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Need help with elk license draw colorado

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Need help with elk license draw colorado

Old 02-10-2016, 06:53 PM
  #1  
Spike
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Join Date: Apr 2014
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Default Need help with elk license draw colorado

Hey guys need a little help with options on drawing for an elk license. I have been working on this for like 2 weeks now and have not really gotten anywhere. I am putting in for a preference point at my first choice and then I was going to put 501 ef as my 2nd choice but after calling a hunt planner he said that they don't ever go to 2nd choice for that unit. So now I'm back to square one.
I was trying to get away from otc areas but it looks like that is where I will have to go. I ordered the outdoors magazine with the preference points and info for areas to read over. I hope that will guide me.
I was wondering if any of you guys have some opinions or thoughts on this matter. I am looking for an area that has some wilderness and not a lot of atv traffic and roads. I am a hiking hunter, I am normally out all day wandering around trying to find game. I would like it to be close to the front range so I can go do some scouting. Last year I hunted close to buford and that was a 6 hour drive. Just to far for a weekend to scout. It was hard to get away from roads and atvs.
Any help would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post. Just trying to get this all wrapped up before the draw is due.
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Old 02-10-2016, 07:23 PM
  #2  
Nontypical Buck
 
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close to the front range and not too many people or atv's. That is a tall order my friend. The thing you do have on your side is your willing to hike. If you are a mile from a road, the amount of people you will see is dramatically reduced no matter where you are. Biggest issue is finding areas that don't have roads littering them.

Just because a area is over the counter, doesn't mean it's not as good of a elk area. I wouldn't limit yourself that way.

Stats drawing a elk tag are on the DOW website here, they are easy to read. If you need any help, shoot me a PM
http://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Hun...kDrawRecap.pdf

Within a few hours of Denver you have a handful of wilderness areas that is are no motors. Lost Creek, Rawah, Indian Peaks, Never Summer - and some smaller ones I've never backpacked in. It's more of getting out a map and picking a spot. They all have elk
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Old 02-11-2016, 03:56 AM
  #3  
Giant Nontypical
 
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Plenty of room to roam and get away from people on the western side of Berthoud Pass and also Quanella Pass, both of which are 2 hrs from the front range. You didn't say where in CO you are. Both the ones I listed are about midway on a North South basis but if you are south of the Springs or around Ft Collins they would be farther.

I've taken some good bulls behind Granby Res in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area which allows no motorized traffic and butts up against RMNP.
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Old 02-11-2016, 06:36 AM
  #4  
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If I was you i'd pick a unit that has at least a 50% chance of getting a tag with no points as a 1st pick. It's better than just putting in for a point.

For a 2nd pick you have two choices. Find a unit you can get a cow tag as a 2nd pick. If that doesn't appeal to you and you only want to hunt for a bull. Get an OTC tag for a bull.

It's always better to hunt for elk than sit home looking at a point.

Crowds are not always as bad as some make it out to be. Sometimes those crowds will drive an elk right into you. You just need to know where to wait for that to happen. Look at how many elk are taken in OTC units. Hunters are getting elk. It could be you too.
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Old 02-11-2016, 08:11 AM
  #5  
Spike
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Originally Posted by Jorgy
close to the front range and not too many people or atv's. That is a tall order my friend. The thing you do have on your side is your willing to hike. If you are a mile from a road, the amount of people you will see is dramatically reduced no matter where you are. Biggest issue is finding areas that don't have roads littering them.

Just because a area is over the counter, doesn't mean it's not as good of a elk area. I wouldn't limit yourself that way.

Stats drawing a elk tag are on the DOW website here, they are easy to read. If you need any help, shoot me a PM
http://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Hun...kDrawRecap.pdf

Within a few hours of Denver you have a handful of wilderness areas that is are no motors. Lost Creek, Rawah, Indian Peaks, Never Summer - and some smaller ones I've never backpacked in. It's more of getting out a map and picking a spot. They all have elk
I think I'm confusing myself more then anything. I have been looking at those stat pages and have gone back a few years also. Seems like I find a good area on the recap but then look at the success of the area and it is like 8%. I have camped in a lot of those areas and like them just not sure on the elk population. Then I look at the stats and they are low for that area.
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Old 02-11-2016, 08:17 AM
  #6  
Spike
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Originally Posted by flags
Plenty of room to roam and get away from people on the western side of Berthoud Pass and also Quanella Pass, both of which are 2 hrs from the front range. You didn't say where in CO you are. Both the ones I listed are about midway on a North South basis but if you are south of the Springs or around Ft Collins they would be farther.

I've taken some good bulls behind Granby Res in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area which allows no motorized traffic and butts up against RMNP.
I'm in thornton and my brother who I hunt with is in colorado springs. So we were looking for an in between area. I have not been up guanella pass but like how it looks on the map. Behind Grandy are you talking about 18 and 28 or on the east side. 18 doesn't have very good success rate on paper. I think you are talking about east side of Granby. I will check out a map for that side.
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Old 02-11-2016, 08:26 AM
  #7  
Spike
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Originally Posted by Muley Hunter
If I was you i'd pick a unit that has at least a 50% chance of getting a tag with no points as a 1st pick. It's better than just putting in for a point.

For a 2nd pick you have two choices. Find a unit you can get a cow tag as a 2nd pick. If that doesn't appeal to you and you only want to hunt for a bull. Get an OTC tag for a bull.

It's always better to hunt for elk than sit home looking at a point.

Crowds are not always as bad as some make it out to be. Sometimes those crowds will drive an elk right into you. You just need to know where to wait for that to happen. Look at how many elk are taken in OTC units. Hunters are getting elk. It could be you too.
I don't mind drawing for a cow, that's what I was going to do until I got a few more preference points for a good bull unit. Are you saying to not put in for a preferences point and try to draw an area with a 50% chance of drawing a bull tag? I'm not sure what you mean by that. Should I not put in for a preference point then? If I draw an area will it use my pp? So many options, I'm getting confused. I have been trying to harvest an elk for 4 years now. I just would like the best chance to do that.
Thanks everyone for the replies and help.
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Old 02-11-2016, 08:58 AM
  #8  
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I'm saying it's always better to hunt than just put in for a point. I've never put in for a point. If I get one it will be because I failed at my 1st pick. Give yourself a chance to get a 1st pick. Even if it's low odds. You might get lucky.

Just putting in for a point is what a NR would do.
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Old 02-11-2016, 09:04 AM
  #9  
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Originally Posted by Muley Hunter
Just putting in for a point is what a NR would do.
Not necessarily. A lot of my family (all residents) and friends (all residents) put in for points as first choice because we know we can draw tags as a second choice so we get the best of both worlds. Some of the places I hunt always have leftover tags and those are basically bonus tags. Many times, such as last year I got a point, my second choice tag and a leftover tag. This allows us to build points for the special tags and still fill the freezer.

Additionally I built up a lot of my points when the Navy kept me deployed. I knew I couldn't hunt so i stockpiled points. Right now I can pull nearly any deer, bear or elk tag in the state and am at max weighted points for moose and sheep. I've drawn the goat and the pronghorn so I'm back to building those up.
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Old 02-11-2016, 09:13 AM
  #10  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Originally Posted by broncocliff
I think I'm confusing myself more then anything. I have been looking at those stat pages and have gone back a few years also. Seems like I find a good area on the recap but then look at the success of the area and it is like 8%. I have camped in a lot of those areas and like them just not sure on the elk population. Then I look at the stats and they are low for that area.
the 8% success rate has to do with elk populations, but in my opinion, it has more to do with road hunters. If we are talking about gmu 7, it get hit hard by guys from denver/fort collins. I would put some serious money that says only 10% of those hunters get more than 100 yards from a road. I haven't been hunting in the area since the beetle kill came though, but I took 2 bulls and 3 cows in 8 years hunting the area. Bulls small, but I'm a meat hunter for sure. I've seen a few really nice bulls over the years, and the 2nd biggest muley I've ever seen with a gun in my hand.

I used to camp in 1 of 2 "camping" spots on forest service where alot of camps were. There were whole groups that after opening morning I would never see them leave camp. They were there when I left in the morning, and when I came home at dark. If I came back mid day, they were there. Funny thing, they never saw elk and swore there were no elk around.
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