From left, Mike Shreckhise, Steve Shreckhise, Alex Ribelin, Michael Shreckhise and Rick Morris, all of Virginia, rearrange elk racks while stopping for gas Thursday after a successful archery hunt in the San Juan Mountains. Steve Shreckhise has been coming to the Durango area to hunt for 30 years, Mike Shreckhise for 25 years and the others not quite as long. When asked why they make the 30-plus hour drive to hunt here, they all said: “Look at these racks. That tells you the kind of quality bulls up here.” The group also shot a cow elk and found a large rack on an elk that had been dead for months. They contacted Colorado Parks and Wildlife and asked for permission to take the rack.

From left, Mike Shreckhise, Steve Shreckhise, Alex Ribelin, Michael Shreckhise and Rick Morris, all of Virginia, rearrange elk racks while stopping for gas Thursday after a successful archery hunt in the San Juan Mountains. Steve Shreckhise has been coming to the Durango area to hunt for 30 years, Mike Shreckhise for 25 years and the others not quite as long. When asked why they make the 30-plus hour drive to hunt here, they all said: “Look at these racks. That tells you the kind of quality bulls up here.” The group also shot a cow elk and found a large rack on an elk that had been dead for months. They contacted Colorado Parks and Wildlife and asked for permission to take the rack.