Elk hunting

[sniper7]

awesome! good luck, hope you get a monster. post some pics or your buddies when you get a chance.

[TennVol]

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[sniper_tim]

Sams club has cases of hot hands for ~$11/case. Works out to ~ .30/piece. We use em' all up with two kids in football and a couple hunting seasons. They keep my hands toasty.

I enjoyed my hunt even though it was unsuccessful. We ended up hunting in GMU 5 (Slater park), and I spent some time hunting the fence line of three forks ranch. I had a cow tag and saw lots of bulls, some cows (not in range), biggest buck i've ever seen, misc other deer. This was my first time to this area and I was hunting with friends so, I basically hung with them and learned the area. Next time, I know exactly where I would sit!

We had ~20 guys from Tenn camped next to us, they had mules and packed in the night before opening day and basically spent the night in the field until they got their bull or end of the season. I think all of them were successful, interesting and dedicated hunting method! Unfortunately, by the second/third night many of them were successful, back in camp celebrating with late night gun shots from camp, not cool.

By the third day, the hunting pressure had pushed the elk to higher elevations along with the Tenn guys (advantage of having mules).

TennVol, how much does it cost to just get a Cow tag on three forks (if you don't mind my asking). Is it guided/drop camp or what?

I'm still learning and would be interested in hearing others strategies, especially those who were successful (ie stalking, sitting, hiking timber, etc). Also wondering if anyone is familiar with this area (GMU 5, slater park) and what it is like during 2nd, 3rd & 4th seasons. I still have an EE tag for 3rd season in GMU 27, anyone know of good areas to hunt there?

good luck,
Tim

[Mtn.man]

wow we always hunt and hardly ever see anyone... most don't walk more than 150 200 yards off the road...last year we had 3 elk in the back of the truck by late afternoon, and ran into some Texas hunters riding up and down the road they ask if we'd seen any elk....

NOPE,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,here's your sign..............

also Costco has 40 hot hands and bonus toe warmers for 13.00

[sniper7]

I must work too hard then. I don't have mules or horses. just pack in with a few friends (4 or 5 of us total) and set up a camp and go from there. Both my bulls from this year and last year were about 5 miles from base camp and a hell of a hike!

I never see another hunter though except for the start of the hunt going in and maybe coming out. they usually walk the roads. I like to be where there is zero pressure.

I am sure during rifle season it is a bit easier to hunt along the roads though as the elk move down and are more active.

Muzzleloading season presents a whole new set of obstacles as the elk move very early and very late (and all night this year thanks to a stinking full moon ) Then during the day they are bedded down, and usually not very talkative. You have to really get them riled up to hear anything from them. Or get right in their territory and get them pissed you are another bull hanging out in their spot.

[sniper_tim]

sinper7,
When you "pack in" and hunt 5 miles from base camp, are you packing in from base camp and spending the night in the field, or packing in a base camp without motorized vehicles? Once in the field, do you sit on selected areas, beat timber, stalking, or combo of both with your hunting partners?

I have hunted elk for the last 5 years unsuccessfully, and agree i'm working way too hard. According to my GPS, this last season, over the course of 5 days I hiked 30 miles, and i forgot to start logging the first day! I basically played dog for a couple of the older guys in camp. They went in via trail and sat. I hiked mountains and timber and literally 30 minutes proir to stepping out of the timber I would hear shots and it wasn't always my hunting partners. I saw mere glimpses of the elk when kicked up in the timber, definately not enough time to get a shot off.

So, i'm trying to learn as much as I can. One thing I noticed is that after reviewing the western slope hunting guides that some areas have larger elk populations. For instance, GMU 5 has a population 24K whereas GMU 27 has 4K. Definetly your odds are better in 5, however as i experienced there were lots more hunters.

[sniper7]

It varies as to what we do. When we pack in, it is just that. we took a 4 wheeler along this year but didn't use it once. We just load our pack frames up with all our gear and hike in. We found a really nice remote spot surrounded by timber to protect us from the wind and set up camp there. We were about 5 miles back in. We only stayed there a couple days as one of the guys that was with us (it was his frist elk hunt ever and only 2nd big game hunt), well he blew a 20 yard shot on a 5x5. We figured he had to of hit him and spent the rest of the first day and all the 2nd searching the entire canyon and all the mountainsides for him but we knew he missed. It was more to make him feel better even though we will never tell him that.

Then we swapped areas and drove in on some nasty roads up high, then hiked in about 5 miles with a little bit lighter day packs but had enough to survive a couple days/nights without any problem. This is when i got my bull, about 5 miles back, on the other side of the mountain from where we were camped so it was a shit ton of work to get him out.

The plus, we don't see hunters anywhere. They are usually down lower and then drive up and down buring gas all day long, or they sit watching meadows and hope. For the most part they don't see much unless it is morning or evening, especially during muzzleloading season.

This year was a full moon for the entire season so the elk very active all night long feeding and moving. that means they move later in the evening so you aren't going to have a good shot. that also means they are going to stick in the thick timber and sleep during the day and move very little unless pushed.

I can only tell you that I hunt near notellum ridge. You will have to scour maps to find it.


I have never road hunted for elk my entire life, but for the older guys that do it, I understand.


As far as your experience, you definitely got used as the dog. basically what you are doing when you are pounding in the woods like that is making noise and pushing the elk to the other hunters or the two older guys in your case. they knew what they were doing.

What I would advise is to always take your time in the woods. Work slow, move a few hundred yards then bugle or sit and watch. Elk have much better senses than we do in just about everything so they will see and smell and hear you long before the squirrels start barking at you. This year we got to a good area, bugled for a while, moved a couple hundred yards, bugled again. then on the next move we found a beautiful meadow with several wallows, a little bit of snow and lots of fresh green grass with little water pockets all along. We sat hear for 40 minutes bugling our nuts off until my 5x5 finally called back and was pissed cause we were making soo much racket (bugling). That was the last time he was going to come in looking for a fight.

[sniper_tim]

sniper7,

Thanks for the information, it is helpful.

"no tell 'um ridge", funny!

I'm not really concerned with where you hunt, but your strategies. Once I have honed my skills, theoretically I should be able to get an elk anywhere. The hunt success rate in Colorado is approx 20%, considering road hunters even seem to get one occasionally, I'm frustrated (should have had one in 5 years to match success rate). I know guys that get one every year, or have success rates 70%+.

Hunters don't like to give up their spots, as you have demonstrated, however I tend to ask friends/co-workers if i can go with them. Mostly to learn to hunt, not find out where someone's secret spot is. I grew up deer hunting with my dad, his strategy was to hike in before sunrise, sit down and hike out after sunset. If you didn't see anything it was cause "you didn't sit still enough"!

[TennVol]

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[sniper7]

sniper7,

Thanks for the information, it is helpful.

"no tell 'um ridge", funny!

I'm not really concerned with where you hunt, but your strategies. Once I have honed my skills, theoretically I should be able to get an elk anywhere. The hunt success rate in Colorado is approx 20%, considering road hunters even seem to get one occasionally, I'm frustrated (should have had one in 5 years to match success rate). I know guys that get one every year, or have success rates 70%+.

Hunters don't like to give up their spots, as you have demonstrated, however I tend to ask friends/co-workers if i can go with them. Mostly to learn to hunt, not find out where someone's secret spot is. I grew up deer hunting with my dad, his strategy was to hike in before sunrise, sit down and hike out after sunset. If you didn't see anything it was cause "you didn't sit still enough"!

I do what I can!

I think they say the average is 1 bull every 10 years in colorado for the average hunter! I couldn't imagine. no wonder a lot of guys don't hunt and get frustrated. but a lot of this is the guys who go up to drink then road hunt all day and drink some more. They always ask where I got my bull when I am driving out. I look them straight in the eyes and say "right there in the woods"

They look at me confused, so I tell them they need to get out of their truck to find the elk!

I will share some tips and tactics, but i learned my spots from my best friends dad and my dad who have hunted CO for over 50 years combined. My best friends dad and I are going mule deer hunting middle of Nov. he hasn't hunted with a rifle in 20 years, so this ought to be fun!