melbatoast
New member
- May 29, 2014
- 11
Hey there! Tenderfoot and I are hunting buddies, you might say I am responsible for his addiction. He suggested joining the forum. Summary of my elk hunting experience: Grew up mostly in Alabama/Florida whitetail and turkey hunting; moved to Fort Collins in 2008 (for CSU) after EASing from the Marine Corps; didn\'t hunt til 2010 because of the ridiculuosly complicated application process (in AL a big game license meant you can kill 1 buck and 2 does a day for the 3 month season); got 4th season OTC rifle tags in 2010 and had a herd of literally 500 elk come within 50 yards (Woolford Mountain in unit 181); I shot the lead cow and handed my rifle to my buddy who shot a decent bull; 2011 same place, saw nothing; 2012 started bow hunting with tenderfoot near Granby, saw nothing; filled tag in unit 18 4th rifle near elk mountain, saw herd of 20, passed on bull for a clear shot at a cow; 2013 hunted with tenderfoot near red feather, saw a bunch of deer, no elk; rifle hunted near elk mountain, saw nothing.
All my experience has come from looking at topo and aerial maps to figure where the elk might be according to weather conditions and elevation. My whitetail guiding experience has helped too, I have a ton of time in the woods, just not as much in CO. It has worked great so far, I\'d say a 50% success rate over 4 years is badass for a elk noob! Every legal elk is a trophy for me, and while I would shoot a bull over a cow if given the equal option, I am trying to fill my freezer. The antlers are an added bonus because I love making knife handles and such.
Anyway, Tenderfoot and I eat, drink, sleep elk/deer/turkey hunting (mostly drink), and spend as much time as we can in the woods scouting (quite a bit). I just wanted to introduce myself to you fellas and give you a quick rundown of my experience level. Historically every time I go to a new area I am successful, which leads me to my questions which I will post in the proper place...
All my experience has come from looking at topo and aerial maps to figure where the elk might be according to weather conditions and elevation. My whitetail guiding experience has helped too, I have a ton of time in the woods, just not as much in CO. It has worked great so far, I\'d say a 50% success rate over 4 years is badass for a elk noob! Every legal elk is a trophy for me, and while I would shoot a bull over a cow if given the equal option, I am trying to fill my freezer. The antlers are an added bonus because I love making knife handles and such.
Anyway, Tenderfoot and I eat, drink, sleep elk/deer/turkey hunting (mostly drink), and spend as much time as we can in the woods scouting (quite a bit). I just wanted to introduce myself to you fellas and give you a quick rundown of my experience level. Historically every time I go to a new area I am successful, which leads me to my questions which I will post in the proper place...
