I am in the East and want to hunt elk. I was out in Colorado in 2016 and had a great time hunting. I camped on National Forest land but started thinking it might be worth buying a small chunk of land out there so I could build a little camp and leave some supplies out there. I wish I was wealthy so I could buy a ranch but I am not. Have any of you bought small acreage a long way from home like that to hunt elk. I know elk cover a lot of ground so a 40 acre parcel would just be a base camp, not a hunting area. I would want something near public land so I could roam after the elk.

What do you think? Have any of you Eastern guys done this?

It's one of the things I am considering, either moving out there or something like this, some land, small cabin/house and go to hunt. Need access to public land to make this work!

I wouldn't buy land for use as a basecamp. Elk move too much along with tag allocations. Heck, I can set up a camp on the public land for much, much cheaper. For storing gear/supplies, a rental storage unit nearby or on the route too/fro would be much cheaper and probably less likely to get pilfered. I have a cabin/camp 3hrs from where I now live. I don't get there as much as I'd like, but I will say that having something like that means more time than I'd like there is spent on upkeep/maintenance.

Relocating there or having a seasonal residence is a much different idea, IMO.

Ten years ago I bought a 3 acre parcel outside of Pagosa Springs, CO with the thought of hunting from there. The land overlooks the Pagosa Peaks.

To make a long story short. I never did build on it and have hunted in Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Oregon, New Mexico, and Texas as well as Colorado since then.

My buddy has a place in Utah and now has it up for sale so that he can hunt different places.

donsm70

its just much easier to pull a trailer,bring a generator or camp at a campsite ,maybe a koa ? that way you can move as elk do

Good points, thanks guys. I already have a deer hunting property that I bought 15 years ago. I really enjoy taking trips there but it is 6 hours from home, not 30. I have plenty of camping gear so I guess I'll do it that way.

I agree that if it's just to store gear, it would be a lot cheaper to buy a small cargo or camp trailer and store it in a rental unit if you don't want to pull it home. Of course that's not like owning your own piece of nature but it's a lot more portable.

I have acreage like that.
I didn't buy it for hunting related recreation but discovered that elk really like it at certain times of the year and it's been great for trail cameras and a place to shoot. I have a wooden shed there where I keep some outdoor equipment and tools.
There is a little bit of maintenance required even for vacant land but not much. They kill me on taxes for the place because it is not zoned residential or agricultural. Vacant land is bad that way but still worth it.

Where you can really make a deal like that work is if you can buy a property that borders or gives you access to hard-to-reach segments of national forest. In Colorado you will find these long borders of NF adjacent to private land. Sometimes you will go miles w/o any NF public access point. If you can find a property like that then it can be a great setup.

Elk are very nomadic and finding them in the same spot each year isn't likely. But I also understand the desire for a slice of the cabin-in-the-woods heaven. I've got a few acres bordering NF land in CO, and if you watch the very end of our 2016 elk hunt video on youtube, you'll see a few herds of elk run by. As we filmed those herds, we were about 1/2 mile from that little plot of land. Thing is, we've never elk hunted from it. Shoot, camp, hike, and occasionally deer hunt, but never elk. Too few elk and too large an area for them in that location. I didn't buy it for elk hunting though, it was more a recreational piece of property.

I've looked at plots of land bordering NF for elk hunting and they all have one thing in common. $$$$. They are typically very expensive. If you want a idyllic 35 acres bordering NF, that has good herds of elk, you're at $250,000+. You might find some 10 acre or smaller parcels, but chances are, you'll be in some covenant controlled development.

I completely understand the desire, and am all for it, just depends on how much money you want to spend. If you're in the less than $100k, I'd say get a trailer, RV, or storage unit. $100-$250k range, you can find a smaller lot, likely in a rural development with regulated uses, more than $250k, you can make it work and I'll help you design the log cabin.

I would rather spend the money on a nice camper/toy hauler set up.

That way if you want to hunt anywhere, you're ready to go.

I'd hesitate to commit to one spot for just elk hunting. You never know when a fire/bad winter/ disease etc might wipe out an area and make tags and elk hard to get.

In that situation it would be nice to have the flexibility to move elsewhere if need be.

-jake

Theeck,

There is so much public land in Colorado that it really is of no value to buy hunting ground....unless your well off enough to buy a Ranch with thousands of acres.

What will work if you want to own a piece of Co is buy a small house or cabin with a garage or barn and use it as a base to keep your camper, tricked out truck, 4 wheelers or whatever.

Using this as a base puts you within driving distance of good hunting and fishing in Co or with a little driving Wyo or Montana.

From where I am in N Co I usually hunt Co, Wyo, and Mont. This year going to SD as well.


Lefty C

It's a typically Eastern way of thinking to want to buy land as a hunting jump-off. As has been pointed out, you just don't need to buy ground to use it. The state and its public ground is your oyster. I'd also add, any "affordable" ground will often have only seasonal access and no power, and even then it can be quite expensive. In the high, dry West you have to remember anywhere that has timber means that ground is in snow country. That's why the timber is there. Re-sale of such ground is often tough. Ground really worth having is typically expensive. Here in Montana I've seen the "right" 20 acre parcel at more than $1 Million (trees, creek, views, forest service border).

As the old Japanese proverb says; "don't buy a view, borrow a view."

+1 on "Don't buy".

As others have pointed out, elk are nomadic. You'll find them where they are, not necessarily where you want them to be.

for years we used to camp in the same area, on the east side of Bears Ears in Routt National Forest, and we would hunt within a few miles of camp. Some years we would see lots of elk, other years nothing Then we started camping low, close to the highway, and hunting anywhere we wanted in a much larger radius. Daily drive times increased and our success rate sky-rocketed.

Plenty of BLM and forest places to camp for free. Those who recommend getting a storage unit nailed it. Low cost, low risk, easily changed and you don't have to trailer stuff across the country.

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I‘ll pass on buying land. Maybe one day when I retire or partially retire I can spend enough time out there to justify buying a cabin. Until then, I‘ll just keep upgrading my gear.

One question: I see BLM land mentioned periodically. I know it stands for Bureau of Land Management but is this public land? Open to hunting and camping?

BLM is 100% public land. It's regulated by the Department of the Interior while the USFS is overseen by the Department of Agriculture. Each has different mission statements. Doesn't matter really, you can camp, hike, hunt, all that stuff on BLM land almost the same as Forest Service. Some areas have slightly different rules due to how the land is being used, e.g. cattle leases, logging, reclamation, wild burros, etc. Generally BLM land is not as contiguous as USFS, so you need a good map or GPS that shows ownership. And generally BLM land is less rugged, more flat, and often treeless. BLM is a sort of a little secret as most maps only show USFS land and often BLM adjoins USFS land, but it isn't shown on the map. You can get BLM maps from the US MAP store, it's on line - I think the link is https://store.usgs.gov/maps. If you're in Lakewood, CO you can go to the BLM building and buy them directly. They show BLM, Forest Service, private, school properties, state properties. Overall they are good maps.

Both sides have merit. I was hunting Mule Deer in 67 last year and there was some private land that would offer walking access to endless hunting area. Most units have land like that. But is it a place you can draw a tag each year, or where you’d want to hunt? It would take some research to find the right place, but possible. I know I’d love to have a little cabin where I could go to get away, shoot, hunt or just hike around. An acquaintance has about 300 acres with the coolest camp on it that I’d love to emulate some day.
If you want to optimize hunting though, the flexibility to go to different areas would be important.

Real estate advice based upon someones hunting experience is probably the worst advice you will get. Those two things overlap only very slightly, and 'nomadic' is road hunters code. Rewards of having your own dirt are many but good hunting is seldom one of them. I was lucky with mine.

Theeck - If you have already owned hunting land for 15 years then you are far more experienced than most of the people here who are offering you anonymous advice.
You probably know what you want and why.

I truly wish that my own property was worth 6 figures.
It isn't even close.
A creek runs through it from April through July, has ample trees, it is accessible 365, but does not border NF or BLM.
I will hunt several of the surrounding states each season but have never hunted my own property. It would seem like cheating because I know it too well.

Elk are habitual.
If you do much reading of the experienced hunting authors you will recall many of them will mention they have killed elk on in the same exact places 4, 5, or 6 times. Those authors will often know numerous locations like that.
If you find locations that have the essentials (cover, water, pasture, escape routes) elk will return to them, public or private.

Check the years on these. There is a sample from each of the past 10 years.

2010 I used my handheld cam





My mailbox is another place they like because there is a nearby cultivated field.
I have pics of them from many years here also.
This was Saturday night.

I 'think' I understand the relationship between hunters and grazers on BLM.
I've personally always been granted permission to hunt BLM from the lease holders with the understanding that they have a considerable financial asset on that property.
I think that gets abused both ways. Some hunters will presume that because it is BLM they have free access. Some lease holders will tell hunters that it is leased. Period.

When you draw a tag for your area. Get an airline round trip ticket and fly with one bag for cloth and one for weapons and optics. At the airport rent a pick up. Then go to the atv dealer and rent an atv, put it in the pick up. Drive to a trailer /RV place and rent a small but comfortable trailer that you can tow. Lastly, go to the grocery store and get all your food. You are know totally mobile, with the ability to cover large areas in comfort. Your equipment will be new with no maintenance needed. No depreciation, upkeep or storage fees. No worries of theft, vandalism, property tax or anything else for that matter. When the hunt is done, ship your cloth slow and cheap. Have the meat preprocessed and take back with you frozen as the second bag. You can have some jerked and mailed, no rush for it. Fly back with your weapons and optics.

Some hunters that don't want to explore large country. Will find a ranch with lodging, food and horse retreival ability for rent. Usually unguided, but will give you good advise, as they know their ranch and game patterns.

Either way, you have to spend some money. That regrettably has become the name of the game in big game hunting.
Best of luck to you.

Really practical advise there. Especially the part about checking your frozen elk meat in single "bag" on an airplane.

Yes, BLM land is public land. Whether or not it's open to hunting is mostly up to that state fish and game. Camping allowances are managed by the pertinent BLM office, but for the most part camping is allowed most everywhere.

No, the grazing permittee/leasee may not prevent you from using that land for any purpose. It's a "prohibitive act" per the terms and conditions of their grazing permit/lease.

the meat on the plane is a good idea, but think through based on baggage limits/costs. Flying coach, you can't go over 50lbs, and if you go over 2 bags, you get an additional fee. If a bag goes over BOTH weight and is the 3rd bag, you get BOTH fees. Do the math out and see which way works better, you are talking 150-200lbs of meat.

Good info, thanks. Maybe I should be looking into BLM land instead of the National Forest land.

I own a small property in elk country, three hours from here. I can see the attraction. I did see it.

The reality is that its a lot of work and expense. We do use it for much more than hunting. But still, I can't imagine owning property 30 hours from home for such a purpose. Just for example, squatters are real. Our only neighbors out there had squatters for months, they didn't check on their place and who are we to assume that someone isn't supposed to be there? Weeds, mowing, taxes, upkeep, insurance and the list goes on. In my case its ok, I knew what I was getting into and we visit frequently year round. Just for elk season, no way. Spend that on outfitters and gear, you'll be way ahead.

Meat processors can freeze your processed big game and ship via provided cooler. Or waxed cardboard boxes designed specifically to ship meat or fish. Alaska hunters have been doing it for years. Co. is much shorter. You notify your airline and they will ship in the freezer. If dry ice is used, you must notify them but can still be shipped. All airports have commercial cargo shipping, including frozen food. Do your homework and you will find a solution. Keep attention to weight and be smart how you ship. Get the shipping schedule and plan accordingly.
There are commercial cargo shippers that will deliver to your home.
When you think about gas, motel and time on the road, never mind weather conditions, you are miles ahead.

Are you only looking in Colorado or are you ok with other areas out west? In western MT you could probably buy 20 acres off grid for 20 to 30K and put up a small pole barn structure on a concrete slab for another 20K and if you wanted to develop it with power, water septic etc. , probably another 15-20K and be all in for less than 75K.

Sure as hell wish I could buy vacant land in SW MT for $1000/acre!!!

No, Montana might be even better. I mentioned Colorado only because the tags are readily available. I think I am going to wait a few years when I hopefully have more free time. I did something similar in New England where I bought a plot of forest and built a small cabin with no electric or water. I use it as a hunting/recreational property. It's 6.5 hours from home, though, so I don't get up there nearly as much as I would like. I was there this past weekend.