A greenhorn :'(

L

longbowHunter

New member
Apr 27, 2013
7
Alrite, so im a greenhorn, never hunted elk in my life.  My only experience out west, was a "guided"(my dad was the guide) rifle hunt for whitetail in MT back in 99'.  Now of course ive been see'n it on the television for near 15 yrs.  Of course that amounts to squat though.
  Anyways, im plannin to do the whole Colorado, OTC thing come sept.  Im pumped to say the least, but its a daunting task to me.  How do you decide WHERE you want to start?  Just go on national forest or the wilderness areas?  Which ones?  If somebody was to give me advice on here could i trust it, or would they just be tryin to deflect another person that they think would ruin their area and send me on a wild goose chase?  lol
  I feel i have pretty real expectations about what itd all amount too.  Bein that i carry a longbow, ill definately be very opprotunistic and whack a cow if'n she should get to close.  Yall help a fella out here. 
 
Thanks, God bless,
Hunter Smith.
 
Hunter ,
You would probably get more reply's if you opened with an introduction and a little about yourself.
Colorado is great country to hunt. Are you backpacking in, hunting from a vehicle camp or such.
If you research the Colorado Fish and Game page, you can research previous year hunter success, as well as get an idea of the areas you need to be.
I grew up hunting in Colorado, and we only went to a couple of areas every year. Now that I backcountry hunt it opened a whole new world of opportunities and less people.
Sorry if this did not help, but Colorado is a honey hole.
 
Thanks alot, that actually really helped.  Im planning on a backpack hunt.  Im 26, and in pretty  good shape.
 
No problem, extremely tough to hunt other states when you cannot scout an area. I use google and youtube videos to find areas where guys have had success, then scour over
google earth and topo maps to find a good area trail head or such to enter from.
I have buddies that set a basecamp near a trail head, then a couple will go up and set up a spike camp and others will  bivy hunt it. All depends on where we find the elk.
The pros and cons of a basecamp is the comforts of coming back everyday; spike camp is nice as it is off the beaten path (sort of), and bivy hunting is an everyday movement.
Good luck and tell me what you decide on .
I live in Washington now, and passed on Colorado this year, maybe next year.

 
Ill be goin solo(nobody around home seems to want to hunt like i do) and bein that its my first time, im planning on hunting about 10 days or atleast as long as i can stand.  I just want to maximize my chances.  Im really blessed to have such a flexible schedule.
  I was planning on hunting wilderness areas.  My logic i guess is with limits on access, their would be fewer people and less pressure?  Can anybody give an opinion on this?  I was thinkin maybe fossil ridge, or west elk?  Maybe the flat tops?  Anybody hunter those areas?
  What books or dvds would yall recomend?  Right now im trying to absorb as much infomation as i can since i dont have any experience.  Again, any help and advice from others would be greatly appreciated.
 
God bless,
Hunter Smith.
 
Study harvest stats, study maps, find an area with limited access, get in the best shape of your life, go in deep, stay stealthy, shoot straight, and get the meat off the mountain. Good luck!
 
Now, ill admit that im somebody who always thinks the worse.  Its almost comical.  that bein said, im a lil worried i wont even see a elk, let alone get a shot at one.  Is it really that hard to locate elk?
 
LongbowHunter,
Well first off it sounds like you have picked what state you want to hunt, next thing would be the area and checking the regulations on which ones you can hunt, OTC. You described the duration of your hunt but you need to decide on the style. like hike2hunt described. Could change where you want to go dramatically. Hike2Hunt gave you a really good starting point with doing research on harvest stats for certain areas. Also another thing to consider would be what time of year are you going? This can also play a part in where the elk might be.
This is my second year that I will be elk hunting. My advice would be try getting away from the pressure because it will just be competition.
 
I'm in the same boat only I just moved to Idaho and have the advantage of being able to scout before the season. I have spent alot of time on google earth searching where I want to hunt. I will just be kind of winging it this year. But from previous hunting years in places that I grew up hunting elk. I would say glassing is a big part of the hunt. If your not seeing anything don't be afraid to walk over the nextridge, and then maybe the next one. Just remember the farther you get from the truck the longer the pack out. But it is worth the work! They aren't to hard to locate during archery season as long as they are talking. Even if they aren't be patient and keeping chugging along. You will connect with one if you are willing to hunt hard all 10 days.
 
First off I applaud you for being willing to shoot a cow, I guarantee you won't be any less happy with it than a bull.  Too many guys want to come out on their first trip and kill a 350 inch bull and leave disappointed.  Nobody thinks that their first deer should be a 200 incher so why should elk be any different. 

If you know that you want to hunt a wilderness area then look at the stats for all the units in those areas and hunt the one with the best success rate.  That number tells you with all other things considered what your odds are of getting an elk.  Keep in mind that a low success rate doesn't mean poor hunting, it could be due to difficult access.  Sometimes high success rates are in heavily pressured areas.  It all goes back to the type of hunt you want.  If you just want a chance at an elk or if you want the backcountry experience.

Don't worry about it too much. Until you get that first year under your belt you really won't understand all advice that anyone gives you.  Until you have spent some time chasing elk and seeing the country they live in, your pre-concieved ideas of how it will/should work will cloud your understanding, but even with just a few days of hunting you will begin to understand. 

You will probably spend a lot of time this fall wandering around and wondering if you're doing it right but you will figure it out. Every year you will be able to build on the knowledge you've gained and refine exactly what type of country you are looking for and how to get to the elk.

 
I'll offer another perspective for you. This being your first year hunting elk, don't overlook the option of a comfortable truck camp and the luxuries that can provide. It's a tough physical challenge you will be undertaking and the mental challenge of backpacking in for days at a time may be overwhelming. Granted, there are many benefits to a bivy camp, but for a first timer my recommendation would be to camp from your truck and do some hard hiking and glassing to find some elk. Then by all means, bivy in if means more hunting at prime time.

By camping from your truck, you will be mobile. If one area isn't producing, you can quickly relocate to another area or trailhead. Keep moving until you find elk. This is just a personal recommendation for a first time elk hunter. Best of luck on your hunt!

Ron Niziolek
Elk101.com/Extreme Elk Magazine

 
First off, id like to say thank you to everyone that has replied.  This, by far, is the best message board/forum ive ever been a member of.  Nobody has cut me down, been rude, talked over me.  Everyone has been more than helpful.  But hey, this is also the first forum made up of hunters.
  Thanks for suggesting that i camp from the truck.  Ive sorta thought of that.  About how far would you say id have to hike from the trailhead before you usually are far back enough?  Should i just hunt my way in?  I actually have a very flexible schedule, so i could take more than 10 days if need be.  So itd be cool to hit several diff areas. Maybe even diff wilderness areas haha.  But i might have to spend more money on maps.

God Bless,
Hunter.
 
longbowhunter,
I think camping from your truck can be a good idea especially for your first time out. I did this last year on my first hunt. I am going to point out a few things but you have to understand it is from my limited experience and is also my personal opinion...
Camping at your truck will give you comfort, ease of mind, and all the essentials you need from day to day. With that you will also be by the bulk of other hunters. This can vary on the area you decide to hunt but I would expect to see others come and go. If you decide to stay at your truck, hike out early! For example, I would get up around 4 am and hike out roughly 2 miles from camp. Most people I was next to waited until close to sun rise and missed most on the elk leaving from feeding areas and heading to bedding areas(this was in early September......pre-rut time).
Also I would encourage you to push your boundaries and maybe hike out and follow the elk for a day and set up camp. For me, the first few times doing it solo were a little difficult because of all the unknowns. But by doing this I gained confidence in my over all hunting. At the same time I separated myself from all of the others and learned a few things about the elk I was after.
This year I am going to try and break my trip into two segments depending on if I am into elk or not. 10 day hunt with 5 and 4 being bivy/spike style camp.
good luck and keep researching
 
BrentLaBere,

Thanks alot for your input.  I see from your avatar, you were successful on that first time too.  I think im gona take yalls advice about campin out of the truck for atleast the first few days.  Itd sure be nice to have a warm fire, a cold beer and maybe a few other hunters to share conversation with.  Can i contact you via pm and find out what your thoughts are about your first elk hunt?

God Bless,
Hunter Smith.
 
lots of great advise, remember areas with roads, means there will lots of ATV's, as I recall, but don't quote me, no ATVS in the wilderness area in Colorado.
Having the truck camp is great, when planning your trip, and not being able to scout, I would look at having  two or three different locations to hike in from; especially when you get there are thirty rigs from back east all over the place.
When I am looking at my map, and getting boots on the ground, if my primary place is flooded I will move to the my next camp or I go to a spike/bivy camp and push in and get away from the madness.
You can PM if you have more detailed questions, I have been hunting elk for quite some time.
best luck
Eric
 
Hey...thanks alot Eric.  I actually got quite a few questions.  I appreciate you lettin me PM you.

God Bless,
Hunter.
 
What about using a mountain bike, like the guys in 30 Days? Seems a very sensible way of getting in deep, if forestry trails allow, for scouting and hunting. I took my bike in to our local public forestry the other evening and although short of light, was able to get in a lot further and scout more deer as a result
 
Longbow,
New to the forums here, although I've been reading for a while.  I lived in Gunnison for a couple years, spent a lot of time in the woods, and hunted my first 4 elk seasons in and around the area.  Learned a lot, and failed a lot.  Let me know if you have particular questions about the West Elks or Fossil Ridge areas, or first timer questions in general.  Both are good areas with lots of elk, and consequently, lots of hunters.
 
OK, a couple of things not yet mentioned here (or I just missed it). If you have not hunted elk before and you are going to a state you do not know.


1. you might think about using an outfitter (drop camp) for your first hunt if you do not have anyone to hunt with. Reasons. You have not had an elk on the ground yet, you will Crap your pants the first time you see an elk on the ground and you realize the work you have ahead of you (especially when you have not done this before). An outfitter can at least give some advice and guidance.
2. don't just learn how to shoot and where you want to hunt. Learn what to do once you do have an elk on the ground.
3. Learn as much as you can about elk behavior, they are not deer. Get the new video University of Elk Hunting DVD, you can get on this web site.
[/size]4. Elknut productions also has some great stuff on calling elk.
[/size]
[/size]It takes a lot of money to elk hunt so the more prepared you are to hunt elk the better your success. You will then be hooked and just like the rest of us :)
 
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