Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Help with Western/Elk hunting...recommendations please

LeosRedFox -

Whoever called you “nasty names” was being a self-centered jerk of the first order. Just because you planned ahead (and incurred the corresponding expenses and effort that required) doesn’t make that person’s problem your problem. They put the elk down, getting it out is their responsibility. If you choose to help, fine. If not, also fine.

Over the years I’ve pulled people back onto the road on several occasions and have driven miles out of my way to take hunters that were lost back to their vehicle. On one occasion a hunter pair from California had driven off the road and down a steep slope to get to an elk they had shot, only to end up stuck in a bog. They hiked several miles through the dark before reaching our camp and insisted we drive down the slope and into the bog to pull them out. Instead I drove them an hour to town and dropped them off at a bar – no way I was going to drive down that slope in the daylight, let alone in the dark, and if their truck stayed put until hell froze over I really didn’t care. My problem was getting them out of my camp.

I sure have had the same experiences as LeosRedFox. I'll just about help anyone that misfortune falls on. Not figuring on how to get an elk out isn't a misfortune,although at times I have done so.

Not elk,but deer. One time up in the Flat Tops, a fellow brought his son on his first deer hunt. He tagged it about 3 miles back in and commenced to drag it out. That lasted a few hundred yards.

He came back down to camp and the local outfitter quoted him $275 to pack a deer out.You could tell that this guy probably scrimped just to a take his son hunting.

I told him to come over to my camp at 5 AM with a bag of cookies.I gave him one of my mules and told him to feed him the cookies and he will follow you any where.

Biggest grin on a kid you ever saw when he came back into camp that afternoon.

Opposite story when a camp of NR Kansas hunters came in to my camp at 9 PM one night and insisted that me being a resident,I should go pack their elk out for them. I offered them a frying pan.

Some great and helpful info in this thread. Being prepared is the #1 most important thing anyone has said here. You never know if you are going to hunting in 60 degree weather or 10 degrees below.
Be prepared for weather, for heavy winds, for heavy snow, for getting snowed into your camp for upwards of a week , for someone getting sick in camp and needing attention quickly, for finding yourself in an area devoid of elk, and the worst one of all- for getting your elk on the first day and having nothing to do for the rest of your time off except enjoy the scenery and prepare your elk for travel home.

Having a positive attitude will work wonders for your success rate. A couple years ago we drew tags in one of our favorite units. I shot an average sized cow the first morning by pure luck. Then, we walked all over hell and back and weren't finding elk in the usual haunts but we knew it was only a matter of time as this was a prime travel corridor for migrating elk. Nothing one day and elk everywhere the next.
The morning we had to pack up camp, my son and I decided to walk down the road for a quick hunt near camp. We had only gone about 100 yards and sat down and we heard the racket only a herd of elk can make running through the trees. Just then a whole herd of elk ran across in front of us at about 125 yards. My son shot the herd cow not 200 yards from camp.

A certain amount of luck is involved but we were also in a great area with lots of elk. Like said above, if you're not seeing fresh sign, move around until you do and concentrate on that area. Then be prepared.

I've been hunting elk for around 40 years now and I am more prepared each year.

Bob

That's why you need to bring your fishing gear if you're hunting in September/October, there's good fishing to be had. And the license comes with a NR elk tag in CO.

My buddy and I are planning a DIY elk hunt for 2nd rifle season in GMU 54, Colorado this Fall; first time for elk for both of us. We're both in good shape. I'm a retired Marine and he's a college athlete. I'm not too worried about getting in to where we need to be, away from all the other orange and roads and such. And we can pack an elk or two out over a couple days if we have to. But, I was wondering if there are any businesses with horses/mules that we can call when we tag an elk, give them our coordinates, and they'll come pack the meat out for us? Not trying to be lazy, but it sure would be easier than carrying it out ourselves. And it would make for a more enjoyable hunt. We don't want to go with a guide or do a private land hunt. And we're looking forward to a long hard hike and hunt. But, like I said, it would make for a more enjoyable hunt if we don't have to carry all the meat out ourselves. Thanks.

What is your budget? My buddy who has/had a bad hip a couple years ago shot an elk in a deep canyon and needed to have an outfitter with mules haul it out for him. I believe the cost was somewhere in the neighborhood of $600 for about a 4 mile pack.

On the east side,Tenderfoot Outfitter has that area pretty much sewed up. They won't pack and elk out for you. You can heck,but that has been their policy for quite awhile.Up north,the going rate is $400.

There is an outfit that rents horses down by Blue Lake,but you have to go get them.They won't deliver nor pack one out. I don't know about the west side.Soap Basin country.

Be aware that those Either Sex OTC w/ Cap tags will not be available for 2016. Possibly there will be bull OTC tags w/cap. It was suppose to be decided at the Jan. CPW commission mtg on the bull OTC tags. Local CPW guy in Gunnison told me they now had the herd down to management objectives and had no way to haze the elk off those private ranches along Ohio Creek. Coming out after 2nd season last year there ,there were about 400 head on one ranch alone.

Check season dates for 2016. 2nd rifle is a week later.Probably more chance of snow.

Good post KC. Cut and pasted for future reference/motivation/inspiration.


I got to carry my ass out in my back pocket this year. All the schit that I thought was important, wasn't.


I'll be back.....

I talked to CPW before the commission meeting and they told me the same thing. I talked to Ferro's Blue Mesa Ranch and they will rent me the horses, panniers, and trailer for about $180 a day. We've got a 4x4 so figured one of us can go pick the horses up and get them to the kill site while the other debones and bags meat. We'll carry it out if there's not too much. Just wanted to be prepared. Tenderfoot said they will pack game out for $400 per animal in the Castle Creek drainage area to the Swampy Pass Trailhead.

What about cow tags in 54 this year for 2nd rifle season? We're first timers and just looking to have a good hunt and get a little meat. I'm not looking for a trophy my first time out. I have realistic expectations. Looking forward to the Big Game Guide coming out in a couple weeks.

It's hard to say at present what the CPW will do with cow tags for the 2nd rifle this year.Guess we will have to wait until the brochure comes out.

Last year,I killed the only elk we saw, on a Tuesday except for those we saw on private land down on the hay fields. This was a small 5x5 bull.

Everyone I talked to had about the same experience . I am thinking seriously about going elsewhere this coming year

I've hunted unit 54 twenty-one times since 1990. The good ol' days are gone and I'm movin' on.

KC

So if 54 is pretty much done, where do you guys a recommend a newbie look into?

I think most guys keep that info next to their bank account PIN and naked pictures of their wives.

No I am not asking for personal hot spots. I think just spots to get started. SW part of state central? That type. I get personal hot spots are just that personal.

I'll have to wait until the BG brochure comes out and see how the different units a have changed tag wise.

Coming into camp with rack and backstraps first load in Colorado will get you a ticket. Rack comes out last.

What regulation covers that in CO?

Some really intelligent advice being given on the post. KC's recipe is a smart one. Especially for DIY on public land.

One thing that many guys do is focus too much on the harvest, rather than understanding elk hunting is a process.

When you decided you wanted to ride a bike, did you just hop on one, enter the X games (or Tour de France), and expect to medal the first year? Nope. You had help along the way, most likely started with training wheels, and eventually were riding proficiently on your own. It was a gradual process, likely filled with some failure, some bumps and bruises along the way. So it will be with elk hunting.

Start with small goals, as you achieve those start working towards bigger goals.

Harvesting a mature bull elk might take you a lifetime on public land. You can trim that timeline down quite a bit by gaining valuable experience and hunting smarter and harder than the rest. But there are very few shortcuts to being a successful elk hunter.

I think it's very important to have a honest conversation about what you will call "successful elk hunting." And if you will only be happy with elk meat in the freezer - then look into a cow only hunt with an outfitter. It's usually much more affordable, might be obtainable on a working man's wage - with some discipline and overtime, and something that can be a lot of fun. In some cases it might be more affordable than a DIY situation.

One colorado example http://www.bullbasin.com/Elk_-_Cow_Elk_Hunts.html

$800 a day per hunter if you are a group of 3 people

Here's one in new mexico http://www.milliganbrand.com/index....on&layout=blog&id=3&Itemid=2

$1200 for a 5 day hunt

Long story short - elk hunting with a guide doesn't have to be a super expensive hunt. Its also a great way to bring home some meat, get the monkey off your back - which can allow guys to enjoy future hunts without the pressure of getting their first elk.

For those that are reading this and are a Colorado resident, just learning to elk hunt - Ranching for Wildlife is a great way to start (also a great program for anyone else interested in elk meat.) Might take a year or two to draw a cow tag, but it is high success, great opportunity hunt.

It ain't rocket surgery.

Please point me to the Colorado regulation that specifies this. I don't believe it exists.