Well out here in good ol [bleep] Kuwait looking at the regs trying to decide on what left over tag to buy. I missed out on the draw, was not paying attention. Anyhow I'm looking at either unit 11, 12 or 23 and trying to decide if I should hunt 3rd or 4th rifle season. Last yr was up in 23 did some scouting for 4th rifles season but good ol U.S Army changed those plans and at last minute they decided I would go to NTC during 4th rifle elk season. The only difference is that units 12 and 23 you can't hunt in unit 11. Is it that big of deal not being able to hunt in unit 11?? Heck I doubt one would be doing much moving around once you find a spot probably sit tight. Last yr my friends hunted 4th rifle season up their unit 12 and froze their asses off and the elk they saw were all on private land anyhow. I have no idea how much hunting they really did since they said it was pretty cold. If things work out should be back before 3rd season but I'm thinking would it be better to go 4th season? Thanks guys..

All decent units, weather plays such a factor during those season its hard to say. Very unpredictable out there. All those units have lots of hunters and lots of elk. Find a migration corridor and pack as far into roadless area as you can stand and see what happens. If it were me, I would go for 11 in 4R. Exploring new units is more than half the fun of hunting for me.

Thanks if anything gets me out and I can decompress from this bs deployment.. Also can prep for next year learn some new country.. Also very trye about big crowds last yr when we were up their scoutng it was 3rd rifle season people everywhere.

Good luck John. Hope you get a good one this year...

I would go with 23, third season. You're more likely to be snowed in during the fourth and then the elk will be mostly lower on private land. Third season, you've got a fair chance of having a little break in the weather sometime.

Thanks Lawrence I drew goose eggs in Idaho was planning on hunting Colorado anyways but now need to get serious. I will never ask for secret honey spots or even decent honey spots just general idea should I concentrate in certain units. I will probably buy a both antlered and antlerless left over tags. Looking like will try for 3rd Rifle season and like some said get off the beating path try to get away from the crowds.

We will be hunting Init 12 and associated units in 3rd Rifle.

And praying for enough high country snow to get the migration going.

I like 23 3rd season better than 11 - there are plenty of hunters both sides of the 13 but 11 seems to attract the never leave my atv and ride all day long crew. I'm no expert on 11 but it was fairly flat and crowded compared to 23 where you have every type of terrain and can get away from people.

Last year when we went up their scouting like I said it was 3rd season and we pulled off a pull out. Truck sitting their not to far from the truck was an old fella set up on his bench just sitting their waiting for an Elk to show itself. I'm trying to avoid such things.. So I need to go into this thinking like its a sheep hunt and pack a few miles in away from the crowds.

I tried the late season in the high country one year and the snow was terrible with no stopping , deep and with no visibility. Won't do that again.

That's what I'm trying to avoid so it looks like I will be trying to go do this during 3rd rifle season. 4th sounds great but if the weather turns on you then you are SOL.

I've hunted Unit 12/23 for the past seven years during the third season. You can get a lot of snow up there during the third season, and even the outfitters up there close for the 4th season. However, there are great places to hunt in unit 12 that do not get that much snow or hunters, especially during the 4th season. You can find them on the Colorado Hunting Atlas. Good luck to you and thanks for your service.

This was a second season hunt in the high country mid Oct at over 11,700 ft. Area 45 Colorado. Me in the center pulling my bull killed with my 338-06 Ack

Looks like you could use a pair of Gaiters.

The blizzard moved in after i killed the Elk. Clear one min then a white out the next.

Well guys thanks I got some good info through PM's looks like I might have an area figured out and give it a shot. Probably go in by myself my buds have a tendency to back out at the last minute so I'm just going to forgo the whole asking them if they want to go routine LOL.

I hope you are young in good shape if you are thinking of getting a bull out of the high country by yourself.

I done the 5 mile walk on the Dalton hwy for caribou not saying I'm mr in shape but it can be done... Walking on the tundra blows ass...

anything can be done with enough muscle and hard work. Good luck on your hunt , post the photos

You only need to be young if your plan is to get it out in one piece.

When I was young, I couldn't get one out in one piece.

Lol I'm not a young buck and realize if I get one its coming out in qtrs it's either hang with the crowd and wait for the suicidal elk or hump it in and up my chances...

Me either. It helps if you're stupid.

In that area when i see whole elk carcasses at the processor i wonder if it was that close to the road but assume they were on someplace private where you can get an ATV or truck.

I did kill a cow once in the snow that ended a 100 close yards from the road an easy drag, but needed a come-along to get her in the back of the truck. Dragging and hauling are not usually on the menu for us there, cutting up and packing out are almost a given. That nice soft pliable meat that hangs in a tree overnight is so much stiffer and less comfortable going into the pack in the morning.

If you are truly going to hunt alone, I would suggest you look into a Personal Locator Beacon; in case of emergencies. You might also want to consider renting a horse from Sombrero. A lot easier to load quarters on a horse and walk it down a mountain. Anyway, good luck and much success.

Loading meat in a pack and hauling it out on your back is as easy as falling off a horse...

Good one smokepole

I've rented horses from Sombrero a couple of times to haul elk off the hill and thought it was money well spent on 2 occasions, and once it was a pain in the ass when they raised the price and gave me a crappy horse to boot.

Using a horse for hauling elk is about as much fun as it gets and makes you feel like a classic Western elk adventure, that is just leading one a few miles in loading him up and walking him out. Id love to have a couple of horses or mules and a pack string of my own but that or a $5K guided hunt aren't in the budget for the foreseeable future. A couple of hundred bucks for a rental is an efficient cheaper option without the feed and vet bills or the big check to get the whole deal.