Well I am definitely going diy backcountry archery elk hunting this year. As of now alone, possible with a friend. I have been training for 6 months already. I have never hunted out west. My plan as of now is OTC Colorado. anybody have recs for units? I imagine I would hike in 2-3 miles to set up camp but maybe less or more is realistic. I want to get away from the crowds. I will have many questions coming up in the next few months but need to focus on an area first.
First diy hunt.
- Thread starter dado5
- Start date
BlakeA
Well-known member
Welcome to the forum! I would tell people about youself and interact with fellow hunt talkers first before asking a bunch of questions. There is a TON of great information on here so spend time going through past threads to answer some of your questions. From January-October there is a lot of guys that become a member once they draw a tag or plan a trip WANTing info, ask for help on unit, and then disappear. It's annoying so hopefully you stick around and share your experiences and help others. As far as CO goes, there are elk in every unit. Pick an OTC unit and break it down and scout/study it. Go on the fish and game website and plan your hunt as they provide a wealth of knowledge and options! Good Luck this fall!
npaden
Well-known member
Colorado has a full team of hunt planners that work for the Fish and Game and are very helpful at answering questions. Here's a link to help you get started.
http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/PlanYourHunt.aspx
http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/PlanYourHunt.aspx
LCH
Well-known member
Congratulations on making up your mind to do it alone, if need be. I spent too many seasons waiting on buddies to come through. Now, I go somewhere every year, whether the buddies back out or not.
If it is your first trip out west, you are in for a real treat.
Bambistew
Well-known member
What is your expectation of "crowds?"
IMO, If you want to get away from people, look for areas (2+ sq miles) that don't have roads or improved trails, but are adjacent to areas that hold elk, i.e. private land... or are in areas with high elk populations (or not) You may be surprised what you find. If you find the habitat, and seclusion (areas where few will venture into), you will find the elk.
I think a lot of people flock to the big chunks of public first, just to have as much room as possible to hunt. The reality is you can only hunt so much ground in a day. The little out of the way parcels see less traffic than the big chunks, usually.
Elevation gain is probably the biggest separator from competition, water being second. Going to areas with easy access means you'll have lots of competition, i.e. trails in drainages, or access at mountain passes. Look for areas that people would pass by, going to "better" spots. Think of this... you can follow a road/trail up a drainage for 6-8 miles and get to the pass or big basin, or you can follow the trial up 2 miles and take a left/right and climb the hill. In my experience 9 out of 10 will go up the bottom instead of heading up the hill.
Be where you want to hunt at shooting light. 90% of the elk will be done moving by the time the sun comes up.
If you're backpacking, take as little as possible. Most people tend to over pack and take all sorts of unnecessary luxuries. You'll have more energy once you get to your base camp. Also you'll have less to move when you need to.
There is all sorts of info in the archives on this site. Do a search and start reading. TONS of good info.
Good luck
IMO, If you want to get away from people, look for areas (2+ sq miles) that don't have roads or improved trails, but are adjacent to areas that hold elk, i.e. private land... or are in areas with high elk populations (or not) You may be surprised what you find. If you find the habitat, and seclusion (areas where few will venture into), you will find the elk.
I think a lot of people flock to the big chunks of public first, just to have as much room as possible to hunt. The reality is you can only hunt so much ground in a day. The little out of the way parcels see less traffic than the big chunks, usually.
Elevation gain is probably the biggest separator from competition, water being second. Going to areas with easy access means you'll have lots of competition, i.e. trails in drainages, or access at mountain passes. Look for areas that people would pass by, going to "better" spots. Think of this... you can follow a road/trail up a drainage for 6-8 miles and get to the pass or big basin, or you can follow the trial up 2 miles and take a left/right and climb the hill. In my experience 9 out of 10 will go up the bottom instead of heading up the hill.
Be where you want to hunt at shooting light. 90% of the elk will be done moving by the time the sun comes up.
If you're backpacking, take as little as possible. Most people tend to over pack and take all sorts of unnecessary luxuries. You'll have more energy once you get to your base camp. Also you'll have less to move when you need to.
There is all sorts of info in the archives on this site. Do a search and start reading. TONS of good info.
Good luck
dihardhunter
Active member
Or 29 out of 30. Elevation is KEY!
OTC Colorado can be brutal. OTC Colorado can be unbelievably awesome. Don't expect instant results, but the cost of the hunt is so low that after a couple consecutive years you should be able to hone in on a couple of your own solid spots.
Ben Long
Well-known member
Check out the Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. www.backcountryhunters.org. You may find some good tips and even some good people.
jryoung
Well-known member
to echo Ben, if you're on Facebook, check out the CO BHA page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/col...om/groups/coloradobackcountryhunters/?fref=ts
ric
New member
The single biggest thing beginners fail at is under estimating the size of an elk, and not being prepared to handle it. Ropes, winches, pack boards, saws, meat bags ( old sheets from goodwill hands down are the best), and then, if it's hot or even warm, and you are miles back in, getting the meat out before it spoils. I have had many an elk that I could only get a quarter a day out. Be sure you are ready for what you may shoot, or you will lose it.
This is good feed back. I echo the comments on going up (gaining elevation) to separate from the crowd, especially in hunter-heavy Colorado. I hunt wilderness areas exclusively, and look for places where I can gain 2,000+ feet in elevation in a few short miles, and hit ground above 10,000 in Colorado (during bow season, or early rifle).
You might look into hunting the Mount Zirkel wilderness in northwestern Colorado. GMU 14 and 214 get hammered, but there are loads of elk in them, and the units extend into the wilderness areas. The other benefit of that terrain, is that it mostly tops out at around 10,000 ft., rather than 12,000+. You won't find a monster bull up there, but it's a great area for first timers to potentially tag an animal.
Good luck.
You might look into hunting the Mount Zirkel wilderness in northwestern Colorado. GMU 14 and 214 get hammered, but there are loads of elk in them, and the units extend into the wilderness areas. The other benefit of that terrain, is that it mostly tops out at around 10,000 ft., rather than 12,000+. You won't find a monster bull up there, but it's a great area for first timers to potentially tag an animal.
Good luck.
B
big28hunter
Guest
A solid frame pack is worth it's weight in gold. Best of luck on your adventure and get ready to swallow a treble hook. Good huntin'
thanks for all the replies so far. I have been looking at the eagles nest and maroon bells wilderness areas mainly because I am coming from the east. Any thoughts on these units or units in these? My biggest concern is to try and stay away from outfitters and drop camps.
have gun will travel
New member
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2012
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I don't know the laws in CO but you might want to check with the state. I would bet the guides have to give them the location of there camps. Don't be afraid to call. That being said not sure if the state will give that info. But I do know when you hang up the phone you will have more info then before you called. Another thing you should do is study maps! You can do a lot of scouting just from maps.
have gun will travel
New member
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2012
- Messages
- 343
Maybe they don't have maps of the outfitters. You would think the outfitters would not want every one to know where there camps were.
Like others have said, tons of places to research. You can even just search a GMU # on Google and get links to info on that area. It will drive you batty after a while, and you will learn more in a week of hunting in the west than all the summer research in my opinion. I just did my first hunts last year and these guys helped me a LOT! After you have been there and done it then all the info you read and see on videos will make a lot more sense. I sent you a PM, hit me up if you have a bunch of "silly rookie" questions like I did and still do, and I will try to help you out as best I can. I won't pretend to know much about elk hunting, but I got a few of the first trip experiences out of the way and feel more comfortable and confident about this years hunt. Enjoy the chase!!
Clayton
Clayton
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