight up the hill and practically ran us and the 6-point over," Smiley recounted.
In the confusion, the massive bull and all the other elk with him instantly joined all the spooked elk in a sprint through the forest that prevented any shots.
"We were shocked because we didn't think there were hardly any other hunters in the area either, but there was one that was really in the wrong place at the wrong time for us.
"My buddy (Gomer) got a 6x6 next morning, but it was minuscule compared to the one we were seconds from sealing the deal with opening morning.
"You always wonder what's on the other side of the story — or the hill," Smiley continued. "When the other hunters moved up from the valley on the other side, they did everything but see us. When they shot into that bunch of elk 30 yards downhill, it was just one of those things. It wasn't anyone's fault. It's hunting."
Charlie Meyers: 303-954-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com
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