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Old 09-07-2011, 03:04 AM
  #10  
Blackelk
Typical Buck
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 797
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Champlain is 100% right on the Elk being a trophy for the first time. 300 class bulls are not just handed out on a regular basis. There's a ton of work and luck involved in a trophy elk hunt especially if your hunting public land vs private land. Trophy elk units take years and years to draw and there's no guarantee that will even get you one over 300 class. A 300 class bull needs to be somewhere around 4' tall and 4' wide with tines around 15" just to reach that mark. A 300 class bull in the woods is going to look like a monster. 350" and above will put the shakes in your trigger finger. And the last time I looked there was only something like 35 400 class entries in boone n crockett club since 2006 but I didn't look at last years entries. So that's all hype when an outfitter advertises 400" elk. If they are 400" they probably are penned or on a private ranch. Very few get taken each year and the odds are slim. Sorry about the trophy watch. LOL

Ktbearpaws, I would go first rifle season. The elk are still in rut at least they are in Colorado and large herds where you have a chance of seeing multiple bulls in herds. It's only 5 days to hunt but the best five days of the year. As far as an outfitter I'd worry more about location like being back away from people in a remote camp. DIY hunters score all the time and probably have almost as good as success rate after going one or two times into the same area and learning where the elk feed, bed, and travel from one place to the other. Watching and learning escape routes is a great way to kill elk year after year if your in a area with some hunting pressure. I like elk hunting because there is no absolutes and every year your going to learn something new. If you want to book an outfitter make sure you call the forest service and have a talk with them about the outfitter could save you a lot of headache. Good luck.
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