I have heard many
times that if a hunter goes into the woods
one time in spring turkey season that he
will be hooked on turkey hunting for the
rest of his hunting life. I have hunted
turkeys in the spring season in my home
state of Pennsylvania and I have not been
hooked.
However, I can not say
the same for elk hunting. The first time I
hunted elk was on West Miller Creek, just a
few miles east of Meeker, in 1990. My cousin
had hunted that area for a few seasons and
he had a pretty good idea how the elk moved
once the hunters started shooting. He
directed me to a spot that, once I left
camp, required a vertical climb of about
1,500 feet. I was instructed to watch very
closely because the elk would likely sneak
through the oak brush on the basin above me.
When the first elk sneaked through, I was
shocked. Those critters looked like minivans
going through that oak brush. I saw a couple
of spike bulls and some cows that day, but
no legal bulls. Over the course of the next
four days, I walked countless miles through
Hay Flats and Middle Mountain and saw a lot
of elk but was unable to get close enough to
shoot a bull. I did manage to sneak up on a
real nice 55 mule deer on the fourth day.
The mount of that animal hangs on my living
room wall and is a constant reminder of the
sheer enjoyment I experienced on that hunt
in 1990.
Since that time, my
hunting experiences have spanned several
states: mule deer in Texas, elk and mule
deer in Montana, mule deer and antelope in
Wyoming and a cow elk hunt in New Mexico.
Many of those hunts have been spent with
good friends and some of those hunts were
outstanding in their own way. But for the
past 20 years, I have found myself returning
to the Meeker area any time I am looking for
a surefire enjoyable hunt.
In August 2009, Lew Cramer of Somerset,
Penn., called me and said that he was
interested in going on a do-it-yourself hunt
in Meeker. Lew had hunted that area several
times in the past and was familiar with the
area and the demands of a hunt. He asked me
to shop around and see if I could find some
lodging in that area and we would then go
out and hunt on our own, probably in the
White River National Forest.
I typed Lodging in
Meeker Colorado into Google and it
somehow produced a result for Private
Hunting on the Cherry Ranch. I opened
that site simply to see what kind of lodging
they had to offer. The Web page indicated
that they had private land vouchers
available for deer for the second and third
rifle seasons. Just for the fun of it, I
sent an e-mail requesting more information
on their hunts. I was both impressed and
surprised when within an hour I received a
telephone call from Curtis Cherry. I
talked with him for some time and he piqued
my interest enough that I asked for, and got
from him, a list of references. I called Lew
back and told him to check out Curtiss Web
site and also told him that I would be
calling some of the references. Both Lew and
I were apprehensive because we had both
heard stories in the past from various
outfitters on how their hunt was a surefire
adventure only to spend several days in camp
being told that the previous week had been
pretty good hunting and they were expecting
next week to be super, but the week they
were there was probably the worst week, due
to weather or herd migration or perhaps even
the evil plans of the Department of
Wildlife, and they ended up either coming
back home empty handed or with an animal
they werent entirely happy with.
Every reference I
called raved about the wonderful experiences
they had at the Cherry Ranch. Almost to the
point that it sounded too good to be true.
Lew and I kicked around the idea of taking a
chance on this hunt and eventually we
decided to send in the deposit. Curtis
called a few days later and verified that he
had received our money and again guaranteed
that we would have success and that we would
enjoy ourselves.
The roundtrip from my
home in Pennsylvania to Meeker is right
around 3,600 miles. We spent three days on
the road laying over in Illinois and eastern
Colorado on the way out. When we arrived in
camp on Thursday, Oct. 15, we met Ralph
Craven and Bill Childers. As we would later
find out, these were two of the guides we
would be hunting with. They had the shooting
bench set up and both Lew and I took a
couple of shots to make sure the guns were
still on. Bill then led us up through a
ravine about a mile from the ranch buildings
and showed us our living quarters for the
week. Nothing fancy about that
100-plus-year-old cabin with the antique
wood cook stove, gas lights and propane
refrigerator. The running water consisted of
a garden hose running through a hole in the
wall of the camp to a water buffalo sitting
in a rusty trailer out back. An old
fashioned two-seater outhouse rounded out
the amenities of our accommodations. There
is a modern shower house near the main house
and, all in all, the cabin was warm and dry
and served our purposes quite nicely. We
took a quick inventory, made a grocery and
equipment list, and headed to town for
dinner and to make a supply run.
As I have mentioned
before, I have spent several hunting seasons
in the Meeker area. I believe this was my
seventh hunt in that general area. Some
things have changed dramatically while
others have not changed at all. The town
grocery is pretty much the same. The old
feed store is a must stop and if anyone is
traveling through Meeker, the Blue Spruce
Motel is a very nice addition. But the
biggest difference I noticed this time was
that there just did not seem to be as many
hunters in town. And it showed in the faces
of the local merchants and also was a topic
of discussion at several of the stops we
made during our stay in Meeker. Business was
being conducted as usual, but there simply
were not as many people as I had seen in
previous trips to Meeker.
Lew and I had an
excellent meal at the local Bistro
Restaurant, collected our supplies and
headed back to the ranch. We spent Friday
arranging gear in the cabin and meeting the
other hunters. Two from Michigan, two from
Oregon and one each from Wyoming and
Virginia. After all the guns were checked
and sleeping arrangements decided Harold
Cherry invited all of his hunters and guides
to join he and his wife for dinner at the
Meeker Hotel. We were all in awe of the
mounts displayed there and the prime rib was
exceptional.
Any hunter knows that the night before the
first day is one spent with nervous
anticipation, doubts about the weather,
unanswered questions about the quality of
the herd along with about a million more
concerns regarding equipment and physical
skills and conditioning. I believe I heard
every tick of the alarm clock that night. A
hot pot of tea, a cold breakfast of cereal
and muffins and lunch packed with the aid of
gas lights got us ready for the drive to the
ranch house for the first day.
We met the other
hunters and the guides an hour or so before
daylight. We left camp just before daybreak
and within an hour or so all my doubts had
disappeared and almost all of my questions
had been answered. The Cherry Ranch is truly
an amazing place. There may be other ranches
in the area, or for that matter in other
areas, that are similar to this ranch. But
the diversity of the terrain and the cover
that I saw within the first hour of that
hunt amazed me. If you live on one of these
ranches or have had the pleasure of hunting
one of these ranches, count your blessings.
I later told Curtis that he certainly has a
magnificent back yard. It stretches for
almost six miles north of the ranch house
and is about three miles wide. I saw a lot
of it during this hunt and have not seen one
single spot that did not look like a great
place to hunt. I started seeing game as soon
as it was light enough to shoot and these
were not just small animals; they were
quality trophy deer and elk. It just seemed
logical to me that if someone would put in
the time and effort during the hunt that
they would certainly fill their tags on this
magnificent ranch. Now all I had to do was
just enjoy the hunt and wait for my
opportunities.
There were eight guys
in camp with elk tags and four of us also
had deer tags. The first day produced two
bulls and a buck. Lew tagged a 66 bull
around noon and then a beautiful 27-inch
mule deer that evening. The second day was
the same, two bulls and a buck. I had the
pleasure of spending the second day with
guide Blake Davey. We saw a ton of elk,
including a real nice 66 bull that stayed
just far enough out of my comfortable
shooting range. We watched the herd moving
for about a mile or so and after they passed
above us we chased that herd for several
hours and got close several times, but the
hunting stars never lined up and the day
ended with us never seeing that big bull
again. But having passed on a pretty decent
mule deer as well as several small deer.
During the day we did have the pleasure of
having a couple of cows and calves walk
within 20 yards of us. But the fondest
memory I have of that day was the
companionship of a fellow hunter who was
dedicated to the principal of fair chase
hunting. I never pulled the trigger that
day, but will always consider it one of my
most successful days.
On the third day, Oct.
19, my guide was Bill Childers. We walked
into a herd of several elk first thing in
the morning and I shot a small bull. I think
everyone who goes elk hunting wants to kill
a real big bull and I am no different. But I
have learned that sometimes it is better to
take what is available and that 43 looks
just fine and has already provided Judy and
me with some excellent meals. That evening
Curtis and I glassed several good bucks
before I decided on a real nice 44 buck
just before sunset.
The following day started out with some rain
showers and then it got just downright
miserable. But Curtis and his guides didnt
quit for a minute. A late afternoon push
produced a 55 bull for the hunter from
Wyoming. That same hunter completed his trip
by taking a real nice mule deer just before
shooting hours ended that evening. There
were two hunters in camp who did not kill,
but they did have good opportunities on elk.
Total take for our camp was six out of eight
elk and four out of four on deer.
There were no world
records taken on the Cherry Ranch during the
second rifle season and probably most trophy
hunters would have turned up their noses at
some of our animals. But I had just about
the most fun that I have had on any hunt in
my 40 some years of hunting. Curtis and his
guides did everything that they promised.
When a lot of outfitters and guides would be
lying down to take a couple hour nap during
those 70-some-degree bluebird days, Curtis
was directing his guides, as well as the
hunters, to keep moving and to keep looking
for those pockets of animals. And it worked.
Everyone in camp was presented a good shot
opportunity on all animals they had tags
for. If we had all been ready and steady all
tags would have been filled.
Lew and I left camp on
Wednesday morning. We picked up our animals
at one of the local processing plants. We
grabbed a bag of wings at the Stage Stop (If
you havent tried these you are missing a
treat) and headed north. A layover in
Nebraska the first night and a second night
near Chicago left us with about an
eight-hour ride on Friday. It was good to
get home and see Judy and Kona, my faithful
German Shepherd. As it has been said many
times there is no place like home.
I am coming back to
Meeker in 2010. And I will be hunting the
Cherry Ranch. I look forward to eating
some of the delicious fish that Harold
Cherry caught while fishing off the Mexico
coast. Or maybe Lori will entertain us by
showing off her shooting skills on the local
rattlesnake population. I expect to get some
good-natured ribbing from Bill, Ralph and
Blake. I also look forward to browsing
through the feed store and will probably
stop at the DOW Office and the Chamber of
Commerce, just to say hello to the friendly
people who work there. I will buy my
groceries at the local supermarket and my
camp supplies at the local hardware stores.
I hope the stores are still there. I am
already looking forward to this trip. I am
looking forward to once again seeing what
now seems like old friends and I am looking
forward to chasing those elusive elk around
those beautiful mountains.
But most of all I am
looking forward to listening to every tick
of the alarm clock during that nervous
sleepless night before the first day of the
elk season because no matter how hard I
fight this feeling I am hooked.
By George F. Emigh