Doe Nob
Very Active Member
I did OTC rifle and have scouted 3 different areas for bow hunting.
IMO the key to a successful archery hunt in CO is finding a packer for your area. If it isn't wilderness, you will mostly likely have to deal with too much quad traffic. For that reason, I've focused on wilderness areas. I have found lots of elk and big (enuf) bulls on my scouting trips. The only issue is they are all at least 6 miles in from the trailhead and usually more like 7-12. No way I could get an elk out in archery season (or any season) from that distance.
So anyway, that's my 2 cents. You need to find a packer you can rely on and you can bomb in on foot, tons of good places to go. Rent a sat phone and as soon as the bull goes down call them w/ GPS coordinates, then quarter and debone the meat and get it hung in the shade or in a creek. One of the spots I have the packer can't come in on the trail I do because its not his concession, so its a 2 day pack out for them and that's over $1000. One spot I haven't been able to find a packer, the guy who had the FS concession turned into a drunk and went bankrupt and as far as I know nobody's picked it up.
I know you say you can't scout but even a 2 day hiking trip with boots on the ground will help immensely after you figure out your area. Devote one weekend, get a RT ticket and a rental car and go hike your ass off.
Also - if you have never done it before, you need to be in phenomenal shape. I live at sea level and always think I am in great shape, then when I get there wish I had done more. Cardio and more cardio. Interval training and endurance training.
I'll get out there one day, but I'm kind of at a sweet spot for points where I'm going to be drawing tags the next 4 years, keep those in my pocket as my backup hunts in case something goes awry in the draws.
IMO the key to a successful archery hunt in CO is finding a packer for your area. If it isn't wilderness, you will mostly likely have to deal with too much quad traffic. For that reason, I've focused on wilderness areas. I have found lots of elk and big (enuf) bulls on my scouting trips. The only issue is they are all at least 6 miles in from the trailhead and usually more like 7-12. No way I could get an elk out in archery season (or any season) from that distance.
So anyway, that's my 2 cents. You need to find a packer you can rely on and you can bomb in on foot, tons of good places to go. Rent a sat phone and as soon as the bull goes down call them w/ GPS coordinates, then quarter and debone the meat and get it hung in the shade or in a creek. One of the spots I have the packer can't come in on the trail I do because its not his concession, so its a 2 day pack out for them and that's over $1000. One spot I haven't been able to find a packer, the guy who had the FS concession turned into a drunk and went bankrupt and as far as I know nobody's picked it up.
I know you say you can't scout but even a 2 day hiking trip with boots on the ground will help immensely after you figure out your area. Devote one weekend, get a RT ticket and a rental car and go hike your ass off.
Also - if you have never done it before, you need to be in phenomenal shape. I live at sea level and always think I am in great shape, then when I get there wish I had done more. Cardio and more cardio. Interval training and endurance training.
I'll get out there one day, but I'm kind of at a sweet spot for points where I'm going to be drawing tags the next 4 years, keep those in my pocket as my backup hunts in case something goes awry in the draws.
