Help me with a 2013 elk hunt

[jimikinz]

Hello,

I want to give it another try for elk in 2013. I went solo for my first hunt last year, and I must say, it was quite a daunting experience. That said, I now want even more to go again and get back after it!!!

I was thinking of trying unit 15 for the ML season in CO. Packing in a couple miles, etc. My only knowledge base is what I have read, and what folks have passed my way.

I want to do it myself, as I am not much into the idea of a guided hunt, and I am fully prepared to give it my all for several years bumbling around in the woods. I would, however, consider a drop-camp style hunt if I could swing it, and I was on my own hook for the hunting. Also, I was wondering about tresspass hunt opportunities. Either a bull or cow hunt is fine with me

Soooo, with that in mind, ANY info that can lead me in a positive direction would be very much appreciated.

Alternately, if anyone wants to take a friendly, positive, appreciative, non-lazy Muzzleloading Forum memeber on an elk hunt with them, I would positively JUMP at the chance :haha: :hatsoff: :bow:

 

[Little Wattsy]

LOTS of options out there but when you start throwing money at an out of state licenses a little more for a tresspass fee isnt so bad...
I have used http://www.scorethehunt.com/ for the last two years to get my 10 and 12 year old boys cow elk 1 each two years running.. worth a thought.
OR
If you can draw a ML elk tag in Oregon, let me know and Ill help you get started on a do it yourself hunt...

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Your hunting a little east of me, I hunt or have hunted 10,11,21,30,42,& the Grand mesa. I'm a better deer hunter then elk, though given a cow tag I can all but guarantee I will have a 50 yard shot at two or three Bull Elk. :cursing:

You might could find a wrangler that would just pack you in & out again, (start by asking DOW/or the butcher for names or look for summer trailrides in a near by town). I was once packed in by Llamas. I thought they were cool, they eat what ya tie them to, can do without water all day if need be & gave no trouble. Sure was nice to have a full camp (tent, stove,cots,coolers, ect.) and at hunts end with an elk down knowing I did not have to make 3 trips out to get my camp to the truck (we were 8 miles back from the end of the 4x4 road). The best part was, we got packed in and out but had no stock to tend during the hunt. I have been in a camp where the stock was lion spooked part time hunter, full time baby sitter :td:

 

[Vaino]

My first MLer elk hunt in 1985 was solo and the hunt area I chose was the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness Area in NW Colorado whch req'd a 9 mile hike as the crow flies w/ a pack that weighed 62 lbs. Had a very comfortable camp w/ a 2 man tent and a small tarp which allowed me to sit outside when it rained instead of sitting in a cramped tent.

Soon realized that being alone wasn't a practical way to hunt....If I had shot an elk, getting the meat out would have been very labot intensive. Even the walk to an outfitter would have taken most of a day.

The year before hired an outfitter/guide and the whole affair turned out to be a "Hollywood" production.

A drop camp can be "iffy"....all depends on the outfitter. A friend chose a drop camp and after the horseback trip in to the camp, the next day found that an oil exploration company was blasting close by. No semblance of a wilderness setting.


After the "Hollywood" affair, opted for a 3-4 man camp w/ a large wall tent, satellite tents for sleeping 2 men and storage, a well made "king's throne" and generally many of the comforts of home. This camp is driven to by a 4 wheeler and cargo trailer, is at 10,200 ft elevation and is in a nat'l forest. Not many other hunters and plenty of elk. Also...all our elk have been packed out on out backs.

A lot of options available and one could easily hunt solo out of our campsite and the meat transport wouldn't be that bad. Some say that being far in away from roads, a hunter will see more elk...not necessarily so.... Fred

 

[boydusmx]

It took me 20 years to find a "honey hole" on public land in Colorado for muzzy season hunting, but I'm sure there's plenty more of them out there. The Colorado DOW website has a plethora of information on how to find great places to hunt Elk on public lands for your specific season. I hunt in GMU 421 and encountered no less than 8 mature bulls last season! they were 1/4 to 2 miles from a remote ATV trail, miles from anything resembling a road. Very little pressure, never even saw another hunter, but shots could be heard almost every day.

 

[jimikinz]

OK! That some good info. I contacted Score The Hunt, and will see what they say. I have plenty of time, so thats a lus.

 

[Little Wattsy]

OK! That some good info. I contacted Score The Hunt, and will see what they say. I have plenty of time, so thats a lus.

Chad is a good man!

 

[hoochiepapa]

Lots of guys get so excited about an elk hunt they forget about the meat packing. I use a freighter frame and bag, so if I need to bone out, the bag keeps things tidy. I have packed out full hind quarters four miles in knee-deep snow, and it ain't no picnic. We have used everything from travois to wheel barrow, just be prepared to work hard.
And remember that this is the Rockies!!

 

[Rat Trapper]

Pillow cases work very well for meat bags. If you wash them in some bleach they can be reused again. Never put more than 50 pounds of meat on your back and get a strong walking stick that is longer than you are tall. Walk with the stick accross your chest with the tip on the up hill side. You can safetly row yourself down and up the mountain this way. Try to haul too much weight and you will get hurt, and out there you are a long way from help.

 

[MattC]

I'll second the 'remember, this is the rockies'. I moved out here from Michigan, and it took a little while to get used to the dry, thin air here in Denver. You factor in another few thousand feet in elevation up in the high country, and you get winded pretty fast. Train for the altitude and you'll be fine, but ignore it and you'll be miserable.

 

[boydusmx]

+1 on the pack frame, sharp knife, and saw. Most of the old carcasses I run into were boned out. I'm getting too old to drag em out whole anymore. Cutting one in half or even quarter is almost as much work as boning, so I finally gave up and bought a nice light weight pack frame. I hike in light, then go back for gear when the kill is made. One extra 2 mile hike is much easier than carrying the extra weight every day!

 

[Vaino]

A couple days before the hunt we "tour" the area and bring along "butcher's packs" which include everything necessary to cut up an elk and pack it out, even a Coleman and fuel for night time....which is quite common. All the items are in 2 very large leaf bags, including the pack frames. Also emergency first aid articles. This saves a long, steep downhill/uphill trip to/from camp.

The "packs" are well hidden and have never been "molested" except one time. The "packs" had been used the day before and were re-hidden and when we had to use them again, we found the gear strewn over a good acre...a bear had smelled the blood on the leaf bags. One hip pad on a frame was chewed a little but otherwise everything was undamaged and found.....Fred