I've been browsing this forum for some time in my research into Elk hunting. I've never actually hunted before (grew up with an anti-gun father) and moved out to Colorado 2 years ago from Florida. I've fished my whole life and always been into the outdoors. Last year I decided I wanted to take up elk hunting after having a few meals with elk as the main course. When I decided I wanted to take it up I chose to wait a whole year before going out and trying so that I could get as much research in as I could and train myself for it.
I decided to sign up for the forum because there is a lot of useful information here and the people here seem to want to help instead of bash which the latter seems easier to find in most forums. Anyhow, it is getting close to the time where I need to decide for myself and my father-in-law (who will be joining me) on where to hunt. I've looked and looked and can't seem to find anything to help me decide. We want to hunt for the meat and so we are looking at doing Cow Elk. It will be a rifle season though I haven't been able to decide which season to do either but I have been leaning towards a late season. I had originally looked at doing 18/181 or 20 because they're close to where I live (Firestone). I have found a few threads here, though, that have lead me to believe that 18/181 may not be the best?
I'm not worried about having to hike in far or dealing with rough terrain, I do 14ers pretty regularly so I can hike with the best of them. I just seem to be getting overwhelmed now with trying to pick a good area to have a chance at success. Any help is appreciated, I look forward to hanging out on these forums.

What gear do you have?

Late season can be productive, but you have to have the gear to do it.

One of the best things you can do for the 1st year is to contract with an outfitter for a drop camp or if you can swing it, financially, a full guided hunt.

Or hook up with an experienced hunter or group of hunters.

Anyone can get lucky the 1st time out,but it usually takes a few years to be able to kill an elk if you are doing it solo.

I can't help much on areas, as I use livetstock to get back in aways. Most of the units I hunt are not condusive to foot hunting.

Welcome to the fire! Many good guys here that are willing to help out a newcomer looking for advice. I respect the fact that you desire to hunt even though you grew up with "an anti gun father". I'm not from Colorado but I know there are a lot of guys here on the fire that are. If you are looking for advice on "best elk rifle/cartridge" you'll have fun doing research here on that subject as well. If you need a good elk rifle, look me up. I've been keeping a 300 win mag for just the right person. Good luck with your search and enjoy the fire....

First off, welcome! This place has some experienced people. Some opinionated, too.
First of all, you will need to get hunter's ed. I would take it now when the season is slow. In the summer it fills up fast.
The units you mention are difficult, most of their land is private and penetrated with hiking trails full of tree huggers. You can still go past those and find good places though.
I tend to go NW of where you live, this takes you away from the heavily traveled and hunted I-70 corridor.
I went hunting by myself the first time for CO elk in 2005 and got a bull the first day. Have been getting an elk every other year more or less, since, hunting by myself on public land. Not as wild of a success story as some would say on here but good enough for me.
Good luck!

I'm all geared up and ready to go. I shoot a 30-06 180gr core-lokt. I think I can handle the cold pretty well, I camped up I. Indian peaks and did a few summits just last month in 50mph wind and 20s in the day. I don't think my father-in-law and I can afford to pay for an outfitter or guide so we want to try and hack it oursleves. I'm not going into this with the thought that I will take an elk my first try nor do I base my success on it. I love the outdoors and this just gives me another reason to be out there. I just want help knowing whether or not that 18/181 choice is the right one or not. Also not sure if I should wait it out for 4th season or a late season or give 1st season a try.

Yep I have my hunter ed finish and orange card in hand.

If you can get a cow tag for unit 36, North of Vail.I can give you some pointers there.You can drive right up to Wilderness boundary, but 3rd and 4th season is out. Too much snow/ Not very rough country.

I'm gonna try and get some help from the CPW hunt planner program that they have to get a better idea. I just cant seem to decide where to go that is gonna have enough public land to get into. I'm gonna get myself that gpshuntingmaps sd card for my garmon to help. What I keep reading is that I'm gonna have to hike well into wilderness to get away from everyone to have a shot.

30 years ago climbing those 14ers and Centennial peaks would have given you a good background on some nice hunting areas and herd locations. Still today it will give you a good head start. Some of those high mountains require you to approach the day before, camp, and start your ascent from a high camp the following morning. If you can do that same thing on an elk hunt you can put yourself in a good position compared to most hunters who will be starting from a road somewhere.

The guys in my elk hunting group are all former climbers, and there are some experienced mountaineers here an the forum too. I think they would all agree that you are coming in with a useful set of skills. People that have that itch to explore usually like both mountaineering and hunting because either one takes you places you would never discover otherwise.

It helps to collect preference points. You can collect a point each year and still hunt. For the first few years I'd suggest spending points when you get 1 or 2 so that you get a taste of some better hunting areas.

If you have a comfortable large pack that serves both to haul your camp but can also be used to get bloody hauling meat then that can be really valuable.

Here's a few handy links I had onhand bookmarked in case you hadn't seen these already -

http://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/huntingatlas/

http://www.bowhunting.net/NAspecies/elk2.html

http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/ElkHuntingUniversity/Pages/ElkHuntingUniversity.aspx

BTW - I don't recommend staying too many consecutive nights in a spartan spike camp. You'll hunt more effectively by returning to base periodically to eat well, sleep well, recharge, and get cleaned up.

I can't comment on your location or specifics of your situation, other than to say go for it and don't over-think it! Any day out hunting elk is a great day, and you will learn a lot as you go.

Have you called the game warden for your area? Probably worth a call, or even meet with them for lunch to get some advice on areas. Being there, you have the tremendous advantage of doing some scouting, even if it's just to find access roads to potential hunting areas. I personally prefer the earlier seasons as the weather is nicer. I just love that time of year in the Rockies!

First, welcome! Hope you get the info you need and have many successful hunts!

A few random suggestions:

1. 1. Learn all you can about various areas before applying. There are a lot of resources available but a good place to start is the Colorado Parks & Wildlife web pages that show the statistics for previous years. These stats will tell you all kinds of things including population estimates, the number of Preference Points needed to succeed in the lottery, lottery drawing summaries. For example, I just checked the area we will likely hunt and found that if we apply for Preference Points as our first choice, a second choice cow tag is out of the question. (First choices used up all available cow tags.) On the other hand, there is an area we've hunted where cow tags were drawn as fourth choices so we may end up there again. (Come to think of it, that's why we ended up there last time.)

2. Google Earth. Topo maps.

3. BLM Land Ownership maps, which can be ordered from USGS.

4. Be prepared for any kind of weather. We take chains for all 4 wheels, plus double rubber tensioners with spares and a chain repair kit. And we've needed them all. Be aware that if you break down in the high country your vehicle may spend the winter there. Tow straps and chain and a come-along and high-lift jacks are all good ideas.

5. Be aware that if you break down in the high country your vehicle may spend the winter there. Get the oil changed and fluids, belts and tires checked and other maintenance done well BEFORE you go.

6. The rifle can cartridge won't matter nearly so much as your ability to use it.

7. If you can talk to experienced and successful hunters, do so.

8. We've found camping low offers a lot more flexibility than camping high. It isn't unusual for us to hunt areas where the jump off points are an hour or two apart. Plus, we often hunt low for deer or even elk if the migration is on. We used to drag the trailer up to the high country, now we are more likely to camp on BLM land in the sage. Our success rates have gone up considerably as a result of the greater mobility.

9. Best piece of advice I can give you - hunt where the elk are. While that may sound like a rather obvious and rudimentary truth it is one that is often overlooked. BTDT, hunting high in heavy snow near camp when the elk had moved lower. Continuing to hunt low when I thought the migration had started, only to have the weather warm up and the coax the elk into staying in the high country. (False starts to the migration are common, with some elk moving through before things really get going, kind of like the way Old Faithful works up to full flower.) Wish I could say I learned the first time around...

Tell us what areas/14ers you have explored already. You may be familiar with some good areas already. I don't think you could go wrong going due west around Steamboat Springs

I am not an expert elk hunter and can't help with areas. However if you are in good shape and don't mind working you should be able to find something close to the road that the other hunters are ignoring. My partner and I have been hunting the upper end of a steep deep canyon. In three seasons of hunting that canyon we have filled four out of five tags. There is road access all around the top and the quads run around up there all day long. The canyon always has elk and seldom has hunters. The hunters are afraid of that hole but that is where the elk are. So my advice is to look for a hell hole.

If you haven't already, buy the best optics you can afford. Upper line binos, a decent spotting scope & tripod. These can save you lots of walking. Go to a high point and spend lots of time behind the glass.

You can pm me and I can tell you what I know about 18. I've been in there twice...while not an expert on the area, I can at least tell you what I do/don't know. There is a guy here on the fire who used to cover that unit on a regular basis. I think it's "thumper"??

Count me in as someone who floundered as a newbie for a couple years before figuring things out for elk. Although I didn't find the fire until way later! I wish I would have hired an outfitter or looked/asked way harder to tag along with others my first year. Anyway, I've found that "amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics" rings true with elk as with many other things. Focus on setting yourself set up in a place that has elk that you can actually see, shoot, and then get back out with a reasonable plan. I've seen guys chase elk around the thick stuff and never get a shot. I've also seen places where you can glass your eyeballs out and see gobs of elk you can't hunt for one reason or another, access, terrain, whatever. And stay mobile. If you're glassing and the critters aren't there, then they aren't there. Move elsewhere and/or change up your time-of-day plans.

I think spending effort scouting for routes, sign, and area familiarity as much as actual elk is time well spent so you don't waste time during the season. We joke that you hunt all year, you just kill 'em when the State lets you.

I can't fathom how (other than cabin fever) hunters endlessly debate rifles and rounds when the actual shot is such a small part of it. Practice shooting enough to know what you can and can't do. Then spend time with the rest of your gear, scouting, and area research.

I'm afraid I don't have much advice for that area. But I bet it's out there somewhere. Good luck!

Superdave has the best advice I've seen here yet!

I've hunted 18/181 since 1992. Those units get hammered by newbs and out of staters in the early seasons. Unlike what I read above, by far most of those units is public land. The elk use most of it in the spring/summer, but stick near the private land come fall. Hang near the boundaries and you will eventually find the elk.

I have several honey holes that produce elk every year. I can find elk almost anywhere, but those locations are consistent from day to day. It's just like trout fishing. Trout only use 10% or so of the stream on a regular basis, you have to find the 10%.

The CPW office west of Hot Sulphur Springs has a couple of folks that can be very helpful. They also manage the public shooting range a little west of the office on Hwy 40. It may be worth a day to buzz up there and talk to the folks, do a little shooting, and cruise around the area. It can be very rugged, steep, and difficult country the furhter you get from the CO river, but elk typically like what cattle do, so follow a few of them around for a while and you will find elk.

There is a lot of good information here, but I will repeat what I normally tell guys; get in the best shape you can. Buy good boots and put 100 miles on them before your hunt. You are in for a task if you kill an elk, and you need to understand that up-front. Each quarter will weigh more than most deer you kill, and you have to get those quarters off the animal. Hard work, but as you know worth it. Good luck.

I appreciate all the advice its amazing. I wish I had the ability to hunt with someone who was more of a veteran to it. Unfortunately the only guy I know who big game hunts grew up in Alaska and hung up his rifle already. The rest of the guys that I know that hunt just do waterfowl which I'm not really all that into to be honest.
As far as areas I know best, I would say I've done a lot in the indian peaks area as far as hiking and camping. I've always camped around granby quite a bit which was why I chose 18. I'm not concerned with rifle or cartridge I'm more than comfortable with what I shoot and how I shoot it, I feel that part is up to the man and I've seen that rifle/cartridge talk can go on for months in discussion, I don't want to get caught up in that. My only concern is to have the best chance to have the chance to take that shot, which is why I've gotten so caught up in where to hunt. I guess what I'm most worried about is making bad decisions.

You learn most from bad decisions.

The east side of 18 is not a good place to be. Get west of Hwy 125. Spend some time up there this summer and learn the ground.

Is there a particular season that is better for cow elk? Will I have a harder timefinding bull or cows? I've read multiple times that cow meat tastes better which is why I chose cow for now but Im definitely happy if I can just find them out there.

The cow-to-bull ratio varies but your chances of getting a cow are far higher.

One of the biggest factors in taste is how the meat was handled in the field. Once oxygenated blood stops flowing, the bacteria count can double every 15 minutes. Get the meat cooled down as quickly as possible. That may mean gutting and skinning, simply quartering or whatever method is dictated by the situation. We use the 'gutless' method and quarter them up, taking the straps and filets with us even if we have to leave the quarters out overnight.

Three times now in the last three years we've had to leave elk quarters out overnight. Each time the cow was shot at or just before dusk. We left the quarters hide-side up on brush to keep the birds off but allow air to circulate underneath. Evening temps were cool and nighttime temps below freezing and it worked fine in each case.

As far as cow vs bull, we've yet to have a bad cow. A rutted up herd bull would be a distant second choice for meat quality IMHO.

In Colorado there are on an average of 80 cows for every bull ( plus or minus). So cows are usually easier to find. However, when you do get into them,that means there are a whole lot more eyes adnd noses you have to watchout for.Hunting cows is not always an easy proposition.

Some guys contend that the 1st season is better because statistically there are more elk to shoot than subsequent seasons.But if you figure there are about 300,000 elk in CO and the kill is about 50,000 per year,that means that only 16% or so of the elk are killed every year in all seasons combined.

That is both bulls, cows, and calfs, combined. Divide that by 4 seasons,not including archery and ML and you get 4% per season,although it is not that evenly spread out.Just trying to show that there are plenty of elk left after the 1st season and there are a lot of reasons besides that as to why elk are hard to find.Hunting pressure being the top.

Then there is the length of the hunt.If you can only hunt weekends,the 1st and 4th rifle seasons only has 1 weekend and is only 5 days long. The 2nd and 3rd is 9 days and two weekends. So if you can hunt the entire 9 days,you have almost twice the time of seeing elk.

In the earlier season,you might hear bulls bugling and that helps, but typically you will not encounter larger herds of elk. In the later seasons,you can get to hunt when they are migrating and sometimes down lower in elevation( easier to get to)and in bigger herds depending on the weather. The early seasons also typically have more hunter pressure.

Younger bulls are deinitely better to eat than an older cow,so you can get good or bad meat,tough or tender from either,with a lot of that depending on the care of the meat after the kill.

So you see there are several pros and cons of hunting each of the seasons and you will get many different opinions depending on what each hunter's prefernces are.

I usuualy put in for a draw for cows in the muzzle loader season which is suerre thing to get tag and then buy and OTC bull license or a left ove cow tag for the 2nd rifle season. Since I am retired, I can hunt a total of 18 days then and in that time I can usually find an elk stupid enough to walk in front of my rifle.

Your -06 and 180 gr. core lokts will get the job done on elk as long as you place the bullet well. The key is to target practice as much as you can afford to. Shoot from various positions at various ranges out to at least 300 yards.

If you can afford it, buy 3 or 4 different boxes of 180 gr ammo, and do some testing to see which ammo your rifle shoots best (best means most accurate). Try some ammo that has Nosler Partition and Nosler Accubond bullets and maybe something with a Barnes or Hornady bullet.

Happy hunting.

In a lot of the units the success rate is sort of bracketed � you often see highest success 1st and 4th season. A lot of 1st season hunts are going to have an admission cost of a preference point or two.

I like to check the statistics when I�m planning a hunt. Each GMU is unique and can vary a lot from other units. Some things tend to remain constant no matter where you go.
Take into account (with a grain of salt) events likely to occur.

1st season � Often nice weather and/or bugling. Less gear to carry. There usually seems to be 2-3 year old elk that haven�t gotten the message yet to run for safe cover.

2nd season � This is the longest season. Usually the heaviest hunting pressure. It provides an opportunity to learn patterns and it seems to reward those hunters who can find their way to the elk�s safe zones. I like 2nd season simply because I enjoy the extra time away.

They say the migration phenomenon in Northern Colorado can be amazing at times. I�ve heard it can look like the Serengeti in certain places and stop traffic for 30 minutes. I hope to see it some day. In my end of the state we have elk migrations but they aren�t so spectacular or pronounced.

3rd season. � Halloween snowstorm. Not every year but almost.

4th season � Weather tends to move elk. Usually light hunting pressure. Snow covers pasture and water sources freeze thus contributing to movement.

I�m not familiar at all with GMU 18 but let�s look at it�s stats since that seems to be in the running for consideration. GMU 18 doesn�t break out bull harvest into a separate category. Bulls might be an OTC tag, or part of a pool, or it may be for another reason.

No harvest stats for 2012 available there yet for some reason.
Lets look at 2011.

1st season = 9%
2nd season = 14%
3rd season = 17%
4th season = 17%

Seems to get better each season but is it an anomaly?
2010 looks like this �

1st season = 11%
2nd season = 14%
3rd season = 12%
4th season = 18%

Flattens, but still trends up.
You can go on and on with research.

The statistics are meaningless in any given instance on a hunt.
They become more meaningful if you return to an area year after year and play the percentages, like a ball coach would � or if you are planning the hunt for a large group.

Cows far outnumber bulls in the field. There are only a few small areas in Colorado where the numbers are even close to being equivalent. There are however terrain areas that seem to favor bulls almost exclusively and hunters who follow suit. I have a place like that where I set up a trail cam. I have photographed about 20 different bulls there over the past 5 years but not a single cow. Be aware that there are these �bachelor pads� for lack of a better word.

I don�t give much thought to whether bulls or cows taste better. I do believe that a quick surgical kill improves the meat quality of either. I believe that adrenaline makes them taste less like elk.

Finding stupid ones always helps!

Had a bead on a 5x5 bull one day. Just before I dropped the hammer on my .45-70 a 6x6 comes out of nowhere and chases off the smaller bull, then just stands there.

Now I have a 6x6 rack in the barn.

I can't advise you on where to hunt because I've never hunted CO. However, I can say with authority that you WANT to learn the gutless dressing method of handling a dead elk. It can save you a lot of time and work once the critter's on the ground. Google "gutless dressing elk" for lots of info on how it's done.

Second the gutless method if far enough in that you'll be carrying. Lots less drama.

Buy a good freighter capable back pack. SW has a good one for $99, forget the maker. Other than my Kimbers and Kennetreks, one of the best investments I ever made!

Learn the hunt area well. Travel light, no 30-60# day packs. You will hunt better and longer.

I have an eberlestock X2 pack that I got as a gift from a buddy. It has a frame and he told me he has used one to pack out a whole quarter of an elk before.

This is a great thread, thanks gentlemen!

The things that helped me the most when I moved here and started hunting in colorado:

(1) the Elk Hunting University series of articles on the Dept of Wildlife website.

(2) Scouting the national forest boundary areas with google earth -- these often equate to the transition zones between the private ranch land at lower elevation and the aspen and fir forests as you move up into the N.F. The whole food, water, cover triangle is typically found in these zones.

(3) Also figuring out which N.F. roads are closed to motor vehicles. No access = no crowds of ATVs = less pressure on the elk. Ideally you want to position yourself to be where the elk run to when pressured. They never run towards the sound of ATVs.

(4) If you are hunting elk with the wind at your back fuggetaboutit. To the elk you smell like a very dangerous skunk -- even from a half mile away. Keep the wind in your face whenever possible.

(5) Shot placement. Shot placement. Shot placement. Hit only one lung and you could spend two days tracking your elk in dark steep, timber. Broadside shots that hit both lungs and/or the heart will put the animal on the ground pretty quick. A big bore magnum will rarely compensate for poor shot placement. You need direct hits on both lungs and/or the heart for a quick kill. I cannot emphasize this enough. Tracking a wounded elk in steep terrian covered with dog hair timber... trust me on this one.

(6) Plan for retrieving your elk. Study the videos available on field dressing. Have equipment, at least back in your truck to winch an elk out of a hole or gully if necessary. A 700 to 800 lb animal that simply falls between two boulders can be nearly impossible to dress and quarter. Add some steep terrain and it can be a total nightmare.

(7) Relax and enjoy the experience. Your really not elk hunting unless it is physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. If you are meant to take an elk that day, you probably will.

(8) In the Colorado high country it snows 12 months out of the year, and winds can reach hurricane strength. A 4x4 with chains, winter survival gear, weather updates, and making camp a bit lower and closer to pavement can all payoff if a blizzard hits. The morning after the blizzrd is when you want to be hunting, not worrying about your own rescue.

(9) Keep your rifle close at hand. On several occasions I have set mine down, walked few yards away to pee or pull off my pack, and hey look, elk!

(10) Trying to "motel camp" will typically put you at least an hour's drive from where you want to park and hike in. As tempting as this may sound, you will lose two hours of precious sleep every day of your hunt. Four season tents with stoves,a hard-sided camper or a rented cabin near your hunting area are your best options.

Definately use the DOW website. There is a ton of valuable harvest information on there. NW has always been good to us. Once you decide on an area remember this. Elk don't like pressure. Once hunting season opens, they tend to go entirely nocturnal. You need to pursue them. If you're planning on sitting by a meadow and expecting elk to step out in the daylight and offer you a shot, you'll probably be disappointed. Pack a lunch, sling your gun over your shoulder and get away from the crowds. Try to hunt uphill from the road. It will make recovery easier. When your Father in law gets tired of walking, set him in a good spot and make a circle. If you find tracks, follow them. Go slow, pay attention and enjoy your time in the mountains.

If there's one thing that I'm confident in, its my shot. Before I decided to take up hunting I was already shooting rifles on a regular basis. I have a membership at a range for winter shooting and when the weather is warmer I go at least once a month into national forest and practice all kinds of shots. I know my limits and where I'm most confident.

It's great that you're practicing and know your rifle, but don't let practicing at the range lull you into overconfidence. If you've never hunted, then you've never shot at a live animal. It's different than a target, especially an animal like an elk. If you don't get excited when you shoot your first elk, it's time to take up golf. Being excited and shooting at a living target that moves, from an unstable or awkward position is a whole 'nother ballgame, so don't let yourself get over-confident.