Elk hunting, Colorado info needed

[TomBow]

Howdy!
I may have the opportunity to elk bow-hunt in Southwestern Colorado this fall. What I need is any information from anyone who has elk hunted before, elk hunted in Colorado or elk hunted in this area. We will be not far from Mesa Verde and need ideas on what zone to hunt, possible spots to go etc. This will be an unguided hunt and I have never elk hunted before. Any information that you'd be willing to provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance and Best of Luck to you and yours on your hunts.

Thank you,
TomBow
tomb@kapak.com

 

[340mag]

start running alot now! youll need the exercise to be able to keep up with those ELK if your not used to higher elevations. only your first shot will count or be availiable most times ,learn to make it good and quick!
try never to stand in direct sun light,always in the shade to break up your out-line if possiable.
a good bow in the 55lb or greater range you can shoot well is better than an 80lb bow you can,t shoot well
dress in WARM layers, and carry a light back-pack
start running alot now!
wear a hat that keeps the sun out of your eyes and snow and rain from running down your jacket collar, carry extra BOW strings,arrows, and a cow call you know how to use! don,t shoot untill your sure of your shot placement,
learn to shoot at least reasonably well out to about 50 yards if possiable while stalking.
only use shaving sharp broad heads, (non-expanding cut from the tip style prefered)
carry a compass, canteen,knife,poncho,and cigerette lighter at all times
start running alot now!
heres usefull info READ ALL THE LINKS

http://home.att.net/~sajackson/elk.html

http://www.jacksonholewyoming.net/elk/

http://www.freemanriver.com/Hunting/huntin..._tips_elk_1.htm

http://www.westernhunter.com/Pages/Vol02Is...5/elktips1.html

http://www.allhunters.net/allhunters_elk_h...unting_tips.htm

no elk is worth another hunters life, be damn sure what your shooting at!

most elk are smart enought to stay in the timber durring day light after opening day,don,t expect elk to be standing in the open like on calendars, and if my 33 years plus elk hunting is average, youll get most shots at walking elk , learn to shoot accurately and fast, shooting 4" 45 yard groups with a bows fine, but learning to shoot 6" 35 yard groups from odd angles and with little warning with extreme speed on walking elk will get more ELK!!!

BTW IM A HUGE BELIEVER IN CAMO
this is closer to what Im talking about

I have a hat thats woodland camo thats got a larger brim, I pin the sides up like an aussie hat and its worn with a 3/4 camo face mask and (SNEAKY LEAVES)

NO , YOU DON,T NEED THIS MUCH CAMO, BUT I AM ABLE TO GET IN REALLY CLOSE FOR MOST SHOTS

AND YOU WON,T BELIEVE HOW HARD YOU ARE FOR GAME (or other hunters) TO SEE ,IF YOUR SITTING STILL in A BUNCH OF BRANCHES IN THE SHADE WITH YOUR BOW on a good game trail IN A GOOD SPOT DRESSED LIKE THIS!!! BUT ELK ARE NOT DEER the ELK TEND TO TRAVEL LONG DISTANCES, YOU MUST LOCATE THE HERDS AND SNEAK IN FOR A SHOT MOST TIMES

AND YOUR CORRECT IF YOU THINK I TAKE A LOT OF B.S. ABOUT HOW I LOOK,(BUT MOST GUYS COME AROUND TO MY WAY OF THINKING ONCE THEY SEE THE RESULTS THAT BEING INVISIABLE IN THE TIMBER CAN PRODUCE!!) BUT KEEP IN MIND YOU DON,T WANT ANY CAMO TO GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR BOW STRING AS YOU SHOOT!, PRACTICE IN THE CAMO WHAT YOU HUNT WITH SHOOTING AT ALL POSSIABLE ANGLES

 

[COHunter]

This is how you hunt Elk in Colorado.

1) Let all the NR Hunters swarm the mountains

2) Find some thick PJ's or Sage in the Foothills of these same mountains

3) Wait for the Elk to come running down the mountains that all the NR Hunters are swarming in

Shoot your Elk in "bad Elk habitat" according to NR Hunters

5) Park your truck (with Elk in back) at local diner and listen to NR's complain how they didn't see any Elk

Now you know how to hunt Colorado like the Resident hunters do

Good Luck

 

[TomBow]

340mag--thanks for all the valuable info. I'm a bit of a camo nut myself, I like the 3-d leaf Mossy Oak that I have, but the non-3D Mossy Oak blobs too much for my taste. I for one would not laugh at your outfit and see the value in the way you put your camo system together. Thanks for the tips.

COhunter--I must confess that I will be a NR hunter, but don't fall into the general view that you have for them. I respect other hunters and hunting lands and do my best to leave no trace as well as back off if I get to close to someone else's set-up. Sorry that you have had (it appears from your words) bad run-ins with us NR's in the past, but I don't feel that just because someone doesn't live in your great state doesn't mean they aren't ethical, law-abiding persons, such as myself and those I choose to hunt with.
Ok, now that is off my mind and I can get on to the real meat and potatos.... Your tactics sound realistic, actually, and I can see the wisdom. At this point, Colorado Elk is a big maybe, I am in the process of doing all the research I can about Elk, Elk hunting and Colorado. Any assistance from anyone will be greatly appreciated. Thank you and Best of Luck to all ethical, law abiding hunters, both Residents and Non. Most of us NR's view hunting elk as a "holy grail" not to be taken lightly and appreciate the patience that you show to us. There's good people and less good people in all phases of life, here's to the good people.

Thanks again.

 

[340mag]

I posted this before but you might need to read and think it over

I look at elk hunting almost like a huge chess game.
first you find and check all the terrain features, looking for natural terrain features that channel and limit travel, (deep caynons, sheer cliffs, rivers,ETC.)then you find all the likely camping sites,road access points and other likely pressure points that will allow the weekend hunting crowds to push the elk herds out of the area, next you look over the likely escape routes and likely safety areas the elk are likely to flow into when pressured to get away from the hunting pressure,next you locate the nasty, steep and difficult to access areas with both cover and access to water.
now on opening day you want to be on those points that limit travel about 3-5 miles from the nearest road or camp site before dawn that have the largest most difficult to access caynons just past them, after opening day you want to be still hunting those same difficult to access caynons, especially the heavy conifer pockets surrounded by aspen on the benches and steep slopes that are especially dificult to reach with 2-4 guys covering all escape routes out of those caynons. remember ELK will tend to get as far from people as they can, that does not necessarily mean miles of distance as much as it means away from roads and easily walked trails in canyon floors and ridge tops, Ive frequently found elk that where in pockets of conifer on VERY STEEP hard to get to ledges, or large groves of aspen on the far side of streams that were too deep to wade easily with no other access readily available, elk are smart enought to figure out where hunters are seldom seen! and use that info to hide from hunters, most guys are lazy and won,t go where its wet, hard to climb or difficult to walk easily, or where theres no way to get a vehical close too, ELK KNOW THAT!
lets say you see a canyon that looks like this from the only main road in the area!

you can bet not one hunter in a thousands been hunting that canyon even though there could be miles of open medows and side canyons in its bottom only a mile in! look closely at topo maps, find logging roads,jeep trails etc for access. the harder it is to get into the more likely your competion will be light for the ELK in that area!

 

[COHunter]

I havent had too many bad run-ins with NR hunters, I was just telling you what hunting Colorado is like. I do think that we should do away with OTC Tags to ease crowding.
If you come out and hunt an OTC GMU, you will understand what I mean.
I think a lot of guys watch the hunting shows on the Outdoor Channel so they try to hunt area's that look like what they have seen on the TV. Thats why the high country is so crazy. There are lots of guys on this forum that I would like to hunt with (I think, hard to tell from a computer) even though they are NR's.

 

[340mag]

??? " NR hunters" IM NOT familiar with that term
Ive hunted colorado in the white river,Flat Tops Wilderness , San Juan National Forest, Holy Cross Wilderness ,Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness and gunnison areas for over 33 years, so Im aware of a good deal of the ELK hunting terrain colorado has and how to hunt it at least fairly well both with a rifle and bow.

 

[COHunter]

340mag
You must really like them Elk if you've been coming out here for 33 years all the way from Florida !!!
We're finally getting some moisture out here (except SW part of State) so hopefully it will equal better conditions for antler growth. What part of the State are you hunting this year ?

 

[340mag]

the last few years Ive hunted the area near gypsum,eagle,meridith,bulford. I don,t know for sure where or even if Ill be able to make a hunt this year because I crushed my ankle last year and its healing slowly, If I don,t make it it will be the second year in 33-35 years i have not hunted ELK, AND IT WILL DAMN NEAR KILL ME TO MISS THAT ANNUAL HUNT

 

[COHunter]

Have you been up in the Milk Creek area (GMU 35) or are you still a little West of there up in 25 or there abouts ?

 

[340mag]

avalanche,fulford,meadow lake,three forks,deep lake,deep creek, grizzly creek,the 7 hermits, blue lake are a few of the areas Ive hunted in recent years. where you pick to hunt has a big effect on how you hunt and your succes rate to a large extent, but a persistant hunter who studies the areas and topo maps and does his homework by calling and talking to the area biologist and rangers will normally do much better than the guys who show up opening day with no idea what direction from camp they should walk or where they are headed and why! $120-$170 spent on TOPOs and phone calls to area biologists will save DAYS of scouting in most cases

 

[TomBow]

Thanks again very much for the information. I do appreciate greatly your taking the time to help out. It is likely that this will not be the year for a Colorado Elk hunt because of financial and time issues but the file has been started including some of your suggestions. I am right there with you on getting topos and speaking with local biologists, as well as getting in away from the crowds. Every time I get a new area to hunt, I begin collecting topos and going over them with a fine-toothed comb to try and find likely spots. I hunt a lot of public land in Minnesota and there are alot of ravines in the areas I hunt. Granted, the climbing is no-where close to what CO will be. Most of the time I will get back into these ravines and find a lot less hunting pressure. I am going to take time on this and get fully mentally and informationally prepared before making the trek to CO in pursuit of elk. Keep the tips coming, I can't thank you guys enough for the efforts on your parts. Absolute Best of Luck on your hunts and in your lives! Hope the ankle heals soon, just don't push it, give it some time. I know that can be difficult but taking it easy will pay dividends when it heals up as good as new! Thank you both again!!

 

[COHunter]

I agree that maps and phone calls can cut down on a lot of legwork, but I love seeing area's first hand. I find a lot of new area's by accident while hunting for something else (mainly Blue Grouse).
If you guys know the general area you want to hunt, and its in the north west part of the State, I can tell you what I've seen in September when I'm out chasing the Blue's.

 

[TomBow]

COHunter--saw you got a tag in the draw for this year! Glad to hear it and I hope you drop one in it's tracks or darn close! Congrats and Best of Luck! Thanks again for the help!

 

[cincoflatspirate]

I've never hunted elk in co, but if they're like the one's in utah you can make all the noise you want when you're chasing them as long you sound like a small bull or a cow. Don't let em see or smell you. CO hunter that same NR technique works in UT too.

 

[Cda55]

Hell last year in area 71 I was about 25 feet from about 75 cows. They were spooked and running in circles. Of course, I had a bull tag. They didn't seem to mind me at all.