Which State? CO. WY. MT.

[N.E. Deer Hunter]

Thanks for all the input! The reason I was thinking about a couple scouting trips with out hunting is I can make a long weekend out of it and doesn't involve all the logistics of a hunt. ThAt being said it would be pretty painfull to come across a nice bull and have no tag!! I have been looking into Wyoming as well but I can't seem to find as much info on elk hunting there as Colorado, and the licence process seems a little more complicated, not that I can figure it out. So for Wyoming would 2 pp pretty much get me a tag in a decent area?

 

[mixedbag]

1 point will get you a general tag .Wy. general elk areas are great and I'd choose that way before Co. otc.Nothing difficult about there application process as long as you can read, it walks you thru it

 

[Khunter]

Of note, you can earn an elk, deer, antelope, etc. preference points in Wyoming this year. They have a points only draw period that begins in July which is unique among the states you mentioned. Hop to it and give yourself easy access to some draw tags.

N.E. as in New England? That would be a rough 'long weekend' to scout.

Get OTC tags and get started hunting. Don't overlook antelope hunting. Pretty easy to get tags and a ton of fun bow or rifle.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Please answer a couple questions for me. #!---How in the world do you figure you could make a scouting trip in CO on a long weekend when you live in CT even if you flew out there? #2---How do you figure scouting would be easier logistically than hunting when IMO the only difference would be carrying or not carrying a rifle? I would buy a $50 WY PP this summer and you could have a great hunt on a General License in 2012. If you don't want to go that quick, then continue buying a $50 PP every summer and by 2014 you will have 3PPs, which is enough for a decent LE unit with fewer hunters than where the General tags are good for.

 

[bkondeff]

NE Deer Hunter,

I can't help you with the states you ask about. I myself moved to Idaho from Calif in 2004, in large part so I could finally hunt mule deer/elk. I like your strategy of getting to know an OTC/easy draw unit instead of applying randomly. While I managed to kill an elk my second season, there is a lot to learn, especially when you grow up hunting very different game like NE Whitetails or california blacktail deer. Others here post about archery, which is usually an early season rut hunt. This can be very exciting. I usually hunt Nov 1-9, which is very different. The elk are starting to migrate and herd up. Smaller bulls usually with the herds with bigger bulls either still up higher by them selves or starting to get closer to herds. Now many OTC type rifle tags are mid-Oct, so there the bulls are primarily post rut, meaning isolated from herds trying to catch up on calories lost during the rut but staying secluded. To me this is the hardest hunt of all, which is why it is offered in OTC tags.

My point, is that part of what you need to consider is what type of experience and hunt you want as they differ. I prefer rifles and am afraid to have to get a 700lb animal broke down and to a cooler before it rots to archery hunt, but MANY people do this so don't let me scare you. For rifles, I prefer the later I can get. The thing with elk is that they are where they are. Unlike deer that are usually spread out and if you find good country you will eventually find a deer, with elk you may be in great country but simply be a ridge or two away from where the elk are. Later season tends to make it easier to find where they are. The downside to my preferred hunting time is that with bigger groups you have more eyes looking for you.

Spotting western game is very different than eastern and most will agree good optics are key, but also simply knowing where to look on a mountain and what visual cues just takes time. So, again, picking an area to get to know is great and allow for at least three years to get to a point of having enough real life experiences to gain confidence is also great. If you can afford some time and a tag while you learn is better, but if not that is fine but I would have the same sense of urgency even if you are not hunting. So there is much to learn about western big game hunting, be it elk, deer, or antelope. This is part of the fun.

Your first time with a rifle and tag in hand and you see that "bright yellow" hue of a bull elk in the early morning light on an opposite ridge walking through the timber......is very COOL.

 

[N.E. Deer Hunter]

Top gun
What I was thinking with the"long weekend" scouting trip was flying out and having two or three days of scouting to get an idea of the area prior to help me select a GMU. Hunting on this long weekend would require quite a bit more gear and different acommodations. a lot more than just bringing a Rifle with me not to mention handling a downed animal alone. That's all I was saying about additional logistics. Thanks for the tips on the preference points that is a point about Wyoming that I hadn't thought of the fact that I could have 3 points before hunting is pretty sweet! Do you have any general recommendations for areas?

 

[N.E. Deer Hunter]

Bkoneff
I am really excited about going out there which ever state it ends up being. I have been to Colorado once to go to rocky mountain np and once to west yellowstone mt to go snowmobiling and both times it was killing me that I wasn't hunting. I definitly will be going with a rifle so your points on when to go during the season are good ones. I'm liking what you said about the later season with them starting to bunch up for the winter. Here in CT the late muzzleloader season is when the whitails bunch up and it is my favorite time to hunt! The other thing good about it is there are allot less people in the woods. Does that hold true with the elk season as well?