Top Public land in CO for Elk

[String Music]

I went last year and hunting crop land around Lone Cone Mtn in Co on the border of Utah. We were on a good bull but never connected. Any suggestions on any particular areas that are good for non-guided hunts?

 

[4onaside]

What do you mean, "you were on a good bull"? Heard him, saw him, got close?

 

[megalomaniac]

archery or rifle? Points? Walk- in or deep wilderness camping? Need a little more info about the type of hunting you plan to do before any real advice can be given

 

[UPSman]

Look Familiar?

 

[4onaside]

Its a bleak looking place as compared with the "greenest state in the land of the free".

 

[String Music]

I'm looking for a good place to bow hunt during September. I would be willing to camp. It can't be to harsh of a hike because I'm going with some older gentlemen. I have been looking at the Flat Tops in the White River National Forrest. Any suggestions?

 

[trealtree]

Are you dead set on Colorado.

 

[String Music]

I'm open to anything.

 

[megalomaniac]

How 'harsh of a hike' is too hard? For example, I know of spots that are relatively easy ('relatively', since they would be a cinch in TN... say 2-3 miles in with 800 ft elevation change during that distance, but only due to the altitude can be significantly more difficult.)

It's really tough to recommend an OTC unit for elk with easy access and decent success... the three just don't go well together for the most part. If you can get there easy, then so can the rest of the USA.

Start with the success odds on CDOW's website... I'd be looking for OTC units with 15% success rates or better.

Pick a unit and stick with it for a few years... Spend only the morning hours hunting, and the rest of the day scouting areas within a 10-15 mile radius the rest of the day. Before long, you'll have 4 or 5 decent areas to hunt within that unit, so that in years to come, you can just hit the areas one after the other until you find the elk. From what I can tell, areas that have been great in the past aren't necessarily loaded with elk every year. This past year we scouted an area with easy access and tons of elk in the past. Must have seen 8 or 9 vehicles parked along the access roads... probably 15 or more hunters. The thing is, this year there was a phenominal amount of elk sign- but it was over a month old. I still can't believe there were that many folks hunting a herd of probably 200 elk which had moved out well before season opened.

 

[String Music]

Well, I'd be up for anything if it meant getting into elk. I'm 24 so I could handle the harsher hikes. However, I will be going with men in their late 50's and early 60's so that kind of slows everything down.

 

[WORM82]

routt national forest in hayden and near craig also.

 

[DBLAARCHERY]

How 'harsh of a hike' is too hard? For example, I know of spots that are relatively easy ('relatively', since they would be a cinch in TN... say 2-3 miles in with 800 ft elevation change during that distance, but only due to the altitude can be significantly more difficult.)

It's really tough to recommend an OTC unit for elk with easy access and decent success... the three just don't go well together for the most part. If you can get there easy, then so can the rest of the USA.

Start with the success odds on CDOW's website... I'd be looking for OTC units with 15% success rates or better.

Pick a unit and stick with it for a few years... Spend only the morning hours hunting, and the rest of the day scouting areas within a 10-15 mile radius the rest of the day. Before long, you'll have 4 or 5 decent areas to hunt within that unit, so that in years to come, you can just hit the areas one after the other until you find the elk. From what I can tell, areas that have been great in the past aren't necessarily loaded with elk every year. This past year we scouted an area with easy access and tons of elk in the past. Must have seen 8 or 9 vehicles parked along the access roads... probably 15 or more hunters. The thing is, this year there was a phenominal amount of elk sign- but it was over a month old. I still can't believe there were that many folks hunting a herd of probably 200 elk which had moved out well before season opened.

THis is very good advice...We have been hunting the same area for several years and know exactly where we will start and end each day...THis year we will set up a spike camp to keep from long hikes...Very good advice...

 

[megalomaniac]

Oh, btw,

Once you pick your unit, just zip me a note and I'll even do your scouting for you

Seriously, you can find where the elk are just by using Google Earth. Once you know where elk like to spend their summers, finding likely spots is a cinch from your computer. They are quite predictable before the pressure starts, and all spots I've found using Google have paid off. Once they've been hunted hard, it becomes a needle in a haystack sort of thing.