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New to Elk hunting need some help! Please!

mikemmarino

New member
Joined
Sep 9, 2019
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11
Hello everyone, this is my first year getting leftover Colorado elk tag. It’s for 3rd season rifle (November 2-10). I honestly have no idea where to begin. I can hunt a lot of units but don’t even know what unit would be good. I am not looking for a 350 bull I m just looking for something legal and to have a good time. Can you guys help me? I attached the units I can hunt.
 

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Welcome to HT!

I would start by doing some searches across this forum, then maybe watch a few of the freshtracks videos--there's a good one on over the counter Colorado elk. Those should really give you some good ideas where to start.

Beyond that, figure out if you're gonna be day tripping or camping, then pick some spots in your units you think you can access, and go from there. There's a lot of good information if you search here about where elk tend to live, what to look for in terms of elk signs, etc.

I'd also call the local wildlife biologist and ask her/him for any advice on where to expect them that time of year--they move around a lot depending on weather, rut, etc, so they may be on the top of the ridge one week and down in the valley the next.
 
I am new to elk hunting. If I didn't get drawn here I was looking at OTC in Colorado. Lady luck smiled on me and I drew one of the 10 coveted tags here. I bought the RMEF and Eastman layers for onX maps. Turn the private lands layer on. Gohunt can tell you what each of the units can do for you. Then go back to onx and check access to public lands for each unit. Hunting pressure is a factor in Colorado as I understand. I don't know what Gohunt has for that data. Toprut used to be free but I would rather put my dollars into Gohunt. Bigfin's videos on e-scouting are must watch. Everyone has different needs and priorities, so a particular unit may be great for one person but not so good for another. You have alot of homework to do but if you do some good e-scouting, it will help make your "boots on the ground" scouting more productive.

"Give a man a fish and he will eat today. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for life."
 
Throw a dart and go. Use the hunt atlas. No one is going to tell you where to go. You need to find the elk. Have realistic expectation and fun. Keep in mind most otc hunters go home empy handed.

Good luck!
 
I've been wanting to ask these questions. I would feel rather sheepish calling a biologist to ask them where to hunt. What can they legally tell you over the phone? What can they tell you that you can`t learn on your own? Do they want you to call them? Just curious...
 
I've been wanting to ask these questions. I would feel rather sheepish calling a biologist to ask them where to hunt. What can they legally tell you over the phone? What can they tell you that you can`t learn on your own? Do they want you to call them? Just curious...
they won't tell you were to go usually, and if they do, you can bet that they have told other people the same. It's really up to you to do your research on the unit and put boots on the ground. I would have a plan in place before you call a bio, and ask for some feedback. They can help you with questions like migrations, populations, rut timing, herd quality, etc. The reality is the "where should I go question", rarely results in a fruitfull reply, as the elk are where you find them.

TO the OP: call CPW, use google to search for the hunt atlas, use youtube to watch Randy's how to videos, also use you tube to learn how to use the hunt atlas. FWIW the flattops have the largest elk herd in the world, and the largest orange army CF you can ever lay eyes on, but that's CPW's money maker. other units have less elk/less hunters, pick your poison....
 
Welcome to HT!

I would start by doing some searches across this forum, then maybe watch a few of the freshtracks videos--there's a good one on over the counter Colorado elk. Those should really give you some good ideas where to start.

Beyond that, figure out if you're gonna be day tripping or camping, then pick some spots in your units you think you can access, and go from there. There's a lot of good information if you search here about where elk tend to live, what to look for in terms of elk signs, etc.

I'd also call the local wildlife biologist and ask her/him for any advice on where to expect them that time of year--they move around a lot depending on weather, rut, etc, so they may be on the top of the ridge one week and down in the valley the next.
Thank you so much!
 
they won't tell you were to go usually, and if they do, you can bet that they have told other people the same. It's really up to you to do your research on the unit and put boots on the ground. I would have a plan in place before you call a bio, and ask for some feedback. They can help you with questions like migrations, populations, rut timing, herd quality, etc. The reality is the "where should I go question", rarely results in a fruitfull reply, as the elk are where you find them.

TO the OP: call CPW, use google to search for the hunt atlas, use youtube to watch Randy's how to videos, also use you tube to learn how to use the hunt atlas. FWIW the flattops have the largest elk herd in the world, and the largest orange army CF you can ever lay eyes on, but that's CPW's money maker. other units have less elk/less hunters, pick your poison....
Thanks! This might be a dumb question but what is CPW, and FWIW?
 
Welcome to the forum. The search function on this site is a vastly underutilized resource. You can spend hours learning all kinds of helpful info. Beyond that I would suggest making a list of what's most important to you in this hunt then match up areas within units that most closely line up with what you're looking to experience
 
Make a plan for winter weather and one for hot weather.
The elevation of those two plans will vary by several thousand feet.
Find some units with high success and then get in the nastiest canyons in those units.
 
Make a plan for winter weather and one for hot weather.
The elevation of those two plans will vary by several thousand feet.
Find some units with high success and then get in the nastiest canyons in those units.
Thanks 3855 Win, I have watched Randy do that and have learned the bulls go find a safe place. What if that terrain doesn't have canyons?
 
onX maps has really helped me in new areas. My opinion would be glass as much as you can if possible. If you aren’t seeing elk, then keep moving until you find them. If the terrain isn’t allowing for the bulls to hide in the late season then there is a good chance they just kept moving until they found that safe place to go. Stay in the mindset of going where nobody else would go or even think to see an elk and I think you might be surprised where you find them. If elevation isn’t possible then cover a ton of ground for sure. Remember those bulls are tired and are just wanting to hide after making it that far in the season. I’ve also even resorted to setting 5 different locations on my map and I will try each one. Whichever area I see the most sign is where I will usually focus hunting on. Not very familiar with the area you are in but this really helps me in new areas. Best of luck to you and post pictures when you get a Bull 👍🏼
 
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