Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting I've never been elk hunting.

I'd agree with that but for a new guy coming out for the first time, I'd recommend he make sure the area is worth the time and effort before deciding to settle in and get familiar with any particular area. Not only seeing elk, but seeing how many other hunters are using the area and where they set up. When I say "area" I'm talking about a few to several square miles, the kind of place where there are a few different directions/places you can go and spend a day poking around, not a small area.

Correct. Elk live in those few to several miles, probably more. I person needs to do some research prior to even coming to Colorado. My first hunt back in 1974 I did just that. Then I poked a pin in the map up in the Zirkle wilderness and got into elk the1st day.

Today though with the number of OTC tags and hordes of hunters in the those areas. A new hunter never knows how many other hunters will be in the area until he/she arrives and any elk that were in the area have long since moved to some where where those hunters aren't.

I see guys getting to an area 2-3 days before season opens and then go " scouting". Hiking thru meadows ,going into bedding areas or travel routes,leaving scent all over, bugling like crazy and the elk leave.

I have sat on ridge lines watching pack strings, hikers moving in,setting up camps, noisy as all hell, camping in prim eelk habitat and see elk going over the ridge even before opening day.

I've seen the same thing. Found a big broad basin a few miles in that held dozens of elk in late August and zero by muzzleloader season. They'd packed in with horses and set up a big camp right smack in the middle of where they elk were hanging.

They'd have been much better off camping at the trailhead and riding in every morning.

It was a good area so we stuck with it and now we hunt the spots they push the elk to every year. It works pretty well.

The San Juans are rugged country.

So we keep going back and forth on whether we should aim for rugged country or try to find more gentle areas. Being first timers and all. Still leaning towards 75/751. We do want to go back to the same area year after year, and trying easier terrain just because we are newbs but then wanting to get better chances at bulls in rougher country doesn't really line up with that goal.

It's all but set in stone that we are going this year. Got my hunting partner even buying some camping stuff off Amazon during their prime days deals last night. That was reassuring ha. Worked him hard this past weekend about going, we traveled for a golf tournament. I didn't shut up about it for more than a minute or two at a time ha.

We essentially want to hike a creek valley for 2-3 miles, set up a camp, and then hunt the draws around us. At this point we are definitely treating it like a camping trip where we will have a miniscule chance of putting a bullet in a bull.

If you haven't done it already, don't start now. You'll just keep wanting more. First the deer rifle was OK, then you'll decide you need a dedicated elk rifle, then a better optic, then a 1000yd range finder, pretty soon you'll be buying an outfitter tent, but that will only last a few seasons when you realize you can buy a fifth wheel and have a hot shower at the end of the day. You'll arrive at camp at night and your ego will tell you that you can back the RV into your spot, and as you do, you'll smash your black water holding tank on a snow covered stump, rending you a $500 repair bill when you get home and an even more joyous experience of sh*tting in the woods, which you so heroically thought you ended when you connived the bank to write a big fat check for your towable condo. At the same time you'll realize that your F150's tow rating means crap at altitude so you'll be dreaming of a dedicated, lifted 4x4, 1-ton dually to tow the RV. Hope you don't plan on staying married. Talking about egos, every year you'll be reminded what a wuss you are as the mountains relentlessly kick your ass by the end of day one. And let me tell you from experience, the mountains get bigger every year, even if you think you are in great shape. Add in some overpriced, name brand camo so everyone knows how serious you are about elk hunting and you'll be a full fledged addict. Your precious RV will permanently smell like a gym locker after a week, and your knees will have accumulated irreparable damage. Despite coming back to camp in the dark and having a 4AM wakeup call your mind will tell you that a few drams of the single malt you brought with you for celebration is best to be drank right away. Hope you remembered that 500pill bottle of Advil as the alcohol and altitude bring you to your knees. Your coolers won't get filled for years as you humbly realize elk hunting isn't like the the whack-o-mole game you played in the arcade as a kid. You'll soon think that Will Primos is on the Devil's payroll and his videos are just paranormal dreams meant to brainwash you into thinking elk magically walk to you when you squeeze the Hoochie Mama. You will feel anything but rested and relaxed. You will show up back to work exhausted, bruised, deflated, broke, and be damned to come up with a good story why you didn't fill.

You sure you want that? There's no going back.

Elk are rarely in the same location during the fall that you would find them in August or early September without people in that area. The best solution for successful elk hunting is to go 2 years in a row and use what you learned the first year to get your elk the second year...

I whacked a 5x5 bull opening morning of my first Colorado elk hunt in 2005. As Mountain10mm illuded, $60,000 later, I’m still at it. Shot my first B&C mule deer in 2016 so now I’m a double addict! It doesn’t get better. Happy Trails

Ha, I got a laugh out of that. Even a “backcountry hunter” will follow a similar path. There are always lighter and more compact items you must have, clothes that will magically keep you warm and dry, and cool. An item offering a 2oz weight savings will literally make your credit card fly out of your wallet. And so it goes...

Yep, that's about how it played out in this particular area. Found a few spots that the elk go to after archery season starts. ML season starts in early September so they're not moving because of snow, strictly due to hunting pressure.

IMHO, that's the wrong way to approach it. Self-fulfilling prophecy and all that. Plus, if you're thinking you have a miniscule chance, you won't be prepared with everything you need to pack one out if/when you knock one down. You'll be tempted to leave the big pack in the truck, and not bring in the gear you need to cut and hang the meat while you're packing out the first load.

Go in expecting to get one, if you don't you won't be disappointed.

True dat! We hunt the same area every year. We have had some lean years the past several, but long term we have had much success there. A couple of years ago, I found one of my nickel plated Federal .35 Whelen cases from 3 years previous while sitting and glassing. A few hours later I shot a bull from the same spot. In fact, I’ve taken 5 elk from within 1,000 yards of that spot in the last 12 years and let a few others get by me without getting a shot on them. Finding a good spot and sticking with it works. Why does one wonder why most elk hunters are tight lipped about their honey holes? Happy Trails

I gotcha. I certainly wont forget that I paid $670 for a tag lol. Speaking of big packs..,Tenzing this, Kuiu that, Alpz (dirty word?) this...gah.

You'll have a blast!

Go in with an open mind. Hunting elk is one of my favorite past times. There's nothing quite like walking up on your first bull on the ground.

Be an early bird...they don't like being out in the open for very long in the morning. If you locate some, and can't close the deal, wait them out. I don't recommend going into the timber after them. If they bust you and they leave, chances are they won't be back anytime soon.

Heres a newb question - obviously, take a couple large coolers and leave them at the truck right? Our current plan has us parking 35 miles from the nearest convenience store. Whats the play here? Dry ice already in the coolers? Or wait?

If you are hunting rifle seasons,you will have a day or three that you can hang the meat in the shade, ( depending how far you have to pack it out. Take some ice in the coolers,but cover them up to help it stay. Then when you get the meat back to the truck , go get more ice.

Do not transport dry ice in coolers inside your vehicle., even in the trunk

Gotcha, thanks! I see now where campfires are prohibited in Gunnison NF as well as San Juan...surely the Gunnison ban won't last into October?

Don't bet on it, as dry as it is.......

We’ll just keep an eye on the fire watches.

What about bugs? Is bug repellant essential for 3rd week of October or is it dead weight?

You won't need bug repellent. You might need a snow shovel and tire chains though. Where in AL are you coming from?