First Elk Trip

[MidwestHunter23]

My brother in law made a decision this year to officially plan an out-west elk hunt for a couple years down the road, and I was hoping to reach out to the collective minds and years of experience on this forum to help guide some of our decisions and point us in the right direction!

Our planned hunt is 2018 (but could be 2019 if it makes sense with PP, etc). Based on the posts and different areas of research, I think that Colorado is the best choice due to its combination of available tags, public hunting areas, reasonable success rates, and cost. We were planning on doing a backpack hunt, but after some reading we are kicking around doing a "drop camp" style hunt for our first time. any thoughts on that would be greatly appreciated! the questions I would really like some input on are:

1) Location for first Elk hunt(rifle)?
- like I said, Colorado seems to fit all of our criteria, but if there is an overlooked area that we should research (I have seen Montana come up recently as well)
2)If Colorado is a good location to start with, does getting 3 PP make any sense? Will I be able to draw a first season tag or a better unit with only 3 or 4 PP? or should we focus on OTC tags?
3)DIY Backpack hunt vs drop camp.
-I like the idea of being 100% mobile and adaptable (considering we have no idea what we are doing!), and the challenge of doing it by ourselves is one of the main reasons for taking on this hunt!. but there are obviously some great advantages to having some local knowledge, a set base camp (less gear for us to haul and buy), and also a plan for packing out an elk just in case we happen to come across one!. I am curious to hear some of the experiences both ways.

Thank you all in advance!

 

[MidwestHunter23]

I also realized that I messed up my first question.

We both bow hunt and rifle, what are the pros are doing our first elk hunt with a rifle or with a bow? What would you recommend for your first hunt?

Thanks again in advance!

 

[wileywapiti]

Some states allow both archery and rifle hunting in the same year with one tag....just a thought. I've hunted elk for many, many years, I exclusively hunt archery these days, but grew up hunting rifle. I wouldn't say one is easier than the other, but rather they both have their place and time. I love archery hunting the rut...IF you hit the the rut just right, there is nothing better in hunting, but it can be awful if they have shut down for the week you're there. Rifle definitely allows for longer range shots, but you will notice a lot more hunters during the rifle hunt, making it harder to find elk. I also backpack hunt, so any info. you need I could pass along what I have done for years. Just pm me if you are interested.

Other than that I really don't have any info. on Colorado, so... sorry for hijacking your thread.

 

[Alabama]

If you both bow and rifle hunt then I suggest buying PP in WY and get the general tag in WY. Tons of units where you could bow hunt the last week of Sept and rifle hunt after Oct 1. Montana has pretty much the same deal on their general elk license. You don't need points there but WY will still be cheaper if you add it up. CO is a good option too. If you're wanting to go in 2018 you will only have 2 points going into that draw. You will not get into a better unit with that few points. The OTC units are generally OTC on archery, 2nd and 3rd rifle: they are limited on muzzleloader, 1st and 4th rifle. You could draw most of those 1st rifle tags in those units.

I still think WY is your best choice but that's just my $.02.

 

[MidwestHunter23]

Thanks for the responses!

I don't think we will carry two weapons, pick either rifle or bow. Does that make a difference and Wyoming versus Colorado ( or any other state for that matter?)

 

[Slugz]

Why wait for points? For Colorado the difference between a limited hunt with 1-3 points versus a OTC archery/rifle/leftover list tag/ cow hunt is really the same IMO. In Colorado you could get double bang for your $. Figure out the area GMU/season you are wanting to target for a bull hunt. Research and see if it has a cow tag also. Put in for your A tags(bull) and if you don't get it put a cow tag for your second choice and or pick up a cow tag off the leftover. Gets you hunting quicker, meat in the freezer and you can learn an area for when you draw a bull tag.

Your ? answers. IMO. 1) Colorado rifle 2)No IMO. There are half decent 1st rifle leftover tags available every year or OTC 2nd or 3rd season. Most of those hunts may have a B cow tag also you could grab. 3) Depends on how much you wanna spend and or rely on someone else (ie) an outfitter. You could do the homework/research yourself, go in DIY and pack the animal out yourself.

 

[MidwestHunter23]

Budget and planning are the reason we are waiting (young kids and currently pregnant wife!). Points are just a bonus since we have to wait anyway.

I'm trying to determine if applying and getting points would make any difference in where we would want or be able to hunt. What would some of the benefits be second versus third season? Most of what I read is that second season is filled with way too many people, but there has to be a reason most people most of what I read is that second season is filled with way too many people, but there has to be a reason most people choose to go that time. Is it all weather?

 

[Slugz]

MH23 copy the factors of why waiting for points. To answer your question in short, yes. 1-3 points open up a lot of GMU/hunts in Colorado for the NR. Lastly yes, the OTC seasons will be more crowded in certain GMUs. However with a little planning, scouting and willingness to sweat you can hunt in spots, see animals and not see people every year. Weather has a lot to do with it and the pain level people want to go through versus where the animals are. As a general rule of thumb though, post 1st season rifle you will find em where they are not getting bumped every day. All the best.

 

[MidwestHunter23]

thanks for the replies guys! it is pretty overwhelming digging through the reports right now and trying to zone in on a spot to hunt.

I think 2nd season rifle in Colorado will be our best bet, next is to determine what GMU to target for a NR with 2 preference points.

 

[NebrCatMan]

Hey 23... don't know if you have ever been to the mountains before, but here is a thought. The first time a buddy and myself went to Colorado we choose an OTC area for bow hunting. We have been there 4 times now and have learned a lot. We are still learning every time we go there. We have came close several times on bugling bulls, and could have maybe arrowed a cow or two, but we are 0 for 4 in our tries. I am going to start to apply for muzzle loader tags , but we still plan on going OTC for bows on elk. We stay in a wall tent and camp as far in as we can get. A lot cheaper than driving to a cabin or into town. Make sure your in the best shape you can be in. I know some only focus on a kill, but bow hunting is a low percentage success game. In our case we were on elk all 4 trips, if we were gun hunters we would have come home with meat every time. But a bow is harder. Colorado has my vote for a first hunt. But Wyoming is second, as I have some good memories of a gun hunt up there several years ago. What ever you decide, DO IT!!!

 

[Jethro]

Since you've decided your going to go...buy the points. Unless you absolutely can't afford them. If it opens up a few more
unit choices when you finally apply, then it was worth it. I don't follow CO rifle draw odds, but if you decide WY is your destination, good chance by 2018 you will need points just for a general tag.

 

[480/277]

Give serious thought on recovering the meat of your kill
How many loads + distance to vehicle (x2) in/out
If you do not have experience on elk size critters you
Could get over whelmed.
At the least I would make packing out arrangements for your
DIY hunt
My .02
Oh and there are no elk in Wyoming....

 

[Old School]

I'm not a seasoned veteran, I've been elk hunting 4 years. I'm 2 for 2 with rifle (Idaho and Montana) and 0 for 2 DIY OTC Colorado archery. Had opportunities both years, just not the shot I wanted to take with a bow. Just go and enjoy your time in the mountains. Just being there is in and of itself great. As a general rule the weather is milder during bow season if that makes any difference.

--Mitch

 

[John Bussard]

I say skip the points put money towards gear. I would diy. Drop camp gives outfitters plenty of excuses why you didn't see elk since they aren't holding your hand. They will not drop you in their best spots anyway since they have to get Bulls in front of higher paying clients. Go farther get up earlier and stay later than everyone else.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rollin]

If you're going to have a couple points CO first season rifle might be a great way to go.. It's not OTC so you don't have the hunting pressure.

Check out the south San Juans... plenty of room for hiking and obtainable tags with a couple points. Feel free to PM me and I can give you some more specifics.

 

[Granby guy]

I would suggest buying 1-2 points so you will be guaranteed a first season tag. If it was my first hunt I would do a drop camp so you can start out fresh and not spend the majority of your hunt packing out an elk.

 

[RICMIC]

You're getting a lot of input here; some of it is conflicting though because all of our experiences are different. To address your question about "why most of the hunters in CO are hunting the second season." That is because the first season (5 days) is limited (draw only). That includes for OTC units where the first OTC tag you can get is the second season (9 days). The later seasons may have the elk at lower elevations due to snow up high, but that also will often be private land.
A general elk tag in WY for NRs took <2 pts. to draw; there was a slight chance with 1 pt. The special draw will get you a tag with one pt. $50 for the extra point, or $400 extra for the special tag.....looks like a little planning ahead makes sense. For a man on a budget, the WY system is cheap and easy to get your points. Many states, including CO require the $ up front, even if you are just buying a point. They'll refund you most of it after the draw, but that ties up hundreds of dollars in the meantime. All of this is covered in detail in each states MRS, so get to reading lad.