cohunter14,
I agree with you and have agreed with you. We can never hunt too much. However, we have to examine reality of OTC hunting.
Colorado has fantastic opportunities. And like most places, getting beyond roads usually means a lot less pressure. But too far in brings another problem that can be solved. Quartering & caping a bull along with antlers is a lot of weight to pack out. A way to solve that problem is to find ranches with horses. A few hundred bucks to a rancher to haul out a bull is money well spent.
I try to hunt every season. But I've learned to not rush headlong into tags. I'm far more selective than my younger years. I live in CA and won't hunt this state, although were I to find a decent blacktail area, I'd probably go. But Washington State would be a better place for a decent blacktail buck.
Timber338, sometimes finding any bull can be difficult. But doing research including checking out states' fish & game elk hunting stats go a long way in eliminating areas.
Many premium areas will produce big bulls but not necessarily 360+ bulls. Drawing a premium tag guarantees nothing. My guide told me that he had a hunter in camp a few years ago who said he wasn't shooting anything smaller than a 400 bull. My guide said that he had politely tried to explain to him that while he was hunting a famed trophy area, not everyone is going to see a 400 bull. I believe the hunter shot a 380 class bull near the end of the season. I told my guide that I had no delusions of shooting of shooting a B&C bull, but were Mother Nature cooperative, I would not turn my back on such an opportunity. I didn't shoot a B&C bull, but I did kill a massive 7 x 7 that went well above 370 & weighed better than 900 pounds. He was a mature, 10 year-old bull. But it was entire experience of hearing bugling bulls and seeing huge elk everyday that made the hunt memorable.
I hunted to the point of exhaustion. That my bull made it arduous made the hunt all the better. Had I shot him off a road, it would have been a lot less memorable. Hunting hard is a whole lot better when we think that our efforts might result in a bull or buck worth our efforts.
It is possible to kill a huge bull with an OTC tag. Every year, hunters with OTC tags manage to kill 360+ bulls. But they are the exception.
I have hunted elk with OTC tags. One was in a spike only unit. While hunting, I realized that I had no interest in shooting a spike bull. So I did some deer season scouting & then left. I should have bought an elk tag while deer hunting in Idaho. I did see a very respectable 6 x 6 bull that would have required a strenuous stalk to get close enough for a shot. The area was known for mule deer, so when we bought tags we didn't consider elk tags, which was our mistake.
I might do Wyoming in the general draw. I know it's not an easy tag to draw. I know going in that a general season Wyoming elk tag will not guarantee even seeing a bull. But it's better than not going. If I were drawn, I'd go with a guide. To me, five grand or so is worth a guide's knowledge and my time & physical exertion. That, and I'd need help getting a bull out.
So my advice is the same as yours. Hunt while accumulating bonus points. Remain realistic in that most OTC elk hunters will not be successful. And when you've accumulated enough bonus points to have a decent chance of drawing a premium tag, hire a guide. The reality of our elk hunting situation is that most of us might have but one opportunity to shoot a 360 or larger bull. If we get a chance to hunt a premium unit, we ought to seize every opportunity to increase our odds of getting a bull that we'll want on our walls.
Now if I can draw a desert bighorn tag. I have a whole lot of bonus point, but I might need five more before I'd have a realistic chance of drawing. I might put in this year. I ain't yet figured it out. I might concentrate on mule deer.
We can never do enough hunting.
