hunting help :)

[Merl]

has anyone out there hunted elk north of Craig? On a whim I decided to hunt this year, first time ever, and got a cow elk tag for a wide area north of Craig.

I looked around up there over the weekend and the BLM lands look excellent for antelope. Saw a few (many) bars for hanging carcasses showing the forests there must have quute a few of either deer or elk (probably both).

Anyone know the area willing to give some advice?

[Marlin]

Well, if it's like the last time I had a cow tag, Be prepared to see more Bull Elk than You have ever seen in Your life.
[roll]

[HunterCO]

They can read your license through your wallet. All you will see is Bulls [roll]

I know people that hunt that area and do well the problem is you have to learn the area and where they move. Good luck on your first time but then again that is why they call it hunting. [wink]

[Marlin]

Like Hunter says, Get Yourself a map of Your area, study it, and try a couple of road trips up there over the summer.

[Wallary]

Hey Merl ! This is what they said about Craig last year. Best of the herd
Northwest Colorado boasts largest elk population in the state

By Autumn Phillips

Thursday, September 1, 2005

Northwest Colorado has the largest elk herd in Colorado and probably the nation, drawing hunters to the area in droves.

The state relies on hunters to keep that population at a manageable size.

Hunters in the area have killed record number of elk in the past three years.

Northwest Colorado supports three herds of elk. The first herd roams north of U.S. Highway 40 almost to the Utah border and includes as many as 17,000 elk. The second herd roams a large geographical area that includes the Flat Tops, Yampa, Toponas, Meeker and on to Glenwood Springs. There are 41,000 elk in that herd. The third herd supports 16,000 elk that roam along the Continental Divide north of Craig.

The Northwest Colorado elk total is almost a third of the Colorado state total of 275,000 animals.

"Because we do have so many elk, we encourage hunters to kill cows, since they are the ones who produce offspring," said Susan Werner, area wildlife manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. This year, the Colorado Division of Wildlife is limiting the number of bull elk licenses it issues to get hunters to kill more cow elk.

Although elk are the major draw for hunters in this area, licenses also are available for a variety of other big game, including deer, antelope, bear and mountain lion.

There are a few deer licenses left, Werner said.

There are three herds of deer in the area, and deer hunting is expected to be good this year.

"We had a mild winter last year," Werner said. "The survival rate was high."

For more information about hunting big game in Colorado, visit the Colorado Division of Wildlife Web site at www.wildlife.state.co.us. n


Good luck Merl I hope you bag one !!! I'll be on Music Mountain during the archery season!!! Larry

[redleg1one]

I hunted in area 51 with a few guys from my church a couple of years ago. We all got does and bucks, other camps near us got elk. We went during third season. Lots of snow during that time frame.