Montana Redneck
New member
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- Oct 7, 2014
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Started hunting in Colorado, live in Denver and have no idea where to go for public or BLM access. Can anyone give me a good starting point within 200 miles of Denver? Thanks in advance.
Colorado hunt ... Where to go...?
- Thread starter Montana Redneck
- Start date
Dinkshooter
Well-known member
Head west as the sunsets, turn left at the rocky mountains
Bambistew
Well-known member
I usually don't respond to these type of posts. I think many think "on your own" means "how to do it yourself, help me please." On your own is just that... While there is a bit of overlap, and lots of sharing, of information, starting a post with your hands out for free information is not the best way to find a place to hunt. It's even more ironic that information is asked a week or two before the season opens. A guy has to be informed, and saddled with all the information he can gather. Asking for a place to go means you haven't done your homework, and I doubt you'll get anyone to help you out.
The first place I would start is the DOW (or what ever they call it now) website. There is so much information about elk hunting, its almost overwhelming.
Lots and lots of places to go. The only way you can figure it out is putting on your boots and going for a walk. Look for areas well away (2+ miles) from ATV trails/roads and include about 1000-1500+ vertical, and of course elk habitat... and you'll find all the elk you want to hunt.
Good luck
The first place I would start is the DOW (or what ever they call it now) website. There is so much information about elk hunting, its almost overwhelming.
Lots and lots of places to go. The only way you can figure it out is putting on your boots and going for a walk. Look for areas well away (2+ miles) from ATV trails/roads and include about 1000-1500+ vertical, and of course elk habitat... and you'll find all the elk you want to hunt.
Good luck
SFC B
Well-known member
^^^^ This....on the CPW website is the information for the hunt planners. They are a great resource, as is the almanac.
Most anywhere west of the Divide would be a good starting point. As was stated, the CPW Hunt Planner web page is very good. Look at success rates for each unit on the CPW website and that would be a good starting point.
genesis273
Well-known member
bigeasygator
New member
The White River NF has the largest elk herd on the planet. I hear the Routt National Forest has quite a few elk too. A quick google search yielded this..."For the highest success, target the densest elk areas in Colorado. According to John Ellenberger, big-game manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the White River National Forest is the state's elk mecca.
"Our largest herd is the White River elk herd, found in the northern half of the White River National Forest--north of Interstate 70," says Ellenberger. "We estimate that the White River elk herd 2002 post-hunt population was fifty-one thousand animals. Our 2003 harvest ended up being a bit better than we thought; it likely reduced the population by about three thousand animals."
The White River National Forest encompasses 2.3 million acres, approximately 4 percent of Colorado's total land area. Ellenberger practically begged for hunters to harvest this area's elk when he said: "Severe drought and the large population of elk are beginning to have a negative effect; as a result, our main goal is to reduce the elk herd."
According to Ellenberger, the second-best public-land location for Colorado elk hunters is the Bear's Ears region of the Routt National Forest. This northwestern Colorado forest includes more than 1.1 million acres. The highest density of its elk population resides in an area bordered on the east by the Continental Divide and on the west by the Little Snake River. The Yampa River defines the southern border and the area extends north to the Wyoming state line. The 2002 post-hunt population estimate for this area was approximately 25,150 animals. "What we found was that the pressure was moving those animals from public land to private land," explains Ellenberger. "To decrease that pressure and keep as many elk on the public land as possible, we implemented draw-only archery and muzzleloader licenses. It seems to be working."
The San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado along the western slope of the Continental Divide is another prime area. It encompasses more than 2 million acres and had a 2002 post-hunt population of 16,710 elk. Like the other areas of the state, this corner also contains a mix of public and private lands. According to Ellenberger, that blend increases south of Highway 160 between Durango and Pagosa Springs."
It may be a little out of date but can't imagine things have changed that much.
"Our largest herd is the White River elk herd, found in the northern half of the White River National Forest--north of Interstate 70," says Ellenberger. "We estimate that the White River elk herd 2002 post-hunt population was fifty-one thousand animals. Our 2003 harvest ended up being a bit better than we thought; it likely reduced the population by about three thousand animals."
The White River National Forest encompasses 2.3 million acres, approximately 4 percent of Colorado's total land area. Ellenberger practically begged for hunters to harvest this area's elk when he said: "Severe drought and the large population of elk are beginning to have a negative effect; as a result, our main goal is to reduce the elk herd."
According to Ellenberger, the second-best public-land location for Colorado elk hunters is the Bear's Ears region of the Routt National Forest. This northwestern Colorado forest includes more than 1.1 million acres. The highest density of its elk population resides in an area bordered on the east by the Continental Divide and on the west by the Little Snake River. The Yampa River defines the southern border and the area extends north to the Wyoming state line. The 2002 post-hunt population estimate for this area was approximately 25,150 animals. "What we found was that the pressure was moving those animals from public land to private land," explains Ellenberger. "To decrease that pressure and keep as many elk on the public land as possible, we implemented draw-only archery and muzzleloader licenses. It seems to be working."
The San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado along the western slope of the Continental Divide is another prime area. It encompasses more than 2 million acres and had a 2002 post-hunt population of 16,710 elk. Like the other areas of the state, this corner also contains a mix of public and private lands. According to Ellenberger, that blend increases south of Highway 160 between Durango and Pagosa Springs."
It may be a little out of date but can't imagine things have changed that much.
Montana Redneck
New member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2014
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gosh ... Thanks for the deep insight and friendly advice. Where are you from? New Jersey?!
Zach
Well-known member
The first place I start is Youtube, lots of info from guys there!
HighDesertSage
Well-known member
That's a great way to make friends....
Do you realize how much time and money guys on here spend investing in finding quality hunting areas every year? Then you get on here and ask for a handout? Where are you from......oh wait, you're from Denver. Stop trying to ride the welfare train and get out there and do your own research and scouting.
bigeasygator
New member
I think Bambistew's post was pretty friendly. You have to understand these types of requests come every year a few weeks before the seasons open from folks with a low post count. People put a lot of work and resources into determining where to hunt and don't give that info up easily. Secondly, this is supposed to be a community, and more often than not, folks that come in just ahead of the season with a low post count asking where to hunt are never seen or heard from again. People are hesitant to provide information to folks looking for a handout and who aren't going to add to the community here.
There are some things you can do to get in the good graces of the folks on this site though. While it can be daunting and a bit overwhelming at times, there are a TON of resources out there that can get you started in the right direction. The people that are successful in getting information have done much of the leg work themselves and tend to ask specific/clarifying questions as opposed to generic requests. Frankly, coming on and saying that you want a place within 200 miles from Denver and you can't find public/BLM land or access means you haven't done much work on your own -- 21% of the land in Colorado is covered by National Forest and there are an additional 8.3 million more acres of BLM land along with the largest elk herd in the country.
A quick look on google shows the White River, Arapaho, Routt, and Roosevelt National Forests within 200 miles of Denver. I google searched each one individually and added "elk hunting" to the end and lots of information came up that described locations, trailheads, elevations, etc. I recommend that you try the same and maybe ask some more specific questions on your next post (like "I've been looking at this unit and hunting from around this trailhead/peak/whatever thinking the elk are going to be at XXXX' elevation. Does the area get a lot of pressure? How will weather affect the elk? etc"). Like I said, people work hard for their hunting spots and are hesitant to give them up to someone that appears to be looking for a hand out and isn't going to provide anything in return. I find them much more willing to validate conclusions that you come to on your own and reward you for doing what you can to find out on your own where to find elk in Colorado.
deer_shooter
Well-known member
Well said Bambi.
I started by investing $20 in a Colorado gazetteer and studied that along with the Dow site. That was 10 years ago and there is even more info available now. After a few purchases from mytopo.com and pouring over maps for a summer I loaded my stuff and drove 28 hours to the area around Glenwood. I picked up an OTC bull tag and went hunting. I've done the same trip a few times, once around Meeker, and twice near Gunnison. Finding a place to hunt is about as easy as falling off a log. Finding elk is more of a challenge.
I started by investing $20 in a Colorado gazetteer and studied that along with the Dow site. That was 10 years ago and there is even more info available now. After a few purchases from mytopo.com and pouring over maps for a summer I loaded my stuff and drove 28 hours to the area around Glenwood. I picked up an OTC bull tag and went hunting. I've done the same trip a few times, once around Meeker, and twice near Gunnison. Finding a place to hunt is about as easy as falling off a log. Finding elk is more of a challenge.
Khunter
Well-known member
Good grief. This thread smells like someone is joking around. You live not only in Colo but within 30-45 minutes of a ton of elk and elk country.
How about starting with a reasonable degree of info sharing before calling out others as not willing to share information.
Who are ya, how long live in Denver, why are you living in Denver and not able to have sorted out some options before now via boot leather or other means? The easy stuff to give context on "who" is asking for help, apparently from ground zero.
" no idea about finding blm or forest access". Huh? More details on that would be helpful.
Bambistew
Well-known member
Actually I'm from Montana, born and raised. Sorry if I hurt your feelers, you might want to toughen up.
You can also do a search here, there are dozens of posts about hunting CO.
Good luck.
Watch a bunch of OYOA and Fresh Tracks videos. Randy tells you exactly how to look for it. Someone mentioned a Gazetteer. That's where I always start because it shows you public, private, blm and other areas. Then I'd hit the CODOW website and get some harvest data and hunt units. It's probably the best website I've ever used for information. When I moved down here to AZ from CO, I was appalled at how poorly their site was put together. Go 200 miles from Denver in any direction and you'll find elk and that includes the plains area!
