Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Need help for an old Colorado elk hunter- how to spend 21 points?

Looking for my dad's last hurrah as an elk hunter. He is a disabled vietnam veteran, though only recently disabled. Not sure how much time he has left with us on earth, so goal is to get this done in 2016.

He will need to hunt from a vehicle, which he is legally licensed to do. Lower elevation would be best, as he is on oxygen. Road access a must. He cannot maneuver out of a vehicle. Atv not an option, side by side also too rough for his frail body.

His goal is a mature bull elk. Not requiring a record trophy-- he is just hoping for a memory to finish his hunting career with.

He has 21 preference points, he had been saving them for a once in a lifetime draw. Illness has changed his dream.

The challenge is that I need to find him a place where he can have a reasonable chance at shooting a decent bull from a vehicle.

Wondering if anyone has experience with Kiowa Creek RFW? They only give out 2 tags a year, so finding someone who has hunted elk on it...has been near impossible.

Can anyone verify a comment I was told at the Sportsman's expo regarding hunting unit 2? Comment was made that shooting a non-book class bull would be easy to accomplish in unit 2 , even from a vehicle.

Also taking other ideas or suggestions of how to use his points.
Elk 21 pref points
Deer 19 pref points
Antelope 15 pref points

He has been a wonderful father, and mentor. Including taking me and my brother hunting since we were 4. I'd like to put my effort into making this a thank you - for what he's done for us.

Colorado Draw application deadline is April 5th

I appreciate any ideas. Private message is fine, unless someone else can benefit from the info.

Unit 2.

I'd start with RFW ranches that include some guide support and also as CPW hunt planners about disabled opportunities.

Trinchera and Terchio ranches would be good choices. Top is probably the Hill ranch for elk.

If deer, it starts and ends with the Morgan Creek RFW. The family that runs the operation is all class. The guides are long term folks and know very inch of the place. They could easily accommodate your father and put him close to 180+ bucks. Whatever you, don't let him shoot the first big buckle sees. You will definitely see bigger!!

RFW - Three Forks Ranch in unit 5. They are a great outfit to go with. 1 - 2 with guide. It takes about 12 - 14 points for a bull tag so drawing should be easy. Season about 10/22 to 11/24 give or take a day. Talk to them with your needs before putting in for the draw. I took a nice 5X5 there 2 years ago. Phone#:970-583-2258

I was thinking Three Forks as well. They just drive you around until they spot a herd. But aren't RFW for Colorado residents only? OP doesn't say where they are from.

Colorado residents, living in Colorado.

Have hunted several RFW, just never with the constraints of shooting from the truck with limited mobility. My experiences on RFW have always been - an assigned area to hunt, an orientation, and then the expectation to go out there and hunt on your own while respecting the specific rules for that ranch. Not once have I been on a place that also semi-guides you or fully guides you as part of the tag.

Thanks for the ideas, I'm looking into several of them as we speak.

I was wondering if anyone has hunted unit 2, and can confirm with a perhaps a few details as to the access question? I've heard from a few guys that it should be relatively possible to shoot a good enough bull from the truck.

I've hunted unit 2 6 or 7 times for cows while I built up points. I now have 21 but have moved to TX and it takes 25 to draw as a non-resident. Every time I've been in that unit I could have killed a bull either from the truck or within 100 yards of it. The bigger bulls are in a little rougher areas but a 5x5 or an average 6x6 isn't too hard to come by.

Thanks pirate, I've heard that from 4 guys now. Seems like it might have a lot of truth in there. A decent 5x5 or 6 would tickle my dad.

One guy told me that as he and his buddy were pulling out camp to beat a big snowstorm - he shot a 340" 5x6 from the road. Well technically a few hundred yards off the road, but he spotted while driving out of the unit.

I forgot to mention that my brother and I each have 20+ pref points, so it might be a bonus to learn a little more about that unit before we draw out.

Three Forks guides you. You'll never be alone. It's the best RFW opportunity fo what you are looking for. I would reach out to them. They will also pack out and field dress for a small fee.

I would never burn that many points on 3 forks. Pretty country, but small bulls.

They charge extra to field dress and pack out?!!! WTF.

It is a Ranching for Wildlife hunt. They provide a free guide. Maybe you've not noticed, but Three Forks charges $9,000 for a guided hunt. He'd be getting it for the cost of a resident tag. The OP needs a place where he can get a nice bull small 6x or nice 5x5, where they can shoot from a vehicle. Three Forks accommodates disabled hunters. Three Forks might be that opportunity, and they'll pack it out for $100. Name me an RFW hunt where the ranch will pack out for free? He's a disabled hunter. Hell If I could find someone to pack out an elk for $100 I'd pay it every time.

Three forks does not charge anything to "pack out" an animal.
My family has taken 3 cows and I have taken a bull. No charges for field dressing, they usually can get an ATV close to the animal and drive it out. Their hunts are fair chase and do require some physical effort to obtain your game. The guides do know the usual hang out of the game and that cuts the looking part but not the hunting. But they are a great outfit and accommodate hunters with disabilities.

sb

You should read the OP's statement. He has to hunt from a vehicle due to his health. 3 Forks does not have "Booner" bulls, true. But for this gentleman at his stage in life a 3 Forks bull would be a dandy. Unit 2 would be great but takes 25 to draw and with PP creep he will likely never draw that unit. Drawing that unit does not guaranty you will even see a bull hunting from the truck. At 3 Forks you have a month long season and if at first you don't succeed you can try again. They really work hard to give everyone a chance.

Thanks -- they used to post a pack out fee and a field dress fee. Both were cheap. Awesome that they now handle it . I guess they want you off property as soon as possible so as to not disturb the paying guests.

I'm not sure about all of it,but on my moose hunt at Silver Spur ranch last season,the top man there told me they cannot accept tips or charge for any service on the RFW tags. If I could not have driven to my moose they told me they would get it out for me.

Thanks for the info guys. I'm starting to get a good feeling about this quest!

Residents last year drew with 20 points on unit 2, not all of them but 10 did. With 21 he should draw this year.

A raghorn is not the goal, and killing or shooting is not a requirement for the hunt to be successful. Plenty of elk in the freezer (thankfully). Goal is just to have an extraordinary experience with lots of things to look at, hopefully plenty of elk as part of the view.

Packing the elk out for $100 would be any hunter's dream. So if that's ever an option you can bet we'd be happy to accept that deal, and save our backs.

We have hunted very hard for many years, par for the course is to shoot an elk 4-6 miles from the vehicle access point. Backpacking out the quarters to be expected. Several nice bulls over the years - just nothing booner. Dad has not been able to hunt for a few seasons now.

The ranching for wildlife idea is something I will look into for sure. Thank you for guidance on whom to start calling.

Its nice to hear that some of them take very good care of their public hunters. That hasn't been my experience so far on three different RFWs. Those RFWs treated public land hunters like second class citizens, and I never blamed them when their paying clientele pay as much as they do. Big game hunting on RFWs is big business, and it makes sense that paying clients would come first.

With the confirmation that I've heard about unit 2, that's looking more like our style. Don't need a guide, just wanted to hear that 21 years of waiting will result in my dad at least being able to glass up a few mature bulls. If a shot is possible of course that's a bonus, but success will be measured by the size of my dad's smile when glassing, the loudness of our laughter while searching, and the memories made in the pursuit.

Nope there are no "paying" customers on the ranch during the "public" hunters time. The paying customers are there earlier. So the guides have told me.

This is awesome! Enjoy the time with your father. I was able to do that in his last years and it was well worth it.

If Three Forks is out of the question, then try area 201 it will accommodate a window hunter. People I know say it takes 21 points for a rifle tag in that area.