Elk Backpacking Hunt Coming Out Light

Hine sight, should have done a little more research on the guide, he was recommended by word of mouth saying if you want to kill a bug one go with him. While he had a reputation of killing elk and big elk, which we saw evidence of his, the evidence to back up those claims of others he guided was very limited. With no year to year client production evidence, all done after the fact as I did not set up the hunt therefore I cannot say shoulda woulda coulda. I just tagged along as I "heard" nothing but good things…

We were in a OCT unit in Colorado I do not want to say too much as to what exact unit or guide. I did have events to leave for right after the hunt not very far away which I did find hundreds of cows and bulls screaming their heads off. If I wasn't on husband duty at that point I think I could have slipped off and gotten it done. The trip didn't cost an arm and a leg individually but as a collective one of us should have killed one period for that amount of money. Which would have settled a lot better instead of a goose egg and not even seeing one.

We knew this was backpacking trip when we signed up and no horses or mules could have gotten to where we went to hunted. So we would have had to pack out all the meat, which at least was where the real physical challenge gets and a challenge accepted at that. I wanted to test myself and have the struggle. Why I had trained for months to get into meat packing shape.

After reading everyone's replies I believe that there's clear evidence you could kill an elk the way we tried. Now the success rate of doing so I would say is low not to mention just being limited to 6 days. I will say after 3 days of no success other methods should have been used areas left to find new prospects or some other tactic. Which I would say was completely on the guide as we don't know the terrain or areas, that's essentially the reason we paid to know local knowledge. In turkey hunting knowing the terrain is 85% the reason for success. But to sit in one spot and put the pressure on the area like we did and expect a different outcome some would say that's insanity. I know better as a hunter it doesn't work like that. I feel like the hunters mentioned above being out in a meadow to be hung out to dry. Wind swirling constantly asking the guide are we not just messing everything up as I'm sure every elk in 500 yards knew we were there. Did I mention we camped right next to an active wallow? Once again asking aren't we too close? As I was repeatedly told it won't bother them too much, they migrate and new elk are constantly coming and won't know none the wiser about us.

He was a very nice guy none the less and took care of us for the most part. Will I use him again, probably not, will I be back again, yes.
 
I assume you meant OTC, not OCT. Not sure where you were, but the first two weeks at my place were very warm - and I am at 8750. Tough conditions.

And let's face it, over the counter tags, at least where I hunt, have extremely low odds.

I don't think a competent guide would bring you miles into the backcountry and then expect you two to hump out all the meat. Big red flag for me.
 
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Hine sight, should have done a little more research on the guide, he was recommended by word of mouth saying if you want to kill a bug one go with him. While he had a reputation of killing elk and big elk, which we saw evidence of his, the evidence to back up those claims of others he guided was very limited. With no year to year client production evidence, all done after the fact as I did not set up the hunt therefore I cannot say shoulda woulda coulda. I just tagged along as I "heard" nothing but good things…

We were in a OCT unit in Colorado I do not want to say too much as to what exact unit or guide. I did have events to leave for right after the hunt not very far away which I did find hundreds of cows and bulls screaming their heads off. If I wasn't on husband duty at that point I think I could have slipped off and gotten it done. The trip didn't cost an arm and a leg individually but as a collective one of us should have killed one period for that amount of money. Which would have settled a lot better instead of a goose egg and not even seeing one.

We knew this was backpacking trip when we signed up and no horses or mules could have gotten to where we went to hunted. So we would have had to pack out all the meat, which at least was where the real physical challenge gets and a challenge accepted at that. I wanted to test myself and have the struggle. Why I had trained for months to get into meat packing shape.

After reading everyone's replies I believe that there's clear evidence you could kill an elk the way we tried. Now the success rate of doing so I would say is low not to mention just being limited to 6 days. I will say after 3 days of no success other methods should have been used areas left to find new prospects or some other tactic. Which I would say was completely on the guide as we don't know the terrain or areas, that's essentially the reason we paid to know local knowledge. In turkey hunting knowing the terrain is 85% the reason for success. But to sit in one spot and put the pressure on the area like we did and expect a different outcome some would say that's insanity. I know better as a hunter it doesn't work like that. I feel like the hunters mentioned above being out in a meadow to be hung out to dry. Wind swirling constantly asking the guide are we not just messing everything up as I'm sure every elk in 500 yards knew we were there. Did I mention we camped right next to an active wallow? Once again asking aren't we too close? As I was repeatedly told it won't bother them too much, they migrate and new elk are constantly coming and won't know none the wiser about us.

He was a very nice guy none the less and took care of us for the most part. Will I use him again, probably not, will I be back again, yes.
The reason I never asked about where and who is because i personally don't think it matters.

The price of the hunt not being a "arm and a leg" is in the eye of the beholder. Those of us that hunt out of state know that just hunting without a guide, especially for elk is already not cheap. Just the non resident tag you're getting close to 1k without even driving….that's before paying someone to guide.

Moving on from my guide distain.
I'm not taking the guides side, but OTC units are hard to hunt with low success in general. Furthermore, if you're hunting "big" anything, your success goes down even further in those units. How do I know? It's all I hunt…and the statistics are generated by the state.

I play draw game like everyone else. Most years, I'm stuck waiting for a "good tag," so I grab whatever tag I can to go hunting…it's usually OTC type tags, and I typically stray away from ones where Elk are on private property. I look for public land size when I research units. When you do that, there's kind of certain methods you have to use to stay successful.

Not being married to a spot, and time management on a hunt are two of those things. Seems you have a grasp on a lot of this.

Hunting higher than they are suppose to be helps too if the area is conducive to spot and stalk, and with it being warmer out, they could be up even higher. If the guide was just relying on where he's seen them before, then pressure could have pushed them down. Either way, it's his job to know.

Imo
 
I assume you meant OTC, not OCT. Not sure where you were, but the first two weeks at my place were very warm - and I am at 8750. Tough conditions.

And let's face it, over the counter tags, at least where I hunt, have extremely low odds.

I don't think a competent guide would bring you miles into the backcountry and then expect you two to hump out all the meat. Big red flag for me.
Between 5 guys shouldn't have been a bad haul out. Little over a mile in.
 
Like anything else in life you get what you pay for. An elk hunt in an otc unit is going to be cheaper than a private land hunt. It's also a thing if you have to wait to get enough points or pony up for a land owner tag. I'm guessing Ya'll were bow hunting? That adds another element of difficulty as well. I know guys who have gone and hunted public diy for many years. It's a big time investment for us guys back east because of the drive eating up several days and camp set up etc. it takes several years of dry trips to finally figure things out so going guided may be cheaper in the long run. But they get to spend time in gods country every year and have the fellowship of hunting with friends. It's all what you are looking for.
 
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