bhunter50

I am from illinois and plan on traveling out westin the next couple of years(colorado, wyoming, utah, etc.) and hunt elk on a self-guided hunt. What are some of the best options and locations for someone wishing to hunt public ground for elk (self-guided) with archery equipment.Let me know anything you think I need to consider.

NH306

Dude take sharp knives! I went with a buddy last year over in unit 21 and 22! We just spot and stalked! Little bit of a learningcurve but we were getting dialed in! I'll be going back next year and maaybe I can get it done. If you have any questions pm me and I will send you a bunch more info.

BeaverJack

Man, talk about a loaded question. First of all, you need to narrow your geography down. In some states, you are prohibited from hunting wilderness areas without an outfitter/guide. Decide how you plan to access the elk. In early seasons, they are high. In late season, they are low and usually more accessible from roads. Don't forget, you'll have several hundred pounds of meat to get back to your camp, and then to your vehicle, if you camp away from the road. I'd start by deciding what your means will be to access the elk, provide a camp, and get the meat out. Are you going to rent horses? Bring you own? Will you be using an ATV? Do you have backcountry camping gear? An RV? Do you prefer to hunt from alodge or motel? Having decided those things will help you narrow your public land choices. If you can tell me those things, I'll tell you what I would look for next.

bhunter50

i would plan to either camp in tents or stay in a motel. i will be going with a buddy or two. we will have an atv with us. i definitely have the means to set up a nice camp. what months are they high (im assuming like august-september) and what months are they low? what time of the year do you suggest BJ, no pun intended. No outfitter wanted. what kind of help can you give me now, anyone else jump in if you can help???!!!

bsurplus2003

LOLOLOLOLOL..................beaver jack.......LOaded question, no kidding, Well go to Walmart and by the "self guided elk trip for 2" your choice in states, "enjoy your elk with Idaho Potatoes, or Washington Apples...........lol
JUST FOOLin dude ...
Brett

billybob1234

the elk move down as the snow starts flying. the elk will be at the timberline and then the move down in elevation to getout of the deep snow. I would suggest you hunt in colorado because i think they still sell over the counter non-resident tags. In wyoming you have to draw a tag and the better the unit the harder it is to draw

Alsatian

For a first time elk hunter from Illinois doing a DIY hunt, Colorado is probably a good state. You might consider doing a cow elk hunt. The tag is cheaper and easier to obtain. You want to give some consideration as to when you want to hunt and at what elevation -- these are kind of linked together, as already discussed. The elk tend to stay up high, from what I have learned by reading and talking to people, until during or after second Colorado rifle season . . . because the moderate to heavy snows typically do not arrive until middle or more likely late October (somewhat heavy snows came during first rifle season in 2006, which I hunted and was led to believe was pretty unusual, although not unheard of). "Up high" means about at timberline, maybe 11,500 to 12,000 feet altitude. In much of Colorado, public land is up pretty high and the lower elevations may be privately owned with attendant steep trespass fees required to gain access for hunting.

A good recommendation is to start off reading some general books on elk hunting. Also, go to the Colorado Department of Fish and Game (or whatever the equivalent state agency is called) web page, go to their hunting web page, and order a copy of their Colorado Big Game CD for elk. This CD provides invaluable information on draw odds, location of game at different times of year, and success rates. Study this information carefully. One salient piece of sobering information that can be gleened from this CD is the low success rate of hunters -- perhaps 25% or less. Keep in mind that some highly seasoned, experienced hunters have much higher success rates, thereby indicating a probability of less than 25% of first time, non-native, DIY hunters. I'm not disparaging your plan, just trying to bring you to reality. Plannning and other homework activity certainly can improve your particular odds over not planning and not doing homework on this activity. My first elk hunt in 2006 was a DIY hunt, and I made many mistakes. I think it was a valuable learning experience. I'm planning to go back in 2008.

Being in excellent physical condition is important. Strong legs for constant climbing is necessary. Aerobic conditioning for stamina and endurance to hunt all day for 5 to 7 days with minimal recovery time overnight before having to shake it out of bed and get hiking back out before dawn. If you have not spend several days hiking in the mountains at timberline you might want to go out for a backpacking trip just to see what it is like, to find out if it is your thing. I've been out to the mountains many times but I went out for an overnight backpack/scouting trip in July 2006, and this was a wake up call for my conditioning effort. I was actively conditioning, but I kicked it up a notch based on that overnight trip. I was glad for this increase later, but it still didn't make it a piece of cake even then.

You should have a GPS, it doesn't have to be an expensive one or a topographic map enabled one. Learn how to use it before you go out. Most valuable, in my opinion, are features to mark positions (like where you parked your truck, where you had lunch, where you turned off the trail, where you left your elk meat from your kill) and navigate to any of the marked positions. Take extra batteries. Take a back-up compass and maps.

Have quality sunglasses or mountaineering goggles. At 11,500' the sun is like a knife gouging into your eyes glancing off of boulders and/or snowfields if you don't have good sunglasses or mountaineering goggles. Take lip balm.

As suggested, have a plan for getting the meat out. A realistic plan. Take a backup knife. Keep a knife with you when you are out hunting. Do not plan on dragging your kill back to the truck. Most likely you will need to deal with your kill at the kill site. Even horse equipped hunters gut and quarter the elk up to get it into portions manageable for packing on horses/mules. You might expect an upper limit of 200 LBS of deboned meat from a mature bull elk. If you plan to pack out the meeat on your back you should definitely debone all the meat.

Use clothes which retain warmth when wet (not cotton) and readily dry out. Wool is excellent in this regard. Others like synthetic fleece. Plan to use layers of clothes which can be shed or put back on as you heat up/cool off or as weather changes. Plan to have a means for drying clothes overnight. Being cold all the time can grind on you quickly, so having a way to warm up at night is a good idea. Use good quality hiking/hunting boots that are well broken in. I have read that the hunters who cover the most miles -- 8-10 miles per day on average -- see the most elk, generally. I use Meindl Perfekt Hunters from Cabelas, but surely there are other boots.

Hunter_59

Alsatian said it all, think about what you want in a hunt then do some research. Colorado still sells otc tags so its very easy for a non-resident to hunt but you need to do some research on the available units for otc tags or start getting into the draw in other states. There are plenty of people on this website to help you out but narrow down your plans so that we know what you're interested in.

camelcluch

Check the terrain of the areas you are thinking about. There may be areas more interesting to you than others. I hunted north Idaho and it was straight up and down. Here in Co. there is a huge rage of terrain. Find something you like a start from there.

bhunter50

alsatian, thank you for some great info. I do realize that this trip will require a lot of intense planning, i am just trying to get a foundation to build on and you have certainly set that for me. i have found the colorado state website a little difficult to navigate around but have been reading the regs and units that are possibilities. with the trip a ways out (2-3 years) i am already excited but am trying to make it the best i can by planning early. I hope to make it an annual trip if possible.