CO elk hunting questions.

[Hunter93]

I’m new to the forum and looking for any tips I can get.

I’m from California (I know not the best state) I have been hunting everything I can here, since I was 13 years old and I’m 21 now. My father, family friend and I are going elk hunting for our first time this November for the 4th rifle season for Cow elk. Our tags are good for units 3, 4, 5, 301, and 441. I have been doing a lot of research on elk hunting in general but cannot find much info for these specific units. I can’t even find if we should be looking in the high country or low country.

I am not asking for anyone to give away their best spots. None of my hunting party has a problem with long hikes and putting in the leg work. Any info on elk hunting, these units and/or a point in the right direction to start would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your help.

[Trophyhill]

Welcome to the forum. You're in the same boat I've been in alot as ive hunted 6 or 7 different units in as many years. Start looking at topo maps, GE etc looking for habitat. Learn about the elk themselves. Why are elk doing what they're doing, where they're doing it, why they're doing it and when they're doing it. Knowing these things will put you on elk whether you've ever stepped foot in a unit or not. The DOW website gives you elk number estimates for a particular unit, migration routes etc. Alot of information about elk on this forum. Good luck and enjoy the ride

[Hunter93]

Thank you for your advise. I have been doing a lot of research of elk like you said and I am trying to get maps now. Do you happen to know anything about these units?

[six]

Go to the COW website. Check out the hunt planner, migrations routes etc. Pick 3 or 4 areas in your units. Then call the DOW officer in charge of the area you are thinking about hunting. These guys are awesome and they spend their entire work week in the area you'll be hunting. If a scouting trip is feasible I would highly recommend that as well. Hard to beat boots on the ground. Talk with the locals at the local sporting goods store, coffee shop, shooting ranges, etc.

[duckdog28]

Look at the atlas published by the DOW

http://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/inde ... ntingAtlas

4th season is late. Turn on the game layers. Focus on Winter concentrations. Good luck

[baddaddy]

Hunter, Welcome. Start checking the areas your interested in for the private property, There can be a fair amount in those GMu's. I'd be looking around the Maybell area at that time of the year. Depending on the weather, the elk may have started migrating by then and will be in the lower areas towards the Utah border. If its still decent weather start heading east into the higher country.

[Luckyman]

Another newbie w/ elk here, also intending on CO opening archery week!
So much good info on this site, Thanks to all!

Question: In units with higher elevations are the elk generally always at and above treeline first of September? or lower north faces and canyons as well? how much lower have you regularly found them?

[Pop-r]

Luckyman there will be elk low & high. It's very weird. I regularly find them dispersed from 6,500' all the way above timberline. Good luck!

[Hunter93]

Thank you all for your help. I will keep all this in mind as I am planning my hunt.

[StartMyHunt]

Thank you for your advise. I have been doing a lot of research of elk like you said and I am trying to get maps now. Do you happen to know anything about these units?

Hunter93, I am a new ElkNut sponsor and you happened to bring up my favorite subject--Maps. I will be responding to the thread that Paul posted about my website later this evening to provide more information about what I offer, but I could not pass up this post without at least providing a little information.

[Z Barebow]

I can vouch for StartmyHunt.

I have purchased his mapping products and they will provide you info you cannot get from other sources. (Yes you can get some of free from other sources)

I have been researching a unit which I drew. I have shapefiles and overlays in Google Earth Pro. I have the summer concentrations, winter concentrations, migration routes loaded and I can toggle on/off. I also can turn on/off a topo server that allows topo overlays in GE. (Not from SMH)

Maps are cheap in the context of a out of state hunt, but worth there weight. Plenty of info to leverage as you plan your hunt.

[CurlyTail]

I will second what duckdog 28 says. Use the Colorado Hunt Atlas. It is a google earth like satellite map. You can toggle between the satellite images, and a map which shows roads and water better. You can turn on the Elk distribution overlay and see the winter vs. summer distribution of the elk herds. You can turn on the national forest service road use map to see where a guy can actually drive. It shows the GMU boundaries. It shows private vs. public land. Extremely useful.

You will have to see what kind of weather hits that area. On a good snow year, the elk should be out of the mountains and on the BLM flats. Call the local game warden and he will put you on the elk that time of year.

[Luckyman]

I think the CO hunting atlas is great especially when used in conjunction w/ good'ol gazeteer and google earth, but I have a question.
How close to realistic are the "summer concentration areas"? Seems like they would also be hunter concentration areas b/c most would probably want to be where there's a lot of elk right? I know I would.
So, who has hunted any of these concentration areas only to find lots of other hunters, but no elk? Or lots of elk? Curious and realize most are as far from roads as possible or in wilderness, but the best saddles and water spots and north benches, etc. will probably be destination spots for more than a few hunters in the concentration areas?

[StartMyHunt]

Luckyman,

The CPW defines the difference between summer range and summer concentration as follows--

Summer range--areas where more tha 90% of the elk will be found from first spring green up to first heavy snowfall.

Concentration--areas that offer above average forage and seclusion. Generally contain high numbers of elk from mid June to late August.

Where to hunt? As others have said above, you will find elk from 6,500' to above timberline throughout much of the state until the first heavy snowfall. If you prefer to hike in many miles, the concentration areas would be more your style.

As a side note, my maps may be of some assistance also.

Mike

[CliffDweller]

Luckyman,

There are elk everywhere throughout CO and at every elevation (I know that doesn't help much). The info the CO Atlas gives is general but can give you a pretty good starting point. No matter where you go there will be a lot of hunters. My best advise is to narrow down an area in your selected unit. Don't overlook anything and think elk won't be there because of this or that (that's probably where you'll find them). Put time on the ground and lots of it. Some of the best areas are just stumbled upon while you're not necessarily looking. It took me 5 years to get my first elk and I live here and know where they are. The area I hunt is between 9'000 and 10'000 feet, right next to a FS road that has heavy traffic almost every day. People walk by and never even think to look in this area (heavily timbered and super thick). The elk are always pretty silent even in the height of the rut. Bulls will bugle at each other once in the early am and once in the pm as they get up and move, otherwise you can hear a pin drop. CO hunting can be tough but with enough time you'll get it figured out.Just remember not to overlook anything and always think outside the box. If an area looks elky to you on Google Earth, it probably looks elky to other hunters and there will sure to be traffic there.

[Luckyman]

[/quote]Re: One Valuable Tip!!
Postby mongopino915 » 07 01, 2012 • [Post 47]

When it comes to elk calling, practice, practice, practice, and practice some more. In the elk wood is no place to practice. Try to sound as realistic as possible and become the elk. Believe in yourself and your calling, and you will call in 15 plus bulls to bow range on OTC public land, whether the elk are vocal or not.[/quote]


So CliffDweller, sounds like maybe you don't do much calling? Seems CO is hunted way heavy and would you still recommend a fair bit of calling like what the above suggests?

[CliffDweller]

Luckyman,

I do call, not a ton, but I do call. Rather than try to call them to me, I make a move to them as soon as I know where they are. I'll use a bugel once or twice to get with in 100 yds. I'm also raking trees as I approach (sometimes all I do is rake trees, I bring muley shed with me to give my raking a more realistic sound). I don't worry to much about snapping twigs, etc as move in since the elk are just as loud, and I try to get there as quick as possible (it's really, really thick and we usually won't see each other until 20-30 yds out) . I seem to do better getting close imitating another bull as opposed to cow calling, however if I know cows are in the area for sure, I will use them.

Also, there area I hunt is dark timber (fir, spruce, etc) with intermittent patches of quakies. The elk seam to like that set up where I'm at. I've also been seeing different groups of cows right at 11'000' moving through the edge of the timberline. The groups are between 25 and 30 head and located in a designated wilderness area.

[longbowelk]

I have found in some OTC areas in CO the calling is much that i don't bother to call instead if someone does a locate call on a herd i try to figure out which way that hunter is going and go opposite of them since I am bound to see the elk then. A lot of the elk in OTC units become call wise quickly once season starts.

[GoldToyBox]

Pretty good advise from the others and congrats on your first Elk Hunt (I assume you never drawn a Calif tags .... me neither).

I've been hunting Units 3, 301, 11, 12, 13 & 211 (NW Colorado) for a dozen years now. Forget the high country, should be 10 ft of snow by 4th season. The Elk migrate out of the Routte Natl forest and travel generally west towards Maybell and beyond. Other Elk migrating out of the Northern Flat Tops winter on the Yampa River. Locals say it take 3-5 days for the elk to leave the high country and arrive in Maybell/Yampa River area after a big storm. Ton of BLM lands but some is patched between private lands. I thinks it's a good investment to purchase a GPS unit and the 'chip' that shows the private lands, USFS & BLM. Specially since this is your first trip, long ways to go just to get in trouble or let one get away not know where you are.
Expect weather but hope for the best, temps can get down to zero, winds can blow too! I've never seen more than a foot of snow but drifts can be very deep. Very few roads are paved and even less will be plowed. Bring chains!
Get in shape the elevation is between 5500 & 7000 ft (yea this is the low country!)
This is open country, you need good optics and be ready to shot 200 yds PLUS! so practice!
Use caution at 200 plus yds, a spike will look like a cow ........ be sure.
Lots of Elk in these units and with a little luck you should be able to fill your tags. Good Luck, I'll be there third season Unit 11 between Maybell and Meeker.
Lots of butchers in the area but we use Brothers in Criag & Meeker, very nice folks and try hard to meet your schedule.
We camp at the Maybell city park (water, electric, sewer dump, showers, $20 a day if I remember right?) If you don't want to camp, the Old
Victory Hotel in Maybell is dry, warm, hunter friendly, serves dinner. Owners Woody & Onita are very nice folks, Woody will probably be gone hunting.
If you get a chance go to the Meeker Hotel, check out some of the mounts in the lobby. Also a couple at the Old Victory in Maybell worth a look.
That's about all I can think of now, a little distracted ...... Giants kicking the crap out of the A's.
Good luck but I must warn you that this is habit forming and takes a lifetime to quit.