do it yourself elk hunt-suggestions????????

[30-06 boy]

hey there guys,i'm thinking of planning a do it yyourself elk hunt on public land somewhere in the western elk states.i'm a "greenhorn" when it comes to elk hunting.i only know pa whitetails.i saw in a hunting magazine that some states offer over the counter cow tags.just want to have a good time and if the lord willing take some meat home.what states offer over the counter cow tags and is there any public land with huntable populations of elk on it.thanks jason

 

[Troutslayer]

Colorado seems to have the most elk and the most liberal take of them. Also they offer the cheapest and easiest to get out of state license. Some states are incredibly expensive-Montana, some are even expensive to apply for the chance to hunt elk- see AZ! There is plenty of public land in all the western states and that land holds lots of elk. You will have to do your research to figure out just where you want to hunt them and then maybe ask for some help. I have hunted in western CO and could offer limited advice like a good starting point or something like that.

 

[Michael Eichele]

For what you describe, Colorado would fill your needs and freezer. They are begging hunters to come to CO to harvest their over abundance of elk. That is evident by the low cost of OTC cow tags. CO has more elk than the area can handle.

 

[Surveyor]

I'm currently researching the same thing in CO for myself and my friends for 2008 season.

Some questions or info you may need from wildlife resources.

Kill percentage rates by zone and by season for bull/cows
Look at the number of recreation days per zone and compare to number of hunters this tells you what areas are being hunted most, if this concerns you.

Trespass hunt outfitters
BLM land vs National Park land vs Private Land
Private Land with access to BLM or National Park.

Being a numbers guy, I downloaded most of this data, spreadsheeted it. I can sort it by season (1st and 4th are by draw, whereas 2nd and 3rd are OTC licenses for Bulls). Sort by number of hunters, numbers of elk taken, percentage of successfule hunters, etc etc etc. I can sort by percentage of success, overall or by Bull only.

Got me a highlighted map, by season, of where the most number of elk were taken, and where the best percentage chance is by season.

Than we started looking for hunts in those areas. Got an email directory full of that stuff right now, that I am continually updating, adding or removing info.

Maybe someday, we'll get to go hunting :-(

 

[CAM]

Surveyor

Just throw a dart at that map and go huntin!!!

We had guy compile bear crap on a map, mainly it showed everyplace "HE" had been!! LOL

I think your actions/map will increase your chances!!
Keep over laying it and go kill some elk!!
Elk are like gold "thier where you find them"
Elk are habitat animals learn the country!!
The unit may have summer to winter range you need to find the Elk.
If your not seeing Elk, fresh sign, or smelling them. MOVE
Get to a vantage point and glass, early and late then move in.

CAM

 

[Budman]

30-06 Boy, we started DIY hunting Colorado 20 plus years ago, it surely can be done but sucess may not be to high till you learn the area you choose and how the animals us it. In all those years we did meet some great people and many of them will help you out on where and when to hunt. Don't be afaird to call the DOW they are great people and will give you lots of info. The local warden in the area we hunt likes to stop for lunch when he can and he always gives us the no partiy hunting lecture because we are from Wisconsin. Go to Colorado Division of Wildlife - Colorado Division of Wildlife and all the info you need to start is there. Now I can give you some info on a couple areas but they are not over the counter tags for cows and they are not easy hunts but it's great country with Elk if you are willing to work very hard. Dave

 

[royinidaho]

Just follow what Buffalobob's doing and adjust for your own style. Regardless of what anyone says there's a lot of space between elk and even elk herds out in this neck of the woods.especially if you aren't real familiar with where to look. But when you do find them, Wholly Cow its worth the effort.!

 

[silvertip-co]

Email me or pm me or call me. I am ol PA boy too. CO now. Not an expert but I can call in bulls, but am mostly unsuccessful so far. This however is my year.

 

[HOGGHEAD]

Diy Elk

If you are only after a cow elk you should have no problem. I like the Paonia, CO area. Lot's of elk, and extra nice people live there. They actually welcome the out of state hunter's. Lot's of BLM land on Electric Mountain. Scoring on a cow should be no problem. Easy access, you can camp on the mountain or stay in a hotel in Paonia(South of Glenwood Springs). Tom.

 

[Surveyor]

Surveyor

Just throw a dart at that map and go huntin!!!
....
Get to a vantage point and glass, early and late then move in.

CAM

Been checking area elevations, migration info, resident herd info, typical snowfall, etc etc etc.

My only problem is that I want to find a place that is open because I don't have a problem taking up to 600 yards at my current skill level. Being an old artillery observer, I could spend all day in one spot glassing. (Actually spent quite a few days in that mode, but I wasn't elk hunting at the time).
My buddies are Cooperists to the extreme and would prefer to sneak up to "shiv" range if possible. I'm trying to find an area that gives them some aspens and me some open ground.

I've been over so many orthophotgraphy maps and terrain models, I'm beginning to stare at women and wonder what they look like from a satelite view.

 

[devildoc]

If you are planning on killing an elk, I'd say your first priority is to find a large, burly type hunting buddy (or a couple), to take along. This is mandatory Elk hunting equipment. Either that or forget about the freezer and just pack in a frying pan.

 

[CAM]

Surveyor

I don't know about a satelite view! but a topo well now!

Two small knoll's with a flat valley that drop off in to a "grand" canyon.

To hunt this type of terrain start at the knoll's and only go down into the canyon if you have too!!

CAM

 

[msalm]

I lived in CO for a few years (3) while in the military and have gone back more than a couple times for elk hunting and have been pretty successfull, killing an elk better than half of the time. I would just suggest you first find good elk country, meaning food, cover, and water, although for that last one they can travel a hell of a long ways at night to drink.

I always look for the aspens with dark timber nearby, which I know is everywhere you look, BUT it seems they very often are feeding in the aspens at night, and moving to the dark timber for the day. Also, get more than a mile off the road!!!!! After that the hunting pressure really seems to thin out dramatically. Last year I shot a very decent 5X5 bull opening day. I was a little over 2 miles from the road and there wasn't another hunter in sight. This was over-the-counter public land. Thank God there was over a foot of fresh snow as we made a toboggan with my frame pack and a tarp an sled the meat (boned out) back down to the road. Oh, and one small thing but something to consider, try and shoot an elk UPHILL from where you need to pack him out to, or hire someone with horses to haul it out for you.

 

[30-06 boy]

have about 1/4" of paper printouts of different info.colorado looks like the place for my needs.says on thier website about 1/2 of the elk in co are in the nw part of the state.and by the harvest data thats where the hunting pressure is.there are some gmu's in this area that are hunted pretty hard.and others that are not.the funny thing is that they have almost the same sucess percentage.i still have a lot of research to do but nw co will probably get most of my attention.sw co also has some good hunting and not quite as much pressure.good kill numbers in some gmu"s there too.i did however read on an elk forum something real interesting.one fellow suggests to hunt the last 2 rifle seasons.especially for cows.the snow up in the high country pushes the elk lower.easier to hunt,condenses the herd into less ground.easier to get meat to camp.makes sense,except the later in the fall you go ,the easier it is to get stuck in a big snow.any suggestions taken.jason