Archery elk hunting with a woman

[snake]

My wife and I are trying to decide on a couple of different options for a hunt next year. We have narrowed it down to an OTC public land hunt. It will be for either mule deer in SD, or elk in CO. I really want to take her elk hunting, but she is hesitant because she isn't sure that she can hack it in the mountains. My question is: Could anybody give me any insight into what the Flat Top Wilderness is like? I've heard that there is a good population of elk there and am hoping that maybe the terrain is a little more conducive for a first timer like my wife. I'm not looking to go to anybody's spot, just wanting to know what the general terrain and access is like. Thanks in advance.

[Swede]

Snake, I know nothing particular about the Flattops in Colorado. I just want to reassure your wife that if she is in good health, she can effectively elk hunt. The key is to know your limitations. Don't go where you can't pack out a dead elk. You can tree stand or ground blind elk. You don't need to be on the run like a marathoner. In fact I believe you are more effective going slow and being careful, If you call, wait and stay there an hour. At 68 I am not ready to quit. Every year I see older men, and out of shape coach potatoes hunting elk. We can do nothing about our age, but we should stay in good shape, but even if she is not in great shape, she can effectively elk hunt. Best wishes on whatever you decide.

[powderhogg01]

I agree, keep that fitness level up. a year is more then enough time.. and there is simply nothing better then the echo of a bugle in the mountains. You will really love colorado, come a few days early and you will be adjusted to the altitude and enjoy the time a lot more. I dont know about the specifics of the flat tops.. but I would bet they are not so flat.. anywhere is going to be steep. but you move slow and hunt smart and in a week you will be surprised how quick you become.

[one_elk]

Might try a backpacking/horsepacking/llamapacking trip first just to get some experience in the area before committing to hunt there. My wife started going hunting with me 32 years ago initially she just carried binoculars then a few years later she started shooting a bow, she decided that she wanted to hunt with a rifle first, she did and has harvested deer, elk and pronghorns. She then revisited the thought of hunting with a bow and decided that she would rather hunt with a muzzle loader so this fall she has a cow elk tag for MZ season thus we can hunt during the same time period. We also do a fair number of backcountry trips throughout the year....I guess my .02 would be to take it slow and see what parts she enjoys, best of luck to you. As for the Flatops lots of people....

[Indian Summer]

If I were you I would be hunting at 6 to 8000 feet instead of over 10. She'll have a way better time.

[Gypsumreaper]

Flat tops holds elk and has easy areas to hunt but it is one of the easier places to hunt therefore tons and tons of people flock there to hunt, I haven't been there during archery but in have hunted it second rifle and it was insane how many people were there, driving roads and then hiking maybe a mile off the road and turning back, just pushing elk deeper. The outfitter up there on the eagle county side is alright I guess, I wouldn't use him personally at all but everyone has their opinion. The wilderness area is the same hunted hard for a few miles in and that's it so if you do hunt there best to back pack in deep. Lotta guys take horses in the wilderness which makes it hard on the backpack hunters. I know guys that have hunted the flat tops out of new castle and had success but they were also fighting crowds. And since Colorado archery is right at the end of camping season a lot of people are out there to get their last camp trips on before winter. Ur wife can hack it I took my ex girlfriend out archery for a week and she loved it mostly.... I'm a hard hunter and even some of my buddies don't like hiking with me specially if I'm in the zone but that's me. She liked it more during rifle when we didn't hike as much but her problem wasn't the hiking as much she just liked sitting and waiting, I'm all about spot and stalk.

[pointysticks]

is she fit?

get her jogging now!! i think hunting is equally about the prep..and the hunt..and the aftermath. it is a mutli pronged adventure.

lucky dude!!! my wife just loves my random text messages as i'm cramping and starving on the mountains. haha.

[Lefty]

Ive taken my kids each before their first birthday big game hunting. My wife use to be an avid mulie hunter and Ive taken dozens of people on their first real goose hunts, I know I need to hunt with them of what they are capable of doing
The main thing is to hunt within her abilities, which in all likely-hood is not the way "you" typically hunt.
The last time my wife elk hooted with me she started glassing just out of camp about sunup, I had been gone foer a couple hours, then we spent the day driving and glassing,.. not my way of hunting at all

[Charina]

Every time I read the post title, I snicker a little. Esp just after reading the news article of the two women who completed Army Ranger training.

[GobbleFarmer]

What? Hunting with a woman? Clearly you have not seen the videos on youtube about the subject.. Nah just kidding, I think thats awesome that she wants to hunt with you! I havent any advice though.

[bald9eagle]

Every time I read the post title, I snicker a little. Esp just after reading the news article of the two women who completed Army Ranger training.

Me too. The last time I took my wife deer hunting she spent the entire drive poking me with a stick and throwing mud at me. Took her on a turkey hunt. She drank all her water plus mine halfway through the hunt. No way she would be going on an elk hunt....

[Charina]

I'm no feminist movement advocate. Not by a long shot. But the idea that the gender defines capabilities, or a good hunting partner is just a bit too archaic even for this conservative Christian. My wife and I are headed out in 26 hours for HER archery tag (I don't have an archery tag this year). She is the one pushing that we go for archery for her instead of rifle. And I'm confident at 45 she could pack out more meat per load twice as far as many of you half her age. In contrast: my ex. Hell, she'd make you all look like some sort of Cameron Hanes or something when it came to packing a load. By the same token, I presume there are many of you men I would find wholly unsuitable hunting companions as you are too slow for me, too out of shape, not wanting to go as deep and rugged, and conversely, I'm too tame for others.

What makes a person capable of the Flat Tops, or any other wilderness archery hunt is the individual, not the gender. 99%+ of the hunters I see each fall on the rifle hunt are men. 98.75% of those I would never consider having as a hunting partner. Too lazy, could never make it into the Flat Tops to hunt such an area the way I would want to hunt.

Snake, sorry to derail and deride your thread, but you have to admit its a bit odd of a question to put to a public forum when only you and your wife have any inkling of her capabilities. The question about the Flat Tops and what it takes is completely legitimate. But the title really makes me snicker as a bit backwoods as it is about your wife as an individual, not her gender, that defines how it might be to hunt with her. As if hunting with your wife is presumptively an issue. Hell, there are definitely benefits to it! If both or either of you are truly committed, you could decide to take the full year until next season, get in great shape, and tackle even the most remote and nasty of areas. A year is a long time to get in shape, even for an obese guy like me, who after a year, can run 15 miles a week.

[CurlyTail]

A few years back, I took my wife, then 43 and 15 year old daughter on a 75 mile 8 day backpacking trip to the Flattops wilderness Area. We were backpacking and fishing, not hunting. Lots of water and small lakes so terrible mosquitoes. The Flattops are indeed flat as a pancake with a 4 or 5 large mountain tops arising from them (good glassing spots). Like a giant mesa, the plateau is bordered on most sides by a vertical cliff. The access points from forest to plateau are very steep. There is a very good network of trails through the area. They graze sheep on the top of the plateau - that sucks! Pretty exposed on the plateau, so many campsites better lower. My daughter got blisters the size of silver dollars on both heels. It was very, very physically challenging for them but they made it and overcoming these physical challenges is to this day one of my daughters most glorious memories. They can do it if they want to, but it would not be easy. The altitude is an issue.

[Elkduds]

This guy went hunting w his wife on the Uncompahgre in CO:

http://murderpedia.org/female.D/d/dodson-janice.htm

Just sayin'.

Seriously, I took my wife elk hunting twice. She reminded me of it the other day, as she sometimes does, not in a good way if you get my drift. It was really more my idea than hers, and she was not impressed. She did get to see a coyote, face to face @ 10 feet, that was about all of it she enjoyed. She particularly hated the 2 days of monsoon rain in a nylon tent during a Sept muzzle hunt, when a herd of cattle tried to join us in the tent. She reminds me, "the mud pulled a boot off my foot."

[snake]

Thanks for all the responses. I don't mean to try and degrade women by any means or say that they aren't capable of the same things that men are when it comes to elk hunting. I was just more curious about a place like the Flat Tops because I've heard people say that it's a little bit "easier" hunt. And that is the main thing that I was concerned about if my wife is going to be elk hunting for the first time. I don't want to get into some ridiculously steep area to hunt and her be miserable or even scared to hunt it. She gets to be a nervous wreck sometimes when it comes to steep hillsides/heights, and I want to find the best area for her to hunt so that she is able to enjoy it. I'm not concerned about her conditioning. She will be ready by next year. I'm just wanting her to be able to go elk hunting with me and make it fun for her.

[Lefty]

Last October I posted about the end of the season deer hunt with my 23 year old daughter. I had to send he on her way, She was in incredible shape.
She killed a small buck, pulled it up hill, then 600 yards on the trail where met her,... Then I had to gut the deer

My wife and daughters dont hunt with me as often as I wish they would, but Im certainly willing to give my methods a rest while I hunt with them.

[ABQ_Chica]

The Flattops Wilderness is beautiful, one of my favorite place. Although I haven't been there during hunting season, I used to backpack and fish there during late summer, just before season. Saw elk, deer, beaver, and bald eagles every time. Elk even ran right past our camp once.

But to really get in takes quite a bit of effort unless you're on horseback (it took 8 hours of hiking to get to our spot). I agree that a lot of your answer may depend on your wife's physical abilities and comfort levels--and I would recommend that regardless of a hunter's gender. If she can carry a backpack for at least a few hours at a time and enjoys the outdoors and camping, go for it.

Something else to keep in mind is altitude sickness. If your schedule allows, get to the mountains a few days before your hunt starts to adjust to the elevation and drink tons of water. I've lived in the mountains all my life, and still occasionally get altitude sickness after getting dehydrated. It's no fun, and will ruin a hunt quick.

Maybe you already know this, but it's a dense area for bears, too. Don't let that scare you, though. Overall, they tend to avoid humans--and they'll usually see you before you see them. But they can't resist our food. So keep your food away from camp, ideally by hanging it in a tree. Same goes for anything with a scent, including toothpaste and clothes you wear while cooking. I don't know if it's as much of an issue during hunting season, but we did occasionally see bears, along with evidence they'd wandered through our campsite. They even came at night and sniffed around. If you don't leave food or anything scented lying around, they'll move on.

Hope this helps! It's definitely a place worth getting in to.

[js80138]

If you do bring your wife the Flattops should be good. Last archery season 2014 we had five groups from all over the USA camping in a small area of our Unit. By the fifth day there was only one, me. Two female Rangers came by one evening and asked everyone how the hunt was going. Most of us reported seeing Moose and Bear and no Elk. She informed us that the Flattops were having a great season and sure enough everyone packed up and left. They do have some good size herds in that area.

One thing to consider for your wife and your self is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. As mentioned in a previous post elevation sickness can sneak up on you when your not acclimated to the mountains. The downside of hydrating is of course having to pee and I have found especially in women that it is more frequent and can happen at the most unfortunate times.

[pointysticks]

man. if i had to pick the worst thing about hunting, for me:

it would be that i miss my wife. i miss her so much that i cant usually sleep well for the first three nights. it gets better and i fall into a routine..but i still miss her. most of my spots i have zero cell service except for some of the highest peaks. you dont know how much energy i spend running up there to send a quick text. haha

i would love it if my wife hunted with me. i think a female can do anything a man can..for the most part. the important stuff at least. i know they endure pain better than a man my wife is a bad ass. she is not in her best shape, but she has hiked four 14-ner peaks..i have hiked zero. i know she could do it..but it isnt her thing. i get it. i didnt marry a hunter.