HuntingNet.com Forums - elk hunting question

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ORIGINAL: jrob_bfd

well guys i have narrowed it down to colorado 2nd rifle and looking for a drop camp outfitter to use. all suggestions on outfitters would be much appreciated

Colorado is a good state: lots of elk, lots of permits. Hunting both Elk and Deer has advantages and disadvantages. I guess you can shoot at whatever comes your way (be it an Elk, be it a Deer), which is an advantage. On the other hand, the saying "no man can serve two masters" comes to mind. It seems possible that one or the other of the deer hunt or the elk hunt is going to be neglected in some way. But that is your choice, I just wanted to at least voice this viewpoint so you can consider it.

Elk locate at different elevations at different times of the year. They like to be up high -- close to timberline -- until serious snowfalls occur. They get driven down by snow as the season progresses to progressively lower elevations. It is possible that a plan to hunt elk on private lands at low elevations early in the fall would be a bad plan because elk would be up close to timberline; it is possible that a plan to hunt elk near timberline late in the fall would be a bad plan because the elk would be at lower elevations (to say nothing about the question about how you transport yourself up to timberline and walk about in hip deep snow). So you need to take into consideration the seasonal location of the elk with respect to elevation. Granted you can't exactly predict things like the weather and the snowfall, but you still need to take this into consideration.

The "best" areas naturally are known and are sought after, so getting drawn may require many preference points and years of unsuccessful drawing. If you want to go elk hunting soon, you will want to apply in an area where your probabilities of getting drawn conform to your expectations. I recommend you order the Colorado Big Game CD 7.0 from the www.huntdata.com web site which includes the desired data. It also provides good statistical information on where elk are located when. It costs about $50.

Be in good shape. Stamina is more important than maximum power. Bench pressing max LBS won't do as much good as running 5 miles in 45 minutes. Get your weight down if needed. You will likely be hunting at over 10,000 feet where the air is pretty thin. You will likely be doing a lot of walking and up and down hills. The season, I think, may be 7 days long, so you need to be able to sustain this kind of fatiguing activity for a number of consecutive days. If you have never been hiking in the mountains, it might be worth taking a trip during the summer and doing some hiking -- begin at 9,500 feet and hike up to 11,500 feet over about a 4 mile trail and then walk back down -- to find out what it is like. Some people who have never been to the mountains have no idea what a challenge walking continuously up hill in very thin air is like. It is better to learn about this in the summer when you have time left for further conditioning rather than while on your elk hunt. If you aren't up to the physical effort, you're going to be sitting in camp or 200 yards away from camp -- not a recipe for success, probably. By the way, the goal is not to be in such good shape that you won't breath hard or won't have to stop to catch your breath. For a flatlander this is too tall an order. No, I think the objective is to be able to keep going all day long and to be able to set a reasonable pace. It is OK to stop and catch your breath as needed. But if you walk 10 paces up hill and then stop to breath for 10 minutes . . . the hunt won't go well.

You will want to wear the right clothes. Cothes that are warm when wet and which dry out easily are a good bet (wool, synthetic fleeces -- I myself like wool a lot). You will want to be able to layer your clothes. As you get warm, you take off an outer layer; as you get cold, you put the outer layer back on. Wear an inner layer of wicking fabric such as polypropylene or other next to your body -- long underwear pants and top. Have a warm hat.

Good boots are important. You will be walking a lot. If your boots hurt your feet or blister your feet you won't be walking much. If your boots don't provide good support for your ankles, you are liable to injure your ankle as you walk over uneven ground and/or over rocks, sometimes while walking in the dark, sometimes while these obstacles are hidden under 4" of snow.

There are no doubt other important considerations. Read books on elk hunting. Talk to elk hunters. Ask questions in forums like this one. Don't expect people to tell you a good spot to hunt elk, because this may involve them giving away a sweet spot that won't remain sweet when many people know about it. You can call field offices of the game department and ask those guys to provide you some advice and guidance on finding good places to hunt elk. You generally will get better responses all the way around if you show that you have done your homework in advance.