base camp amenities
Centrally located
CABINS for
rent
RIVER ACCESS
trailer parking
Bar & grill
grocery & coffee shop
Grab & go lunches
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Mountain folk are more likely to mark time in step with nature than many of our city cousins. We notice and make meaning out of elemental things, like the first yellowing trees we see each year, the first snow or, on the other side of winter, the first time we hear sandhill cranes bleating overhead in spring. These are milestones because they signal a shift from one way of being on the land (mountain biking and boating) to another (skiing and playing hockey) and back again.
The approach of hunting season is always such a moment. It arrives even before we’re ready to let go of summer to announce the return of fall.
In this year’s Hunting Guide, Gunnison local Sean Bennett reminds us that the time to hunt each year can herald a lot more than another trip around the sun. Poets have long known that changing seasons are symbolic displays of how human beings move through life, leaving one state behind in order to embrace another. Bennett tells the story of his son Deegan’s first bull elk hunt — a hero’s journey into manhood if ever there was one.
You’ll also read heartfelt reasons why our writers believe hunting and conservation are not at odds, but rather go “hand in hand.” That’s alongside practical information from M’Lissa Story about how to be safe in the backcountry — and what to expect should you need search and rescue help. Colorado Parks and Wildlife information officer John Livingston explains changes to the state’s big game season structure starting next year.
This little publication always has a lot to say. That’s especially true of the edition you hold in your hands.
Alan Wartes
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WHAT’S INSIDE
ALAN WARTES MEDIA
Publisher
Editorial
Photography
About the cover
— Sean Bennett
Our commitment to your health goes beyond our walls. With multiple locations and a team of experts dedicated to your wellbeing, we ensure that quality care is never far away. Wherever you are, we’re here for you – ready to provide the care you need, when you need it most.
Hospital
Our hospital includes a fully-staffed eight bed emergency department which provides emergency care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Gunnison Urgent Care
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Mountain Clinic
The only state licensed emergency center and certified urgent care provider on the mountain. Conveniently located in Mt. Crested Butte at the base of the Silver Queen lift.
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CONSTANCE MAHONEY
GETS THE SHOT
By Toni Todd
As a small infant, Constance Mahoney’s daughter Hazel was a fussy sleeper. So, like many parents with restless babies, Mahoney found the best way to get Hazel to sleep was to drive her around in the car.
“Not very green, I know, but it got her through that phase," she said. The young family had just moved to Crested Butte from Montana, and Mahoney had recently purchased a “fancy-pants camera” to capture all that new-daughter cuteness.
“Then, we started driving,” she said. “I started seeing different animals, so I just started taking pictures of them.”
It didn’t take long before the occa-
sional sighting and quick shot became something more.
“It was turning into an adventure. I would think ‘What might we see if I drive down this road or if I go here?’ And then [my daughter] got big enough that I could put her in a backpack, so we would go backpacking.”
Mahoney saw bears, bighorn sheep, herds of elk, deer, foxes, eagles, hawks, coyotes and more. Those months
(Photos by Contance Mahoney)
As photographer and hunter
cruising the Gunnison Valley while rocking Hazel to sleep nine years ago sparked a passion that quickly grew from hobby to adventure to obsession, and finally, to profession.
When the shutterbug bit, Mahoney dove deep down the photography marmot hole, learning all she could about how to take great photos of wildlife.
“There was a lot of Googling and Instagram messaging with other people who knew what they were doing,” said Mahoney, who found the path to proficiency daunting. “I would get really frustrated. It's hard to learn those things. It was a lot of trial and error.”
But with time, dedication and practice, she did learn. Like most outdoor photographers, Mahoney grew partial to dawn and dusk as her favorite times, acknowledging that the animals don’t always cooperate with her preferred
continued on 8
A curious pine marten watches Mahoney in the forest.
A dusky grouse looks on waiting for a female to see his mating dance.
A female black bear uses a dead tree to scratch the spot after a long winter of hibernating.
Constance Mahoney in her natural habitat.
continued from 7
schedule.
“The harsh light of midday can be tricky to make beautiful photographs, but if the animals are out, I just want to get a photo of what I see.”
Today, she takes every opportunity she can to get the shot.
“I go everywhere with my camera,” she said. “Even to the grocery store. That’s how cool of a valley we live in.”
She started out sharing the occasional great shot on Instagram with friends. Her first published photo was in the Gunnison Country Times in response to a request for photos. Since then, she’s published several more in the Times, most notably in the annual Hunting Guide with last year’s cover photo. Her images have also been featured in the Crested Butte Magazine — both in its pages and on the cover — Colorado Outdoors Magazine’s hunting, fishing and end-of-year photo editions, and on the cover of an international publication called Fly Culture Magazine, which broadened her creative reach beyond the Valley.
Mahoney’s images are also on display at Red Lion Gallery in Crested Butte. She loves photographing all wildlife, but her favorites are bears and elk, with a special fondness for the autumn rut.
As a hunter, Mahoney not only recognizes the parallel between shooting with a gun and shooting with a camera, she feels it.
“I try to get as close as I can. I have to play the wind. If they scent me, they’re gone.”
That approach should sound familiar to any experienced hunter. “It’s exactly like hunting,” she said, and yet somehow, it’s different, too.
“I can get a whole lot closer with my camera than when I’m hunting, and I can't quite figure it out. I honestly don't know why,” she said, but speculates the elk may be savvy enough to sense her intent, or somehow know when she’s carrying a gun versus a camera. Or maybe it’s not the elk at all.
“I take hunting seriously. To take a life is a big deal, so maybe it’s me and my demeanor,” she said.
Like traditional hunting, wild -
life photography requires extreme patience. More often than not, the critters don’t show. Frustrating as that might be, it’s that unpredictability that appeals to Mahoney. She’s come to know the area well and has a few go-to spots where she often has good luck.
“There’s one mama bear I’ve been following and shooting for eight years,” she said. “Mama,” as she calls her, usually has triplets every other year. Listening to Mahoney sharing her experiences with Mama, it feels as if she's speaking of an old friend.
“The bears are fun because they're bears. I try and keep my distance. I don't need to have a negative interaction with them, for lots of reasons. I don't want to be a headline. And also, I don't want them getting too used to me.”
Photographing elk presents a different challenge.
“A lot of times, the bulls won't ever notice me, because they're too busy trying to keep up with their harem, or fighting other bulls,” Mahoney said. “But it's the cows on the perimeter, the protective ones that I have to look out for.”
She has also recognized specific elk
A father-daughter duo having a conversation with the elk.
A brown trout chased out of the spawning redds.
in hunters’ images online. “It’s like, ‘My goodness, I have photos of that bull. Well, I won’t see him next year. I’m torn because I get excited that someone has had a successful hunt, while the photographer side of me realizes I had a cool moment with that bull. It’s sad and bizarre, but this comes with it.”
Those cool moments, so rare and fleeting, are what Mahoney seems to appreciate most.
“Wildlife photography is such a different thing, because you just don't know what you're going to get. It’s just whatever presents itself.” j
(Toni Todd is a Gunnison writer and lecturer at Western Colorado University.)
SIGHT-IN DAYS 2024
Where: 881 County Road 18, Gunnison, CO
When: Oct 9, 10, 11
Oct 23, 24, 25
Nov 6, 7, 8
Time: 8 a.m. -4 p.m .
Cost: $10.00 per gun
GSA Raffle Tickets can be purchased at Sight-In Days Raffle Proceeds go to Scholarships, Youth and Women Firearms Safety Training, Youth Trap League, 4-H and Boy Scouts Shooting Programs, Hunter Sight-In Days, and Range Improvement.
Only 400 tickets available
$20 per ticket $50 for 3 ticket Need not be present to win
THREE PRIZES – THREE WINNERS!
Weatherby Vanguard Kings 6.5 Creedmoor Bolt-Action Rifle with Kings XK7 Camo Dipped Stock Mounted with a Vortex Viper HS LR 4-16x50
Springfield Armory Hellcat Micro 9mm Pistol
Henry Golden Boy .45-70: Lever Action, Walnut Stock
Draw Date: November 8, 2024, 4:00 P.M. Gunnison Sportsmen’s Association Rifle Range, 881 County Road 18, Gunnison, CO 81230 Gunnison, CO 81230
Constance Mahoney
(Photo by Rob Glowczewsky)
CB Search and Rescue tips for hunters
By M'Lissa Story
Justin Finch, an avid hunter from Utah was caught in one of Colorado’s biggest early season snow storms with accumulation of more than 3-5 feet of snow in less than 24 hours. Hunting solo with two llamas, Finch found himself soaking wet, dehydrated and bonking due to only eating a Snickers bar for dinner the night before.
Huddled in his tent, Finch had no energy. He had taken down a large buck, dressed it, and by the time he got back to his camp he was exhausted. Though he had pre-made meals and a stove, he curled up in his sleeping bag only to wake up the next morning to 3 feet of fresh snow. And the snow didn’t stop. The temperatures plummeted and soon it was negative 5 degrees and dropping.
As he fumbled for his cell phone, he uncovered the SOS device that his father had given him prior to his solo hunt. Not having used an inReach, a satellite messenger device, he was reluctant to activate it, but he finally did. During a podcast interview after the rescue, Finch shared his moment of hesitation to call for help, “Once I push this, there’s no going back … When do you hit the SOS button anyway?”
If you were to ask Randy Felix, Crested Butte Search and Rescue (SAR) president and 24-year volunteer member that question, he would emphatically tell you, “Don’t hesitate to push that button. Once you activate your GPS device, search and rescue has the ability to communicate directly with the injured or missing person, provide directions or instructions that can be life-saving.”
Once a call is received by SAR, the mission coordinator begins to formulate a plan. They evaluate the weather trends among other variables and strategically create a Plan A, B and C: primary, backup and contingency.
Additionally, SAR has the discretion as to whether it’s safe to go into the field at the time of the call. If there are hazardous conditions that can put team
members in potential danger, SAR may decide to wait and not go into the field immediately.
For Finch, it took a three-person SAR team almost 12 hours from when the call came in Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. to the time they arrived at Finch’s location, at 3 a.m. the next day.
“The snow was bottomless and the avalanche danger was high,” said Rob Glow, one of the three SAR members who rescued Finch. SAR team members and Finch did successfully make it out of the backcountry safely.
The truth is, accidents can happen in the wilderness regardless of one’s level of skill or experience. However, many SAR missions can be avoided — like the epic mission last fall — if those who venture into the backcountry are better prepared and make good choices.
Here are some tips that can save lives:
• Be weather wise. There’s nothing worse than looking up the weather report for the wrong area. Do your research and locate the weather forecast where you will be traveling. If you’re not familiar with the area where you will be hunting, contact the local Colorado Parks and Wildlife office to confirm the area where you will be hunting, and confirm the weather for that area.
• Prepare for possible extreme weather. This may seem like common sense, but as a good reminder, dress in layers, have enough clothing (not cotton), to keep you warm in extreme conditions. Shed layers when needed to avoid sweating. Wear boots that keep your feet warm and dry. Gaiters keep snow out of boots. Be aware of avalanche danger and have the ability to recognize avalanche zones.
• Research your route. Before the start of any hunt, it’s important to know the landscape. Orient yourself with the surroundings and what to anticipate. Topographic maps indicate features such as water, fields, and wooded areas. This is where navigation skills are needed. Note waterways, roads, ridges and other features around you. It’s good practice to mark where your vehicle is located on your GPS.
• Invest in a satellite communication device. While all of us should know how to find our position on a map, it’s undoubtedly faster, more convenient and accurate to use a GPS
device. Today’s GPS can be loaded with detailed topographical maps and landownership information as well. Garmin inReach and SpotX are SAR’s preferred devices because they can receive in depth data like mechanism of injury, number of people involved, and info about the incident. The inReach coupled with the Garmin specific app, Earthmate, or the SpotX app can be downloaded onto your phone allowing you to send and receive texts without the need for cell service. Additionally, these apps can be used to communicate and send texts without pressing the SOS button. This can be especially useful if you’re lost, but not injured. SAR can view your location and provide pertinent directions to get you back on course without sending a hasty team out in the field. A personal locator beacon, or PLB, is less expensive but only has one function, the SOS button. For emergencies only. PLB’s are limited to providing your location. You cannot send or receive texts, which is essential for SAR to be equipped with specifics that assist the team for a successful mission.
• Be honest about your physical ability. Are you in good shape? You’d be surprised, but there’s a strong correlation with hunting and heart attacks. This is due to hunters either overestimating their physical fitness, or overlooking their personal health. There are huge benefits if you’re physically fit and that translates when you’re out in the woods hunting. Felix’s advice: Be realistic about your abilities.
• Stay hydrated and maintain caloric intake. It’s one thing to pack ample food and water for the duration of your trip, but it’s another thing to actually eat and drink regularly throughout the day. Chocolate bars and Mountain Dew don’t count. Did you know that you're less likely to crave water or feel thirsty at higher elevations? All the more reason to drink frequently. And, it’s just as important to stay properly hydrated in cold weather. Packing a thermos with a hot drink can be a good option to keep yourself hydrated.
Similarly, if you aren’t supplying your body with calorie-dense food, you will inevitably shut down. Hunting is strenuous on your body and it will need refueling.
• Make a plan and share it with some-
Search and rescue vehicles on a mission in difficult terrain. (Photos courtesy M'Lissa Story/CBSAR)
one. The location of an emergency is paramount for a search and rescue team. 911 operators are trained to ask detailed questions down to the color of clothing but location is vital. Create a trip plan and give it to your significant other or family so they are aware of your route and where your vehicle is parked. If you deviate from your original plan, please let that person or persons know of your updated route.
• Be an ethical hunter. Hunting ethically begins with respect for the game hunted, and abides by the law that governs the specific hunting area. Respect ‘fair chase.’ Concentrate on shot placement. Follow up every shot. Respect dispatched game. Respect the habitat. Be courteous to other people in the backcountry, and be mindful to clean up trash and waste. Healthy wildlife habitat is key to healthy game population and other wildlife.
• Support those who help you. Crested Butte’s Mountain Search and Rescue team, like many across the country, are staffed solely by non-paid professionals that respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. Making a donation to your local SAR organization is invaluable. Interestingly, many have the misperception that when purchasing a hunting license, this guarantees rescue insurance. While there is a modest 25 cents from each purchase, proceeds are allocated to a general fund for all SAR teams who can request reimbursement for mission-related expenses. Search and rescue doesn’t charge for their services, but you’ll receive a bill for an ambulance ride or a flight from a medical helicopter.
“Of course, the best rescue is a self rescue,” Felix said. “By being prepared in the backcountry this helps to reduce the number of calls for SAR and its resources.” l
(M'Lissa Story has deep love of the mountains and writing. She has been a member of CBSAR for 4 years.)
1. Water
10 essentials for any backcountry trip
2. Rain gear (also used as wind protection)
3. Extra clothing/insulation
4. Extra food
5. Maps and compass (and knowledge of their use)
6. Sun protection (sun glasses, sun screen, lip balm and sun hat)
7. Waterproof matches or lighter
8. Flashlight or headlamp (make sure it's in working order)
9. First aid supplies
10. Emergency shelter (lightweight emergency bag or space blanket)
Bonus: Several sources to start a fire. Three lighters at altitude will give you the same results. They won’t work. Waterproof matches and flint are good alternatives.
Additional Resources
HUNTING, FISHING AND RECREATION PROPERTIES
REMARKABLE 3 bdrm/2 bath home on 34 acres just minutes from Blue Mesa Lake. Ranch style home has a central living room with gas stove & large kitchen for entertaining. Located within Hunting Unit 66, no HOA & no covenants. 27785 State Highway 149; $795,000.
GORGEOUS 2800sf home at the end of the Ohio Creek valley sits on 40 acres with Carbon Creek running through the acreage. Custom home & garage offer in-floor heat, 3 bdrm/3 bath, south facing windows with incredible views & a 4 car garage with work space & a walk-in cooler. 3750 County Road 737; $1,995,000.
WELCOME to 121 S. Taylor, a 4 bdrm/4 bath house where each bedroom features its own private bathroom with walk-in showers. Open kitchen & living room with south facing windows. Tile & hardwood floors throughout the home with granite & stainless steel in the kitchen. Attached 4 car garage is ready for your toys! 121 S. Taylor St.; $1,195,000.
Colorado Search and Rescue
Crested Butte Avalanche Center
National Weather Service
Gunnison County Emergency Management
us help you find your
South Pole Creek Rd
3,420 sq ft | 5 Bed | 2 Bath | $2,800,000
Located 17 miles south of Gunnison, at the north range of the San Juan mountains, this unique private lodge, is a secluded paradise situated on 140 acres in GMU 67. Mouflon Lodge borders thousands of acres of public lands with outstanding Big Game hunting. This sportsman’s paradise has produced trophy big game animals year after year along with excellent fishing in the private creek and 5+ acre reservoir with exclusive water rights.
2024 Hunting Season Dates
Archery
Deer, Elk, Bear: Sept. 2-30*
Pronghorn, split season: Aug. 15-20, Sept. 1-20
Moose: Sept. 7-30
Muzzleloader (by draw only)
Deer, Elk, Moose: Sept. 14-22*
Pronghorn: Sept. 21-29
Bear: Sept. 14-22
Rifle
Separate limited Elk, first season: Oct. 12-16
Combined Deer/Elk, second season: Oct. 26-Nov. 3
Combined Deer/Elk, third season: Nov. 9-15
Bear, limited: Sept. 2-30*
Bear, first season: Oct. 12-16
Bear, second season: Oct. 26-Nov. 3
Bear, third season: Nov. 9-15
Bear, fourth season: Nov. 20-24
Bear, private land: Sept. 2-Nov. 24*
Pronghorn, limited: Oct. 5-13*
Moose: Oct. 1-14
*Unless otherwise noted in CPW brochure tables
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LIFE ON THE FLY
The fine art of fishing
(Photos by Mariel Wiley)
Jim Garrison and Amalia Cass take fly fishing to new depths
By Alex McCrindle
Jim Garrison wrapped a spool of yellow thread around the hook in his lamp-lit living room. The veteran fly fishing guide sat at his desk and his hands worked efficiently. He was tying together his trademark “cased caddisfly” — a pattern of peacock feathers, copper wire and synthetic hair to mimic one of the rainbow trout's favorite snacks. It has become one of his most effective flies in his 31 years guiding in the Gunnison watershed, leading to his impressive reputation as an “old dog” in the angling community.
His hobby of fly tying is an intricate combination of fishing, entomology and artistry. Many fly fishermen go their entire lives catching fish with only store bought flies. But for the dedicated few, hand tying flies adds a level of craftsmanship and satisfaction to reeling in monster trout.
Fly fishing is a technique that uses lightweight, artificial flies to replicate aquatic insects throughout their lifecycle. One method, called “dry-flying,” mimics flies landing on the surface of the water. Similarly, anglers tie “nymphs” — tiny, weighted flies that look identical to insect larvae, to sink below the surface. Flies can range in size and shape to copy a swimming mayfly, a hatching caddisfly or even a field mouse crossing a stream at night.
Just a few blocks from campus, another angler, Amalia Cass, sat in her second story window tying flies. She is a junior at Western Colorado University and barista at Tributary Coffee Roasters, but spends her free time waist deep in Gunnison Valley waterways. Cass wove together rabbit fur to tie a “guide's choice hare’s ear,” one of her most successful in two years on the river.
continued on 19
226 N. Main St. • Gunnison
Jim Garrison sits at the fly-tying desk in his living room.
Garrison sells his hand-tied flies at shops in Crested Butte.
Cass was introduced to fly fishing in 2021, and although the sport took two or three trips to stick, she has since fallen in love with the rippling streams and meditative casting.
“On my first fly fishing trip, I woke up at 4 a.m., fished all day, and was just cold and miserable,” Cass said. “But after a couple of times, I fell in love with the full body zen, the mind and body focus, and all the small factors that contribute to catching fish … What are the fish eating? What are the conditions? Where should I throw my fly?”
Like gathering materials for a witch’s cauldron, Cass plucked a tuft of hair from a plastic bag, tied down Hungarian partridge feathers and finished by wrapping copper wire. The finished fly was only one centimeter long. She held up a worn fly. Its feathers were plucked and the once vibrant
hair was dull. It had been used to catch over five brown trout, and sat prominently on the desk like a war hero.
“The feeling of catching a fish on a fly that you tied is incredible,” Cass said. “A lot of people exaggerate it into ‘The most insane thing that’s ever happened to me.’ But still it’s pretty amazing, and a full-circle moment.”
Only a few miles north on Hwy. 50, Garrison sat at a similar setup in his front office, with feathers and fur scattered across his desk. Garrison grew up in the Oklahoman hills catching bluegill and panfish. He moved to Gunnison in 1991 as a photographer, and the fly fishing craze sucked him in like a brown trout swallowing a midge. He has been guiding at Dragonfly Anglers since the summer of 1993, making him one of the oldest in the valley — and he has the stories and the knowledge to prove it.
That same afternoon, Garrison retreated indoors while a thunder-
storm loomed to the south. He sat up from his fly tying vice — a metal clamp that holds a hook steady — and approached a bookshelf. Tucked on the shelf were decades worth of notebooks. His fingers rested on a tab, marked 1995, and he read the cursive notes:
“Skunked! Almont campground, 11-3. Water: low, 45 degrees, high pressure, clear skies.”
Another note read, “Full-day, Taylor Inlet, seven fish, unstable weather, rain and sun. Bead heads. Great trip!”
His fragmented sentences were an archive of weather conditions and effective flies, dating back to the early 90s. He flipped through the booklet, then returned to his desk, selected a peacock feather and wound it onto the hook. He was knitting together a “cased caddisfly,” a juvenile fly that hides in a case of vegetation while underwater. In his 30 years of guiding, Garrison’s passion for fishing merged into entomology. He began studying the life cycles of flies, observing their shapes and colors, and attempting to mimic it with string.
Today, while guiding others or fishing alone, Garrison scans for insects, measures the water temperature, considers the speed of the river and the time of year. Sometimes trout hide out under rocks and will be lured out at the site of a cased caddisfly. Late in the summer, birds will arrive on the riverbanks, signaling a mayfly hatch. The fish will then ambush the surface and latch onto dry flies. But even after three decades on Gunnison rivers, Garrison sometimes still goes home empty handed. His mindset has shifted dramatically since his early days.
“You go through this cycle as a fly fisherman,” Garrison said. “First you want to catch fish. Then you want to catch fish with the flies you tie. Then you want to catch big fish, and then, you get to my stage, and you just want to go fishing and have fun. Even when the fish aren’t biting, I’ve learned to just be glad that I’m outside in this beautiful place.” m
(Alex McCrindle is the Gunnison Country Times sports editor and can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@ gunnisontimes.com.)
Garrison wraps a thread around a fly clamped in a vice. continued from 17
CAPTURED
Marilyn Rodman
Cow elk and their young roam through a lush summer meadow.
GHOSTS ON THE MOUNTAIN
(Photos by Sean Bennett)
By Sean Bennett
Last year my son, Deegan, drew a coveted third rifle season bull tag in a limited draw hunt unit near our home town of Gunnison. We spent the better part of our fall scouting the very large remote unit. Even at the young age of 14, my son could out-hike most adults in this country. He is strong and determined and is most at home in the mountains and forests of western Colorado.
During our scouting campaign, that encompassed multiple months, we encountered severe weather, vehicle breakdowns and lots of exploring the countryside. We both endured weeks of school and work, eventually settling on a camp location. It was at the end of a rough motorized travel route high on a mountainside. It afforded us access to miles of prime elk county only accessible by foot or horseback. We were confident we could escape all but the most motivated of hunters.
The set up
Four days before the season opener, after school and work, we set up the staging camp late one afternoon. We cut firewood, set up our wall tent, dug our latrine and prepped everything for our return. There was not a soul on the mountain, and a light foggy snow made it deathly quiet. The years of my son walking in my footsteps, sneaking and chasing all manner of game was about to end in a few short days. I would take the role of following his course and adventure. I was filled with excitement and memories. With the snow falling harder and starting to accumulate on the ground we retreated off the mountain with the anticipation of the weekend heavy on our thoughts.
Opening day pressure
We arrived at our camp the day before opening day. Much to our dismay, after having the area entirely to ourselves scouting throughout the fall, we passed no fewer than three large camps and a couple of smaller ones. The majority of the camps were situated much lower in elevation, and only one small camp sported vehicles with
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Colorado plates. Once at camp, I tried to reassure my son that most of those hunters would be keeping close to the roads and lower meadows — but the pit of anxiety I was feeling I kept to myself.
We ate a large dinner of last year's deer and fell asleep early. Our sleep was restless with dreams of monster bulls lurking on the mountain above us. Opening day dawned clear and cold. There was recent snow on the ground that padded our footfalls as we stalked to our first-light destination. Not five minutes after shooting light dawned, we found ourselves on a parallel path with three mature bull elk. Unfortunately, we were in heavy timber which made it impossible to line up an honorable shot.
We stalked the three huge apparitions for an eternity before the early morning breeze shifted ever so slightly. Then, just as suddenly as they materialized next to us, they vanished, instantly disappearing into the dense forest with only the sound of a broken twig giving clue to their existence. My son entered the dreaded post adrenaline depression. He started to second guess his decisions and was berating himself for not finding the nonexistent shooting lane.
located the hunter who had fired those two shots. He was a couple of miles off, way up on the side of a neighboring ridge. We watched him move about his downed animal with just a touch of envy before setting off again.
The remainder of the day and the next were filled with lots of steep miles, a few elk and not one viable chance at a shot. The evening of the second day we were exhausted and anxious, but we thankfully knew there
Day three, morning race
Shortly after imparting some unsolicited fatherly wisdom on the fact that we at least saw some rather large unshootable bulls, we heard one, then two shots ring out to the north of us. My son’s mood went from bad to worse. I kindly reminded him that we were only one hour into the season and to keep his head up. We eventually topped out on a high ridge and after glassing for a bit, we
were quality elk about. We hatched our plan for day three. In essence, it boiled down to getting up two hours before shooting light and hiking to the very top of our mountain. After which, with any luck we would glass up one of those phantom antlered elk we hoped were still around.
“You have to be kidding me!” I shouted. Two hours before first light we were throwing last-minute provisions into our packs when a set of headlights bounced their way past our remote camp. As we walked towards our trail all hopes of the vehicle continuing past our trailhead were slammed down into the pits of our stomachs. There before us was a large 4x4 truck. We figured they had about a 10-minute head start. Our mountain was large and held many ridges and bowls to explore. We had no idea where they were headed, but we were going to the top of the mountain. So began our day three hunt. With breakneck speed that is only acquired through early season high altitude scouting, we sweated through several miles of cold, pitch-black hiking. About halfway to the summit, we saw headlamps stopped on the trail ahead. Not wanting to startle them, we turned our headlamps on. As we passed one hunter, we saw his companion not far off the trail surrendering to the call of nature. We exchanged brief well wishes with the exhausted hunter that was not squatting and then continued our hike. There was a look of what could have been admiration or astonishment in the hunter’s eye as he watched my young son easily continue his march up the mountain under his large pack, headlamp now extinguished. We arrive on top right on time. We set up glassing as the morning alpenglow illuminated the ridges and mountain peaks in the distance.
Sean and Deegan scouting high up the La Garita Wilderness Area.
Snap, crunch, silence
I was 10 yards to the north and a touch below my son when I heard the noise. My son heard it too, and we locked eyes and in unison looked below us. Several huge, dark apparitions were materializing out of the steep, rocky, forested chute below us. Four, no five, cow elk are feeding their way directly towards us. We are both squinting at the lead animals when we see a phantom set of antlers dip in and out of view. My heart was already trying to escape my chest when I saw a cow elk not eight yards from my son staring intently at him, ears forward. My son is oblivious to the threat as his attention is fixed solely on the king of the forest that is standing just behind enough cover to render Grandpa's old 270 useless in his hands.
The next seconds happened as if in a slow-moving dream. The sneaky cow elk finally sounded the alarm, with a rough bark she broke for the summit, nearly bowling into my astonished son. The remaining cows and the bull elk, not seeing the danger but trusting their kin, trotted up the remaining yards to the lightly forested summit. My son looked at me wide eyed and distraught. I quickly made the finger walking sign, followed by the shooting sign. Without hesitation he got up and stalked after the bull. Not wanting to further spook the animals, and trusting in my son, I stayed put and let out a series of cow calls. Looking up I saw the silhouette of my son raise his gun and fire twice in rapid succession. He looked back at me and urged me forward.
As I reached him, I saw the large bull not 40 yards ahead looking back at us broadside. Eerily, he’s not moving away. My son raised his rifle and fired again. It seemed with one mighty leap the giant left the mountain side. My son couldn’t believe his eyes. “Dad! I thought I hit him twice!”
I took a deep breath and told him to do the hardest possible thing in this moment.
“Buddy we are going to sit down and have a snack and wait to go looking.”
He looked ready to run off the mountain in hot pursuit but took a breath and acknowledged the wisdom of the situation. Our minds and
conversation raced with elation and doubts. After what seemed an eternity, we moved forward to look for blood or signs of a hit. We saw a large blood splatter to our right and, as we stooped to investigate, we heard a loud gurgled release of breath. We scanned ahead and saw the magnificent bull elk take his last breath not 50 yards from where my son shot him.
"The years of my son walking in my footsteps, sneaking and chasing all manner of game was about to end in a few short days. I would take the role of following his course and adventure."
— Sean Bennett
We both instantly hugged, releasing months, years of anticipation. We let tears of joy, love and elation run freely. We sat with the giant animal and paid him our deepest respect before starting a small fire and getting to work. My son’s quest for his first elk was over and it would never be forgotten by either of us. After one load was brought down to camp, we called my brother and his girlfriend by satellite phone. Before the day was out the entire animal was back hanging in camp. Of course, we still had a few days off from work and school, so we spent it on the mountain enjoying each other’s company and further exploring her secrets. s
(Sean and Deegan Bennett both were born and raised in the mountains around Gunnison and enjoy every minute they can get exploring the nearby wilderness.)
NEW BIG GAME SEASON STRUCTURE APPROVED FOR 2025-29
By John Livingston
While most hunters are squarely focused on filling the biggame license they drew for the 2024 seasons, it’s never too early to think about changes in store for upcoming seasons.
At its June meeting, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission approved the new Big Game Season Structure (BGSS) for the 2025-29 seasons.
“There are some big changes to
over-the-counter (OTC) archery hunting for non-residents as well as some notable changes to our regular rifle seasons that hunters need to be aware of,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Gunnison Area Wildlife Manager Brandon Diamond. Diamond was on CPW’s big game season structure working group.
CPW’s five-year BGSS sets the framework for annual big game hunting seasons, as well as the manner in which licenses are distributed. In preparing the 2025-29 BGSS, CPW conducted a two-year public engagement
process that involved both residents and non-residents. Public feedback was crucial in the development of the new BGSS, especially as it pertained to archery OTC elk season.
OTC archery elk licenses
Discussions related to the level of crowding and the overall hunting experience during OTC elk seasons were widespread during this BGSS planning process.
Specific to the September archery elk season, CPW heard from members of the public a strong desire to keep
(Photos by Marilyn Rodman)
OTC archery elk licenses available for resident hunters, while limiting all archery elk licenses for non-residents. After deliberation and final approval by the Commission, non-resident archery elk hunters will now have to apply for all archery elk licenses in the spring big-game draw in all game management units (GMU).
This will now include all GMUs that formerly offered OTC archery elk licenses for non-residents and is a novel approach to license distribution in Colorado. Residents may continue to purchase OTC archery elk licenses in OTC units, however residents will still need to apply in the limited license drawing for units that are currently limited. Deer licenses will remain fully limited for all seasons for both residents and non-residents.
“Non-resident archery elk hunters should keep an eye out for the 2025 big game brochure and take some time to review these changes,” Diamond said. “Non-residents will have to think more about their upcoming hunts and application strategies because all archery elk options will now be limited.
“To be clear, the archery elk licenses that are limited right now, such as GMU 54, 55, 551, 66 or 67 here in the Gunnison Basin, those units will continue to remain limited for all archers whether resident or nonresident. The big change only applies to units that are already over-the-counter for archery elk. This is a significant change taking effect in 2025.”
As it has been previously, archery season will start Sept. 2 each year and run through Sept. 30 for a 29-day season.
Rifle seasons
Some changes have also come to rifle seasons. The upcoming BGSS allows managers the option to prescribe limited deer hunts during the first rifle season, which has traditionally been an elk-only season, based on local management considerations. Some areas may offer antlered deer hunts during the first rifle season, while others may only allow antlerless hunt codes.
“With support from local wildlife advocates, CPW is considering some limited doe hunting in the northern
Gunnison Basin during the first rifle season in order to address some of the crowding concerns during the busy second and third rifle seasons,” Diamond said. “The second and third seasons are incredibly busy, and we hear a lot about it from hunters. A limited doe season during the first rifle likely won’t significantly detract from the elk hunting experience, and will allow us to lessen some of the hunting pressure during our busiest seasons. It gives us flexibility to put some surgical management on the ground based on our ever-evolving conditions.”
CPW Senior Wildlife Biologist Jamin Grigg said having the ability to offer a limited number of deer licenses during the first rifle season may also allow the agency to manage chronic wasting disease (CWD) in areas where there are high densities of resident deer and high CWD prevalence is a concern. Some areas around Montrose and the North Fork of the Gunnison Valley may
potentially benefit from an optional first season deer hunt.
The Parks and Wildlife Commission also approved a few changes to rifle season lengths and dates.
• The first rifle season will start the first Wednesday after Oct. 8 and be a five-day season followed by a five-day break before the second season.
• The second rifle season will be a nine-day season, followed by a fiveday break before third season. Hunters will have two weekends to hunt the second season.
• The third season will be nine days, followed by a two-day break before the fourth season. Hunters will have two weekends to hunt the third season.
• Fourth season will be a five-day season beginning on the Wednesday following the third season.
“Generally, there will be shorter breaks between seasons than in the previous five-year structure, which results in seasons not going as late into the year and overlapping with Thanksgiving,” Grigg said.
More changes
A few more changes to BGSS were also approved, such as the addition of an optional “late” season cow moose hunt that would span through the regular rifle seasons rather than the traditional rifle moose season that takes place during the first two weeks of October. To see all of the approved BGSS, go to the CPW website and be sure to closely look at the 2025 Big Game Brochure when it is published in February 2025.
“I want to thank all of our local partners that participated in the BGSS process,” Diamond said. “Things don’t always turn out exactly as folks hope for, but now more than ever, we need our local communities to stay engaged and participate in processes and on issues that impact our local wildlife resources.” c
(John Livingston is the Colorado Parks and Wildlife southwest region public information officer.)
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC gunnisoncountylibraries.org· Sunday, Canyon""TheMajesticbetweenTravelwest,backinwherethelocationofcurrentdayBlueMesa Majesticis,thenwestthroughthe Gunnison,BlackCanyonoftowhereMorrow PointDamisnowlocated,with clips,andinterviews.
HUNTING AND CONSERVATION GO HAND IN HAND IN DEFENSE OF YOUR FAVORITE 'SPOT'
By Derek Pankratz
There’s this spot. I can’t call it a “secret” spot, not in today’s world of satellite imagery and GPS mapping. And it’s certainly not “my” spot — it’s a piece of public land used by many others. But it’s a special spot nonetheless. Over the years it’s put meat, fish, berries and more on our table. It’s been the scene for cherished memories with family and friends. It’s been a crucible and a sanctuary.
That spot, and countless others like it across Gunnison County, only exist because of the forethought and stewardship of decades of conservationists. Hunters, of course, have played a crucial role in the conservation movement. Initiatives funded by hunting licenses and federal grants have transformed public lands, ensuring healthier ecosystems and thriving wildlife populations. In the early 20th century, organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation emerged to address declining wildlife populations and habitat degradation. Their efforts, often supported by hunters’ contributions, laid the groundwork for a more sustainable approach to wildlife management.
Public lands are a cornerstone of this success. That’s especially apparent in Gunnison County, where roughly 80% of land is public. These lands offer hunters some of the best big game opportunities anywhere in the American West. The role of public lands and smart public lands management extends far beyond the fall season, providing critical winter range for elk, deer and other species. Hunters understand that conservation, public lands and the ability to pursue game are inextricably linked.
Hunters also understand the importance of limits. We know that the land can only sustain so much pressure, and that wildlife is not a limitless
resource. To be able to hunt next year, or 10 years from now, requires that we put constraints on what we take this year. To be sure, where those limits should be is not always obvious. But few are arguing for a return to the dark old days of limitless harvest and market hunting that drove so many of the West’s iconic species to the brink of extinction.
Understanding limits extends to conservation work more broadly: limits to mineral extraction, energy development, timber harvests, grazing and recreation. Limits, not bans. On public lands managed for multiple use, these can all have their place. But as we look to what the land can give us, we must also ask: What does the land need from us?
That’s where groups like High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) come in. HCCA is a grassroots non-profit dedicated to protecting the health, integrity and beauty of the public lands, waters and wildlife of the Gunnison Country. Founded in 1977, it’s achieved major conservation successes through public lands advocacy, outreach and stewardship, working with elected officials, land managers,
community leaders, local residents, university students, local youth and visitors.
A collaborative approach is at the heart of HCCA’s work, including productive partnerships with hunting-focused organizations like the Gunnison Wildlife Association and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. In addition to ongoing collaboration around stewardship projects, consider the example of the Gunnison Public Lands Initiative, now embodied in proposed federal legislation as the Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act. HCCA worked with a wide range of stakeholders across Gunnison County, including hunters and anglers among many others, to jointly develop a comprehensive plan to secure additional protections for key public lands, while importantly preserving existing motorized access and other uses.
The shared commitment to conservation through collaboration is a defining feature of the Gunnison Country. HCCA’s work benefits everyone who enjoys Gunnison’s public lands, including hunters. It’s a simple equation. Healthy, intact public lands = better habitat for wildlife = higher quality hunting opportunities and experiences. At the end of the day we all want the same thing: thriving public lands, waters and wildlife.
I’ll be back at “the spot” this fall, hoping to fill my family’s freezer and connect deeply to the land, reminding myself why it’s worth protecting. Conservation and public lands are deeply intertwined with the hunting experience. As hunters, understanding and supporting conservation efforts is not just about preserving the land for future generations; it’s about enhancing the immediate experience and ensuring that the wild places we cherish remain vibrant and accessible. l
(Derek Pankratz is vice president of High Country Conservation Advocates’ Board of Directors.)
HCCA's Isabel Lucas removes obsolete fencing as part of a Backcountry Hunters & Anglers’ stewardship event. (Courtesy HCCA)
2024 OUTFITTER GUIDE
AEI OUTFITTER
AEI Outfitter has been offering outdoor adventures in the Gunnison/Crested Butte Valley since 1984. We offer archery, muzzleloader and rifle hunts on private and public lands for elk, mule deer, big horn sheep, mountain goats and moose. We also offer guided walk wade and float fishing trips throughout the valley. Our goal is to make your outdoor experience an adventure worth remembering. #2 Illinois Creek Rd. Almont, CO 81210 aeioutfitter.com • aeiflyfishing.com • 970-641-4708 info@aeioutfitter.com
GUNNISON FLY FISHING OUTFITTERS
We are a full service fly shop created by accomplished guides dedicated to providing the most high quality experience on and off the water. From the most well-traveled expert anglers to the folks who are yet to pick up a fly rod, we are here for you!
gunnisonflyfishingoutfitters.com 970.707.4110 • 724 N Main St. Gunnison contact@gunnisonflyfishingoutfitters.com
SAWBUCK OUTFITTERS
#2166 Units 53 & 521 West Elk & Ragged Wilderness Elk, bear, mule deer. Fully outfitted drop camps and hunting for archery, muzzleloader and rifle. Seasonal horseback day and overnight pack trips. We take pride in what we do, and believe in taking care of your hunting needs. Coloradohunts.com • 970-921-3557
ALPINE OUTFITTERS
Alpine Outfitters offers guided fishing and hunting in the Gunnison and Lake City areas. We offer year round fully guided, family friendly, fishing trips for fly fishing, boat fishing and ice fishing. We also offer guided big game hunting in GMU 66, S33 and G5. alpineoutfitterscolorado.com • 970-688-1879 alpineoutfitterscolorado@gmail.com
QUAKING ASPEN OUTFITTERS
Merlin and Dave Mapes
47 years outfitting for pack trips, fishing, hunting, elk, mule deer, big horn sheep, moose and goats. Colorado guiding at its finest. Other offerings include Summer pack trips and horseback rides as Raven Rider Stables. 970-641-0529 • 970-209-8397 • PO Box 485 Gunnison
SPORT FISH COLORADO
Sport Fish Colorado offers year round, family friendly fishing trips at a variety of Reservoirs across the state including: Blue Mesa, Taylor, Mcphee, Antero, 11 mile, Spinney and Tarryall. We offer fully guided trips, with gear included, specializing in boat fishing, ice fishing and fly fishing. sportfishcolorado.com • 970-784-6555 sportfishcolorado@gmail.com
WEST ELK WILDERNESS OUTFITTERS
WEST ELK WILDERNESS OUTFITTERS
- COLORADO
Offering Summer Trips, Guided Hunts, and Drop Camps in the West Elk Wilderness. GMU 54 westelkwildernessoutfitters.com 970-275-2089 • westelkWO@gmail.com
(Photo by Constance Mahoney)
HOW WE TALK ABOUT HUNTING MATTERS
By Will Shoemaker
I was basking in the glory of a fall day filled with blue sky, golden aspens and the light-heartedness of a successful hunt when I came around a bend to see a hiker approaching on the trail. I could tell from the gray-haired woman’s ear-to-ear smile that she too found unrestrained pleasure in the colors brought by the changing of the seasons.
“Good morning!” I greeted her.
“Yes, it is!” she answered, her smile fading slightly as she scanned me from head to toe. “Why are you wearing the camouflage?”
“I’m hunting,” I responded, an answer that elicited a noticeable jolt of surprise, mixed with a little fear, from the leaf-peeper.
“Should I be concerned about my safety?”
It was a legitimate question, and while no excursion into the backcountry is free from risk of injury or accident, before me was an opportunity to allay the fears of a fellow public lands user not accustomed to sharing the trail with hunters — and, a little selfishly, conduct some positive PR on behalf of our kind. I suggested she had little to fear. It was September, after all, and the only open big-game seasons in this part of the state required primitive hunting equipment that necessitated getting so close to one’s target to make a safe and ethical shot that it would be virtually impossible to mistake a human for big game.
“I see,” she said, the tension melting from her body. “Did you see anything this morning?”
“I had the good fortune of killing an elk,” I beamed, to which she jolted again with surprise, paused, and then peeked around my figure as if expect-
ing to see me dragging the animal across the rocky slope.
“Well, where is it?”
“I cut it into quarters, and I’m carrying them out in my pack,” I said, pointing to one of the game bag-covered leg bones protruding skyward from behind my head. Another jolt from the women.
It was my second trip carrying quarters from the kill site, and I explained that it would take another two to recover all of the meat. The woman’s uncertainty shifted a little toward curiosity. She asked what I planned to do with the animal (eat it!), what I planned to do with the antlers (it was a cow elk; they do not typically grow antlers), how long the season would last (two more days), and whether I encountered any other hunters (a group of four from Indiana, a couple miles up the trail).
By the end of our conservation, it was clear that my acquaintance did
not oppose hunting, she simply knew little about it and possessed a few preconceived notions about what it means to share the woods with consumptive users of our wildlife resources.
I bid her adieu , and we went our separate ways. In the time since, I’ve thought frequently about this encounter, hoping that it left a positive impression — especially amid growing attempts to change wildlife management which do not bode well for the future of hunting, or our wildlife.
“There is a growing trend across the country to undermine over a century of successful wildlife management built on a foundation of sound, peer-reviewed science,” wrote Patrick Berry, president & CEO of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, upon taking the helm of the organization earlier this year. “Along with nefarious tactics of special interests to subvert — and even manipulate — the spirit and intent of the public trust doctrine that wildlife is managed for all, we are facing an unprecedented threat to our public wildlife resources. These efforts chip away at the very underpinnings and successful conservation outcome of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.”
Given as much, how we talk about hunting matters. As hunters. As business owners. As recreationists. And as wildlife enthusiasts — whether we hunt or not. The regulated and ethical harvest of wildlife for legitimate purposes is a basic tenet of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. What is the North American Model? Put simply, it’s the world's most successful system of policies and laws to restore and safeguard fish and wildlife and their habitats through sound science and active management. Under the North American Model, wildlife is held in the public trust to benefit present and future generations.
And, yet, in Colorado and elsewhere, we’re seeing state ballot initiatives seeking to remove decisions about wildlife management from trained wildlife experts. For example, activists have gathered enough signatures to place a question on the 2024 Colorado state-wide ballot asking voters to prohibit the legal, limited, hunter harvest of mountain lions, bobcats and lynx in the state (see sidebar).
Lynx are already protected by both state and federal law, with hunting and trapping prohibited. Colorado’s mountain lion and bobcat populations are thriving, and the state has strong regulations in place to ensure healthy populations of our wild cats.
I don’t hunt mountain lions or bobcats. But I fully support science-based wildlife management decisions to help avoid unintended consequences for people, other species and the entire ecosystem. And I recognize that conservation revenue derived from hunting and fishing licenses has resulted not only in healthy and sustainable populations of mountain lions, bobcats, elk, deer, bears, pronghorn and countless other critters, but in the recovery of species such as peregrine falcons, lynx, greater prairie chickens and bald eagles.
Plus, conservation revenue from license sales provides the vast majority of Colorado Parks and Wildlife's funding for wildlife management, education, law enforcement and other programs that benefit all wildlife species. Hunters support wildlife management across Colorado in a number of other ways as well: habitat enhancement and land conservation, engagement in critical land-use issues, mentoring, providing data for wildlife management, assisting law enforcement by reporting poachers, etc. For those reasons, we all stand to lose, should the proposed hunting ban pass.
As hunters, it’s easy to talk about our own motivations for hunting. Who doesn’t love to recount tales of monster bucks and bulls that get our blood pumping? But what image of hunting does that form in the eyes of the non-hunting public? When given the chance to talk about hunting to nonhunters, we are being given a prime opportunity to highlight the broad public and ecological benefits. Think of it this way: National surveys place the number of hunters at about 5% of the total population in the United States. We contribute tens of billions of dollars annually to our economy while raising billions for wildlife conservation through license sales and excise taxes, but we pale in comparison to the number of non-hunters.
Interestingly enough, surveys show most people support legal hunting. So, if we’re going to continue to collec-
tively benefit from hunting as visitors to and residents of wildlife-rich places like the Gunnison Basin, our effectiveness in sharing this information in a respectful manner to our non-hunting friends and acquaintances who might see things our way if given the chance is critical. Like the woman I encountered on the trail, many folks may have never considered the countless ways hunters have helped conserve our public lands and protect the rich wildlife resources we all enjoy.
Proffered as part of a friendly conversation, it’s sure to make them jolt. c
(Will Shoemaker is a professional communicator in wildlife and public lands conservation and former editor of the Gunnison Country Times . He serves as secretary of the Gunnison Wildlife Association Board of Directors.)
Colorado’s proposed mountain lion and bobcat hunting ban
A question on the 2024 Colorado state-wide ballot will ask voters to prohibit the legal, limited, hunter harvest of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx in the state. Despite the measure’s language, lynx are already protected by both state and federal law, with hunting and trapping prohibited.
This appeal to voters follows several failed attempts by proponents to ban the harvest of mountain lions and bobcats through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission and the Colorado state legislature. Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project, a diverse alliance of wildlife organizations with a common interest in conserving wildlife and their habitats and preserving our hunting and angling tradition, has issued a position statement on the ballot measure, available at the QR code:
THE MINI MARKSMEN OF GUNNISON
PEE WEE GUN CLUB TEACHES FIREARM SAFETY AND SKILLS
By Mariel Wiley
Come September, the thunderclap of rifles will bounce within the walls of the Gunnison Sportsman’s Association (GSA) firing range after a quiet summer. As the echoes quiet, the young sharpshooters of Gunnison’s Pee Wee Gun Club will disarm their weapons and remove their eye and ear protection to receive feedback from their instructors. For some of the kids, the club is their first introduction to shooting. For others, it’s an opportunity to build upon years of acquired skill.
The Pee Wee Gun Club has been teaching kids aged 8 to 18 how to safely handle firearms for more than half a century. The club meets once a week throughout the school year for target practice at the GSA firing range. In addition to developing a sense of respect for firearms, club members
forge deep bonds with their peers and community.
Gunnison local Jack Houser first established a youth shooting club in 1939. The group practiced in the Gunnison High School gym until the backstops, thick boards used to absorb projectiles, wore out. The club reemerged on and off over the next two decades, until local Ed Evans permanently reestablished it as the Pee Wee Gun Club in 1968.
Evans continues to manage the club to this day, with the help of former members and certified shooting instructors. Throughout all its renditions, the club has always been a safety-first operation that teaches its young members how to use firearms responsibly, said instructor Nate Summers.
Summers was a member in his youth, and his two children currently participate in the club. For Summers and other parents of club members, the knowledge their children gain
through their lessons offers great peace of mind, Summers said.
“Safety is number-one,” he said. “I like the program because it takes away a level of curiosity, for example, when kids see dad’s gun at home. Once they learn what firearms can do, they respect them, and they know what you should and shouldn’t use them for.”
Some of the young members have never seen a gun before joining the club, but within a few weeks they understand how to shoot. Other members hail from families of avid hunters, and the club allows them to join in on family outings they might otherwise have missed out on, said parent Kristina Robbins. Robbins’ two children have been with the club for three years. Their participation equipped them with the necessary skills to join their parents and grandparents on hunting trips with rare moose, sheep and goat hunting tags.
Before the pandemic, the club trav-
(Courtesy Kristina Robbins)
eled around the state to participate in youth marksmanship competitions. Despite low funding and outdated equipment, members of the Pee Wee Gun Club were at the top of their game, Summers said.
“All these other kids are shooting expensive guns that are no more than a few years old, but our kids walk in with 50- to 100-year-old rifles,” Summers said. “Our kids shoot just as well or better as the ones with the brand new rifles.”
Although the group hasn’t traveled to compete in several years, they keep their skills sharp with “shootouts” against local organizations at the GSA firing range just west of town. In addition to honing the kids’ skills, the friendly competitions against the American Legion, the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office and the Gunnison Police Department connect the young members with their elder community members.
“It’s a lot of fun. It helps boost the kids’ confidence,” Summers said. “It’s always a night full of belly-rolling laughs.”
The Pee Wee Gun Club will resume regular practices in late September, after kids have had a few weeks to adjust to the start of the school year. The club typically suggests kids start at age 8, but will make exceptions on a case-by-case basis for younger kids who are physically able to handle the smallest firearms available.
Members work with certified shooting instructors to work their way up through a series of different shooting positions from lying prone to sitting, kneeling and standing. Over the next season, Summers hopes to send more instructors through certification training, and to see membership swell.
“We’re very proud of our kids,” Summers said. “We’ve got some great kids in the program, and as a coach, it’s something fun and exciting that I don’t want to see go away.” s
(Mariel Wiley can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or mariel@gunnisontimes.com.)
QUALITY FAMILY TIME AND ‘TYPE II FUN’
A Crested Butte woman's stewardship story
By Danica Bona
Imoved to Crested Butte right out of college to immerse myself in a world vastly different from the small town in North Carolina where I grew up. Pretty much every experience here was new for me — whether it was powder skiing, mountain biking or backpacking in the wilderness. The Gunnison Valley welcomed me, and I quickly fell in love with its expansive beauty and untamed nature.
As with many new recreational interests I’ve fallen into since moving here, I got into big game hunting because my husband was passionate about it. He thought I would enjoy the purposeful adventure through nature, the marksmanship and the time together — and he was correct.
I had experience in bird hunting, with wonderful memories of heading out with my dad during dove and duck seasons both in North Carolina and on the Chesapeake in Virginia and Maryland. I always enjoyed the time spent with those around me and the effort of everything involved, but big game hunting was another world altogether. From the type of firearm used to the intense physical exertion needed to track, find, kill and pack out the animal.
Luckily there was a clear place to start in my journey. It is required in Colorado to complete and pass a hunter safety course before purchasing a hunting license. I took the course alongside a full class of other adultonset hunters through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife department here in Gunnison — and it proved to be thor-
ough and surprisingly fun. It gave me the confidence to embark on my first hunting season, knowing that regardless of whether my hunt was successful, I would make safe decisions for both myself and my partner, respect the backcountry and wildlife and take the best possible shot if the opportunity arose.
Discovering the backcountry of Crested Butte and Gunnison through hunting provided a new perspective. Every movement felt more intentional as I searched for game blending into the landscape. Each item I packed needed to be worth having, or it was just extra weight. Every movement in my periphery, every crack in the woods, every chatter in the trees warning of my presence became magnified. The vastness of the hunting units here became evident, and it made me
(Photo by Trent Bona)
appreciate our proximity to public lands that offer endless exploration.
My once-short hikes for recreation turned into extended treks, driven by the purpose of finding elk and an ever optimistic belief that we might spot one over the next ridge. What began as a tentative exploration evolved into a cherished fall tradition — preparing for the hunt, tracking, planning and looking forward to that first light on opening day.
After nearly 15 years in the Gunnison Valley, I’ve hunted elk for five of them. Over time, my motivation for hunting has shifted from being a new hobby with my partner to being a valuable, hands-on family experience. My parents and in-laws now plan their fall visits around my hunting season, allowing my husband and I to enjoy quality time and “type II” fun together in nature. Type II fun is an activity that is miserable while it’s happening, but fun in retrospect
They’ve become more involved than they ever anticipated, with my fatherin-law even assisting us in packing out my bull on snowshoes last season, witnessing firsthand the effort involved in harvesting big game. My children also participate in the process, learning where their cheeseburgers, taco filling and chili come from as we break down quarters, grind meat and fill our freezer. They understand that while some food comes from the grocery store, other food is a product of our hard work in the forest or our garden.
They come with us on scouting hikes, carrying their own binoculars and backpacks while looking at which direction tracks are heading, fresh scat, aspen saplings that have had their bark rubbed off and other simple signs of critters as we go. I experienced my first successful hunt during the early stages of pregnancy with my youngest son, and even through morning sickness in the woods, I felt the strong connection between the life growing inside me and the wildlife all around me.
Most importantly, my motivation or “why” extends beyond sharing just hunting skills with my kids; it’s about teaching them to respect nature, understand wild foods and appreciate the privilege of having public lands accessible to us here in the Gunnison Valley. Always imparting to them that it is our responsibility to keep
the backcountry pristine, thus keeping it free for future generations. One day, our sons will continue this effort, maintaining and ideally improving upon what we leave behind.
For me, treading lightly while hunting is essential as an outdoorswoman, community member and steward of public lands. As I blend into my surroundings during a hunt, I become acutely aware of disruptions in the wilderness — whether it’s trash, makeshift campsites, human waste or distant voices. I’ve come to understand how even a single irresponsible backcountry user can affect the experience of others, wildlife and the natural beauty we all cherish.
We chose to raise our children in this incredible place for many reasons, but at the top of that list are the opportunities they are provided by their proximity to nature, adventure, wildlife and the diverse terrain and recreation it offers. Learning to care for our nearby wild and natural places from a young age will instill a lifelong instinct in them to maintain and protect out-
door spaces everywhere.
Experiencing this breathtaking environment — whether skiing in Crested Butte, camping in the vast remoteness of Gunnison County or hunting through its seemingly endless backcountry — deepens your appreciation for the wilderness and transforms your perspective on why you love being out here in the first place. As hunters, whether you live here year-round or are visiting to check off a bucket list destination, it's essential to unite in safeguarding the pristine lands of the Gunnison Valley. This involves both embracing personal stewardship and engaging in organized conservation efforts, ensuring that future generations will have the opportunity to enjoy, hunt and explore this remarkable area as we have. l
(Danica Bona is a local photographer, owner of Sweet Tea Studios and a graduate of the School of Journalism & Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina.)
Rory, 3, loves bringing his binoculars on hikes and helping to scout for signs of critters on the trail with the whole family. (Photo by Danica Bona)
663 CR 24 UU, Needle Creek Ranch, 160 Acre in holding completely surrounded by Gunnison NF, 3 Dwellings, Needle Creek ribbons through entire acreage. Riding arena all located in incredible hunting Unit 551, $1,995,000
196 Mohawk Trail , Up Ohio Creek with view of the famous Castles, 2,527 SF, 6.46 Acres, Private fishing, West Elk Wilderness access, Locked gate access, $1,390,000
14111 CR 26, 35.11 Acres, well & electric installed, 23 miles west of Gunnison. Nestled above Blue Mesa Reservoir with stunning 360° views, Hunting Unit 66, $500,000
31710 State Hwy 149, Near Blue Mesa-Iola Boat Ramp, 1,246 SF, 2 Car Garage & large heated shop, 32 Acres bordered by NF & BLM land, Hunting Unit 67, $695,000
32 Bench Road, Enjoy private fishing on Quartz Creek on this 12+ Acre year-round home site in Green Mesa Ranch with electric stubbed-in, ready to build! $495,000
970.209.2300
