Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Public Land OTC Units

Can anyone recommend a good OTC unit with public land? I've been looking at 11,12 or 13. Any thought?

Never hunted 13, but as for 11 we have only hunted it after a heavy snowfall and the migration is on. Unit 12 is a very good area with plenty of public areas. It is heavily hunted though and you would do better if you have or can rent horses to get a few miles away from the road. First season in 12 is rough...a sea of orange. Second season is better but still orange. The third season can be tough as well, depending on the year. There is a group of twenty hunters from California that come up every other year. I would suggest you look in the Thornburg Area of 12. Try along Milk creek. There is a campground close to a large lake that sometimes is not too busy. Hit and miss. Also, there are three outfitters in other areas of 12 and they do not go to the Thornburg area.

Good luck with your hunt.

I hunted unit 13 last yr and majority of it is private what blm and state land their is, is in very rough country better have a good pack frame cause you won't be driving anywhere near it to haul it out. I never hunted 11 but from what I read and heard the elk head straight to private ground..

Just about any public land, OTC unit, is hit pretty hard by hunters now days, 11,1 2,13 included. Hunting the 3rd season migration cuts down on that, but 1st season is usually a sea of orange,horses or not.I don't hunt them because of that.

Thank you all for the advice. I'm not sure horses are an option for me. I'll have to rely on shoe leather. So it sounds like later (3rd season) is better. That said, what is the weather like at that time of year?

Are there 3rd season otc tags?

I thought 2nd season was it

Yes, there are 3rd season OTC. Same as 2nd season, 5 day gap between 2nd and 3rd. More of locals and Californians season. Out of staters generally prefer 1st (limited) and 2nd (OTC) due to milder weather.

If you are after just after meat dont care about horns I would buy a left over unit 12 cow tag for 3rd season. They go on sale Aug 4th I think.

I hunt 3rd when I can but most non resident hunters from East of Colorado skip the 4th season because it clashes with the deer rifle seasons in the Eastern states.

Looks like July 26th they go on sale!

The weather during the 3rd season varies greatly in Unit 12. Last year we had a couple of snows, temps in the 40's during the day, 20's at night. Year before the same, but the year before that it started snowing during the 2nd season and did not stop during the 3rd. We had two to three feet of snow on the ground. As I said before, if you are going to hunt unit 12, try the Thornburg area. The Morapas Trail Head is very crowded and if the Californians come it will be extremely crowded. There is excellent hunting along Milk Creek and Three Points Mountain out of Thornburg. Our group will most likely be in that area as well since there will be fewer hunters over there. We will be in a 16 X 20 Davis Tent and have green Ford 150. Stop by if you come to this area and say hello. Unit 11 will be warmer and much less snow.

This^^^^^^

I'd like to elk hunt the third/fourth season but I seem to kill elk in second plus don't have to miss the whitetail rut.

Leftover list will post on the website 7/27, on sale in person & by phone 9am 8/2, online midnight 8/3

oops I was looking at otc tags go on sale 26 July..

Those areas have elk and I've always had better luck 3rd season catching them moving from high country to lower ground across public land. Like hunting anything good luck and timing are better than a good plan. Hunting the edges of private borders away from easy trails and vehicle access has worked the best. Get a cow tag to up your odds for success.

There are hunters in those areas that get elk most years and others that are lucky to score one in 7 years of hunting. Being ready to make a 500 yard cross canyon shot or sneak up inside 30 yards in thick timber help your odds. Don't hang around too long in one place if you aren't seeing elk don't be afraid to move. The variety of altitude and terrain can really help you succeed in finding elk.........and root for a big snow 2 days before the opener.

Investing in gps software with borders of public and private is worth every penny hunting there. Crossing an unmarked property line by 50' to kill a nice bull could cost you thousands of dollars and having the knowledge of where the lines are can allow you to wait 2 minutes for your animal to be on public and legal instead of making an honest but expensive mistake.

Thanks. I may look you up. But I won't make it out there this year. I'm trying to get everything in order for the 2017 season.

Excellent advice. Thanks!

May as well go sit downtown Denver, prob. see less people hahahahahaha

All you have to do is get more than 1000 yards from a road and you won't see many hunters.

In my experience, the best areas are limited entry. Start accumulating bonus points.

I hunt only draw units now. If I'm not drawn, I'll go fishing. If I hadn't been drawn, I'd of flown to Costa Rica huntin' cow tuna.

In OTC areas, even getting miles in you'll see other hunters.

My best hunt to date, which is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime hunt, got me into what many call the best trophy bull elk unit in the nation. I still had to hunt hard. Nothing is easy in hunting. But I did kill a monster bull of a lifetime. He was 10 years old and weighed better than 900 pounds. The downside is it took many, many years to draw a tag. But it was worth it.

My first choice is Utah. Arizona and Nevada are excellent as well. I might try to draw a Wyoming rut hunt next year.

Maybe accumulating bonus points while hunting OTC units might be an idea.

Even hunting an OTC unit is better than sitting home wishing you were hunting

True.

But I'd rather hunt cow tuna than OTC hunt.

Hard to do that here in CO.

You can rent horses from Sombrero Ranch, I hear you have to hold on real tight! I've killed most of my elk and mule deer in Units 12 and 13 with an outfitter. I've seen as many as 600 elk at a time, the private land is surrounded by BLM and a lot of elk get pushed onto it. I killed my first elk in 1996 on 10/19 and it snowed 16" and my last elk the first week of November in 2008 and it was 70 degrees. I suggest finding some BLM that is generally hard to get into and then get as far back as you can and sit tight. Good luck!

The list of leftover licenses will be made available July 27th.

Everyone in my group has cow tags but I'm recommending everyone get bull tgs as well so they don't end up like my hunting buddy did a decade or so back. In spite of similar urging then, he only had a cow tag and found himself in the middle of 9 legal bulls with the longest shot being about 50 yards. Went home empty handed.

That's not funny. It happened to me three years ago. I had a Cow tag and for the first time, did not get a Bull tag. Started out of camp and got about 1/2 mile when a nice 5X5 walked out around 50 yards from me. It snowed so hard after that we had to go to BLM land further down. Did get a Cow but would have loved that double. In-state licenses are so cheap for y'all I wouldn't even consider going into the woods without both. As a matter of fact, even for the extra $600 I will also have both.

Good luck to y'all this year.

I always get two licenses, but for two different season. Gives me almost 20 days in the field hunting elk and I don't care anymore if I don't fill out any tags

I drew a buck pronghorn so that alone will eat up 6 days of vacation

Pull in 4 days vacation for Missouri rifle deer and then another 4 days for Oklahoma rifle deer

With only 20 days a year I probably am better off not trying an OTC 2nd or 3rd

What a great idea. I would love to spend a few more days up there. That would make it a four week trip instead of two. I have to go up a week early regardless, just to acclimate. A day in Denver, two in Steamboat and then up to the camp for three days before the season starts. After 30 years of going up there the hunting has become just an excuse to be there. Thanks for the suggestion.

I always put in for a cow elk muzzle loader tag which I have always drawn and that is a "B" tag. I leave the Wednesday before the Saturday opening day and come back home the Monday after season closes.So that is 12 days. Then I buy an "A" tag,OTC w/cap for the 2nd rifle elk season and that is another 12 days. I tuck a muzzle loader deer tag in eastern CO, between the two for 4-5 days. I am retired so I get a few more days vacation than some.

The 'B' list is a Colorado elk hunters friend. I always hunt two seasons and sometimes I decide not to shoot, if I've been successful during my first season. 4th season is a great time to kill coyotes.