First Elk Hunt in CO units 7, 8, 9, 19, & 191

[bjsully]

So we (two brothers and my brother in law) were able to draw the either sex archery tags in CO (units 7, 8, 9, 19, & 191) for our first western elk hunt. Right now we are targeting the western side of unit 7 bordering the forest lands.

As a baseline for our current level of understanding: we are all Midwest and Eastern hunters with plenty of camping experience. I have been though the elk101 course, the Colorado Parks course, and watched the Randy Newberg digital scouting videos.

Given all that, we are comfortable with the desk jockey scouting trips we are taking on a regular basis but as that is no substitute for boots on the ground I was hoping for some insight from anyone that has hunted there recently.

Ideally, what I would love to know is:

1) is any one unit better than the other?
2) in unit 7, is the south western side more productive than the north western side?
3) Any information on your experience that you think may be invaluable is appreciated.

 

[publichunter1]

Can be some steep country up in the Rawah's especially the higher you get. Elk are there but just like most other units in CO so are the hunters. Get off the roads and put some boot leather down.

Never hunted 7 but hiked it on the West side and saw a few animals.

Not sure how much info you'll get with this being your first post but either way I wish you both luck.

 

[wytex]

Which season are you hunting? The Wyoming seasons open Oct. 1 and it really gets the animals moving around. Some will head south depending on pressure then start to head back up when Colorado gets going. Late season tends to concentrate elk along the border near the Laramie River. Snow can be an issue for access if we get dumped on. The west side and along the Laramie River are where they tend to start their wintering ground migration.
Good access up along Highway 127/230 in Wyoming, just know where the state line is.

 

[bjsully]

We are hunting archery and plan on going around the 15th of September.

 

[zhetrick]

is there a reason on why you chose the 15th? can you start a week later? the rut may be much hotter a week later than the 15th is why i say that

 

[bjsully]

We were planning on hunting the last week of the archery season from the 15th - 24th.

 

[Knight.54]

Don't overlook 19.

 

[wytex]

Should find elk in Sept. Looks like you'll be dealing with a waning moon. Look up at higher elevations. Elk may still be active during middle of the day then.

 

[bjsully]

Thank you Knight.54 and wytex.

 

[dallsheep]

Sent you a pm with some info.

 

[LuketheDog]

Lots of hunting pressure around there. It can get very hot in the lower units during archery season, like 80s-90s, if you kill an elk you need to be prepared to get the meat out quickly to prevent spoilage.

 

[SilverDollars]

Howdy. I hunted GMU 19 last year in the 2nd season. The eastern half of this unit severely burned a hand-full of years ago. There will be sparse cover in this area. I saw lots of deer in the burnt half, but the elk weren't there. They were on the edges of the burn(on private or off the NF) and not the central part of the burn. But, I found them to be here in the western half:
Look above the Comanche Reservoir. Check the main drainage, and the one to the left(Comanche Lake), and the one to the right(Brown's Lake). But the negative. You will have to park and walk in from the W. Co. Rd 145 gate. YES THEY CLOSED THE PUBLICALLY PAID FOR PUBLIC ROAD AND MADE IT PRIVATE FROM THERE ON UP!!!! Bad deal for citizens!!!! Anyway, you will have a very long hike just to get on the upper end of the Comanche Reservoir, but this is where the elk go to under pressure! Hint Bring horses to pack out the one way 4 to 7 miles out!!!!
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[HighDesertSage]

The closed road is probably why there is elk there.