Ok guys please forgive me but being from Alabama I have absolutely zero experience in elk hunting and have never hunted out of state but have decided I want to try to take a chance on an Elk hunt. I'm not talking about a trophy bull elk but a cow elk hunt. I'm more interested in the experience and the meat. I need advice on where to go, when to go and what should I expect to pay for it?
I suspect that a 270win shooting a 150gr partition or Accubond would be sufficient?

Bait the hook throw it in the Creek the Suckers will Bite. Rio7

I can't help you with the where to go but I can say that your weapon choice is excellent. I've killed a lot of elk with a 270 and 150gr bullets of several types. Of those 2, I'd go with the Partition. They'll hold together better.

Colorado raised their price on cow tags this year, Wyoming NR apps are already in but maybe something on the leftover list in June.

Your .270 will work nicely, though I would prefer the partition, properly placed. If I had a cartridge of more hp I’d bring it…..but, don’t go out and buy a new rifle for one hunt!

The across the counter tags in Kolorado has great merit. Be very careful with leftover tags in Wyoming….there’s generally a “VERY” good reason they are “leftover”!


Good Luck with your decision and your hunt, should you make your hunt! memtb

The never ending debate. My current favorite is the old worn out 30-06. I see posts on here all the time about using smaller stuff like a 25-06 or 243. Lately there have been a couple advocating a 22-250. I've shot quite a few elk with a 270 and none have walked away from it.

You can drop the rifle/ammo choice from the debate, either is fine.

Do a little homework on the areas where there are leftover tags, there's a reason. It may not be as convenient, may be a private land area and hard to get access.

The 270 will work just fine.

Colorado is full. So might try elsewhere, but if you're hellbent on climbing the Rockies, here's a few things. CO does not have over the counter cow tags, you have to put in for a draw to get one. Most are "B" tags, which means you can also have a bull tag. Way too complicated to explain here.

A 270 is fine, but go with a partition or copper solid. In an ideal situation a 243 is more than sufficient; however, I've hunted long enough to know the ideal situation almost never happens.

I tell friends and buddies coming with me for the first time to think of the first year as a practice run. Just enjoy it and keep expectations low. Lot of first time elk hunters don't even see elk their first year. If you are coming for the scenery, late bow season is about as idyllic as it gets in CO. Aspens are yellow, weather is 70 during the day, 30's at night. The Flat Tops are a gorgeous area to hunt if you want the scenery; animals are there too, but takes some serious skill to get on them.

You're going to pay $3000+ your first your on DIY hunt. The gear is $$$$. Tent, winter rated sleeping bags, heaters, stoves, and high quality clothes/boots. Your tag alone in CO is about $760 now.

You might want to check out a drop camp where an outfitter "drops" you off at a pre-setup tent. You bring your own food, clothes, sleeping bag and the outfitter covers most of the rest. It's not guided but they usually park you in a good area. What you save on gear costs, you'll be paying the outfitter to rent his gear for a week.

Number one piece of advice, get your a$$ in shape. At a bare minimum, if you can't walk 5 miles with 30lbs on your back at sea level, 9000' elevation on the side of a mountain is not a playground you want to be on.

Unfortunately nonresidents can’t draw cow tags in NM. Landowner tags can be bought sometimes from tag brokers, through outfitters and of course through landowners directly.

Cow hunts are not all the same, and not all are adventure worthy. Many times these cow hunts are nothing more than meat hunts. Drive out to a field in winter when cows and rag horns are together. Maybe a short stalk is involved but not much of a hunt. Pick one out that’s close and a clear shot then plug her and go get the pickup or a tractor and haul her back to the skinning shed. I don’t know if any outfitters that make it harder than that. They usually try to get you in and out in a day.
I’m not saying it can’t be done other ways or that a hunt like that can’t be fun or memorable but probably not the experience you have played out in your dreams.

I’d get ahold of Jordan or Casey at The Draw hunts and they can point you in the right direction.

If you look in the 2023 Colorado Big Game Brochure, you will find a list of Ranching For Wildlife ranches. The RFW program is for residents only, but those ranches also sell private land owner vouchers to anyone.Then you have to buy the license too. Cow hunts are usually after after bull season are over.

Pretty close to what NMpistolero described.

Thanks for the info. I don't think a complete DYI hunt is what I'm going to be looking for for my first attempt because I'm smart enough to know that I don't have a clue what to look for other than wonder around looking for elk. So one of these "meat hunts" might be a first step to be able to talk to and learn from guides and others who do it every day. I also don't expect to get to do it in 2023 and was planning on 2024 season. So I'm starting my information gathering now.

For your very first (cow) Elk hunt use one of the online hunt aggregators that provide information and booking services to both outfitters and hunters.

I know Serge at Urge2Hunt has been arranging cow Elk hunts for folks like yourself since forever.

I'm also quite certain there are many more services you can also contact with just a bit of googling.

Good luck with your hunt!

tag

I'd do some research on Urge 2 Hunt before I bought anything from him. Not all of his hunters have been happy with their hunts.

I'd do some research on Urge 2 Hunt before I bought anything from him. Not all of his hunters have been happy with their hunts.[/quote]

+1^^^^

OP from Alabama might not want to travel all the way to Oregon, but perhaps someone else reading this topic might be interested. I recently enjoyed a great, surprisingly tough one day cow elk hunt with AOA Outfitters. They hunt ranches in the John Day River country of central Oregon. Professional, friendly, and quite helpful.



Be prepared for some fairly difficult hiking, and the possibility of a longish range shot. Took my cow with the 30-06 at just over 400 yards in a stiff crosswind. Great hunt though and I thoroughly enjoyed. The elk meat has been terrific!

https://aoaoutfitters.com/

Regards, Guy

Check out Kiowa Outfitters in Raton, NM. It’s the dang fest road hunt you’ll ever see legal. To be legal, you have to have one foot on the ground when shooting from a vehicle. Mostly you just step out and use the truck as a rest. Guide pics you up at your motel, takes you to Ted Turner’s ranch, and you ride oil well roads til you spot elk. Shots are usually 50-100 yards. Guide guts your elk, takes samples for the biologists ( no heart 😐) then takes them to the processor. You specify how you want them processed- ie. steaks, roasts, & HB, and if you want the hide. Give them a full day to process -drop off We’d pick up on Fri- cut wrapped & frozen, ready for transport.
On the off day, a nice trip is up to Eagles Nest for some snow time and sightseeing/ice fishing?? 4wd recommended for this trip.
These are in Jan-Feb if I remember correctly. It will run about $2500 per person including tags, motel room, processing, tips etc. additional expenses are licenses (buy online after you book your hunt). And fuel for the trip. Not a cost to be overlooked.
For a first or meat hunt, this is a very enjoyable way to go. No, it’s not guaranteed, but might as well be. IIRC, the hunt is for 3 or 4 days, but don’t expect to “hunt” more than 2. They’re not for everybody, but are an enjoyable way to “go get” 200# of very tasty meat. Bug.

You may want to check with Kiowa Outfitters. Last I year I call about the cow elk hunts on the Vermejo and they are not doing them. I have heard from different people the cow elk were over harvested on the ranch.

Your .270 is plenty with good ammo, but you might consider the terrain. Elk are getting common in more open range country, but it can be difficult to get as close as your comfort range to shoot.

If you can't kill a cow with a 270, you need to A: get closer than 700 yds, or B: learn to shoot

Umm, don't that is legal to shoot from on top or with 1 foot on the ground, better check those regs again.

Some leftover cow tags in Wyoming will be ok due to quotas coming out after the NR app period and they have lessened some restrictions on some cow tags. Some wil be full price cow tags and some reduced price.
Like states=d read carefully , so have no public access or very little.

That getting in shape advice is very wise. Buy & break in good insulated boots, invest in a good backpack. The rest of your gear will be fine if you hunt deer in cold weather. There are always lighter cooler items but $$$ sky is the limit there. Binoculars you own will probably work fine but use them spotting at home for practice.

Read what you can, computer scout the areas, arrive early to acclimate to the altitude.

Find yourself a place to practice shooting off of that nice pack or sticks or bipod or knees out to 500 yards. When you hit a big dinner plate consistently you’ll know 300 on the side of the mountain is a piece of cake.

Utah cow tags draw......yes apply in June...public land a plenty

Buy an OTC spike tag.......in July....maybe tag two Elk

Just remember winter in the west this year has been B A D for big game

Tag numbers may be much fewer

Highway 6......

One of Utah's most dangerous highways

Runs between SLC-Denver

This winter........deer/elk/moose collisions

Drove it a month or so ago....really sad.......

Tag numbers reduced I'm sure for '23

https://www.ksl.com/article/5059692...ah-roads-with-over-1000-killed-this-year

I sent you a pm ALLongshot

That takes me back a few years. I was driving Hwy 75 just north of Ketchum, ID before sunup one morning. I needed to call my wife so I pulled over. As I was talking, I looked in my rear view to see about 50 elk come out on the highway from a subdivision road right behind me. There was some traffic so everyone had to stop. The elk milled around for maybe a minute, then took off down another subdivision road.

You could do it for very cheap diy, every year. A 270 is fine.

For over the counter look at Washington and Oregon, not known for the best elk hunting but there are plenty to hunt on public land. Like others have said fully expect your first year to be a shakedown/practice season. After that you will be motivated to learn how to apply for better units and have a better idea what gear you will want. Even in "good" states residents have a 7-18% success rates. Your Elk will most likely cost more per pound than a good steak...