crazyhorse
Well-Known Member
From a guy who lives in TN, I've done antelope and elk in both Colorado and NM. I'm one of those guys who thinks for the time and money invested Id like to have at least a reasonable opportunity for success.
Having said that, I've done OTC elk in Colorado and most of the advice you've seen here is solid. Unless you're ready to put in a ton of hiking and wish for a little luck, don't expect much not being familiar with the area. ALOT of hunters and ALOT of them don't have a clue.
Many areas of Eastern CO can be drawn for antelope with one point and there are tons of them running around. I've done it twice (paid a trespass fee on private) and been successful both times on the first day even with passing multiple bucks before shooting.
My pick for elk is hands down NM! There's no OTC but the quality and quantity of animals is in a different league than any of my experiences in CO. Went this year on public land and killed a really nice bull and saw multiple others, several of which were true trophies. Only saw one other group of hunters who were locals and they couldn't have been any nicer.
My advice is to avoid getting in a hurry and save your money to do it right. Take it from a guy who learned the hard way, saving for one quality hunt is worth the experience over several hunts trying to save money. If I had the money I screwed off trying to save money on western hunts before I learned my lesson...
Having said that, I've done OTC elk in Colorado and most of the advice you've seen here is solid. Unless you're ready to put in a ton of hiking and wish for a little luck, don't expect much not being familiar with the area. ALOT of hunters and ALOT of them don't have a clue.
Many areas of Eastern CO can be drawn for antelope with one point and there are tons of them running around. I've done it twice (paid a trespass fee on private) and been successful both times on the first day even with passing multiple bucks before shooting.
My pick for elk is hands down NM! There's no OTC but the quality and quantity of animals is in a different league than any of my experiences in CO. Went this year on public land and killed a really nice bull and saw multiple others, several of which were true trophies. Only saw one other group of hunters who were locals and they couldn't have been any nicer.
My advice is to avoid getting in a hurry and save your money to do it right. Take it from a guy who learned the hard way, saving for one quality hunt is worth the experience over several hunts trying to save money. If I had the money I screwed off trying to save money on western hunts before I learned my lesson...
