Would you rather?

[Thegreatwapiti]

As I get set to embark on my elk hunting quest, a question keeps popping into my head...... would you rather? Given the same area (say 10 square miles) would you rather hunt in an area with 500 elk and 100 hunters or would you rather hunt in an area with 10 elk and 2 hunters? The same 5:1 ratio. What are the advantages and disadvantages? Would you rather?

[wawhitey]

10:2, every time. Why?? Because lots of humans is more irritating to me than few elk. Also, with that many guys there will be a lot of knuckleheads that can throw a wrench in your best laid plans. If theres no hunting pressure and i fail, its on me. But witha hundred other guys in the woods, the elk will get thrown off their game even through no fault of my own. Ill take the low prey density, low hunter pressure, thank you.

Why would i hunt 100 highly pressured (totally unpredictable, and on high alert) elk, than 10 unpressured elk that are exhibiting natural behavior?

[Lefty]

I hunt the areas with fewer hunters.

When I hunted elk in the desert, The area had a 40 % success rate for 6x6 bulls the "average hunt das was 17,Over a 3 year period I was the only person reporting to kill a cow. the area was over 400 sq miles 2 locals sometimes 4. then up to 6 NR hunters and myself. The locals were jerks. The California guys were great to hunt around

For years the fields near my home killed over 1,000 geese most years,
I drove 30 minutes where I could decoy geese without being bothered by others' shots messing up decoying geese.

If I were calling elk I would want to be alone,,, We've called in 7 hunters in the past 10 years, and we've never been called into someone else's setup

[saddlesore]

False premise because the elk will more than likely be in a herd. So those ten elk may be in one herd in that entire ten miles, so harder to find,whereas the 500 elk may very well be in ten to twenty different small herds giving more chance to find them. Of the 100 hunters, 75 % of the will not venture too far off the roads.

A more realistic question would be would you rather hunt an area you know well with less elk than a new area you don't know with more elk

[Thegreatwapiti]

False premise

Hey Saddle! I'm OK with your question, but mine is NOT a false premise.

The reality is that I know both areas very well.

I can go to the flat tops where there are tons of elk but also tons of hunters. If you wake up in the middle of the night to pee, you might pee on someone else's camper. Or.......

I can go to the steep and rugged, forest terrain of Clear Creek County where there are relatively few elk but I will have the forest to myself! Which would you prefer?

I'm OK with your question but I am asking something slightly different. Good luck this season! PEACE

[saddlesore]

Those 10 elk will most likely be together so the chance that you and the other hunters finds them is the same. That one other hunter can mess up your hunt is what I am saying. I'd prefer hunting the ten- twenty different groups of elk than one. My chance of finding one of those groups is ten-twenty times higher. I hunted OTC many many years and killed a lot of elk.I let other hunters do the work for me so I could am bush the elk. Trying to find ten elk in ten square miles means I'd most likely go on a camping trip and carry a rifle.

Wawhitey missed in that he said 100 elk,when your post said 500 elk

[wawhitey]

Those 10 elk will most likely be together so the chance that you and the other hunters finds them is the same. That one other hunter can mess up your hunt is what I am saying. I'd prefer hunting the ten- twenty different groups of elk than one. My chance of finding one of those groups is ten-twenty times higher. I hunted OTC many many years and killed a lot of elk.I let other hunters do the work for me so I could am bush the elk. Trying to find ten elk in ten square miles means I'd most likely go on a camping trip and carry a rifle.

Wawhitey missed in that he said 100 elk,when your post said 500 elk

I may have missed, it happens sometimes, both literallyand figuratively. But my point stands, no matter what im hunting, id rather hunt a few animals with low hunter pressure, than a lot of animals with a lot of people spooking them. I guess hunting animals thatare exhibiting natural behavior is more important to me than having a high odds hunt. I would enjoy my hunt more ending up with tag soup, having been the only guy in the woods, more than killing an animal that was freaked out running from a bunch of idiots, tongue hanging out of its mouth. Been there, done that, bought the t shirt. I aim for peace and quiet over a notched tag.

[saddlesore]

I may have missed, it happens sometimes, both literallyand figuratively. But my point stands, no matter what im hunting, id rather hunt a few animals with low hunter pressure, than a lot of animals with a lot of people spooking them. I guess hunting animals that are exhibiting natural behavior is more important to me than having a high odds hunt. I would enjoy my hunt more ending up with tag soup, having been the only guy in the woods, more than killing an animal that was freaked out running from a bunch of idiots, tongue hanging out of its mouth. Been there, done that, bought the t shirt. I aim for peace and quiet over a notched tag.

Sure anyone would like less hunters, but if you are hunting a 10 square mile with ten elk in it, you are hunting the wrong area. You would have to really enjoy tag soup because that is all you will ever have.That is why my initial post was False Premise.I have never met anyone who would chose an ten square mile are with ten elk in it to hunt and I have been in the game a long long time. Areas with few hunters are few and far between.Even draw areas. I'd rather go hunting and contend with other hunters than to stay home. In Colorado that is the choice you have to make.

Not all other hunters are bunch of idiots. That is a poor opinion of all other hunters. I get the same remarks as I ride past a camp with my mules, until they come knocking on my camp door wanting me to pack out their elk..

Maybe the question should be: Would you rather hunt an area with a lot of elk that you don't know very well or an area with fewer elk that you know well.

[Lefty]

Sure anyone would like less hunters, but if you are hunting a 10 square mile with ten elk in it, you are hunting the wrong area. You would have to really enjoy tag soup because that is all you will ever have.That is why my initial post was False Premise.I have never met anyone who would chose an ten square mile are with ten elk in it to hunt and I have been in the game a long timel.

There are some of us that prefer fewer or no hunters

I was that guy,.

as a new Archer I killed the only cow elk in the unit where 17, 6x6s were taken that year

I would need to check my records and I'm somewhat guessing now. But the first three years I hunted the desert I had 18 full days to hunt and 15 Friday evenings of 30 minutes to 2 hours of hunting. I found elk every outing
My last three years in the desert I only hunted for one bull.
He was the only elk I cared about.
I was the only person who hunted an area of 35 square miles.

And if tag soup was the menu to hunt that bull;

That bull gave me expierinces hunting that notchingmy tag

[saddlesore]

There are some of us that prefer fewer or no hunters

I was that guy,. as a new Archer I killed the only cow elk in the unit where 17, 6x6s were taken that year

Would not that mean there were 17 hunters in that area? Was it a draw unit and what number of hunters had tags?

When I go elk hunting, I go to kill elk and do everything I can physically do to kill any legal bull or cow, I don't get upset if I don't, but sure try to figure out what I did wrong.

As mentioned I would like less hunters also, but that isn't going to happen in Colorado.The fewest hunters I have seen was on a draw hunt.It took me 21years to draw that tag and there were 25 tags given out.Today it takes almost 30 points to draw that area. In those 21 years, I went elk hunting every year on OTC tags and killed elk almost every year.

[Thegreatwapiti]

I have hunted nearly 15 years in the same area and seen a total of 3 hunters. 2 of them I called in! FACT. I did catch a cute couple on my trailcams 2 years ago, but I didn't see them so that doesn't count.

I have a lot of tag soup under my belt but I've got a few and damn it's peaceful! To each their own!

[Thegreatwapiti]

I swear to God......I just hit send and then 2 guys (1 with a bow) just walked into the field I'm sitting on. Now I have seen 5 people in 15 years.

[Lefty]

There are some of us that prefer fewer or no hunters
I was that guy,. as a new Archer I killed the only cow elk in the unit where 17, 6x6s were taken that year

Would not that mean there were 17 hunters in that area? Was it a draw unit and what number of hunters had tags?

Ive been hunting and thought I better answer. all of my elk sessons are done for the year.

Nonresidents need to draw. Residents it is a general otc archery tag. For now. I was told residents might get tossed the same mess as non-residents.

this was 2022 for the Unit of approximately 1,112,000 acres

Archery Unit 52A 28elk killed 118hunters 24% success archery 906 days hunted, 22 antlered elk killed 47.4% 6x6
Ive posted this pic before I messed up a 21 yard shot opputunity at the little 5x5
The big bull the wolves got him right before season opened.

[7mmfan]

I guess it depends, which is usually the answer.

Considerations:
- Archery hunting or rifle?
- Time of year?
- Type of Landscape, Mountainous and timbered or open flat/hilly?
- Is this a hunt where I want to kill a mature bull, or will anything with horns suffice?

I've spent a lot of time hunting in highly pressured areas, and have done well in them, but it's a different hunt. You aren't hunting the animals, you're basing your moves on other people and how they are going to affect the animals. Sitting in pinch points, saddles, escape cover works really well. However I've done enough of that to know that it's not my type of hunting, and I have accepted that I am better off hunting in lower productivity areas with fewer hunters where I can hunt animals in their natural state instead of animals on the run. I may not see as many animals, but when I do, the probability that I get a shot opportunity is usually quite high. These are mid-late October rifle hunts.

[Swede]

I would prefer the area with fewer hunters. It makes no difference if I am hunting with a rifle or bow. Fewer hunters usually mean there are fewer elk, the area is very difficult to access, or it is expensive to access. I am not going to pay a lot so if there is a qualifying factor that is one and I am not going to kill myself getting in and out is another.