Elk hunting
 

looking for an afforable elk hunt out west,willing to pay but cant afford the 5 to 7k price tag on the big outfitters,open to just about anywhere tags are easy to get,drop camp style,trespass fee etc,looking for a 2013 hunt. any help would be great..Thank you! can also do a swap a hunt deal here in eastern iowa for whitetails.563564otwo86

places where we have a real good chance at some nice bulls

I was going to say Washington has OTC tags out the ying yang!!!!! but they are for meat hunting...and your last commnet was about decent bulls!! If you want to hunt elk and eat the meat, cause i can tell ya them antlers don't tender up no matter how long ya cook them!!! I can show you where I go...............it's spike only but they be real tasty!!!! them big bulls stink to high heaven and be nasty tasting!!!!! about all they good fer is burger an jerky/sausage!!! and that still tastes like crap.........eat the meat from a nice young cow or spike ...then chow down on some big old 6X6 and tell which tastes better!!!!! ..................if ya wanaa hunt elk give me a shout!!!!!

Colorado has an extensive over the counter tag system. Most of the western GMU's are OTC, while the ones closer to the front range and metro areas tend to be draw only. Some units aren't hard to get draw tags either, keep in mind, while others, takes years. The best chances for big bulls lies typically on private land, and in draw units. There are decent bulls on public land, in otc units, but you will have to do some hiking to get to them. I think you are going to spend $500 a tag or close to that for out of state fees, plus your gas spent, etc. The main two seasons to hunt are second rifle, and third rifle. If you want to try it, do it yourself, and save a bundle. Just leave that 223 at home, lol.

Keep in mind when a tag is easy to get for you. It's easy to get for everybody. Expect huge crowds.

You couldn't pay me enough to hunt an OTC unit.

thanks guys for the info...we have a lot of research to do,thinking new mexico,ive been to wa. on a guided hunt and it was the worst experience of my life,i knew more about elk then are guides and i know nothing. wapiti creek outfitters was the name. not really thinking wa. st, lol.what do you guys think of those drop camps on privite land?

well here again we have a difference of opinion...I only hunt OTC areas except for an occasional cow tag....which by the way is in the same unit I hunt alll the time!!!
fairly flat ground, a few rolling hills a little sage brush knee high grass and very few trees....great area for this old man and his arthritic soon to be replaced knees!!!
Very seldom see anyone else except at a great distance!!! all public land!!!

You know how Colorado is. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry comes here to hunt elk. OTC tags are made for them.

I prefer to hunt Muzzleloader, 1st or 4th rifle seasons that don't have OTC tags.

It all depends on where you hunt really. I hunted in 2000, in unit 55. That was the last year of the rather cheap out of state tags if you recall. 2001 is when Colorado spiked the cost to almost double. Alot of people besides us jumped up and came out here to hunt to beat the price increase. What we saw, was a lot of campers, etc. on the edge of the national forest land, because the trail was too harsh to drive on, a slew of fourwheelers on the trails, but when I hiked back into the wilderness area, I saw maybe 1 or two hunters, while walking in. Most of the camper commandos stayed within a short distance of camp I think, since wilderness areas are non-motorized. So if you stick to the easy areas to hunt, you will see plenty of the same kind, hunting the same area. Just like deer hunting, if you walk further in then what average joe is willing to do, you'll leave the crowds.

Unit 55 will have 1200 hunters from just the draw this year for 2nd and 3rd seasons. That doesn't include the OTC hunters. Hunters are smarter than they were 10 years ago, because of forums, and know they have to hike in further. If you go deeper into the wilderness you run into the outfitters who think they own all the public land. The elk will move to private lands.

No thanks.