First time CO elk hunt

[kelley12]

Me and one of my friends are planning our first elk hunt for 2017. We are looking into Colorado around steamboat springs and around unit 70 (lizard head wilderness). Can anyone give us some tips on these area's. We will be doing Archery or first Rifle if we can get the tag. What is weather like, hunting pressure, terrain, places to focus on.

Anything would be greatly appreciated i have reviewed lots of maps and called the local areas and they seem like good places but nothing is beats hear hearing from someone who has hunted the area.

I wont be able to get boots on the ground until the hunt which makes things harder for a first timer. We are from Michigan
Any help about those areas or elk hunting in general would be great.

Thank you

 

[windymtnman]

Last year, I got a leftover Cow tag for the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, which lies South of Rabbit Ears Pass, near Steamboat. It was the worst habitat I've ever been in for Elk. Not much food source where we were, very little ground sign, and in places very tight cover where it was difficult to see very far. I was on my horse and riding 4 miles deep from the roads too. There was a fair amount of hunters in the area, but nary a shot would be heard. I was so disgusted, I left after 3 days. I wondered if the reason there were a lot of tags available for this GMU, was because Colorado got the revenue, but not much impact on the Elk resource? Just my opinions here, but I'd never go back to that area.

 

[2Tracks]

Steamboat area is pretty fair if you choose a later season, there is a lot of tags though so expect to see plenty of hunters...pm me and I'll give you a good place to start...

 

[jlmatthew]

Last year, I got a leftover Cow tag for the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, which lies South of Rabbit Ears Pass, near Steamboat. It was the worst habitat I've ever been in for Elk. Not much food source where we were, very little ground sign, and in places very tight cover where it was difficult to see very far. I was on my horse and riding 4 miles deep from the roads too. There was a fair amount of hunters in the area, but nary a shot would be heard. I was so disgusted, I left after 3 days. I wondered if the reason there were a lot of tags available for this GMU, was because Colorado got the revenue, but not much impact on the Elk resource? Just my opinions here, but I'd never go back to that area.

Opening day of 1st rifle, the elk move to private, only a few bulls are taken by paying hunters, and the rest of the herds are safe for the remaining seasons. CPW sells thousands of tags because everyone hears Colorado has the largest elk herd and the easiest tags to obtain. Watch Randys shows and you'll soon learn that harvesting an elk on public land in Colorado is his biggest challenge and his smallest elk if I recall correctly.