First time elk hunt in Colorado see if I can get some help

[C. Thomas]

Planning a hunt next fall for possibly the 2nd or 3rd rifle season otc bull tag.
Kind of looking at gmu 441 and others close by. I'm not looking to locate some ones honey hole or anything like that, just trying to get a feel for the area the best I can, I live in KY and will not be able to scout or anything like that. If we come the 2nd season plan on getting a couple days before opener and trying to just do a lot of driving and locating roads and look at maps. My wife is coming with me and she will be getting the tag, she is capable of 800yd shots if needed or 150 yd off hand shots so we're not completely new just new to elk hunting. However I would love to get her on some elk and I'm gonna use every tool I have available to try to get her at least to see one. Would really appreciate any and all advice from anybody that would be willing to help.
If anybody would be interested in helping out I could set you up on some big KY whitetails or some big eastern gobblers on my farms. Thanks for looking!

 

[TAZMAN]

That sounds like a awesome hunt. I am surprised no one has replied to help you out. I live in IN but don't really hunt big game. We have been in Colorado several times and you will love it.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Is the OTC license you're considering only for unit 441? In general for 2nd or 3rd seasons you'll have to be up higher so that means in the Routt national forest.

 

[C. Thomas]

No I'm not only considering 441, just looking for info in that area

 

[ShtrRdy]

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife there are 23,000 elk in that area. In general if its warm and dry the elk are up high. Spend some time with the hunting atlas on CPW and dig into the harvest statistics.

I hunted north of Craig last year in 4th season. It was a warm and dry year. We ended up hunting 9500 to 10500 feet and didnt see an elk. Saw some sign but no live animals. Only saw 3 that people had taken. I don't know how 23,000 elk hide but they're good. I didnt hunt this year. I think the weather was similar to last year.

 

[C. Thomas]

Thanks for the info!

 

[flowhnun63]

i guess you should at least hunt with someone who knows the area to help you are since scouting is out of the chapter.

 

[th82457]

PM sent

 

[Eselkopf1]

I just did my first ever elk hunt in unit 26 just south of you. We saw elk everywhere on private and public, we were public. Do cardio every single day until then. I live in Colorado, just lower down, and the elevation was hard on me. They won't come down unless they have to come down. They will be at the highest elevation that they can stand and find running water at.

Access can be limited, so fitness is a big deal. Most everyone out there has ATVs (we did not), but still you have to climb and glass.

 

[xdeano]

I don't have any insight for the unit you're thinking of, but we were down there 1st season rifle. It had snowed early up high, but it had been dry. We figured we'd start up high at 11k, we only heard a couple shots the first couple days, we didn't see any fur. We moved down to 7500-8500 where most everything was private, they were in there thick. So we decided to go to some public land at 6500 they were there the morning before, they weren't in there while we were there the last two days, but it was also 75-80 degrees. Way to warm. It was a fun trip, learned a lot.

Deano

 

[midnightmalloy]

Just an FYI. If you are planning to hunt around the western half of Colorado it's pretty useless to drive the roads unless you are on private.

 

[Elkeater]

Pm me. I live in NW Colorado might be able to get you pointed in the right direction.

 

[Hitlist Outfitters]

Planning a hunt next fall for possibly the 2nd or 3rd rifle season otc bull tag.
Kind of looking at gmu 441 and others close by. I'm not looking to locate some ones honey hole or anything like that, just trying to get a feel for the area the best I can, I live in KY and will not be able to scout or anything like that. If we come the 2nd season plan on getting a couple days before opener and trying to just do a lot of driving and locating roads and look at maps. My wife is coming with me and she will be getting the tag, she is capable of 800yd shots if needed or 150 yd off hand shots so we're not completely new just new to elk hunting. However I would love to get her on some elk and I'm gonna use every tool I have available to try to get her at least to see one. Would really appreciate any and all advice from anybody that would be willing to help.
If anybody would be interested in helping out I could set you up on some big KY whitetails or some big eastern gobblers on my farms. Thanks for looking!

We have privately leased land in Craig, Colorado that is an over the counter unit. If you'd like more information please email [email protected].

 

[Wolf76]

Planning a hunt next fall for possibly the 2nd or 3rd rifle season otc bull tag.
Kind of looking at gmu 441 and others close by. I'm not looking to locate some ones honey hole or anything like that, just trying to get a feel for the area the best I can, I live in KY and will not be able to scout or anything like that. If we come the 2nd season plan on getting a couple days before opener and trying to just do a lot of driving and locating roads and look at maps. My wife is coming with me and she will be getting the tag, she is capable of 800yd shots if needed or 150 yd off hand shots so we're not completely new just new to elk hunting. However I would love to get her on some elk and I'm gonna use every tool I have available to try to get her at least to see one. Would really appreciate any and all advice from anybody that would be willing to help.
If anybody would be interested in helping out I could set you up on some big KY whitetails or some big eastern gobblers on my farms. Thanks for looking!

This is the exact reason I hired a guide. Live in Michigan and couldn't scout from 1300 miles away. I'm 100% glad I did. We hunted private land and because of all the pressure on the public land, we saw elk every trip in the field. When I ran into hunters from IN and TX (total 9 hunters hunting public land), that group had seen a grand total of 3 elk. This was 4 days into the season. My outfitter was 6 for 9 on bulls (2nd season) at this point and 2 hunters has missed bulls. Was it worth it to hire a guide? Hell yes! My guide was $3K, well he cost me another $1K because had to get my 6x6 mounted . That included lodging, food, guide and private land to hunt. You're going to have food and lodging costs anyway. Having someone cook food and pack a lunch is really nice. Allows you to take in the experience of the hunt and not worry about logistics. I'm very much a do-it-myself type person, but I also know the odds are stacked against me.