First time OTC elk hunt help.

[Techy]

Sometimes I type to much. Rereading it it definitely comes across as bragging.

Oh I wasn't implying that at all. I was serious, lol. I'd love to hunt with you

 

[aspenbugle]

Well, this thread is a bit stale, but felt like tossing in my $.02 I guess with a thing or two that maybe wasn't mentioned. If this is just a once or twice hunt, that's one thing, but if you plan to try to hunt elk regularly, getting to know an area is key.

If you were a buddy of mine, I'd say start applying for some preference points (in several states) so you can get in line for some higher-percentage areas. Don't be fooled, lots of good hunting areas only require a few points (don't need 20). Just getting into a draw unit vs. OTC greatly reduces the hunter numbers and increases the odds, usually.

However, if you're going to hunt regularly, find an OTC area that you can hunt while you're waiting to draw and start getting to know it. I hunt an OTC area with horrible success rates, yet I get my bull every year...just because I know it well (and hunt smarter now than I used to).

Scouting is nice, but to be honest, it can be over-rated. Getting to know the area well is good, but finding a ton of elk in a place in September often has little to do with where they'll be a month later. You'll go back and find lots of month-old elk sign, is all. Weather, the rut, and hunters move them. You can do tons of good scouting with google earth, and just be ready to spend the first 3-4 days splitting up, putting on some miles and locating some fresh sign. You just need to find the "neighborhood" they are in that week - which often changes week-to-week and year-to-year. Then, back out, and LRH it - glass early and late and locate them. Don't go try to lay eyes on them mid-day, you'll just bust them out of their beds, hear lots of timber crashing and then you can spend two more days looking for the new zip code they re-located to.

OTC Colorado is busy, but two things 1) Most people hunt a lot the first 3 days or so, by Tuesday, 1/2-2/3 of the camps will be gone, and those that are around are even less ambitious, and doing more road-hunting and spending more time in camp, 2) I don't question that it's true in some units, but this whole hike-in 10 miles to some remote place is completely not true in the units I've hunted. I don't think I can get 10 miles from a road where I hunt. In most cases if I hiked 5 miles I'd cross another road, or be real close to one. 90% of my bulls have been within a mile of the road. I rarely see hunters more than a 1/2 mile from the forest service road and if so, it is one or two guys on day one or two. To be honest...I often wish more people were out in the woods hunting from day 3 on, since no one is in the woods pushing them at all. If they aren't on one of my favorite ridges, sometimes I have to do a mid-day hike to nearby timbered locations and push them out of their beds so they'll re-locate to a slightly more open place. (It's hard to hunt them in the thick trees when aspen leaves have fallen and things have dried out and gotten crunchy).

I'd pick an OTC unit, hunt it regularly and get to know it, while saving up points. Occasionally get the nice draw area, but during other years, you'll start being successful in your OTC area. Final thing is, I'd just pick an OTC unit a little further from the big metro areas since most people would rather drive 2 hours to hunt than 3-4.

 

[kvw4x4]

sign up for a year subscription of gohunt, its a really good deal if your looking for a unit to start with

 

[Boman]

Like many have said, Colorado OTC hunts are crowded. But if you can hike and get away from trailheads then you have a chance. If you can get here a few days before is good to get acclimated that is good. But don't burn yourself out. Be where you want to be before daybreak and stay out til dark. Good luck

 

[GA Sheephunter]

sign up for a year subscription of gohunt, its a really good deal if your looking for a unit to start with

How does gohunt compare to huntinfool?

 

[GA Sheephunter]

Are they competitors or do they have different offerings/good to have both?

 

[kvw4x4]

Are they competitors or do they have different offerings/good to have both?

I don't know if they are competitors, they seem to each target certain individuals,
Gohunt
I have been a member of go hunt for a couple years, go hunt helped me get ready for my first out of state elk hunt, go hunt is targeting more toward over the counter public land hunters. With the filtering system it lets you narrow down so many things, date, weapon, animal, harvest success until you only have a couple units to pick from. Also explaining everything about each unit, including weather, precipitation, bull/cow ratio. There is always good articles to read videos to watch. Also their gear forsale section is awesome, its all stuff that's tested out in the field.

Huntinfool
This one I am very new too, they are more personal. you need help picking a unit to hunt you need to call them up and talk to an advisor, who will help you in the right direction, which to me is actually really nice. they do have a lot of stuff if your searching for an outfitter, also if you are into getting preference or ghost points but don't have the time or cant figure it out you can actually pay huntinfool a fee and they will make sure you are putting in for all your draws on time.

Im sure im missing a lot and hopefully other guys will pitch in and comment.

I never hunted elk in my life until my first trip last fall, between scouting on google earth, gohunt and picking up the phone and calling the local elk biologist in the area I wanted to hunt, we drove into an area and saw elk within a couple hours less then 2 miles from camp. Never filled a tag but we saw bulls and had our chances. Planning to go back to the same area this fall.

as of now onx and gohunt are 2 of the best purchases I have made to hunt elk (minus my exo mountain gear pack and crispi boots), the 3rd is "university of elk" the education class from Corey Jacobson, which I still have to do but I know that will be a huge benefit also

sorry for the ramble haven't typed this much since high school

 

[GA Sheephunter]

I don't know if they are competitors, they seem to each target certain individuals,
Gohunt
I have been a member of go hunt for a couple years, go hunt helped me get ready for my first out of state elk hunt, go hunt is targeting more toward over the counter public land hunters. With the filtering system it lets you narrow down so many things, date, weapon, animal, harvest success until you only have a couple units to pick from. Also explaining everything about each unit, including weather, precipitation, bull/cow ratio. There is always good articles to read videos to watch. Also their gear forsale section is awesome, its all stuff that's tested out in the field.

Huntinfool
This one I am very new too, they are more personal. you need help picking a unit to hunt you need to call them up and talk to an advisor, who will help you in the right direction, which to me is actually really nice. they do have a lot of stuff if your searching for an outfitter, also if you are into getting preference or ghost points but don't have the time or cant figure it out you can actually pay huntinfool a fee and they will make sure you are putting in for all your draws on time.

Im sure im missing a lot and hopefully other guys will pitch in and comment.

I never hunted elk in my life until my first trip last fall, between scouting on google earth, gohunt and picking up the phone and calling the local elk biologist in the area I wanted to hunt, we drove into an area and saw elk within a couple hours less then 2 miles from camp. Never filled a tag but we saw bulls and had our chances. Planning to go back to the same area this fall.

as of now onx and gohunt are 2 of the best purchases I have made to hunt elk (minus my exo mountain gear pack and crispi boots), the 3rd is "university of elk" the education class from Corey Jacobson, which I still have to do but I know that will be a huge benefit also

sorry for the ramble haven't typed this much since high school

Thank you for taking the time....that is very helpful. Lol at your last sentence