Elk Hunting Newbie

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tsieger

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Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
My dad & I are looking to do our first Colorado Elk hunt in a couple years. We're from Wisconsin, and have never hunted anything like that. We'd like to plan way ahead and be as prepared as possible for the first hunt. Any recommendations from the pros?

In particular, I'm interested in a few things:
- What caliber of gun is good for Elk?
- What camo should we get?
- What calls do people recommend?
- What kind of physical training should we prepare for?
- And any other wisdom you'd like to impart my way:)

Thanks a bunch!
 
Good news: lots of elk in Colorado

Bad news: lots of elk hunters in Colorado

If you don't draw a first season tag, you need to make sure you hunt somewhere deep with less pressure. That means a lot of walking, some kind of vehicular access, or a pack hunt.

Your hunt will likely be at 7,000 - 9,000 feet. That means 32%-35% less oxygen than at home. You need to be fit, and you need to drink a lot of water. Give serious thought to a guided/mounted pack hunt. You are much more likely to get elk, and much less likely to stroke out trying to backpack an elk out to an access road.

Most shots will be under 200 yards and when hunting timber, more like 50 yards. There are a lot of elk, but not a lot of trophy monsters. I see everything from 30-30 lever guns, to 375 H&H bolt guns. 30-06 and 7mm Mag seem to be most popular. A premium bullet of good construction is needed but these creatures aren't armored. I took mine last October at 168 yards with 180 Sierra Game King from a Thompson Center Dimension. A work collegue's 15 yo took his at 228 yards with 7mm-08. I would suggest no more than 9x magnification optics, and the lightest rifle you can accurately shoot with If walking. The lightest EVERYTHING if you're walking.

Don't worry too much about camo. Any woodland type camo or muted, drab colors will do. Not much green left by the season though. Browns and straw colors in the open, dark stuff in timber. Worry about versatility. It will be cold, teens and less, at night. It can get up into the sixties during the day. It could rain or snow. Layers. Wool and synthetic. Stay away from cotton.

Get fit.
 
The best gun to take would be the one you are using now.
Ammunition any good biggame bullet will work and work well.
If you're not familiar with elk speak. Leave the call at home, they do little good during the rifle season anyway.
Get in the best physical shape you can, try to get out a few days early to acclimate your body to the lack of oxygen. While here for the first week avoid caffeine as much as possible and alcohol. Drink lots of water, that will help minimize the risk of getting those horrific altitude sickness headaches.
Realize that you may or may not see a legal elk during your entire hunt. Don't feel bad even the best of years in the states with high hunter success rates, 60% of the hunters go home with valid tags in their pocket.
Have fun.
 
I agree with what has been previously said about getting in shape. I would also get in touch with Colorado's Game Management or their Warden Service to see if they can provide you with any hotspots that aren't frequented by everyone else out there. Typically these will be tough areas to hunt but may be the most rewarding. Good luck as Elk meat is some of the best eating in the world.
 
All the questions your looking for answers to can be found in detail on the internet. What you may get on here may be helpful but doing your own home work is way more gratifying. I realize you have to start some where but a hunt like the one you are suggesting requires a of of planning.
Use guide? Private land or public? Drawing a tag? How long a hunt? You would be a non resident .Some rules apply. More for sure.......... JMO>
 
Sav .250 said:
All the questions your looking for answers to can be found in detail on the internet. What you may get on here may be helpful but doing your own home work is way more gratifying. I realize you have to start some where but a hunt like the one you are suggesting requires a of of planning.
Use guide? Private land or public? Drawing a tag? How long a hunt? You would be a non resident .Some rules apply. More for sure.......... JMO>
Click to expand...
You do realize this IS the internet?
 
Alright.....

Everybody lighten up. :)

The question was about elk hunting in Colorado.
 
RPRNY said:
Good news: lots of elk in Colorado

Bad news: lots of elk hunters in Colorado

If you don't draw a first season tag, you need to make sure you hunt somewhere deep with less pressure. That means a lot of walking, some kind of vehicular access, or a pack hunt.

Your hunt will likely be at 7,000 - 9,000 feet. That means 32%-35% less oxygen than at home. You need to be fit, and you need to drink a lot of water. Give serious thought to a guided/mounted pack hunt. You are much more likely to get elk, and much less likely to stroke out trying to backpack an elk out to an access road.

Most shots will be under 200 yards and when hunting timber, more like 50 yards. There are a lot of elk, but not a lot of trophy monsters. I see everything from 30-30 lever guns, to 375 H&H bolt guns. 30-06 and 7mm Mag seem to be most popular. A premium bullet of good construction is needed but these creatures aren't armored. I took mine last October at 168 yards with 180 Sierra Game King from a Thompson Center Dimension. A work collegue's 15 yo took his at 228 yards with 7mm-08. I would suggest no more than 9x magnification optics, and the lightest rifle you can accurately shoot with If walking. The lightest EVERYTHING if you're walking.

Don't worry too much about camo. Any woodland type camo or muted, drab colors will do. Not much green left by the season though. Browns and straw colors in the open, dark stuff in timber. Worry about versatility. It will be cold, teens and less, at night. It can get up into the sixties during the day. It could rain or snow. Layers. Wool and synthetic. Stay away from cotton.

Get fit.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the input. Lots to get ready for, for sure!:)

What is the point system like? Is it worth it to buy points in advance, or is it relatively easy to draw a tag?
 
You never said if you wanted a DIY type hunt or guided. I've done it both ways.

When I was younger I made 3 trips to the White River Nat'l forest with some buddies and my dad. We were lucky in that a friend of mine in Denver worked with some people who had hunted there successfully before and were moving on to better pastures, so we were able to move right in to their area. We used the same outfitter as they did to pack in about 3 miles from the trailhead. We brought all of our own equipment and food. If I recall, the total cost was less than $1K each including travel (we drove), early 1990's time frame. The license alone was $636 last year!

I saw elk practically every day. I missed a small bull the first year (that will haunt me until the day I die), jumped a bull in the timber the second trip but couldn't get a shot, and saw a bull the third trip but too far to shoot. Many great memories of our camps, the wildlife that I saw, and the campfires at night. Dealing with the weather and elements was a chore but I was much younger then. My group did get a bull the first year and quartering it was a lot of work, mainly because we didn't know what we were doing. This was in the pre Youtube days.

I went on a guided hunt last year. Big difference in cost and comfort. As they say, you get what you pay for. We hunted on private land with guides who could spot elk amazingly well, rode horses up the mountain, slept in beds, took a shower every night, and ate amazingly good food. I met a great bunch of hunters in camp, and our group went 4/4 on bulls. I figure the cost (not including travel) was about $6K including tips and meat processing. Some of us drove out, and we rented a trailer to bring the meat home.

Some advice I'd add:

If you're camping, get a good bag. It gets really cold at night.

Get in shape, even though you can never adjust for the altitude in the flatlands.

Plan on how to deal with the meat if you're lucky. Investigate how to get it home. Shipping it is crazy expensive.
 
tsieger said:
Thanks for all the input. Lots to get ready for, for sure!:)

What is the point system like? Is it worth it to buy points in advance, or is it relatively easy to draw a tag?
Click to expand...

I really can't say for an out of stater. Second and third season tags are readily available over the counter, I think even for non-Coloradans.
 
Laphroaig said:
You never said if you wanted a DIY type hunt or guided. I've done it both ways.
Click to expand...

My non-profit salary isn't enough money to spend $6K on a hunting trip, so it'll be mostly a DIY trip. However, my wife's cousin lives in Colorado Springs, so we'll be tagging along with him. I've talked to him a little about this stuff, but I like to hear from more people on their experience. It's more helpful to me.
 
Physical conditioning: Quit using elevators. :) If you have a weight set, do shallow to medium knee bends and do toe lifts.

Eons ago I went on a weight-lifting kick. 1976, age 42. Worked up to 10 repetitions with 100 pounds in a dozen exercises. I went off it after a few months, but retained some 70% of the improvement for many years, until around age 60.
 
A note about new boots! Boots aren't broken in until you've carried a full weight pack with them on for multiple miles. I found out the hard way on a Mt Goat hunt that broken in with a 40lb pack is not broken in with an 80lb pack.
 
At the top of the main Hunting forum is a thread all about gear for hunting in Colorado by H&Hhunter with a little help from me. I've hunted 3rd season in knee deep snow and I've hunted 3rd season in shorts and flip flops, well it was warm enough. The weather here changes on a whim and you need to be prepared for anything. Good gear is not cheap, but is worth it if you don't get frostbite or hyperthermia.

To my knowledge you cannot buy points, you earn them by not getting a tag you put in for. But you are in luck, the draw system favors out of state hunters. It's a money game and you'll spend more than me to hunt here.

H&H and I hunt with 375H&H Magnums. We are...Different... The state requires .243 or larger so go with what you shoot well.

Camo is overrated. You are required to wear 500 sq in of blaze orange, or pink now, which translates to a vest and hat. My day pack has a red rain cover that I leave on as well. I wear Kuiu gear in their Vias pattern or major brown when I can get it.

Training. Cardio and strength training. Your lungs will be at a disadvantage but build them up the best you can. Load up your pack and climb up and down the local highschool bleachers. A lot. I have asthma so I pace myself. H&H will attest to my being able to maintain a good pace all day long going up or down hill. Pace your self.

Have a good map, know how to use it. I don't mean how to read the terrain but how to plot and derive your location on the map. GPS is a great thing but batteries die and connecting to satellites can be tricky. Have a good compass and know how to use it.

Most of all, have fun! I've yet to take an elk but every trip I learn more and I have a great time. But this year will be my year!
 
Robert,

Maps are over rated. ;)

(That is a joke guys! I tried to lead Robert down the wrong drainage last year. A mistake that would have caused us a tortuous multi mile climb back up to our destination. Robert caught it with his map reading skills before it became an issue.) The BLM map we were using was incorrect BTW. It showed one single road that I thought we had parked on. In fact we had parked on an unmapped road one drainage over from the road shown in the map. Solid map reading and compass skills are an invaluable tool in the back country.
 
I would first and foremost enjoy the country and the experience. Don't make whether you get an elk or not some goal that if not attained is the end of the universe.
 
tsieger said:
Thanks for all the input. Lots to get ready for, for sure!

What is the point system like? Is it worth it to buy points in advance, or is it relatively easy to draw a tag?
Click to expand...

If you get DOW map on elk game units west of I-25, there some units all four elk season are draw tags and some of the better units may take 10/20yrs to draw resident/non resident. Those units are limit tags so they don't have hunting pressure like OTC bull tags.

Colorado DOW has 2016 Harvest report for elk. This is just recap on all seasons/all methods (rifle,muzzle loader,archery).

Total hunter 223,745 and they took 19,997/bulls,17,415/cows and 1,894/calves. Some years may be better but they normally take same cow/calf as they do bulls. Bull elk is 4 pts or better and you can get copy 2017 Regs here.

http://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/BigGame.aspx

You really don't buy pts but you apply for a game unit that may take 20pts to draw so you may buy pts for 19yrs before you draw. You can still buy OTC bull tag or put in cow tag.

I do that for on deer tags first choice and I put in 2nd,3rd,4th choice and last year I drew 3rd season buck tag and got a pt.
 
My god 10-20 years to hunt a elk. Just come to Alaska and buy a non resident moose harvest tag. $400 at Safeway, cash and carry.
 
jim in Anchorage said:
My god 10-20 years to hunt a elk. Just come to Alaska and buy a non resident moose harvest tag. $400 at Safeway, cash and carry.
Click to expand...

I think you missed this part

You really don't buy pts but you apply for a game unit that may take 20pts to draw so you may buy pts for 19yrs before you draw. You can still buy OTC bull tag or put in cow tag.
 
old heeler said:
I think you missed this part

You really don't buy pts but you apply for a game unit that may take 20pts to draw so you may buy pts for 19yrs before you draw. You can still buy OTC bull tag or put in cow tag.
Click to expand...
No I get it. But if I can buy OTC bull tags, why am I concerned about a draw tag? Better area?
 
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