What method does one (with no personal experience or hear say to go by) pick a unit. Ive been steadily researching and nothings seems to stick out. I have a hard time reading the statistics without knowing the cause of some of the higher success rates or lower success rates or units with leftover tags. Are there just that many elk in some units that they issued way too many tags...did people not buy the tags for that unit because it's a poor unit? Hard for a NR to figure this stuff out with limited info to go off of. I just want to see an elk in the wild lol. Im not picky. Willing to work for it. I know lots of guys say that and dont follow through, but only time will tell I suppose. Ive disected the Colorado DOW's webpage and just as confused as I was in the beginning. I understand people don't want to give up honey holes, and Im not asking for them. I just want to know the thought process when picking a unit to apply for. Myself, Id be happy with a cow, but Id like the back country experience in doing so.

I have been very successful using this link as well as Google Earth....

http://ndis.nrel.colostate.edu/maps/

You said that you had been researching DOW's page and maybe this one. I say "forget statistics" and look for Summer areas with lots of "lines' and go there. Winter areas are generally after the third season.

For example, look at areas 86 and 861 West of Walsenburg. There are some "HOT" spots there.

I'd look at the S and SW parts of the state...Pine Beetles have damn near killed the north and NW lodge poles in that area. Not natural food but sure is bare!!!!
I lucked into a invite on a ranch 35 miles from home!
Just mio dos centavos worth.
Dan

I go to unit 78. A friend of mine used to go to 78 every year before he got too old. He told me about it 3 years ago and I've been going since. North east of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Lots of OTR available and for the first rifle season 9 out of 10 draw successfully every year.
Honestly I don't know where is best but that's where I spend my money.

Personally, I mainly look for wilderness areas. This way I don't have to compete with any road hunters, and I know I can walk in just as far or farther than anybody else to find elk. Then I look at the harvest rate stats for the past three years or so just to get a feel for what is or was there. Then I narrow it down further by looking at topo maps, and google earth, and finally talking to wildlife officials, and or DNR, and even locals.

my perspective is as a NR...I know you can build more pts by drawing a quality 2nd choice tag therefore being able to hunt every year just about while saving pts for some of the best units...as you will gain a pt if you do not draw your first choice.

Its different for me because I grew up here and the areas we hunt were picked long before now, based on family access and proximity to home.
If I were coming here for the first time I'd consider areas 80 and 81 for the wilderness experience and the potential for 'seeing' elk.
Where there are lots of elk there will be lots of hunters. I prefer seeing fewer hunters and takingthe chance that I might not see as many elk. Last year I picked out my elk from a herd of 150...I saw elk.

I think you might be right.

I'll keep digging. Thanks for the advice thus far!