May get the chance to elk hunt in Westcliff this fall with a co-worker who has family with land there. Being a guy from the south can anyone fill me in on non resident hunting regs for this area such as tags needed over the counter? Will be on private land but also have access to public land in this area. Will be rifle hunting cow or bull don't matter to me.

A good place to start on the Regs is here 2016 Co Big Game Reg (pdf).

And you will need your hunter's ed card (unless your getting on up there, I think you can test out if your over 50).

Good luck we'll try to help if/when you have specific questions.

Here is the Colorado Parks $ Wildlife page.All the info can be found there.

http://cpw.state.co.us/

It makes no difference if it is on public or private land, you will need to buy a non resident license.OTC bulls are about $600 ,cows are cheaper.I don't have brochure handy ,so can't quote exact figures.You will also have to buy a $10 Habitat Stamp,unless you are over 64. ( might be a break for active military)
Some private land licenses are good only for that piece of private land,some are good for the entire game management unit.

You will have to get the big game brochure to see what unit you will be hunting and see if an OTC tag is available there,was it all in a draw, or is it a Private Land only tag. There is also a $1 surcharge per license for public hunter education and Search/ Rescue.
You will also need a Hunter Education Certification Card unless you were born before 1945 or under 18. Check that to make sure I have the numbers correct.

You could do your own research on the CO P&W web site, but I will give you the overview. Unlimited over-the-counter antlered elk licenses are available for the 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons in GMUs 691 and 86. Second rifle season is Oct. 22-30 and third rifle season is November 5-13. An antlered elk tag (nonresident) will cost you $629 and you will also have to buy a $10 Habitat stamp. You cannot apply for these licenses on line-- you must buy these licenses at a vendor.

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Thanks for all the great information guys given me a lot to start on. Time to start running

I know that area about as well as anyone. I have backpacked, climbed, fished there since 1978. I haven't hunted the area much but this year I got a deer tag and will be doing a lot of scouting this summer. I own a second home near Rosita, about ten miles East of Westcliffe.

I have never seen any elk on the East side of the Sangre de Cristos except on Wolf Springs Ranch. There's a big herd on the West side near the Sand Dunes, but that's a long drive from Westcliffe. Much of that area can't be hunted.

The best places to hunt elk are on private property. The Wolf Springs Ranch and the Mountain Meadows Ranch are enrolled in the Ranching for Wildlife Program and therefore are not eligible to nonresidents.

Last fall I was in the Rustlers Roost Restaurant (in the bowling alley) and two hunters were talking about how great the hunting was on a private ranch near Gardner. They both said they got big bulls. Sorry I don't have more info than that.

KC

This bull was shot a few years ago near North Muddy Creek .West of Wolf Springs. I have killed two cows there, one close to Wolf Springs ranch's fence and another a little south near Dry Lake. I quit hunting there due to the abundance of ATV's and dirt bikes. The Rainbow Trail is open to them, but a lot go off trail. It gets pretty crowded there.

We will have access to private land that has elk on it, that I know. Going to find out more this week at work.

Good luck with it Matt. If you go, I hope you get the bull of your dreams buddy!!

Most of my elk hunting has been done west, and NW of Westcliffe but, I am familiar with the area. My wife and i owned 12 acres on a mountain top 12 miles east of Westcliffe. My sister and her husband lived in the same area for several years. I know migration patterns change in 15 years, but I saw some of the largest elk herds I've seen there. It is beautiful country and can be very rugged in some areas; especially north of highway 96. If I recall, a lot of the land north of 96 between Wetmore and Westcliffe was private land. Good luck on your hunt.

Thanks man I'm super excited! Any legal elk would be the elk of a lifetime at this point lol! Getting out west is something I've wanted to do for a long time and something I hope to do a lot of in the future.