First Time DIY Elk Hunt

[C_slep]

Hello everyone,


My name is Connor Slepikas, and I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I've grown up around upland bird hunting my entire life, pheasant and quail mainly.  From the time I could walk I was hunting pheasant in South Dakota on our family farm. Since moving to Oklahoma I've been a public land upland manic... well as much as one can do publicly in Oklahoma.


I am now 23 and have been very concerned with access to quality meat.  As an avid upland bird hunter I've always supplemented my poultry with upland birds (Pheasant, Quail, Dove).  Recently, I have been devoting my efforts in becoming sustainable with red meat.  Thus this quest for a Colorado elk.  I have no interest in scoring the highest bull possible.  My interest is in obtaining sustainable meat for myself, family, and friends while teaching others in my shoes.


I also have no interest in asking for specific spots or honey holes.  I can do my own research and have been doing so as much as possible.  I am looking for a mentor this fall.  I will be purchasing an over the counter rifle tag for Colorado.  If I can't find a partner than I plan on attempting the hunt alone.  I know the difficulties in a solo hunt.  This is something I've considered for years.  I am finally in a position to buy the necessary gear to be comfortable in the backcountry.


I am currently training every day for this hunt.  I am lucky to have decent hills within eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas.  I know it is nothing compared to high country hunting in Colorado, but it still gives me a solid training platform.  I am very committed to this hunt and will be in shape when fall rolls around.


I have considered family and friends to tag along for the hunt.  I have a few family members that agreed to attend the hunt with me.  However, I am looking for a mentor/ someone who is just as committed as I am.  My worry is to invite a family member who ends up being ill-prepared for the hunt. 


I would greatly appreciate any advice.  Or, someone willing to teach an enthusiastic 23 year old backcountry hunting skills. 


Thanks for your time.  Please let me know if this should be posted else where.


Thanks,


Connor Slepikas

 

[Kdkehoe]

Hey Connor, and welcome.  I don?t live in Colorado but Montana rather. If you ever journey this way I wouldn?t mind lending a hand.  This forum is a great place to ask questions and see what others are doing to prepare for season. Hopefully you find some answers or at least a direction. Good luck on your adventure

 

[DTP]

Welcome to the site, Connor!  :upthumb:




There are plenty of mentors around on this site so feel free to ask as many questions as you can and we will do our best to help.


I see you're in Oklahoma. Don't forget to apply for Oklahoma controlled hunts (they opened yesterday) If you already have a current annual hunting license, for $5 you can apply for elk, antelope, deer, and turkey hunts.
You also live in a killer state for whitetail. (I'm sure you know this) but you can't beat being able to take 6 deer a year with a bow or I think4 with a rifle.


You should have no shortage of meat after this upcoming hunting season  :dance2:

 

[colorado russ]

Connor, there's another thread titled Backpack Beginner that you might want to read and watch for updates.  I've recently moved back to OKC area from Colorado but still go back in the fall to hunt elk.  Unfortunately, I can't bring anyone with me since I hunt private land and landowner tags are hard to get but I'll share any info that I have regarding hunting in CO.


Like Dan mentions, plenty of whitetail opportunities here in OK to fill the freezer and much less expensive than a non-resident elk tag in CO.


Read up here and ask questions - plenty of folks on here willing to help out.

 

[cohunter14]

I have considered family and friends to tag along for the hunt.  I have a few family members that agreed to attend the hunt with me.  However, I am looking for a mentor/ someone who is just as committed as I am.  My worry is to invite a family member who ends up being ill-prepared for the hunt. 

Conner, another welcome! Here's my two cents, so take it for what it's worth. In regards to the above quote, do those few family members WANT to go with you, or just agree to go if you can't find anyone else? If someone wants to go, I would suggest doing it that way. You can plan together, so when it comes to gear they can't be ill-prepared. If they are ill-prepared fitness-wise, that's just fine. They can hunt closer to camp and you can venture out on your own.


Having a family member to share in the joys of elk hunting as well as the trials and tribulations can make the trip far more fun and valuable to you. And in addition, you can build a hunting tradition for years to come.


One other thing: if you are looking for a sustainable supply of red meat, elk hunting is by far and away going to be the most difficult and expensive route in doing so. The number of folks who consistently punch a tag every year is very minimal and the number of people who punch their tag on their first elk hunt is probably just as small. I don't want to discourage you in your efforts, just want you to have a realistic approach to it. If you go into your hunt with the only goal being to fill a tag, you could wind up very disappointed. If you want red meat consistently, I would consider hunting deer in your home state for that, like DTP mentioned.


With all that said, we are happy to help you in any way we can! I do not have room in either of our hunting camps to actually have you tag along, but I would love to help you in any other way possible. I'd also suggest taking a look at the University of Elk Hunting course here on the elk101 website. That thing is loaded with information that even an experienced elk hunter like myself found helpful. If you do decide to take the course, be sure to use the promo code Forums10, which will save you 10%.


Best of luck!

 

[Wyo67]

Welcome to the forum Conner and good luck on your upcoming Colorado elk hunt.  A couple of things you might want to consider:
- Spend time browsing and researching forums such as this one.  Elk101 and Hunttalk are a couple of my favorites.
- Consider other elk hunting opportunities such as a later season cow hunt.  If you're looking for meat, a nice sized healthy cow will fill a considerable portion of your freezer.

 

[C_slep]

Thank you everyone for responding.  The responses were well thought out.  I did not expect much response, if any at all.  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this group. 
Ya'll gave me so much to think about.  I still plan on giving the OTC elk hunt a shot this fall.  Since this post i've done a lot of thinking.

'Wyo67'- Thanks for your response! I just enrolled in Elk university and am willing to immerse myself in any teachings.  Like I said in my earlier post, I have no issues in harvesting a cow.  However, is this possible with an OTC rifle tag?

'cohunter14'- Thank you for your comment.  You're absolutely right.  Being a brand new western hunter, the likelihood of success is extremely low.  I've come to understand that this is a life-long pursuit.  Why not have family begin the journey with me(my dad).

Colorado Russ:
Nice to meet a Oklahoman, I just moved out of northwest OKC to the tulsa area.  Been public land scouting in Oklahoma since the end of the season.  Ever had luck around Kaw lake?  Did a lot of pheasant and quail hunting there last fall.

DTP:
Trust me! I applied for the Oklahoma elk hunt! Would love it!  However, there are so many OK hunters that have waited their whole lives for that tag.  I plan on taking advantage of some good OK deer hunting.


Kdkehoe:
Question for you.  Should I consider Montana for an otc elk hunt?  Is this better than CO?

 

[cohunter14]

C_slep, to answer one of your questions, you cannot shoot a cow with an OTC rifle tag. However, there are many units where you can draw a cow tag with no preference points or even pick a tag up as a leftover. The issue would be picking between the OTC bull tag or a cow tag, unless you want to fork over the money to have both, which you could do in a number of units as well. You would just need to make sure the cow tag was a List B tag in that scenario.

The other option is if you archery hunt. In that scenario, you can get Either Sex OTC tags.

Hope that helps!

 

[cnelk]

Looking at last year's Colorado leftover list, there were 11 Hunt Codes that had Either Sex Rifle tags available


I would expect that number to be similar this year

 

[Kdkehoe]

As far as Montana start putting in and accumulating points. Cut your teeth on some OTC areas and by the time you draw MT you?ll have a better idea of things.  Not to say we don?t have OTC hunts that could yield success but there are, as I?m learning (shout-out to DTP) in playing the odds game if your ready and able to travel.  You won?t draw everything you put in for. But it?s worth putting in and getting quality hunts in a couple of states.  I?m still soaking in as much info as possible about putting in, planning, scouting, units for other states too.  You?ve come to the right spot to learn and ask questions for sure!