CO Elk hunt or not? What would you do?

[Devil Diver Down]

Hey all, I've got a conundrum of a quandary here & I'd like to here some opinions from you all.

This is my first year "running" archery and I've been planning to do an OTC archery elk hunt in CO this year. After getting pantsed by AZ mule deer last weekend, I'm wondering if I'm just too inexperienced to make this CO trip worthwhile, but I was looking forward to it and am torn, so here are my options:

1) Do the hunt. The time, energy & money spent is worth the experience, even if the elk spank me like the deer did. And it's getting that experience without waiting 1 more year to bow hunt elk. I've never hunted them except in late November. I do have an AZ elk rifle hunt in mid-October ("Limited Opportunity" hunt, though) so I'll get to hunt elk twice this fall. Getting the time off work is easy--I'm my own boss--just costs me money every day I can't get clients' work done.

2) Wait until I'm more seasoned with bow hunting. When I finish my work commitment, I'll have about 2 1/2 days left to hunt mule deer. If that doesn't work out I have December for Coues. I'm also applying for archery turkey & javelina for spring hunts. I have the October rifle elk season to hunt as well, albeit "Limited Opportunity".

The guy at my local archery shop says do the hunt. Time to put whatever lessons I learned on the deer hunt to quick use, etc. Elk are "easier than deer" (his words, not mine) because of the calling and calling in factor. My Miss September decoy also wants to get her butt out into the forest. I'm leaning to going--who wants to disappoint Miss September? and to get the experience sooner than later.

Interested in what you all have to say...

 

[junior88]

The only way to become more seasoned is to hunt. Only one way to make up for lack of experience is to go get some experience. Besides, would you rather work in the heat of Arizona or elk hunt in the mountains of Colorado? I'm sure you know the answer to that.

 

[Sytes]

DDD,

Experience is based upon getting spanked by mulies n bulls... Archery hunting holds loads of personal experience and the hunt sure doesn't hold back on it's lessons...

As the sig line goes, "Live to work or Work to live". A fine line divides the two, though if your safe with your work to give you an enjoyable life - I say... enjoy the experience bow hunting brings! Filled tag or not, the experience is valuable as heck!

You able to join up with someone in CO? Archery during rut - that is a MONSTER bonus - though I am sure you know that.

Best of success!

 

[mdunc8]

Last year was my first year hunting elk and I got my arse handed to me. Saw bulls every day and even had a few within bow range, but couldn't ever get a shot. I made plenty of mistakes but learned a lot and had some great opportunities to pull the trigger but fate was not on my side. I know the area much better now, I'm much more confident in my calling, and have a better feel for what I can get away with elk.

I'd much rather learn with an OTC tag than wait to get your feet wet with a coveted tag you have to draw. Even if you don't stick one, it's still a blast.

 

[Devil Diver Down]

Sytes,

Solo trips for me until I can convince one of my buddies to bow hunt. I should clarify, filling the tag isn't my deciding factor or I probably never would have made the jump to bows in the first place. Just wondering (in a public way) whether there's much benefit to a hunt like this at this stage of my bow hunting career or it's more like banging my head against a brick wall.

That said, I am hoping for a reasonable chance to stick one and I'm no stranger to getting spanked by bucks and bulls. And every post I read about the rut starting and bugles echoing has me itching to get out of my seat.

 

[Oak]

Elk are easier than mule deer, IMO, and you can shoot a cow on your elk tag. Deer are more fun, but if you're looking for elk experience, go for it.

Take what I say with a grain of salt, as I have a hard time getting worked up about elk hunting....

 

[mdunc8]

Having my buddy, who is an experienced bow hunter, made all the difference in the world last year. He did most of the calling and critiqued many of my stalks and setups during bow season last year.

 

[JohnCushman]

I've been bow hunting for many years and got flat out schooled last year by elk. I'm doing it again this year...you learn a bit every encounter and eventually you connect. I made the mistake last year in holding out for a bull for my first elk with a bow since I've shot a cow with a rifle. I'm not making that mistake again this year...first legal elk that crosses my path is getting the air let out of them.

 

[mixedbag]

Get out there and hunt!!Only way you can learn from mistakes is to make them in the 1st place.Do yourself a favor and pick up Elknuts playbook off his website.Has many different situations you'll run into, and how he approaches each.By far my favorite book on elk hunting.It will help with the learning curve.
Bowhunting elk in the rut is about as exciting as hunting can get.DO IT !!!

 

[manzanomadness]

elk hunt

Go for the hunt. There is nothing like hearing bulls all night out side your tent. The more you spend ind the elk woods the better.. Pay attention to the wind and the thermals when they switch. Good luck and get one dowm!!!

 

[jlmatthew]

Start off with a cheaper cow tag

 

[opslt79]

DDD,
I've been bow hunting for better than 25 years and I still get spanked more often than not. I keep a running journal of every hunt and try to identify a "Lesson Learned" from every trip into the woods. It's a great way to fight off the sense of wasting time and you'd be surprised how much you can learn from your own trial and error. Keep track of everything; weather, time of day, type of hunt (spot/stalk, blind, ambush), behavior of the animals, anything that you can ckock up to experience. You'll be surprised how soon you can pick up on the little things that make the difference between a spanking and a trophy.

 

[gjflyfisherman]

I think it all comes down to the time of year for you. If you are planning on hunting in the last week or two of September, then by all means hunt. Most of the elk will be starting to rut and it will be an experience you'll not forget.

If it is just experience you are looking for that fine too. But be prepared to work hard for it. I have often filled my deer tag more times than my elk tag.

 

[Ridge Runner]

The only way to become more seasoned is to hunt. Only one way to make up for lack of experience is to go get some experience. Besides, would you rather work in the heat of Arizona or elk hunt in the mountains of Colorado? I'm sure you know the answer to that.

Nuff said... Go hunt.

 

[Devil Diver Down]

Thanks for all the input.

Well, I've finished my fundraising commitment a couple of hours ago--about 2 months of work coming to fruition--and I've decided what I'm going to do.

The combination of posts re: bugling bulls, bulls on the ground, scouting pictures, the fact my wife landed a job after over a year on the shelf, etc has made me decide (probably foolishly) that I can buck the odds and arrow a bull, so I'll be packing my stuff tonight and tomorrow and headed up to Colorado early Wednesday morning.

Solo backpacking trip into GMU 71 for as long as it takes--meaning whichever happens first between
1) as long as Colorado will let me hunt
2) I can bear the frustration of getting pantsed by elk
3) I can stand being away from getting client work done and getting paid

Wish I could have headed up a few days earlier to beat the Pumpkin Invasion of muzzleloader season by more days but it is what it is. Maybe the orange army will push some elk my way, too.

Raghorns, Look out!

Cows, too.

 

[Sytes]

Rootin for ya DDD!

Look forward to some great pics and stories to boot!

Best of success!

 

[BuzzH]

Cant ever go wrong choosing to hunt.

 

[Big Fin]

Cant ever go wrong choosing to hunt.

Now that should be a signature line. That is my theory, even if my bucket has only left over tags or second and third choice hunts.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Go get em. Looking forward to the story and pics.

 

[noharleyyet]

Best of luck trips D.