To tell the whole story, I first must reflect back to my hunt with the Storm Peak crew in 2024 for the second rifle season and an OTC tag. The experience started with Mike, the owner of Storm Peak, taking us up into the high country in the dark. The ride started well before first light, with some steep switchbacks in a black timber where you had to put 100% of your trust in the mule you were riding and the guide leading the way. I was on Alice, a sorrel mule that I soon learned to love. Once she had my trust, I pretty much relaxed and gave her a free rein. She took me to the top without incident, crossing downed trees, sidehills and whatever came at us gracefully. When it was light enough to see, we were blessed with some views that you had to stop and take in slowly.
Elk Hunt With Storm Peak Outfitters
It was days 2 and 3 of the 2024 hunt when Mother Nature flexed her muscles with what seemed to be endless snowfall. Up where we had been after a couple of really nice bulls, she dumped over 24″ of the fresh white stuff. This stopped us from getting a truck and trailer with mules and horses up there at 10,000 feet. But not until we gave it a good try and spent the rest of the evening digging the rig out, and headed back off the mountain. From there on, the next day or two it was tough sledding. We did all we could hiking in to high spots in 2′ of snow and glassing up some elk that we just could not get to. So no dice in 2024, but the experience was great, and the staff at Storm Peak did a fantastic job and put out a huge effort. Now this didn’t stop some of the other groups in camp from filling their tags. Several bulls were taken before the storm did its deed.
2025 Season
Fast forward to 2025 where I had enough points to draw a CO. first rifle tag, and I was back on my way again to that beautiful place just south of Rico Colorado, the home of Storm Peak Outfitters.
The last 20 or so miles were nothing short of breathtaking. With the aspens in full color and the mountains so vivid, it was unreal.
With the warm days and cold nights, it seemed as though ole Mother Nature was sending a warm welcome and just maybe an apology for her stunt in 2024. I arrived at Storm Peak a day early.
Storm Peak Outfitters
Once settled into my room in the lodge, I was eager to get out to the shooting spot and check my rifle one last time. Bryse Russell was my guide for this hunt, so he came with me to spot shots and get a feel for our effective range. This was some welcome practice as I wanted to confirm once again my newest build, “The LRO DRT” in 300 Wheeler, was as good as we could be. And to confirm that my Revic BR4 was also in tune with the altitude we would be hunting.
Double Checking Long Range Dope
I started on the rock face at 650 yards. We chose a very small aiming point, and I sent a 230 Berger Hybrid Target with a muzzle velocity of 3080 fps in that direction. We were both pleased when the impact was no more than 1″ above the aim point, so on to the next rock at 860 yards. The aim point was a 1-foot square. The ole DRT center punched it right under my crosshairs. I felt I was good to go when Bryse asked if I wanted to try a further poke. I, feeling pretty cocky now, said sure. What ya got? Bryse pointed to a distant hillside, where a large patch of dirt lay under a few evergreens. Near the center, there was a white rock shining in the sun. The rock was no more than 8″ tall and about 13″ wide. I got the BR4 stable and ranged the rock. Wow, 1398 yards! I started setting the rifle up for the shot as Bryse and a couple of others there got their spotters dialed in on the rock. I took in all the wind indicators possible, like the tops of trees, wind at the gun, and anything else I could find. And I dialed what the Revic BR4 gave me for a shooting solution. I got my LRO Hunters Wedge bag crammed in as tight as possible, ensuring a rock-solid foundation for this poke. Once solid, I started communications with my spotter. One shot.
Well here, lets let the video tell the rest of the story. (Volume up and watch for the vapor trail)
Day One
With that, we felt pretty good. 3 shots all on the aiming point. Now all we needed was a bull. Day one, we were off early and headed up where we were seeing a couple of good bulls in 2024. Another LRO member “Magnett” was joining us for day one. We started on an old logging trail that had once been overgrown with native grasses. This trail is not accessible to any motor vehicle. It’s by foot, by horse, or by mule only. It had been raining for a few days, so things were plenty soggy. But what we didn’t know was that, in all their wisdom, only a few days before rifle opening, the Forest Service had decided to destroy this trail. They went in over a mile with a track hoe and dug down 2 to 3 feet on every single inch of the road. No trail left, not even a 3′ path. All native grasses were destroyed, and left us in mud so deep we had to dismount, so we didn’t get the horses and mules hurt. Mud, rocks, logs, old culverts, you name it. We ended up heading back out, leading the horses through the timber off-trail, where we encountered plenty of downfall, which made the trip out twice as long. I will leave this subject with a few photos as my blood pressure is on the rise just thinking about this stupid operation, all in the name of “Reclamation” and Govt. funding.
So back to the lodge we went to get a bite to eat. Then we went off to scout for the evening and build the new plan for day two.
Day Two
The plan was for me and Bryse to take his side-by-side up an old logging road that was impassable to trucks. Well, that is, unless you take chances that I would not take. We started up in the dark, and as we gained altitude and it was getting light, we started glassing meadows. It wasn’t long until we spotted some cow elk crossing an opening. It was good to see, but no bulls. So on up we went. A few meadows later, we parked and took a short hike in the woods to glass an opening Bryse knew of. Right off the bat, Bryse spotted a legal bull. We were hidden in the trees and had a really steep shot through an opening. I got set up using a pack under the bipod for the shot.
The bull was no monster for sure. But we discussed the location and the recovery, and I remembered what I have told many, many hunters I have helped get elk. “Never pass one on the first few days that you would shoot on the last” So with that in mind, I got back on the rifle and prepared for the shot. Bryse was spotting with his bino’s and once solid I found the vitals sweet spot and touched her off. The bull bolted forward a few feet. Bryse said, “I’m not sure you hit him” I immediately rechecked my turrets and got back on him as I chambered another round. By this time (only a few seconds), the bull was doing the Berger wobble. He stopped and fell tumbling about 100 yards back to us and never even kicked. So, with all the practice, load work, and preparation, the shot was a whopping 235 yards. I will always take a close one, but I guess it is good to know we were ready for the long poke if we had to.
We hiked up and sidehilled over to the Bull. Took a few hero pics and started rolling him down more to a flat spot where we could take him apart to pack out.***
With two guys that had both done this many times, we had that bull quartered and in game bags in short order. The shot went rib-to-rib, so the meat loss was minimal.
I hiked back to the side-by-side and got it as close as we could on the trail to load the meat. The pack out was pretty short, and Bryse is a machine, so by the time I got there, he was coming with the last bag.
We were loaded up and back to camp in no time, where we hung the meat in the camp’s walk-in cooler. The next day, Bryse and I cut the bull up into roasts, steaks, and several bags of clean chunked meat that I would later grind into burger. Then all the meat was placed in my two large coolers, on ice, in preparation for the drive home.
In Summary
I have been on several guided hunts. I have priced many fully guided hunts with all accommodations. Hunting with Storm Peak Outfitters is by far the best value out there. Plus, they understand long-range and how it opens many doors for rifle hunters. The success rate is very high for this type of real mountain elk hunting. The 2025 first rifle fully guided hunts had an incredible 95% success rate with 100% shot opportunity. For the entire 2025 rifle season, fully guided hunts were 85% shot opportunity. But don’t go just for the kill and great table fare. I left with several new friends. I left with great memories of a true, bigger-than-life, real elk hunting experience. I am already planning for my next trip to Storm Peak to reunite with the friends I have made there in the staff and crew. Storm Peak Outfitters is a well-oiled machine made up of the very best people you will find. It’s Broz-approved and highly recommended.
Comment or ask Broz questions about this hunt here.
