Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk Newbie - Looking for information

Hi all,

New user here. Stumbled across the site looking for information about ghillie suits for turkey hunting. On to the topic at hand--I would like to try hunting elk, but have no real idea how to get started in this sport.

I live in the state of Minnesota and have done some living in Wisconsin. My only big game hunting experience so far is in these states (for white-tailed deer). I have also hunted turkey, upland game birds, and had a taste at waterfowling. As stated above, I'd like to get into elk hunting (maybe every few years or so--not really sure how much an adventure would cost). I find the mountainous landscape of the West to be very romantic, as well as the idea of hearing a bull bugle in the morning. How difficult is it for somebody with no experience elk hunting (and an out of stater, to boot) to get into elk hunting? I'm not sure that any of my friends are interested (or, they are, but don't have the resources) in an elk hunt. Is it something a single guy can go do without a guide? What state is easiest for an out of stater to get a license? Is it feasible for a new elk hunter to hunt by muzzleloader, or with my inexpertise, would I likely be restricted to a 30.06/.270?

No stranger to camping, hiking, or roughing it... I'm a fairly young guy (early 20s) in great shape. Used to play football, hit the gym at least 3 or 4 times a week, and eat healthy. Like to hike and camp. So, in terms of accessing remote areas or hoofing it in tough land, I don't think that is much of a concern for me. I'm just not sure that I have any idea about locating likely land, and not sure that I'd have the luxury of getting weeks of work off at a timeto scout the area (nor be able to away from home that long!). Most of my long vacations I usually reserve for trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area during the summer.

In regards to equipment, I have my own tent, plenty of cold weather gear, camouflage, blaze orange, camping equipment in general (mess kits, tarps, cooking equipment, stove, rope). Not sure what else I'd need. Don't have a wheeler, and not sure I'd want to tow one all the way from here out West anyway. I also don't really care for people who hunt off of ATVs.

I guess my questions are--
1. What are the big differences between Western states in terms of out-of-state friendliness to elk hunters?
2. Are my odds of bringing home an elk about the same regardless of state, assuming I do my homework? Or are populations markedly different from state to state? Pardon my ignorance here, but the only elk herds in MN and WI are new startups from the DNR and very small in size (and no hunting allowed).
3. On that note, what kind of tag prices am I looking at for out of state?
4. What kind of investments would I need to make into equipment to have a successful hunt? Based on the above, I think the only thing I'm lacking is a spotting scope.
5. How many days, minimum, should I be looking at setting aside for an elk hunt?
6. What are the primary differences between muzzleloader and rifle seasons? Is there a large difference between the two in the ability to take an elk for a newcomer? For example, I know that the rifle season for whitetail deer here in MN is during the rut, which makes it pretty easy to take a buck. Wondering if seasons out West are similar for elk or not. Plus the range differences between a rifle and smokepole.
7. Is it feasible to do a solo elk hunt? I don't know that I can afford a real guide. I know I could probably network with some folks online who are in a similar spot to me and might want a hunting partner... But I also enjoy the solitude of a solo trip. What would you recommend for a new guy?
8. Any general advice for a new elk hunter? I tried to ask as specific of questions as I could, but I may have forgotten to focus on a particular issue (or perhaps my specificity overlooked some more general questions).

Thanks
Matt

P.S. I am going back to school next fall, so it may be another 4 years before my dream of elk hunting becomes a realization (unless there's a state you can hunt in late August). In the meantime, I figured I'd start doing my homework to ensure a fulfilling and successful trip once I graduate school.

The place to start, I think, are the websites for the various state game agencies. That's whet I've done for both Montana and Nevada. Often they have the state broken up into zones/areas and descriptions of those zones as to access, the game present, local resources, as well as hunter success, drawing odds, that sort of thing. So, first, I'd say pick a state that appeals to you.
Second, in my book are maps. I've been a map collector/addict most of my adult life. Alot of my daily and trip planning wouldn't be possible w/o them. I need road maps to get me there, US Forrest Service or BLM maps, and I need the best in up to date topo maps to show me the country. After spending a few thousands of dollars on USGS topo maps, It was suggested to me on this site to try MyTopo.com for them. They are literally worth their weight in gold, frankly.
The other big thing is that they are real wild country animals and are far bigger/ heavier than deer. So find out/plan on a way to handle them once they are down.
I'm a solo hunter who is doing all of this on his own with alot of help from those who post here. Frankly, I'm having a ball. I've got a stack of stories about my adventures hunting elk in Montana. Other than some hairy driving problems on really icy roads, some of which I should have handled better, it's been worth every penny I've spent on it. That's why I keep coming back for more. E

I've put some comments in bold. If I were you, I'd look into a cow hunt in Colorado.

I think you started int he right place. Just do a search or just spend several hours reading this site and this particular forum and you will have all of your questions answered and many more that you haven't thougt of.

I am no expert and have only been on 2 elk hunts. I used a guide service both times and hunted Colorado the first time and Idaho the 2nd. Both were awesome experiences.

as stated above, do lots of research and find what you are comfortable with in terms of time off and cost. Remember that you can always just "go" and you might be successful but a little more research and maybe even save a little more money or take a little more time off and you may have an even better experience.

In my limited experience, I would look into Colorado. You can just drive out and hunt out there in OTC units. Altitude is rough on flatlanders but it sounds like you are already in shape for the hunt.

My advice is JUST DO IT. Find a buddy, plan a hunt and get out there. I am plannnig hunt #3 now and to me, planning and preparation is almost as fun as the actual hunt.

Good luck to you.

And those tags aren't $700, more like $350 in Colorado, $300 in Wyoming for cows. $550 for Colorado bull

You're right. I was thinking MT/WY bull tags. I've never applied in CO.

WIMN:

I think previous responders have given reaosnably accurate answers to your questions. Here's an article that I wrote to give you general info about elk hunting.

If you expect to start elk hunting in Colorado, Wyoming or any other western state and go home with a 6x6 bull on your first hunt, and that's the only thing that will make it worth the effort, then don't bother, because those expectations probably won�t be realized. However, if you expect to enjoy yourself camping, hunting, hiking, and enjoying eye popping wilderness beauty while learning to hunt elk, and you expect to do it several times, then get ready for an adventure. In Colorado only 25% of elk hunters are successful and that includes hunters who have killed cow elk. I've often heard it said that 25% of the hunters kill 75% of the elk and I believe that it's true. The experienced elk hunters are most successful at killing animals. But everyone who hunts elk with the right attitude will be successful if they enjoy themselves and Mother Nature.

I love the high mountains, specially alpine ecosystems at or above timberline; hiking, camping, backpacking, climbing and occasionally wetting a line. I live in elk country and over three decades ago I started hunting elk because it was an excuse to go to the mountains after the climbing season was over. For the first few years all I managed to do was carry a rifle while hiking and camping. But eventually I figured out a few basic hunting skills, I picked a hunting area and hunted it year after year until I knew it like my back yard, and that's when I started being successful at bringing home meat and antlers.

My first elk camp in 1978.


Now I get an elk almost every year. Sometimes I get both a cow and a bull. My hunting buddies rarely get an elk and one guy asked me why. I replied that there are no secrets to hunting elk. You already know what you have to do to be successful. But most people won't or can't do what it takes to be successful.

Inside the wall tent at our elk hunting base camp, 1993.


You have to hunt throughout the entire year. You should be engaged in something relating to hunting all the time; reading, studying, gear maintenance, shooting, scouting, etc.

You have to hunt every day of the entire season. You should arrive at camp no later than the day before opening day and don't leave until the day after the last day of the season. You can't expect to be successful if you hunt on just the weekend or if you hunt for just part of the season.

You have to hunt all day. The most productive times to hunt are just after dawn and just before sunset. So if you want to hunt during those times you have to do most of your hiking to and from the truck, in the dark. Stay in the field for the entire day. Don't go back to camp for lunch. The first hour after sunrise is worth all of the rest of them right up to the last half hour before the sun sets, which is worth all the rest of them combined.

You have to learn to think like an elk. Pretend that you are an elk and you know that hunters are trying to kill you. Imagine where you would go and what you would do to stay alive. Then go there and do that. That's how you find elk. Hiding in the local bar doesn�t count.

You have to hunt the places that others won't or can't. Get away from the roads and hunt in the mean nasty hollows, where it's hard to get into and hard to get out of.

Hunt where the elk are. 75% of the elk live in 25% of the available suitable habitat. You need to find out where that 25% area is and spend your time there.

It�s valuable when learning to hunt elk to go with the attitude that killing a cow would be great. The big bulls will come in time, after you�ve educated yourself.

Once you've committed to do all that, you can employ the following strategies.

ELK HUNTING STRATEGIES

#1: Be safe with your rifle. Assume that any firearm is loaded unless the breech is open and you can see that it's empty. Always point the muzzle in a safe direction and never point your rifle at anything unless you intend to shoot it. Don't rely on the safety. Carry your rifle with the chamber empty and the safety on. Don't chamber a round until you spot a target. Never shoot at a target unless you are sure what it is, sure you can hit it and sure of what's behind it.

#2: Be proficient with your rifle. Always make a clean, quick, humane kill. In order to do this you must be proficient with your rifle. No matter how good you have been in the past, you need to practice several times each summer to ensure that you are current. Don't just sight in your rifle. You must practice to ensure that your rhythm is smooth and habitual and you can hit what you aim at. Practice at 200 yards and 300 yards so that you can determine in the field, if you should take that shot. Also, get off the bench and practice in the prone position resting your rifle on a daypack and also in the sitting position. There never seems to be a bench rest in the field just where you want it.

#3: Be in good shape. Altitude sickness is a real concern in the mountains. You need to be in good cardio/vascular condition to deal with it. Also, everyone must do their share and you can't do that if you can't hike the hills, and haul out your share of the game, collect firewood, carry water, setup & break down camp, etc. If you are in bad physical condition, then you will be miserable and you will not enjoy the adventure. It's really endurance breathing that you need to develop before you arrive at high elevation. Bicycling, climbing stairs, swimming and high altitude hiking are excellent exercises for this purpose. Also drink lots of liquids in order to minimize the effects of dehydration and Acute Mountain Sickness.

#4: Scout, Scout, Scout. You need to know your hunting area like your back yard. Don�t expect to travel to Colorado and be successful the first year. Pick an area and hunt that same area year after year. That�s how to get to know your hunting grounds. Take camping/hiking trips and backpack trips into your hunting area in the summer. Know where their winter range is, where their summer range is and where the migration routes are that connect the two. Know where the game trails are concentrated crossing saddles on ridges, where the bedding areas are, where the water holes are, where the hideouts are, where there are gentle terraces on north-facing slopes.

This photo was taken summer 2010 scouting trip.

We won�t find them here during hunting season. They will be hiding in the dark timber. But at least I know they are there somewhere.

Buy US Forest Service maps, USGS maps, county maps and BLM maps of your area. These maps contain different information. Copy this information onto the USGS maps. You can only reasonably hunt the area on one USGS 7.5' map. But as luck would have it, the best hunting area is usually where several maps come together. Tape the maps together. Memorize your map. Update it with field data from your scouting trips. You now have a map containing information in a way that no one else has.

In the off-season, I spend time on Google Earth and I like to switch back and forth between that site and a USGS map site. All this helps me get a better feel for the country.

#5: Hunt where the elk are: Seventy-five percent (75%) of the elk live in twenty-five percent (25%) of the available habitat. You can waste a lot of time hunting unproductively in an area where there is always some thin sign but never enough sign to indicate the presence of a large herd. Sure there�s the off chance that by pure dumb luck you might encounter a lonesome elk and every year someone gets lucky and fills their tag that way. But your best probability of success will be in the vicinity of the large herds. You scouting goal is to discover where that 25% hotbed is located. When you find that area it�s hard to miss. It will stink with elk musk and urine, there will be heavily used game trails in every direction, the grass will be cropped short, there will be lots fresh elk droppings and you can hear elk scurrying away just beyond in the trees.

#6: Hunt the right elevation for the migration: Elk accomplish an annual migration, spending the summer at higher elevation and spending the winter in some sheltered place, usually at lower elevation. In mid-summer I can hike into several high basins that will always hold elk casually lounging in the tundra. But by Colorado's 1st and 2nd rifle season, most elk will have moved into subalpine and montaine regions. They can travel a long way for water. Look for them to start moving down their migration routes in the 3rd season.

Elk will wait as long as they can before being forced to migrate by bad weather. They will go back up if it warms. So if weather in the 3rd season is warm and dry, then look for them up high. Mule deer will migrate sooner and faster than elk. One day of really bad weather and deep snow, will result in lots of deer in the sage where the day before there wasn't an animal to be found. Deer usually stay down once they have migrated. In the late seasons elk can often be found in rancher�s pastures.

When the weather is warm, there will always be a few elk spread out throughout their entire range. So the population density (elk/square mile) is less dense and your chance of bumping into an elk is low. I hunt Colorado�s 3rd rifle season (early November) and hope for heavy snow and bad weather to drive them out of the high country. They will concentrate in the foothills, at the bottom of the snow line. Since they are concentrated, the population density is higher and your chance of seeing an elk is improved.

#7: Use hunting pressure to your advantage. I hunt an area on opening morning where there is good vehicle access and lots of other hunters. I hunt in the places where I think the animals will run to avoid the opening day hunters. Most hunters will stay within a mile or so of a road. A few others will horse pack in six or eight miles or more. So it's good to get back in 3 or 4 miles before the sun comes up and hunt the in-between areas.

By late October the rut will be over and elk will be responding to hunting pressure more than anything else. They hide in sanctuaries, usually very remote wilderness or on private property. Learn where the sanctuaries are located and which routes they will use when they begin to filter out of the sanctuaries and back onto huntable land. Then setup an ambush on the exit routes.

I have a friend whose strategy is to go in half a mile further than anyone else. He�s very successful at bringing home meat and antlers so there must be something to it.

#8: Hunt bedding areas at dawn. Elk like to bed down in isolated, gently sloping groves of mixed aspen/evergreens with lots of grass and forbs for food. They can travel a long way for water. Isolated means someplace where it�s difficult for people to access. Find several places like this when you go scouting. Hike in the dark to arrive at an overlook before the sun comes up and wait to see what comes out of the grove.

I shot this bull at dawn, in 1996.

This small 6x6 bull is about as big as we can expect to see in the area where I hunt.

#9: Hunt the ridges at midday. Setup overlooking a saddle on a ridge where game trails are concentrated and wait to see what walks by. This takes lots of patience and works best if you have somebody still hunting through the dark timber to get the animals moving.

#10: Hunt the water holes in the afternoon. Find some isolated water source, maybe the highest place where a creek first starts coming out of the ground. Setup concealed from view, with a good field of fire a couple hundred yards away, at least 3 hours before sunset, and wait to see what comes to drink. This works best in dry locations like Utah�s LaSalle Mountains or Arizona�s Mogollon Rim but I have also had good luck watching springs on warm Colorado afternoons. Wait until the very last shooting light is gone before going back to camp. I have field dressed a lot of animals in the dark using a flashlight.

#11: Hunt the hideouts late in the season. Elk know that someone is trying to kill them as soon as the first shot is fired. So they run and hide in the most inaccessible terrain around. Find some cozy little pocket surrounded by the meanest, nastiest country around; a place where it looks like there's no way that an elk could get in there; a place where you would hate to get an animal down because you would hate to have to haul him out. That's where the elk will be and that's where you should be (and where I will be) late in the season.

I like to hunt the dark timber. I walk quietly and slowly looking for something that's out of place. I spend more time standing, listening and watching than walking. It�s easier to walk quietly if you walk on a game trail and that also improves your chances of bumping into game. Sometimes it's very difficult to be quiet. Walking on dry aspen leaves is like walking on potato chips and walking on hard crusty snow is also noisy. In those situations you can't be quiet, so walk quickly to get to a spot that you already know from your scouting will be good, find a comfortable position then sit there and don't move. It will take only fifteen or twenty minutes for things to be like you never walked there. Get a cheap cow elk call and carry it on a string around your neck. Also get a recording of what the call should sound like and practice. When you see and animal, let out a squeak and that animal may think that you are another elk. I have called in bulls with just a couple of squeaks. It may be more productive to sit and wait for the animals but you will live more in one day of stalking through the dark timber than in a week of sitting and waiting. When hunting in thick cover look for horizontal lines. Most everything except game animals grows straight up.

#12: Be persistent. You can't catch fish unless you have your bait in the water and you can't find an elk unless you are in the field looking for them. They're not going to walk up and surrender themselves to you. You have to find them. That's why they call it hunting and not killing. Many hunters give up after a couple of unsuccessful days and go home. Be prepared to stay the entire length of the season and to endure whatever fatigue and weather, you may encounter. Hunt an area for several days and if you don't find anything promising, then try a different strategy or different area, but don't give up.

#13: Be patient. Human beings are noisy, stinky creatures. Our dominant sense is our vision. The elk's best senses are their smell and hearing. Their vision is motion sensitive and they can't see colors. Many young hunters spend lots of time hiking and covering a lot of ground and wonder why they never see any animals. You should spend most of your time sitting quietly and watching. You should hike slowly and quietly and most of your hiking should be in the dark.

Rifle Caliber: I hunt elk with a 30-06 and 180 grain Nosler Partitions. I think the middle calibers, anything from as small as .270 to as big as .338 magnum, are best suited for elk hunting. I recommend a minimum of 150 grain controlled expansion bullets. A 30-30 will kill an elk but its� range is limited to about 200 yards. It�s my opinion that anything bigger than a .338mag is more gun than necessary and I don�t enjoy the recoil of those big calibers. A well placed shot from just about any legal caliber will kill an elk but nothing will work right with bad bullet placement, so one needs to use a caliber with which they are comfortable and competent and take the time to get it right the first time. A 3.5x10x40 Leupold VX-III is a good choice for scope.

Binoculars: I do very little spot and stalk hunting for elk. It�s mostly at distances less than 300 yards. When hunting in the dark timber, it�s usually much closer than that and I try to look through intermediate foliage by adjusting the focus and looking for and ear or a butt or leg. This doesn�t require great glass and a pair of 8x35 is OK in that situation and just about any manufacturer will do. I own a pair of old Bushnell 8x35 binos that I like because they are not very heavy. I carry them with a chest harness to make sure that they are available to use when I need them.

Hiking in The Dark: Get use to it. Tonight drive away from lights of your home town and take a short walk into the woods. Sit down and wait for your eyes to become accustomed to the darkness. You might be surprised by how well you can see in the dark. It's rarely pitch-black at night. Starlight, moonlight and light pollution from cities/towns all make it easier to see. I carry a flashlight and a head lamp but I try to avoid using them except in an emergency because every time you turn the light on, you ruin your night vision. I don�t buy into the red lens theory. I think elk can see a point of light that's brighter than everything else no matter what color it is. After leaving the truck, I don't start hiking immediately. I sit and wait for my eyes to become accustomed to the dim light. Then if I can, I walk without any supplementary light. When there's snow on the ground and a little moonlight, things are pretty bright. But if there's no snow and it's overcast, then the hiking can be very slow. I like to hike a route in the day time so that I can become familiar with it, then I know what I will encounter when I hike it in the dark. It's also easier to hike in the dark if you pick a route with some kind of reference like a fence line, trail, ridge line, creek bed or old logging road. It�s also a good idea to use a small straight stick, like a blind man�s cane, to feel the ground in front of you when you can�t see it. I like to sit and listen to the sounds of the night because my ears pickup so much life that I don't see in the day time.

Finding your way back to the truck in the dark can be tricky if you have followed your nose looking for game. I have used a USGS map and compass for fifty years and I am very comfortable with that system. But several years ago, I bought a GPS and used it on an Alaska hunting trip. You can set your truck as a way point in the GPS and never have to worry about finding your way back to the truck. You should also carry minimum survival gear in your day pack. Not necessarily enough to be comfortable, but enough that you have the option of staying put once the sun goes down. I have spent many unplanned nights out in the woods either because I wasn't comfortable trying to get back to the truck or because I had found a good spot and I wanted to be there when the sun came up the next morning.

Predators: Very few people get the privilege of seeing a predator. There's a 99% chance that you won't see a bear and if you do it will be running away. Cats are even more secretive. The best place to see a predator is in your back yard where they may be raiding trash cans or stealing dog food. The only situation where a bear might bother you is if you leave stinky food out for the bears to smell. Then they might trash your camp looking for food. This is especially true in places like US Forest Service campgrounds where ignorant tourists keep untidy camps and thus habituate the bears to the idea that they can find food there. If you are lucky enough to see a predator don't worry because you should be carrying a hunting rifle. Anything more than that is extra weight and bulk that you don't need to bother with. I have been on maybe 300 wilderness backpack trips over the last fifty years and the predators that I have seen I can count on one hand and I have never been threatened. One time a young hunter wrote me to say that a couple of guys had mentioned that they had been stalked by cougars in the area where he intended to hunt and he asked me what I would do in that situation. I responded that I would buy a cougar license.

Camping: You need to be proficient at camping. Some people try to hunt elk from a motel or some similar type of lodging and some are successful but I don�t know how they do it unless it�s just pure dumb luck. The biggest problem with that kind of lodging is that it�s not located in prime elk habitat and you have to spend time in the morning and evening traveling from where you are staying to where you are hunting. So you either have to spend less time hunting or less time sleeping. You need to be proficient at camping so that you can sleep near where you hunt. Proficiency at car camping is a minimum and lots of people use campers and trailers. Every year for a couple of decades I setup a big base camp using tents. These days I may setup a base camp at the trailhead but I do most of my hunting out of backpack camps. Lots of people say that you should �hunt uphill�. That means set your camp low and hike uphill to do your hunting. That way, when you get an elk down you can drag it downhill instead of hauling it uphill. I�m not going to try to educate you on how to camp in this article. That�s another article all by itself.

Packing out Your Kill: Before you go elk hunting you need to think about and prepare yourself to pack out an elk on your back. Don�t expect the elk to drop dead at a convenient location and don�t kill an elk and then think �What do I do now?� You need to be able to dress out an 800# animal in the field, skin it and if you have to carry it very far, de-bone it. Then get it back to your vehicle. When I�m hunting, I�m using an ultra-light backpack with a capacity of about 4,000 cu.in. When I kill an elk, I carry out the first load of loose meat in that pack and then I switch to a bigger pack (about 6,400 cu.in.) capable of carrying 80#. I carry out the big quarters in that pack. Then I switch back to the smaller pack to go back in and get my camp. Any way that�s how I use to do it when I was young and strong.

Now that I�m getting older, I rent a horse to pack out an elk.


If it's warm, you will have to be concerned with keeping your meat from spoiling. Skin and quarter the animal immediately, bag it and hang it in the shade. Cover it with a tarp to keep the birds away but make sure that there�s still good air circulation. Do not put it in plastic bags. That�s a sure recipe for spoiled meat. I have seen people place their meat in a side braid of the river or a creek so that the cold water kept the meat cool. I�ve also used Game Saver citric acid spray. You mix the powder with water in a spray bottle and it works great. I ordered it over the Internet from Indian Valley Meat Co., in Indian Valley, AK. http://www.indianvalleymeats.com/about.htm

PICKING A HUNTING AREA

Most Western hunters are not going to tell you where their honey holes are. You're going to have to find your own spot. But there's lots of info available and if you do your home work, you might be able to find a good place to start. If you want to hunt in Colorado, here's how to locate an area.

Get a copy of a road map of Colorado that indicates which land is public. Compare that to the map of game management units in the Colorado Big Game Hunting brochure. Look for units with lots of public land.

Next, look on the CO DOW big game web page for the recap of preference points required to get a license in limited draw units. http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/BigGame/Statistics/ There are more licenses offered than there are applicants in those units that require zero points. Those are places where game populations are at or above management objectives. Look for units which require zero points and have lots of public land.

Then, go to the interactive game management unit maps. http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/GMUnitMaps.htm They contain maps of winter ranges, calving areas and summer ranges in each GMU. Finally get a copy of the USGS map(s) for the area and memorize it. With all that info, you ought to be able to pick an area where there are lots of elk and lots of public land. And then you should be able to determine where they are in summer, where their winter range is located, the most likely routes that they use to get from one area to the other, and therefore where they are most likely to be during hunting season. You can buy this info in a CD that�s a little more user-friendly. http://wildlife.state.co.us/wildlifestore

If you want to put in for the computer draw, here's a link that gives draw expectations. http://huntodds.monstermuleys.com/

I�m not familiar with the resources available in other western states, but I would wager that there�s similar info available in all of them.

I hope this helps. Good luck and safe hunting.

KC

I think a CO elk hunt can be done solo on a small budget, primarily gas cost if you drive out in a pickup and camp in a tent. Tag - like EXB said, and over the counter bull tags are available. Leftover cow and bull tags are plentiful in late summer.
Where to go is the big question. Some people can recommend places but many will hesitate to point out a favorite sweet honeyhole. I personally would gladly point out an area or two where elk density is not like in Estes Park but where I have seen them every year. In fact any of the White River National Forest units will be great and have huge tracts of public land. Just drive up, find a spot you like and camp and hunt. Be prepared to see many other hunters though. Most are polite but there are a-holes among them too, so beware.
I would say, one week is the minimum you want to spend. The longest season is one week anyway - two weekends and a week in between, season two, unless you can get into extended private land seasons, which would be quite lovely actually.
Muzzleloader season is longer than regular rifle and in my experience is less crowded but you have to get close and there are fewer elk around for it. I have not hunted in muzzleloader myself but went several times with friends, and we took them on some years and didn't on others. You really have to know summer heards at low elevations, or really scout hard at high elevations: large groups will be very high up, 11,000 ft+ during muzzleloader season. At low elevations (7-8,000 ft) you only have small family groups, and if you find them you are in luck.
Later rifle seasons are when the big herds come down, but then you have three feet of snow to deal with. Tough decision. I like the rifle seasons, even though as short as they are they are difficult to schedule with work duties.
In short:
- Set aside $1,000 for the tag and gas
- Use Google Earth a lot. Superb free tool to see where you are going to hunt.
- Drive out, prepare to camp in -15F weather and snow
- You already know all about camping, no comment here
- Get a cow tag, or a bull tag, or both if money allows. If you have both you have a better chance to get one of them. In late August you can buy a leftover either sex for some units.
- Shoot the elk, debone, roll it out. Heavy duty deer cart will be priceless, you will likely have 180-200 lbs of meat off the bone.
- (You could rent horses but this adds to cost and complexity)
- Come back again next season!
P.S. If you think you need to buy a spotter, do it but it is not necessary. I never carry one myself, and none of my friends do. Binoculars you should have.

Get in shape! There is a huge difference between being fit in MN and being fit at 7200 ft.

Go slow and easy when hunting, its not a race and you will be surprisd by what you start to see.

Buy good glass, but in a small package. NOT compacts.

If possible hunt up hill from camp, it will be a mostly down hill drag/pack when you connect.

Practice shooting uphill and downhill till it is second nature.

Leave the atv at home. (just my opinion - others will disagree)

Do your research, Eastmans has a good reource and of course the various state agencies.

Be sure of the amount of access before applying for a unit (i.e. Unit 7 here in WY has some Great bulls, but access is limited and public is hunted hard).

Just go and have fun. Understand that Elk hunting is a sickness....

KC, very well put together and stated!

While I grew up in eastern Oregon and near some fine elk hunting, a job put me about 1000 miles away from the nearest elk. Last year a friend of mine and I decided to give CO a try and do a DIY cow elk hunt. Elk hunting itself wasn't new but the terrain in CO certainly was. I read the exact same information last year KC posted above and took it to heart. If there is one thing, in my opinion, that can't be emphasized enough is that you have to be out in elk country everyday, dawn to dusk. Hunting a week straight can be mentally taxing but it's worth it. Physically demanding is a given. Over the years there has been one common denominator when it comes to my success on public land elk hunting....persistence. It paid off last year and I finally patterned a small group of elk and took a cow home. I would certainly consider a cow tag as a first attempt...any elk on a DIY hunt is quite an accomplishment.

Excellent post, KC. I've read a few times before and read it again this time.
All I would add is that USGS topo maps are often old and out of date. The contours don't change, but roads and trails do. The maps made by MyTopo.com are made from the latest aerial photos which show everything, including logged over or burned areas. E

E:

Man you sure are right about USGS maps being out of date. Some have been updated recently with aerial photo info in purple, but most were produced in the '50s. Terrain doesn't change but roads sure do. US Forest Service maps and BLM maps seem to have pretty reliable info regarding roads and property boundaries.

KC

A few years ago, I read an article by an outfitter who'd worked in all of the mountain states over a 20+ year career. He rated all the states for difficulty of the terrain. He rated Idaho as the most rugged. It's not as high as CO (elk seldom being found much over 10k), but the steepness and depth of draws between the ridges is what makes it so rough. It's hard to get high and stay high without having to climb way down and back up again repeatedly. Having hunted the southern 1/2 of Idaho for 50 years, I can sure agree with him that it's not easy.

Still have a quad map that has a lake on it, that we went to one evening.... the lake was never found and we re-gridded the calcs 2 or 3 times to enter them into the GPS and then finally simply took a good bearing and walked through the "lake". It was a fairly steep incline that required 4 points of contact in the middle of the "lake" more than a few times.

Jeff

Very good post and thanks Kawi

Thanks for the great beginner advice everyone! I'll have to look into what state will work best for me. One thing I had not considered was quartering the elk and hauling it out. May have to practice deboning my whitetails for practice in that regard. In the meantime, I'll keep reading up here and other places.. and keep dreaming!

That darned packing is the scourge of the DIY elk hunter. As a young man, I always went where the elk were and didn't care about the pack. We usually had at least four strong young packers in camp including myself, so when I would get one in the baddies it was not demoralizing. A skinned mature bull quarter will readily exceed 100 lbs, with cows averaging about 70 or so.

Now that I am very much older I must hunt with the pack in mind, meaning I need to be a bit lazy, and elk success has hugely diminished in consequence.

You have the beginnings of the fever, and the first time you are in the mountains and one of those big bulls rolls into view, you will experience an indescribable thrill and a memory for life.

Long as I"m physically able the pack is part of the hunt that I enjoy.

Folks say Im' nuts, but one of the things about a caribou I shot in AK, was the 5 mile hike back in rough country with my survival gear and such plus half a caribou in the pack. That was one of the longest days considering we'd left it after gutting it at dark and had to hike back to it, and then come back... left in the dark, got back in the dark but I had TOTAL satisfaction out of that pack trip. Just like trailing one after the shot is part of it, finding em, packing em, cutting your own meat, making your own jerky/sausage etc.... Its all part of the experience. At least for me.

I have a good friend though that has to shoot moose close to the road/trail.. and only shoots spike/fork anymore since they are small enough for him to handle....

I de-bone but frankly if you're young and tough it isn't necessary.

Simply quarter and cut the straps off and get ready to haul.

Btw look up the 'gutless' method of field dressing an elk. There's no reason at all to gut an elk.