What states are you looking to apply for this year?

[DTP]

Kind of a weird circumstance for me this year. I’ll be retiring from the military and transitioning to a “normal life.” So any time off I use this year takes from me starting terminal leave. (Think those guys who save PTO or sick PTO and then take months off before they retire)

I think I’ll just apply for New Mexico hunts this year with the idea of a Wyoming cow tag left over as a backup.

I’m still torn. I have so many dang points in some states and I don’t want to wait much longer.

 

[cohunter14]

I'll be in Colorado again but still need to finalize my plan of attack. This year was my first in 39 years without a rifle elk tag as I only hunted archery. I'd like to change that for next year, but we'll see what happens. At least I got to be in the woods for my son's first elk hunt during rifle season and it might be the same for next year.

 

[sjl2012]

I'm hoping for Montana general this year for our group hunt and my usual New Mexico haunts with Colorado 2nd or PLO tag as a possible back up. It'll be interesting to see how Colorado settles out this year for NR's.

 

[Ilelkhntr]

Apply in Wyoming for a general. Colorado 1st rifle, New Mexico with a buddy and Arizona. Colorado 2nd rifle is my backup plan.

 

[Ilelkhntr]

Forgot about Colorado moose!

 

[ribo451]

Just my home state of Idaho. I want to hunt some otc units in neighboring states but I seem to have a hard time getting out as much as I want here at home. I’ll be trying to get a second deer tag for Idaho but they have been hard to get lately.

 

[DTP]

I’m really stuck right now because I have a good whitetail to chase in December and January, but I’m also considering going to Oklahoma to chase cow elk with my bow in January.

 

[twilliams212]

I'm struggling with this decision. I'll probably apply in NM and WY hoping the random odds are in my favor for either. But the biggest struggle for me is if I plan to try for MT or stick with the same area in CO, but for archery. Even though I shot a bull this year for rifle, I still get mixed feelings of it being a complete fluke and worry that everything I read on forums will still come true and the area will actually be overrun with so many archery hunters all chasing the same herd of elk. What's everyone else's thoughts on this? Head back to the unit I've got a small amount of experience in during rifle season but go for archery this time, or try my hand at MT archery? Either way, I'm sure we'll have a blast in the mountains.

 

[DTP]

I'm struggling with this decision. I'll probably apply in NM and WY hoping the random odds are in my favor for either. But the biggest struggle for me is if I plan to try for MT or stick with the same area in CO, but for archery. Even though I shot a bull this year for rifle, I still get mixed feelings of it being a complete fluke and worry that everything I read on forums will still come true and the area will actually be overrun with so many archery hunters all chasing the same herd of elk. What's everyone else's thoughts on this? Head back to the unit I've got a small amount of experience in during rifle season but go for archery this time, or try my hand at MT archery? Either way, I'm sure we'll have a blast in the mountains.

I’m taking my a flier on this and will probably be wrong, but I’ll say it anyways your post makes me think you’re an over-thinker. You killed a bull with your rifle and now are discrediting yourself saying that it might have been a fluke.

“Success is when preparation meets opportunity.”

The true data is you killed a bull! Just remember that!

I always tell people to fine tune units. You may need to hunt it a few times to get it down. Then you find those secret pockets, you learn patterns of what they do when pressure shows, etc. or you do validate that it was a fluke. But you can’t just base it off the one hunt.

For CO specifically I’d hunt the unit again, but go with what you’d like to hunt with. Maybe you’re a diehard bow hunter, but it just so happens you did a rifle hunt and want to get back to it. Nothing wrong with that!

Or if you’re wanting to try something else I definitely think Montana General is a great option. There are some great spots out there.

I’m also always the advocate for NM. So many good units out there if you’re lucky enough to draw!

 

[Ilelkhntr]

Remember, Colorado will no longer be OTC for archery elk next year.

 

[cohunter14]

I’m taking my a flier on this and will probably be wrong, but I’ll say it anyways your post makes me think you’re an over-thinker. You killed a bull with your rifle and now are discrediting yourself saying that it might have been a fluke.

“Success is when preparation meets opportunity.”

The true data is you killed a bull! Just remember that!

I always tell people to fine tune units. You may need to hunt it a few times to get it down. Then you find those secret pockets, you learn patterns of what they do when pressure shows, etc. or you do validate that it was a fluke. But you can’t just base it off the one hunt.

For CO specifically I’d hunt the unit again, but go with what you’d like to hunt with. Maybe you’re a diehard bow hunter, but it just so happens you did a rifle hunt and want to get back to it. Nothing wrong with that!

Or if you’re wanting to try something else I definitely think Montana General is a great option. There are some great spots out there.

I’m also always the advocate for NM. So many good units out there if you’re lucky enough to draw!

Great advice here. I agree, continue to learn the unit you hunted, especially if you had success. Granted, the elk could be in a different spot during archery than they were during rifle, but you can take what you learned last year and apply it. I think your chances of success are much better hunting a spot you've been before than going in blind.

 

[cohunter14]

I’m really stuck right now because I have a good whitetail to chase in December and January, but I’m also considering going to Oklahoma to chase cow elk with my bow in January.

Cow elk hunt with a bow in January in OK??? Sounds like a blast to me! Knock that whitetail down and get to OK!

 

[twilliams212]

Great advice here. I agree, continue to learn the unit you hunted, especially if you had success. Granted, the elk could be in a different spot during archery than they were during rifle, but you can take what you learned last year and apply it. I think your chances of success are much better hunting a spot you've been before than going in blind.

I completely agree and acknowledge that I am an over thinker! I analyze and over analyze loads of data thinking I'm going to figure out some statistic or see something eventually that someone else isn't going to see. Trust me, I know I'm ridiculous, but I actually kind of enjoy reviewing all of this data because it leads me to research all kinds of elk hunting and ecology information that ends up benefiting me in the long run (or so I hope).

To explain a bit further why I struggle with the idea of returning to that unit...I am struggling with going back to the same area I hunted during rifle, but this time for archery, due to the mere fact of hunter numbers. Something I did not mention about my rifle hunt was that we hardly had to deal with any hunters last year (only 2...seriously). I'm referring to actually up on the mountain in the woods. The road sounded like a parade during the first few days. So, when you look at how many more hunters hit the woods during the archery season (looking at licenses purchased) compared to when I went for rifle, it is a drastic difference. It's huge that I have some experience with this area, and have some very useable elk data, but I just wonder if it would be a more enjoyable experience if I could find an area with a lower hunter/sq mile density even if it means hunting in an area with a smaller elk pop. (am I overthinking it yet?...) On top of that, you're also dealing with other species hunters in the woods at the same time, or the muzzy crew joining the fight during their week+.

 

[cohunter14]

I completely agree and acknowledge that I am an over thinker! I analyze and over analyze loads of data thinking I'm going to figure out some statistic or see something eventually that someone else isn't going to see. Trust me, I know I'm ridiculous, but I actually kind of enjoy reviewing all of this data because it leads me to research all kinds of elk hunting and ecology information that ends up benefiting me in the long run (or so I hope).

To explain a bit further why I struggle with the idea of returning to that unit...I am struggling with going back to the same area I hunted during rifle, but this time for archery, due to the mere fact of hunter numbers. Something I did not mention about my rifle hunt was that we hardly had to deal with any hunters last year (only 2...seriously). I'm referring to actually up on the mountain in the woods. The road sounded like a parade during the first few days. So, when you look at how many more hunters hit the woods during the archery season (looking at licenses purchased) compared to when I went for rifle, it is a drastic difference. It's huge that I have some experience with this area, and have some very useable elk data, but I just wonder if it would be a more enjoyable experience if I could find an area with a lower hunter/sq mile density even if it means hunting in an area with a smaller elk pop. (am I overthinking it yet?...) On top of that, you're also dealing with other species hunters in the woods at the same time, or the muzzy crew joining the fight during their week+.

Keep in mind that the number of archery hunters is spread out across the entire month instead of during a one week rifle season. Is the unit OTC archery? If so, the number of hunters is a guestimate, at best, as well. The same can be said about rifle season if it was OTC. And typically, muzzy tags are minimal in most units, especially if they are good for multiple units where hunters can be spread out, so I don't typically let that interfere with my decisions.

Just my two cents, but I feel like archery hunting pressure is typically less than rifle pressure in any given unit based on the areas I've hunted in Colorado. I could be wrong about your unit, but that's been my experience.