Colorado Elk Hunting Suggestions

[Camo]

Hello guys I just found this site and joined since from what I read you all know a lot about elk hunting. I am relatively new to elk hunting and have not yet taken my first elk. I have hunted in Colorado near Denver and after 5 days got within 200 yards of an OK bull but he was standing in thick oaks and all I could see was his head. I am planning my second hunt for elk this Fall and I will be getting an OTC license. I am going along with a friend who has been a couple of times. He has an uncle in Minnesota that has hunted in northwest Colorado for years and packs it in on horse back. However he called and said he can't go this year and if we still want to go we are on our own. Given we don't have his experience we need to refocus on what we can handle as amateurs. I am looking for some guidance from anyone that can offer some help on Colorado elk hunting. I understand that I must do my own homework and I enjoy that part, but can anyone offer advice on areas to stay away from. We do not expect to kill a monster bull but rather we want to see some elk and avoid areas that are covered with hunters. We are thinking about the Montrose area of the state. Does anyone have a suggestion on that area? Are atvs a problem and do they scare the elk?

[JohnFitzgerald]

Welcome Camo,

I've never hunted Colorado so I can be of much help with that part. But if you want to lessen your learning curve, be sure to get ElkNut's Playbook. His DVD's are also worth investing in.

Just my 2-cents!

[CrazyElkHunter]

The Montrose area is ATV friendly with roads everywhere. Lots of hunters. Elk adapt to whats in the area. Find a good spot and get off the road. Google Earth areas and pick basins, draws and canyons farthest from the roads. Call biologist (game wardens) for the areas you plan to hunt for any info that might help. Camp spots, elk population, hunter pressure, water.

[bnsafe]

welcome to the site, ive only been elk hunting once but if i was you i would forget the amateur mindset. no matter where you pick regardless of area is better than not going. you will learn a ton. one thing that stuck out to me when i was researching last year is the advice to stick with an area year after year. that way you learn the area and where the elk are instead of always starting from scratch. with that said if i was you i would pick whatever region you want to hunt and go do it. like the uncle, it wont be long an you will be the old hats in the area. it will only take a year or two for ya. good luck.

[Camo]

Thanks guys for the advice. I agree with the suggestion of sticking with an area. My friend's uncle has gone in on horses and that is what I ultimately want to do, but with him being unable to go this year we won't be able to go to his area. He can describe it in general but we need his guidance on the area including camping, scouting, and horsemanship. I am country boy and raised on a farm but I am not a cowboy and I need to learn a lot about taking care of horses on a hunting trip. I don't think it be would be wise to try that on my own. I love to hunt and I am committed to getting this elk deal done. I have hunted whitetails for 30 years and mule deer for about 10. I have never bagged an elk and that is the ultimate for me. I want to learn a lot, build on this hunt, and chase elk for the next 20 years. I am in my late-40s and now is the time. I also like the self-guided deal although a guide may increase by odds. However I enjoy working the hunt myself and if I make mistakes so be it. It is called fair chase for a reason. A buddy of mine paid a guide in southern Colorado last year $4,500 and they saw only a couple of elk and one bull, a spike. I know last year was a rough year but I can waste $4,500 on my own pretty well and my buddy told me the guide appeared to be very indifferent about him bagging an elk. It appeared that he knew there were no elk in the area but wanted to pay day more than a satisfied hunter.

I am concerned about the atvs. I have a Polaris ranger and a Polaris 4 wheeler. However if there is a lot of atv traffic does that run off the elk. I want to be smart about this and if every hunter in an area is using atvs will we just run them to the hills. However you guys that are experienced can tell me if the elk are scared off by the atvs. I understand that all game are pushed by heavy hunting pressure and the atvs may not be a big factor.

[Camo]

I failed to mention that I also applied for an elk tag in New Mexico but as a non-resident my odds are poor. I did not get drawn. So for now I must focus on OTC in Colorado.

[wideangle]

If you have the cash $1500.00 I would suggest booking a drop camp for an OTC hunt.
Any OTC unit in that region that has a road through it needs a cop to direct the ATV traffic.
Most everyone calls the same biologist to get a fix on the elk.
West Elk Wilderness is a good bet if you are in VERY excellent shape.
Hope it works out!

[Camo]

Wideangle what unit is West Elk Wilderness? As I said I do have an atv but I have never used it to hunt in Colorado because I think it scares the game. Also I have tried to always hunt where the atvs are not allowed. Wideangle do you have any advice on this hunt?

[Camo]

Wideangle I found West Elk Wilderness. It looks pretty rough. I better start running 4 miles each day. I will look hard at this area and try to figure out where to hunt and where to set up a base camp. It will be the two of us and we are both in our 40's. My hunting partner has a family member in Montrose, CO. and we can use his place as a jump start to West Elk Wilderness. I will plan a trip to the area this summer and do some driving, hiking, and questioning the locals. This is a big area and I will need to narrow my focus to an area. My goal is to learn as much about an area and stick with it. Any advice on where to focus? My preference is an area where I will not be over run by hunters but is also not straight up. A couple of days of rock climbing can ruin a hunt. I tried that with mule deer about 10 years back and it was both exhausting and impossible to move through the woods quietly. I know you all know that but I have learned to really think these trips through. It is one thing to pick a spot on a map but a whole different issue when you are on the ground and there is a massive mountain in front of you. Send any and all advice. Thanks!

[RockChucker30]

Camo,

I was in your shoes last year. I posted a thread that pretty much documented my hunt.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=750&p=9365&hilit=rockchucker#p9365

When I got back I wrote up a story and submitted it to Eastmans Bowhunting, and it got published recently, so you CAN be successful on a first hunt or when you've got limited experience.

BUT, you've got either be lucky or good, and you can't count on luck.

Call the local biologist about the West Elk. She told me it was a big mesa with a very well developed road system on top, but it is perfect and classic elk habitat. What happens is after the first few days of season all the elk hit the nasty steep oak brush on the sides of the mesa because there are so many hunters up on top with all the roads.

My advice is to out work the other hunters. And that starts now. A lot depends on the area you choose. If you choose high, nasty country then you won't have to outsmart as many other hunters.....it's more of a physical challenge getting there and operating. You meet that challenge by being in great shape. If you pick flatter country with better access then you will have to outsmart a lot of other hunters by knowing elk patterns, calling, escape routes, and you will still have to hike earlier, farther, and harder than the other guy.

Check out the first time elk hunter blog series that sreekers and I are writing this season to help new elk hunters. The articles we write all have More Than Memories in the title.

http://seekoutside.com/buzz/blog/

[sreekers]

Camo,

I have never hunted CO myself, but a few tricks to beat the other hunters:

1. Camp isn't your friend, be in elk country all day.
2. Use elevation to your advantage, elk know where the lowest densities of hunters will be. If you can figure that out as well, and be willing to get there you will have a better hunt.
3. Glass, glass and glass some more. It's amazing the number of elk I have seen guys walk right past elk because they don't use their binoculars hiking in.
4. Finally, don't let your emotions get the best of you, one way or another. When you get down, don't let it get you too low. Situations often change not long after you get done with the bottom of the low points.
5. At all costs, have fun.

Like Nathan said, check out our MTM series, there is a lot of good information. There will be a lot coming up on scouting very soon, I even got some pictures this past weekend that I intend to use. Let us know all of the questions you have, and we will do our best to help get them answered.

[baddaddy]

Check out the Billy Creek State Wildlife Area near Montrose. I believe it is walk in only. I use an atv to get into an area then hike.

[Camo]

baddaddy thank you for the suggestion. I will check it out. Have you hunted that area before?