Elk hunt

[FIGJAM]

A buddy and I are going on a Elk hunt next year. We live in Louisiana and we're thinking Colorado. Any advice on there or somewhere else. Any info on a rifle or round size. Any information would be great thanks.

Colorado was my first elk hunt outside the states of Idaho and Utah (I lived in Utah for a while while I was going to school and still go archery hunting down in the Uintas with a close friend). It was an OTC either sex tag. Saw a ton of elk, spent a whole week trying to get on a nice bull and passed up a ton of cows. On the last day, I missed a shot at a cow and went home with a tag sandwich. Either way I considered it a successful hunt with lots of opportunities and had a lot of fun.

Elk hunting is different than deer hunting in that you have to find the elk - they can travel 20-30 miles a day with pressure and they will completely leave an area they had been in earlier and never return. That's different than deer, even mule deer, where they will hang out in a general area and even with pressure will usually stay within a certain perimeter.

So if you are going to DIY you have to be willing to put some serious miles on your boots or horses to find them. I have shot them close to the road before, but it is usually first thing opening morning on some road I probably never should have driven my truck down in the first place always resulting in some redneck pinstriping. Hiring a guide will usually take the "where the hell are the elk?" scouting portion of the hunt out of the equation. You still have to find a shooter, put a stalk on and harvest the animal.

As far as elk calibers go: i would say a .257 cal with 115 bergers or 120gr partitions on up to whatever magnum you can dream up. I have been shooting a 270wsm the last couple years for elk. I have buddies who shoot 7mms, lots that shoot boring 270s and 30-06s. My 25-06 has also knocked the wind out of a couple elk with the 115 gr berger. I know a few guys that use the 257 wby as well and knock the hell out them. I would rather take a 25-06 that I am conifident shooting than a 300 win mag that I haven't shot much or flinch a little when I pull the trigger. Those groups will always open up when you see and elk and the fever strikes

 

[Buckshotaz]

It has been mentioned several times already, Co otc tags on public land is a zoo.

Backpacking away from any roads is a must. Glass canyons until your eyes bleed. Bring plenty of headache meds because at 10,000' and above you get bad headaches

Work with your friends and you can make it happen

 

[memtb]

Wyoming has gone nuts too

Yes they have. Milking more money from the hunters, both resident and non-residents! They seem to hired a group of "bean counters", to research every imaginable means to make an extre dollar from the hunters! memtb

 

[seattleman1969]

roscott nailed it with his advice about physical conditioning. Keep in mind that Louisiana physical condition is a whole lot different than 8000' and higher physical condition.+1

roscott was right on the money about an outfitter. Bull elk of 750 pounds are very common. +1

roscott was right on the money about rifle cartridges. You don't need a mega magnum to kill an elk if you can place your bullets with very good to superb accuracy. Every year huge bulls die by arrows leaving bows at ~300 FPS. I've used a 7MM Rem Mag on bull elk. But I'm going with a .270 Win from here on out. I don't like to carry heavy anything where air is thin. And both of my .270's will shoot .25" at a hundred. +1

Spend more on good binos than a scope. You'll use your binos far more often than you'll use your scope. +5

A range finder is of use but not necessary. Sometimes I use mine, sometimes I don't. It's a fun distraction during down time. If you know where your rifle shoots at 400 yards, you'll be good.+5

Here's some advice that a hunting friend of mine gave me 3 decades ago: it's a lot more wise to shoot at a hundred yards than farther. He used a .300 Wby Mag. He has killed just about everything in North America including griz. He told me that most hunters will figure out how they're going to make long range shots. He figures out how he can close distance. I've killed big game at long distance, but I'd rather kill big game at a hundred yards. With a heart/lung shot, you'll walk up on dead big game every time. +100

Carry good shooting sticks.

Drink a lot of water. Then drink a lot more.

Bring aspirin. +++++++++++++

Rocky Mountain elk hunting is the hardest hunting I've ever done. But the rewards are worth the effort.

All of this is extremely sage advice! I would say any rifle caliber over 270 using well constructed bullets will do the job. You probably already have an adequate elk rifle in your safe...

Shooting sticks (and/or walking sticks), GOOD QUALITY binos, and an accurate rifle you are 100% confident in are requirements. The aspirin helps out in more ways than one... taking a low dose every day will help flatlanders with their oxygen uptake somewhat but it's no excuse for conditioning. I take aspirin in the morning and ibuprofen in the evening most days (It sucks getting old).

One other obvious tip, spend a little money on quality hunting clothes for the mountains. Weather changes quickly and CONSTANTLY so layer and be prepared to add or remove. I am a huge fan or merino wool base layers, it's worth it's weight in gold to me personally. Hard to hunt when you are cold and wet and hard to shoot when you are shivering.

Colorado, Montana, Idaho have all been mentioned. I live in Montana and I have hunted Washington State as well as Wyoming. Make friends with someone local. If you choose Montana, PM me. Most importantly, strive for success and hunt hard, but enjoy the experience. The mountains invade your soul...

Says a born and raised SE Texan with roots on Houma, LA

 

[Hespco]

I am 74 & have been hunting since I was old enough to do so. Living in SW Colorado allows me to have an advantage of knowing the areas most likely to have elk. Unless pushed by hunters elk are very predictable. They tend to use the same areas they like year after year. I watch each year when the snow pushes the elk to migrate. There always is a lead cow the herd follows. The cows are the ones that run the herd as to where they go.. I watch them migrate thru my place looking for lower food sources. Always a cow in front. Since there are no elk on my place during the open season I hunt on my own , fair chase , public land. We take one , some times two a year. This with deer are our main meat source.
As for cal's have used every thing from 338 mag down to the 6.5's. For the last 25 yrs have only used the 6.5's with the Barnes mono bullets. Has proved to be 100% reliable. Never lost an elk. A tough deep penetration bullet properly placed works. If I gave advice it would be to practice off hand shooting. Many times elk are taken at close range. I have taken elk at under 100yds several times. You need to be able to shoot quick & accurately. No time for a rest. Being able to keep all your shots in 5" or less off hand can make the difference between a successful hunt or loosing a wounded animal from an ill place shot from a jerked trigger.

 

[Frog4aday]

A buddy and I are going on a Elk hunt next year. We live in Louisiana and we're thinking Colorado. Any advice...<SNIPPED STUFF>

So much great advice given already. Having lived in CO off and on for 16 years, I will add this:
1) Pack a LOT of water! You will need it. You will drink it. It is very dry and you will sweat a ton hiking at high altitude. Pack the amount of water you THINK you'll need then double that. Perfect.
2) Bring aspirin/tylenol (pick your favorite headache medicine.) You WILL get headaches coming from Louisiana. Altitude sickness is a real thing. The older you are, the more likely you are to be affected. People have died from it. No lie! Google it. Remember that tip about "bring lots of water"? Drinking water helps you feel not so bad and can help the altitude sickness pass quicker.
3) Bring sunscreen and use it. You WILL get sunburned. When you are hiking around at 7000 to 12000 feet, there is a lot less atmosphere between you and Mr. Sun. And that means the intensity is much higher. It takes no time at all to get a sunburn at altitude.
4) Along those same lines...bring SUNGLASSES! It is bright when the sun comes out and if there is snow on the ground, you can even get 'snow-blindness' (basically your corneas get sunburned.)
5) Bring a 4X4 truck or SUV. You drive up to your hunting area. The road is fine. You go hunting and over the next few days it snows and then snows again. The road is now a complete, rutted mess and slippery as hell. A 4X4 becomes your best friend. Chains are recommended, too. Mountain passes are often restricted access during inclement weather and are only open to those with snow tires (they have a snowflake on them and are NOT your 'all-season' radials) or chains. If you don't have a 4X4, at least bring a truck with a differential lock. Every little 'edge' helps you get to where you want to go and get you back home again. Those tire chains for the snow? They help in the mud, too.
6) Bring a dedicated GPS. Don't just trust your phone! When you get to your camp/base site, mark that as a HOME BASE in your phone and in the GPS. Take both devices with you every time you hike out of camp. You will thank me for this... Phones get lost. Batteries die. The darn map/gps function goes tits up because of that fall on the rocks yesterday. The back-up GPS can save your a-s-s. Bring extra batteries for it. That dedicated GPS is also GREAT for marking an area you find after hiking all day that seems to have tons of sign (and bugling?) but you have no idea if you can find THAT spot again tomorrow. I just checked and Garmin even has some GPS units with Satellite Communication functions. AWESOME! You get one, your buddy gets one and you can communicate even when there is no cell signal. And plan for there to be no cell signal. Seriously. It's mountainous and you are in the middle of nowhere.
7) Pray for snow the first day of your hunt. That's crazy, right? But here's the deal, it will help you figure out where the elk are MUCH FASTER. You can find their tracks so much easier if there is snow on the ground. You have no control over this, I know. I'm just saying. Don't see snow as the enemy. It's your friend when it comes to an out-of-state hunter trying to cut elk sign so he/she can search in the right areas.

I'm sure as soon as I hit "Post Reply" something else will pop into my mind, but this should be good for covering what others haven't yet. Guide or not, I say GO FOR IT! You'll have a blast. You'll have great memories. And maybe, just maybe, you'll get an elk. Odds aren't in your favor, but if it was easy and guaranteed, it wouldn't be as fun and rewarding. Good luck.

 

[deerhunt01]

Not much to say any more great work guy this should be a sticky thread for CO Elk hunt.

 

[Coyote_Hunter]

It has been mentioned several times already, Co otc tags on public land is a zoo.

Backpacking away from any roads is a must. Glass canyons until your eyes bleed. Bring plenty of headache meds because at 10,000' and above you get bad headaches

Work with your friends and you can make it happen

If you get bad headaches, get to lower altitude ASAP. Altitude sickness can kill you in more ways than one.

 

[Eagel Builder]

Big Pill (bullet) make a big hole. 375 H&H 338 of any kind 8mm of any kind . 98 mauser 8mm killed a elk (hand reload not american down loaded ammo).

 

[memtb]

As a fellow Louisianan (EBR Parish), I hope you get to make your elk hunt, it's a hunt you will always remember. I started hunting with a larger bore rifle long before moving to Wyoming....using it in Louisiana for Whitetails. For your desired hunt it's pretty hard to beat a .338 WM. Great factory ammo selection, tons of components for reloading, shoots pretty darn flat, generally very accurate, modest recoil, can get a rifle that is not heavy to carry ( wife's weighs <9 pounds - scoped, loaded, slung), and with the proper bullets makes a big, deep hole in an elk. The .338 WM, has been my wife's "only" hunting cartridge/rifle since 1996. She's convinced that it simply works.....very good! memtb

 

[Rick Richard]

As a fellow Louisianan (EBR Parish), I hope you get to make your elk hunt, it's a hunt you will always remember. I started hunting with a larger bore rifle long before moving to Wyoming....using it in Louisiana for Whitetails. For your desired hunt it's pretty hard to beat a .338 WM. Great factory ammo selection, tons of components for reloading, shoots pretty darn flat, generally very accurate, modest recoil, can get a rifle that is not heavy to carry ( wife's weighs <9 pounds - scoped, loaded, slung), and with the proper bullets makes a big, deep hole in an elk. The .338 WM, has been my wife's "only" hunting cartridge/rifle since 1996. She's convinced that it simply works.....very good! memtb

I use to live in that parish.

 

[memtb]

Rick Richard, Is that the English Richard, or the Cajun Richard? I was born and raised in Zachary! memtb

 

[Rick Richard]

Rick Richard, Is that the English Richard, or the Cajun Richard? I was born and raised in Zachary! memtb

From Baker.

 

[memtb]

I've heard of Baker! Heck I lived in Baker for a few years of my first marriage.... Gwendolyn St. You probably live in a much better place now, Baker has taken a serious turn for the worse! memtb