An account in La Plata County, Colorado

My wife and I were elk hunting. We went up to our favorite area Beaver Meadows. We had decided to try a different area the next week. We went back up Beaver Meadows road and went off on Bear Creek road. We went down an old logging road. My wife and I had gone about 100 yards when my wife said do you smell that. I smelled the air and said no. I left her on a stump and I went a ways further. I found a place for myself. Looking over a meadow I started to smell this fowl wet musty odor. Then I heard a loud crack, not a gun shot, not an ax, but more like a log hitting another. I walked back to my wife and explained the smell and she said that was what she smelled. We started back toward the truck when my wife tripped. I looked down to see what she tripped on. To my surprise a huge track, not a bear, it was about 16 inches long and 6 inches wide no claw marks. There were two tracks. I am six foot tall and could not even match the stride. My wife was so excited about this she wants to go back this spring to see if we can get picture of the creature.