Advice for a new elk hunter

[Minnesnowta_archer]

I’m an experience bowhunter from the midwest looking to do a archery elk hunt in Colorado on public land with an OTC take for cow or bull. Part of the experience I want is to not see a whole lot of people and I’m willing to pack in as long as it takes to accomplish that. Any suggestions on units and locations?

 

[elkhnter]

Kinda late in the season to be asking that question, not saying you can’t pull it off, but you don’t have a lot of time.
I’d start on line with the Colorado website. Most of the answers are there. Get in shape, now. There’s a huge difference between hunting in the Midwest and humping the mountains. I hunt only one unit in Colorado and we start at 9500’ and end at around 12k.
Good luck and remember to have fun.

 

[Ben Sellers]

Welcome! Don’t know much about early seasons or bow hunting but good luck!

 

[geetar]

I don’t know anything about bow hunting in Colorado but regardless of what area you are hunting always talk to local biologists over the phone. They can be a big help in narrowing down which general area to venture into. Best of luck.

 

[RachelO]

i Would start with On-X, set your filters, and use the roadless layers. Both Randy N (OYOA & Fresh Tracks) and Cory J (University of Elk Hunting) have a lot of material out there on scouting with the objectives you stated. We (hubby and I) have had good luck with ditching hunters using their methodology then using Google Earth to virtually scout til we could get our boots on the ground.

If you have not hunted, hiked, or climbed at elevation before, you have done prep ahead of you.

Good luck.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Remember Altitude Sickness is serious business,severe health problems even death.
Study up on it and try to acclimate yourself before heading up the hill.
Welcome to the forum,good luck to you.Elk hunting is a grand adventure.Be safe.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Welcome to the forum! I lived in Minnetonka in the 90s.

Some things to keep in mind when scouring the CP&W website and data:
-a unit with a ton of public and few roads, especially with lots of wilderness area, might have limited access points. This can make for a lot of congestion in huntable areas
-lots of hunters will be getting in deep via horses. It can be tough to compete on foot. However, if you study Google Earth carefully, you find places that you can go but horses can't because it's too steep, rugged, inadequate trails, or inadequate water.
-have a plan in place in advance how you are going to get the meat out. If you kill a bull 3 hours in (and that could be just 2 miles in nasty terrain), you've got 3 round trips + a half trip, so 21 hours of packing to do. Unless you are a total machine, the clock can run you out in hot weather, and meat will spoil.

 

[3855WIN]

You might have to pack an elk out as far as you’ve packed in.

 

[RockinU]

Yeah, experience with altitude, and back country camping are going to be as important as your hunting experience for doing what you propose. E-scouting (watch all Randy's content), then boots on the ground scouting will give you a lot of the info you need. Often the thing that will get you the furthest from other hunters is difficulty of access, be that distance or terrain, and both of those things are going to be effected by your level of experience, and fitness.

Maybe if you post a little more about your mountain experience, and camping knowledge you could get a little more info.

 

[Brian in Montana]

Kinda late in the season to be asking that question, not saying you can’t pull it off, but you don’t have a lot of time.
I’d start on line with the Colorado website. Most of the answers are there. Get in shape, now. There’s a huge difference between hunting in the Midwest and humping the mountains. I hunt only one unit in Colorado and we start at 9500’ and end at around 12k.
Good luck and remember to have fun.

+1

I hope your in very good shape already because Colorado is unkind to those that aren't. Not trying to discourage you, but the mountains down there are tall and rugged and there ain't much O2. The struggle is real.

 

[ntodwild]

You didn't mention anything about partners????

Hunting a place like Colorado, Idaho and even places in Washington & Oregon can be steep much less the altitude issue (many on this forum are not joking about altitude. It's real and can put a hurting on even the most athletic hunter coming from the flatland). Assuming altitude and athletic ability is not an issue for you I will harken back to my original question. Packing in for Elk is not a one man venture in my eyes (Purely my opinion). I am not saying it can't be done but I can tell you that handling, gutting and hauling the meat of a 500-700lb bull elk out of Idaho's panhandle 2 miles can destroy even the best of hunters (done it a few times with a partner). Packing in for elk regardless of state is a team effort in order to have the best experience.

My partner and I hunt Idaho OTC every other year and have taken two bulls with rifle. I can't imagine trying to do it alone and wouldn't, even if I was challenged to do so. Sept. Archery here in Washington with a full base camp and hunting no further than 3 miles from camp has had some pretty fun extractions and meat hauls even for 4 guys.

I am truly not discouraging you and hope you make it happen. Elk hunting is one of the great experiences all hunters should try. I guess my response is truly centered around my 35+ years experience as an elk hunter in the west and my advice to you is: Have some hunting partners you can count on and by all means go Elk hunting.

 

[Werty]

If your driving too Colorado you'll have less of a chance of altitude sickness, do to acclimation. Just go slow and dont be in a hurry to climb to the top" stay hydrated". Even in hot weather, you can find cool spots to hang quarters, like above a stream in a shaded patch of timber. Air temp is always cooler and there is a breeze. With that being said. If it is screaming hot, put quarters in plastic bag in a creek to get them cool. Another thing is. if you debone the meat, get it cooled before you stuff it in a game bag, if you dont debone, make a slice too the bone. It will help with cooling the meat down quicker. Watch a video on how to process an elk, there big. Good luck