corsair4360
Well-Known Member
Utah is in same mess..... revenue means more than anything (revenue for DNR Due in part to the mess imposed upon DNR by our "representatives" where DNR is self funding).
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Rockin90
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately it's not just Colorado. Idaho is this way to In most areas. My family started hunting an are in the late 70's. After a while the state made it a motor restricted unit. So, we would ride horses and mules. A few years ago it was like a Motorcycle park with all the atvs. Calling law enforcement of all kinds did nothing. Now, there is very little game and last year the started limiting the otc tags.
We are seeing the same thing here in Wyoming. It seems like you have to at least go 5 or 8 miles off the roads to not run into other hunters. We usually go in around 20 miles.
We use horses and pack into wilderness country it takes a lot of $$$ to get setup for pack horses and saddles and all the gear that goes with, but to not run into anyone is worth it.
We use horses and pack into wilderness country it takes a lot of $$$ to get setup for pack horses and saddles and all the gear that goes with, but to not run into anyone is worth it.
I hunted my first year this year in CO. Didn't see a single elk, but did see 15+ hunters in each spot. I hunted 74 and 77. Outfitters were set up in each spot also. Don't go thinking it was lack of trying either, I started "hunting" or glassing about 2 miles from the truck and ended up 7 miles at one point, seeing hunters the entire way. I was hunting solo so going any deeper was not really an option.
There were 2 very nice 5x5 killed about a mile from the road on opening morning (2nd rifle) in one area.
One thing I just can't wrap my head around are the outfitters. I've been studying maps and the areas all summer, finding small meadows in remote areas, some relatively close to the road, less than 1/2 mile and some 2-3 miles out. Most had an outfitter camped right in the middle of them. I talked to one guy who was with an outfitter, As I was 1/2 mile from a place i wanted to hunt , he told me they had rode 3.5 hours in on Horseback and their their camp was right in the middle of it.... with 7 other hunters! They sure do seem to do a good job of screwing up hunting for most everyone that's not hunting with them.
There were 2 very nice 5x5 killed about a mile from the road on opening morning (2nd rifle) in one area.
One thing I just can't wrap my head around are the outfitters. I've been studying maps and the areas all summer, finding small meadows in remote areas, some relatively close to the road, less than 1/2 mile and some 2-3 miles out. Most had an outfitter camped right in the middle of them. I talked to one guy who was with an outfitter, As I was 1/2 mile from a place i wanted to hunt , he told me they had rode 3.5 hours in on Horseback and their their camp was right in the middle of it.... with 7 other hunters! They sure do seem to do a good job of screwing up hunting for most everyone that's not hunting with them.
My experience hunting elk in Wyoming's wilderness areas no trucks no ATVs no chain saws nothing mechanical is allowed horse back or on foot you bring it in you take it out hardly ever saw another hunter and filled our tags the elk up that high won't come anywhere near a road until the snow makes them my suggestion would be start going up as far as you can
Straight Shooter
Well-Known Member
Money talks. Most states need to severely limit out of state hunters. Too many people with lots of money. Watch some of the hunting shows on TV. Most are a joke. In fact, most are embarrassing to real hunters.
I agree 100%, sorry to everyone that is offended by that. I know I stated earlier I'm looking to hunt out of state but I wouldn't if there weren't so many here in my own state
brotherbear67
Well-Known Member
Seeing a bunch of people/hunters when out hunting, especially in ones "honey hole " is frustrating for sure. Complaining about seeing out of state hunters is dumb, especially when their monies spent is what helps to drive the state. Then some of you have made the comment "I'm gonna go hunt out of state". Now you are going to do the same thing you are whining about. I live in Montana and hunt the Missouri River breaks. I see tons of out of state hunters, city folk hunters, what have you. It sucks when the side x side and four wheeler parade starts up every morning and there are guys out wandering around seemingly everywhere. But I'd rather see that than to see these guys and gals and kids not hunt. Once they stop hunting, they stop caring about public lands, gun ownership and the whole lot that goes with it. Same thing is happening in waterfowl hunting too. It's good for the sport, it's good for the local businesses and it's good for us hunters. Try out a new area, walk the extra mile further in. It isn't supposed to be easy.
Shootin4fun
Well-Known Member
To me, hunting is about getting into the wilderness on foot as much as possible. ATVs are a great aid and advantage but I hate it when I've hiked 6 miles in to what is supposed to be blocked from motor vehicles and see fresh tracks from an ATV that somebody illegally or craftily got in. It scares the animals away further in. Horse & mule tracks don't bother me or probably the animals so much. Elk hunting seems to be a rich mans game.
Shootin4fun
Well-Known Member
[QUOTE="brotherbear67, post: 1740277, Try out a new area, walk the extra mile further in. It isn't supposed to be easy.[/QUOTE]
After driving in on a fire road or whatever, hit the ground with feet not an ATV. Better odds being quiet. And a better wilderness experience. We're already increasing our odds with long range rifles and rangefinders. What's next after ATVs, helicopters? JMOP
After driving in on a fire road or whatever, hit the ground with feet not an ATV. Better odds being quiet. And a better wilderness experience. We're already increasing our odds with long range rifles and rangefinders. What's next after ATVs, helicopters? JMOP
I normally hunt NW Colorado and it gets pretty ridiculous at times. Other times you can go in 1.5 mi and not see hardly anybody. I tried a first season rifle bull hunt in a different unit and it was much worse than what I am used as far as swarms of people go. I'm hoping next year to get all of my big game hunting done in September.
I grew up in Virginia and now live in Montana have for all most 10 years and probably will be in Montana till I die. They say there are fewer hunters and I think over all that is sadly true. What I see is some public land getting harder to access and a lot of privet land being closed to hunters. I full understand that land owners don't want to open their land up so any one and every one can just come running in at any time and as many as an ant farm. But many farms and ranches are being lest to outfitters witch greatly limits the number of hunters that use to hunt that land even when the land owner limited how many hunters could hunt, especially for the residents. So this make the public lands to become over crowded. That's how I see it any way.
tony d willIiams
Well-Known Member
Not having hunted elk yet I cannot speak of the elk hunt with any kind of accuracy, and I won't.
I have been in forced retirement for a bunch of years so I have plenty of time for scouting. I walk in the deserts, high & low, and mountains, my wife would prefer I remain at home. I track animals, watch the cubs grow, follow some of the migratory paths of BigHorn, learn the cisterns and springs, the quiet places to bed and where the safe places to run and hide are for the deer. These places are within walking distance of rough dirt roads which need to be followed for several miles, a few hours walking or more. Some of the game get their water from the plants they eat as rain is scarce in the deserts. I know where a couple of 30+ herds of deer are, and plenty of singles.
With all the other animals being so much further out than before, is it possible the elk have done the same?
You have given me a new quest, which I hope my wife will agree with. Thank you
