Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Colorado second season - success?

Got back last nite from Colorado and had a chance to reflect a bit on this season. From a killing perspective, it plain sucked.

We hunted a new area, arrived on Weds PM and scouted Thurs and Fri. We saw some encouraging sign and were optimistic for the opener. Saturday AM arrived and we discovered our game plan wasn't exactly top secret. I've never seen that much orange 2.5 - 3.5 miles back in. These weren't horse guys but walkers from our general camp location. Plus the weather was optimal - warm and really windy. The one-two combo of alot of orange with warm/windy conditions kept the elk a bit secretive. We started talking to guys along the road and no one was seeing any elk let alone killing any. We heard less than 10 shots all week - and 3 of those were opening AM when a group of guys shot 3 cows.

Weds AM the weather cooled down and we finally saw elk but nothing to shoot. On Weds PM it started snowing and didn't quit until Friday sometime. It was 2 deg on Thurs AM when we went out and warmed up to a blistering 17 in the PM. We packed it in Fri AM with over a foot of snow on the ground and temps in the single digits.

We had a great time with Claybreaker and his son but the elk didn't cooperate much. I was pretty bummed because the area had alot of leftover cow tags and we had 2. I would have bet money we would at least kill some cows. I really, really wanted CB's son to kill and elk. Always next year. The part that sucks is that we have to wait 12 months to do it again.

I'm wondering if anyone else had any luck. Also curious if you got the hurricane force winds at nite of the first 4-5 days. We had gusts into the 50-60's mph. I found it really spooky and didn't sleep well the first half of the week.

we hunted out near meeker on 2nd season, the wind was horrible for the first 3 days of hunting. gail force winds it seemed, dirt in our actions of the rifles ect, i killed a mature cow on weds morning right before it started snowing, another guy in our group killed a cow the same morning as well, we brought alot of unused tags home for sure. we all had our chance to kill but some didnt really want to pack out from where we was seeing the animals at. heres a pic of my cow with my trusted mk5 ultralight 300 weatherby

Interstingly, we saw elk on Weds AM too. I had 2 cows and a small bull at 50 yards but couldn't put enough points on the rack even though it was 2 feet long. It looked like a caribou rack - alot of beam but not many points.

We hunted outside Meeker as well - Ripple Creek pass area. Where were you guys?

We went 5 for 5 on bulls during the second season. The last one was killed wednesday morning. This was by far the windiest year that I have ever seen there. Tuesday was probably the worst.

We got in last Saturday, started seeing elk and mule deer on Sunday. We saw pretty good bulls all week just couldnt quite get a good shot each time. Got a glimpse of one monster, started to circle for a stalk but he headed straight up the mountain with his cows, never could close the distance. We heard lots of bugling in the mountains which surprised us. We finally had success on Fri tracking two bulls in the snow and closed the deal on a nice 5x5. My very first elk. The elk really started moving once the snow came for us.

Interesting responses.

For those that were successful, a couple of questions: what GMU, approx elevation, and what affect did the wind have on elk sightings.

This is the first time I've had wind like that and trying to see how elk react. On Sunday PM, I went for a death march and found elk - but they were still bedded at 6:30 PM in the timber. I suspect elk, like deer, do that with high wind.

I'm also trying to make some observations on where folks found elk. It was supposedly dry/droughty in Colorado this year but I found water in most places I looked.

At least where I was at, the elk looked to be in small groups of 3-6 animals and spread out across the terrain. We found elk after a few death marches but they didn't appear to move much, kinda hanging out in the timber and not moving far.

We were hunting in the center of the state. Elk were killed from 10,000 ft to 12,500 ft. All but one were les than a mile off of the road except the one I shot and it was a 4 mile hike.

Mine was a loner bull but the others had between 3-10 other elk with them. They were all killed before last light while sittinfg over parks.

Good info - thanks!

We were hunting at 10,500 or so but the elk seemed to be really scattered and would not come into meadows/parks. I only know of 1 elk killed in the traditional park/meadow setting last week in the area we were hunting.

For what it is worth, I have only ever killed on elk out in the open. Every other one was in the timber or aspens. Elk feed at night, then truck it to the trees to bed down during the day. Elk will also be disbanding this time of year. The bulls will form bachelor groups as it gets later in the year, and the cows and young bulls will group together.

I was hunting the Gunnison area and did not see any Elk. Three of the guys in my group saw 5 on Thursday after 4 inches of snow fell. They were about 10,200 feet close to a private ranch. Found some fresh tracks from 5 Elk on Friday that crossed a main road at about 10,300 feet. I will have to eat tag soup this winter.

I hunted near Crested Butte and we saw elk the 1st morning but with a newly closed off trail that we had been hunting for 15+ years and low hunter #'s the elk went east and west and nobody ever saw them again. Left Wed AM before the precip.

tmax where about near CB?

We hunted the very north end of 54. Saw 2 bulls first light opening morning. My buddy put a 200gr Accubond through him from behind the ribs to out the neck. Never once touched bone, go figure. He was about 10,500. That bull was a 5x5, I gave him maybe 600lbs. Stocky, but not huge. He had another smaller bull with him and my other buddy took a few shots but never connected. This was an extremely steep incline we figured out, when we looked DOWN from the kill sight. I jumped another (what I assume to be) bull near the truck that evening not 10ft from the road. After that we didn't see anything else in that area, hardly ANY sign at all. I put in several miles per day for 3 days in that area, and those 2 were all we ever saw any signs of.

Moved over about a mile to lower, thick, dense timber and found more tracks and crap then the local elk pen at the Denver Zoo. We spent a few days really working that particular area out. That nice snowstorm would have been great, but we got blocked from access by a tree hugging local (and yes we called CPW, Sheriff, and local Police and filed reports/pressed charges. That lady has a history apparently with causing hunter problems, cop got her on blocking public access and the harassment of hunters felony charge, probably won't be plead down this time). Thursday we spooked 2 bedded cows in the thick stuff not 30 yards from where we had been sitting for 30 minutes. Guess they had just been sitting there watching us. Again fresh sign all over. But, we just couldn't connect on anything, we were always just slightly wrong place wrong time. 2 more days of hunting and I think I could have found them, I had their travel routes and elevation pretty dialed in. We almost ALWAYS found beds/scat/tracks between 10,2 and 10,3 on that particular mountain. They were moving E to W in a clockwise pattern. But, then the bright moon and clear skies showed up the last few days and the critters weren't budging until after shooting light, and done feeding well before sun up.

I still feel great about this season. 2 non-res guys, 1 on his first elk hunt (the guy who missed) and one on his 2nd but his first actual kill. It was also his first animal with a high power rifle (he is from OH, his hunting is with shotguns and bows only). This hunt was set up on another forum I'm a part of as a chance for some guys to fulfill that dream and I knew I was going to be playing "guide" for the most part anyways. Heck when we saw the 2 bulls I told them to start shooting first, my tag can wait. To see the smile on my friends face posing with that very respectable public land bull, made my hunt. Hell I'd have had to have nailed a near 350" bull to make mine more memorable.

Love the area, it was my first time hunting it. I'll be back...going to start looking at how many points it takes to draw a ML tag there

My wife had a cow tag in unit 501. She struck out. Didn't see anything hanging in the other camps either. Hoping for better luck when I head out for third season this weekend!

I hunted at Douglas pass. My wife kept me company. It was windy. We were there Thursday before opening and the first elk I saw was a six point Thursday evening. His partner was a nice five point. Friday morning they had a small five point with them. Friday evening we saw the six point and the big five point.

They were gone Saturday morning but I spotted a big five point on the next ridge down the canyon in a strip of dead fall-probably the same bull. We went around and got across from him and he bedded before I got into position. I could see him with the spotting scope through the pine boughs. While we waited for him to get up I took a close look at how we would get him out. It was ugly with all the dead falls and steep hill side. There was a strip of rock above him which would have been tough to get up. I decided to leave him.

Didn't see much of anything til Tuesday noon I spotted a ragged little bull down in the canyon. He had good brow tines so was legal. He had a fork on one side and had broken a point off the other side so he was a 3x2. He was down a ways and decided I didn't want to work that hard for that bull. It snowed Wednesday.

I spotted the bull I killed Thursday. He was in the same area as the little raghorn. We went after him and it started snowing again. It looks like the small five point we saw Friday morning. It took an hour and a half to get across the canyon to him. This is my wife and the bull when we found him.


We heard very little shooting. We saw one other hunter with a bull-it was smaller five point. We heard that somebody killed a "real good bull" but didn't see it or find out where it came from.

I was happy. This was my first bull and we had a great time. We saw elk but we were hunting a hell hole that sane people don't go into. The number of hunters really dropped after a few days. I think a lot of people were disappointed and went elsewhere.

White River / Holy Cross area. All of our group will eat tag soup. Saw 6 or 7 cows with 2 bulls at +2000 yards Saturday dusk. No where to be found on Sunday. One bull in the timber at dusk on Tuesday evening. Same condition as above. Big beams, but too dark to count points. Wind on Saturday and Tuesday was incredible on the windward side of rock outcroppings at 10,800 and 12,000 ft.

We didnt see the quality that we wanted to, 3 of us hunted in unit 61 and one guy missed a small bull but he was just in it for the meat. My wife just missed a small 6 point at 600. I shot and hit a nice 300 class 6 point at 1000 and rolled him but we never found any blood or anything, so on closing night I shot a small one at 1350 yards and he took 4 steps and laid down and died. I am disappoint in the elk that I saw and my shot at the big bull that we didnt recover. The oak brush was so thick, 3 guys looked for 3 hours and we found nothing. I hope that I missed the shot and he is fine as I dont want to waist the meat.

Nate, do you feel the flames beginning???

What cartridge/bullet combo do you shoot at such long ranges?


My buddies and I hunted near Kremmling for deer. Did not see a single buck, high or low. No elk spotted. On Wednesday, late afternoon, as I was driving S on Hwy 9, I saw a huge herd of Elk on the East side, right at the Blue River campground. I estimated well over 100 Elk and could only make out 2 bulls (it was getting dark). I was surprised to see such a large herd this early in the Fall.

Jeff,
Where bouts in Gunnison were you. My brother and I are hunting the West Elk Creek area starting this weekend. Were the elk begining to move lower or were they still hanging out at 10+ when y'all finished up?

I hunted carbon creek as high as we could drive. 3 from my group saw 5 aftger the snow but got to the private ranch before they could get a shot. Found tracks in the snow at 10,000+ leading to a private. Gook luck and stay high and hope for snow.

Yea I posted knowing that I would problay get a bunch of crap for it. But I have shot almost 400 rounds at between 1050-1450 over the summer getting ready for this. I was shooting a 338 edge with 300gr berger otm. I spent 4500 on the rifle and have practiced and practiced. Generally speaking I am a archery hunter so I am used to being close, I wanted to try a different skill this year. I shot at 2 and hit 2, I wish I could have done a 1 for 1 but I have lost them at 100 yards too.