car

I'm looking to hunt elk in 2018. I'm looking for a good outfitter as I'll be hunting by myself and will need the help. I'll have 15 points going into next years draw. Any suggestions?

Big Uncle

Try Sammy Frazier in unit 76. I believe he hunts areas around the Rio Grande Reservoir. You should be able to draw second or third season. Fifteen points is not quite enough for the top premium units or first season in 76.

I have done quite well there in both second and third season but it is always a weather gamble up there. If it gets monster storms early the elk will head down and maybe out of the unit, but fortunately storms like that are rare. One year we did get two back-to-back snows of about five feet each but most years second or third season is a good time to go.

I have not hunted with Sammy but have spent a lot of time in the unit and hunted it many times and have never heard a bad word about him or his operation. It is a small town and people talk if there is anything bad to say.

It is a good unit for a nice bull but honest 300"+ bulls are hard to come by.

Rob in VT

Check out the Trinchera Ranch in Fort Garland. It is Unit 83. 171,000 acres near Mt Blanca. They have taken several bulls the past few years over 400". Not sure what their hunts run but it is a beautiful area.

Topgun 3006

Trinchera Ranch is a good one Ron, but you better save up a lot of bucks for that opportunity!

car

Ok, I'll check them out.

flags

Unless you have $15k-$20K just laying around don't bother with the Forbes-Trinchera Ranch. That thing was owned by none other than Malcolm Forbes of Forbes publishing when he was alive. One of the highest priced elk hunts in CO is there.

If I had that many points I'd put in for the hybrid draw in either unit 10 or 2. Lots of public land and lots of really big bulls. I may take my own advice and put in for unit 2 myself. I have 21 points and since I'm now a TX resident and not a CO resident they won't get me a unit 2 bull (actually either sex) tag but they would pout me in pretty good standing for the hybrid tag.

car

OMG! I hadn't looked them up yet and at that price there is no need to take a look. To give you a little more information on what I'm looking for. I had planned on moving to Wyoming and doing a lot of scouting in Colorado for a place to elk hunt on my own. At this point, I'm not going to be moving to Wyoming so doing a lot of scouting in Colorado and hunting on my own is not looking good. With accumulating as many points as I have, I don't want to blow it trying to do it by myself. Being that I'll be hunting alone and I'll be 60 next year I figured its time to bite the bullet and go through a outfitter. I don't have to hunt next year but within the next few years would be nice.

Big Uncle

With the point creep you might be able to catch up with first season 76 or a unit 61 tag in the next few years. The creep makes it somewhere between difficult and grim to catch the best tags for a NR. Of course waiting for the better tags lets Father Time catch up with us as hunters as well.

A RFW hunt for a NR can be expensive, and even normal guided hunts in the better units are going to cost somewhere in the $5,000 - $6,000 range.

I found Frazier's site (http://www.sportsmansdream.com/Frazier/). It might be worth the time to contact him. Good luck with all of it.

Rob in VT

Several years ago an elk hunt was 8k. I can't speak to what it is now or if it is 15k+.

I can say that my land is across the highway from it and I can watch large herds of elk with nice bulls. I still say it's worth sending an email to inquire.

Rob in VT

Unit 61 is running 16% on drawing a 2nd season rifle tag with 18 points. I don't think 15 would draw.