Colorado 67! Here i come! I could uze some advice.

[huntxtrm]

Been to colorado 3 times now, have never seen the all elusive elk! Im not a camp hermit, lets vet that out of the way right now! Lol. I put 40 gps miles on my boots last year in tbose mountains! I end to get 3 or 4 milles out, i usually, go high, then loop back low. My average outing is 7 miles. I go through thicm brush, steep mountains, snow, ect... i am puttin in the effort, but nada! I would really appreciate any info, that anybody would be wiiling to give me. And very thankful for it. I have an old dude that goes with me, he dont have many trips left in him, so be says! Lol. I would like to get one, or see him get one,. Either way, it would make a smile.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Do you see any sign of Elk in the area you're walking?

 

[Predator 22]

A little more information would be helpful. What elavation are you hunting? What season? What kind of equipment are you using and what is your basic hunting style when elk hunting? Like the previous post said, are you seeing any sign? If there is no fresh sign there is most likely not very many/any animals in the area. Best advice I can give is talk to a biologist and some locals.

 

[huntxtrm]

Do you see any sign of Elk in the area you're walking?

Yes, I see tracks all over, and semi fresh scat. Just no elk. Last year I went first season, it was pretty warm.. I only heard one shot by another hunter. Maybe it was too warm? I went to the top of all the peaks around. That is where I saw most of the sign. But, yes, I always see sign. Some fresh, some not. I think I am just there at the wrong time? Or, maybe I am moving in the wrong direction? I generally spend all day in the woods. I come out, at near dark.

 

[aj427ci]

Try and get to the area you are hunting two or three days early if you can. Find a good place to glass and stay put. Use your binos/spotting scope to find the elk. Elk move a lot especially when pressured. Elk will be where they want to be, not where you think they should be. Check the low country and work up.

 

[huntxtrm]

A little more information would be helpful. What elavation are you hunting? What season? What kind of equipment are you using and what is your basic hunting style when elk hunting? Like the previous post said, are you seeing any sign? If there is no fresh sign there is most likely not very many/any animals in the area. Best advice I can give is talk to a biologist and some locals.

Last year I was hunting Pool Table Park area.. 1st season, it was warm. I forget the unit number... Elevation was hovering around 11,000ft. I have a Browing Abolt in 300RUM, I have done some good work on it. It has a muzzle brake, bipod, Nikon Monarch 6 x 24 x 50 BDC. I use the turrets, not the BDC. I load my own. 200gn Accubond, 92gns of Retumbo, CCI 250 primers. It shoots less than .5 moa consistently.

I walk the mountains. I usually trek up to the ridge line, walk it, then circle back about 1/2 way down the mountain, if the terrain permits. Bino's in at my eyes about half the time. Allways see sign. Sometimes old, sometimes new. I did see and Elk last year, though I don't count it. I could not tell the gender, throught the thick brush. I tried stalking, no luck. I found a small 5 point anler last year on top. I'm sure it was a shed from the previous shed season.

Maybe I am hunting to aggressive? Should I find a spot and still hunt?

A few years back, I hunted Unit 67 across from Sawtooth. 2nd season, Snowed the whole time I think! LOL... Lots of sign, hunted the same way...

First time I went we hunted unit 76 by Creede. Moon was full and up all night, snow everywhere, daylight at night. Hunted pretty much the same way. I didn't venture quit as far out, because I was green. Only about 5 or 6 miles a day. I did actually see the tail end of an elk that time, on the side of a mountain. It was high tailing it, it heard me. it was in a Aspin thicket. I did not even think about shooting at it. it was moving way to fast away from me, and not a safe shot.


I use a tablet gps with topo maps for navigation and marking sign, and what I think are good prospect spots. I carry a good ole lensatic compass for backup...

 

[mobenzowner]

A little more information would be helpful. What elavation are you hunting? What season? What kind of equipment are you using and what is your basic hunting style when elk hunting? Like the previous post said, are you seeing any sign? If there is no fresh sign there is most likely not very many/any animals in the area. Best advice I can give is talk to a biologist and some locals.

Very good advice. Hope you get at minimum some activity this year. I have been elk hunting in Colorado twice in my life(I'm in Missouri). I was very fortunate to have had a friend/business acquaintance who had lived about 20 years near Steamboat Springs. He still owns a condo there and a nice hunting cabin in the mountains near Hayden. Funny part of that hunt is there were 3 of us Missourians and we were told to expect to see elk as were were hunting on about 4000 acres of private property. My biggest fear was the other 2 guys getting elk, and me not. I say that because we are pretty hard on each other in regards to ribbing etc. Well as it turns out 2 of us did get elk and one didnt. They guy that was oldest, less capable of a shooter, and most overweight and unable to stalk killed a nice 6 X 6 first. He is a fly by the seat of his pants guy and I had been pouring it on him for months prior that he better practice shooting,hiking etc. He put it on me pretty hard and I was feeling a lot of pressure. I was lucky enough to kill a smaller 5x5 the next day. On the flight home Jimmy(who got the 6x6) looks across the plane aisle and my other buddy Bob is reading an ebook on a kindle. Jimmy asked Bob, "what book you reading? How to kill an elk." Sure was glad I got mine.

 

[huntxtrm]

Very good advice. Hope you get at minimum some activity this year. I have been elk hunting in Colorado twice in my life(I'm in Missouri). I was very fortunate to have had a friend/business acquaintance who had lived about 20 years near Steamboat Springs. He still owns a condo there and a nice hunting cabin in the mountains near Hayden. Funny part of that hunt is there were 3 of us Missourians and we were told to expect to see elk as were were hunting on about 4000 acres of private property. My biggest fear was the other 2 guys getting elk, and me not. I say that because we are pretty hard on each other in regards to ribbing etc. Well as it turns out 2 of us did get elk and one didnt. They guy that was oldest, less capable of a shooter, and most overweight and unable to stalk killed a nice 6 X 6 first. He is a fly by the seat of his pants guy and I had been pouring it on him for months prior that he better practice shooting,hiking etc. He put it on me pretty hard and I was feeling a lot of pressure. I was lucky enough to kill a smaller 5x5 the next day. On the flight home Jimmy(who got the 6x6) looks across the plane aisle and my other buddy Bob is reading an ebook on a kindle. Jimmy asked Bob, "what book you reading? How to kill an elk." Sure was glad I got mine.

I can say, I have never been disappointed. Just being there is a good release from the norm. I have never been to a place like that until I started hunting there. It is a precious part of the country, that is for sure. But, I would like to get some elk meat! lol

 

[ShtrRdy]

OP - thanks for the details. It sounds like you may be bumping the Elk out of the area you're moving through. They can see/smell/hear really well. If you have a spot where you could sit and glass, that can give you an advantage to locating the Elk and formulating a plan to get to them before they notice you. Try to avoid walking on the top of a ridge. This will really signal your presense.

Weather plays a big factor as I'm sure you noticed. For warmer/dry weather they are generally at higher elevations and as the snow starts to cover their food they move down. That said, there are Elk that stay in lower elevations most of the year so you could see animals that way too.

 

[huntxtrm]

OP - thanks for the details. It sounds like you may be bumping the Elk out of the area you're moving through. They can see/smell/hear really well. If you have a spot where you could sit and glass, that can give you an advantage to locating the Elk and formulating a plan to get to them before they notice you. Try to avoid walking on the top of a ridge. This will really signal your presense.

Weather plays a big factor as I'm sure you noticed. For warmer/dry weather they are generally at higher elevations and as the snow starts to cover their food they move down. That said, there are Elk that stay in lower elevations most of the year so you could see animals that way too.

Thank for the advice. I will try to find a good spot and wait them out. Hopefully I can find a trail that is getting frequent travel, and lots of fresh sign.

 

[Rifleman513]

I've never hunted that area but we spend a good amount of time there in the summer and always spend time there looking for the bighorns around wagon wheel gap. The only time I went too far up in there was to go to wheeler geological area. If I remember correctly there are quite a few good areas in there with open meadows and water. It may be worth it to get in a bit early and see if you could find a high vantage point to overlook these areas.

 

[huntxtrm]

I've never hunted that area but we spend a good amount of time there in the summer and always spend time there looking for the bighorns around wagon wheel gap. The only time I went too far up in there was to go to wheeler geological area. If I remember correctly there are quite a few good areas in there with open meadows and water. It may be worth it to get in a bit early and see if you could find a high vantage point to overlook these areas.

Great advice! I do appreciate it. I will look into that...