CO, UT, NM or WY for Elk 2013
 

First time going Elk hunting in 2013. These are the states we're considering for a DIY Rifle Elk Hunt. Where ever we go will be the beginning of our years of scouting and research on the area. Travelling from Nebraska.

Seriously considering Colorado due to the tag prices and Elk population. But we don't want to rule out other states for a quality hunt for a couple hundred dollars difference.

Utah seems like a pretty attactive Elk destination, Wyoming has gotten very expensive for tags and New Mexico is on the top of one of our guys lists.

I'm not sure if we're going to DIY camp, Drop Camp or Stay in town somewhere yet as we're just getting the plans going now. I figure there is a lot more Elk hunting experience on this board than what I can make up on my own. I am in the process of reading books on Elk hunting right now, but they don't substitute for boots on the ground experience like many of you have.

We're all experienced Whitetail and Muley hunters, so we're not newbs, just newbies to Elk hunting.

Your replies and insight are appreciated.

Im from NM. Ive hunted elk all over this state. The south west mountains and the extreme north are probably the two most popular or sought after hunts. The Gila wilderness and the Chama valley.
The Gila holds some huge bulls. So does the Chama valley, tho not as frequent. The cost for out of state hunters in NM is ridiculous.
The Gila is great but far...few places to stay if you want a lodge or hotel setting. Chama valley is the same way. Camping is really the way to go. Archery seasons are pleasant in both regions. The rifle hunts in the Chama valley can be at times extremely wintery. It's a crap shoot, drought, unseasonably warm weather, drought, fire, drought and lack of water have changed the game.

You're not going to get tags in UT nor WY without lots of bonus points. You could get lucky in NM but NR odds are only 2-10%. The lower tier quality tag I drew last year has gone to 6% odds. However, NM is a 100% draw state if you want to pitch in an extra $1,200 or so for landowner tags. That still leaves CO.

do you have no points?

I'd at least put in for a premo unit in NM and cross your fingers, other states I'd probably put in as a backup/main plan rifle elk hunt.

I think UT has some otc units etc... so don't expect monster bulls really anywhere with low points.

tag costs honestly is the least of the equation, I'd pay 1000 for a quality tag/hunt than 500 for junk, after all is said and done that's a 500 difference in expense on your overall hunt.

If you are talking a group going and you have no points in any state for elk, your only real choice of those states IMO would be Colorado. Idaho is another possiblity as they sell some OTC licenses with caps. Some areas in Idaho are hard hit by wolves, so research specifics there.

So our small group, none of us have points in any state... I appreciate the insight from you guys, and we're wanting to get started here and need to get points racked up for that primo, giant bull hunt but may never come to reality.

Not really even sure where to start putting in for points, except maybe CO or NM...

Plenty of great hunting in Colorado without any points. Just go with either archery or rifle OTC. Lots of pub lands full of elk to chase after.

no points in NM, apply as a party for one of the best units, ie you either all draw or none of you draw, you could even do this for not 1 of the best units but still a good unit, either way you either draw or not.

essentially any state you can get points for you probably should.

of all the states, I'd say at least buy a WY point this year.

AZ, UT, NV would be long term elk plans at least for me, ie... 5-15yrs away.

CO, is a good 1st year option and has points.

MT's point system is a bit goofy, they have 2 draws kinda, it's pretty odd/confusing.

NM(great unit) and CO(backup/OTC unit) would probably be a good plan with a point in WY.

So I think we're gonna shoot for CO this year and put in for a point somewhere. Now just need to figure out what unit to put in for or do OTC for in CO...

I've hunted elk in CO for the past two years; a semi-guided hunt with horses and a backpack hunt this past October. Hunting in CO can be rugged as we found out this year, almost too rugged for this 61 year old. Next year we're going to try for a semi-guided hunt in NM in at lower altitude.

You can go online and purchase the migration routes for elk, and they can be downloaded right to your Google Earth program.

Nitro I and a couple fo friends went and tented for 9 years in CO for Elk and Deer. We hunted the White River National Forest just outside of Dotsero followed the Colo river north approx 25 miles and headed up into the 9500 ft range. We had some great times and killed a few animals. Seen some great ones but the ladder years the four wheel drive clubs were pushing the Elk deeper and deeper into the mountains making it much harder to reach them. You might want to consider renting a couple of horses if not for the travel at least for the hauling out of the animals when they are down. I shot a Bull back in a long ways one day with my flintlock and on the way out that night after quartering the animal for the haul the next day, I ran into a old timer on the trail back by camp and his advice was to take a coupe of loafs of bread back in with me and eat him where he lays, I never forgot that. The experiences were of a lifetime ! My best advice is to " Pick Good and I mean Very Good hunting buddies" your life might just depend on them. GoodLuck

Go to CO this year and get your feet wet while buying a PP in Wyoming this summer (7/1-9/30 is the application period) for $50. That should get you a general tag in the 2014 drawing for a lot of units. However, be aware that Wyoming will probably be raising it's license for a regular tag to about $750 and you will have an application fee and Conservation Stamp to buy if you draw, so those will add another $30 or so.

A few thoughts. Monster bulls are not easy to come by, any where, any time. A monster bull is, by definition, a statistical exception -- a 95th% bull or a 98th% bull. As a general rules, hunters don't stumble onto monster bulls: they arrange to hunt in a limited permit area that is known to have monster bulls. This usually involves building many preference points and maybe paying lots of money to get hauled in by an outfitter and guide.

DIY elk hunting is complicated. You don't learn all of this by reading books. If you want to hunt elk, you need to bite the bullet and get out there to hunt. You will learn a lot by doing it, though your prospects for taking an elk -- either a cow or a modest bull -- may be very slim during your first elk hunt. If you want to "jump start" the elk hunting learning curve, you might go with an outfitter and guide. Maybe you can learn more rapidly from a guide? I've never done this -- just throwing out as a hypothesis.

Elk are high in the mountains in early seasons and stay until driven down by moderate to heavy snow. You need to match your hunting season and hunting unit with an understanding of where the elk will be. If you get a late season license for a unit that is all over 10000', the elk will likely all be down on low altitude winter range during your hunt and access via 4 wheel drive truck is probably impossible anyway. If you get an early season license for a unit that is less than 8000', the elk are likely to be up higher. In some places, low elevations are predominately private lands; high elevations are predominantly public lands. This stuff has to be taken into consideration.

If you DIY, you will need a comfortable camp near your elk hunting area. Generally hunting out of a motel is difficult. For example, if you stay in the hotel and have to drive 90 minutes to where your park your truck and then walk an hour to get to your hunting spot . . . what time do you have to get up in the morning at your hotel to be on hunt at say 6 AM? If you are not comfortable, problems can develop. Having safe heat in your tent is something to work out. How you will get meat back from your kill site to your camp is something to figure out. Getting meat from camp back home is something to figure out.

In Colorado you can apply for first season rifle and depending on the unit may get drawn. If you fail, this gives you a preference point next time. You can select a second choice which is the second season which is 100% draw. Select your unit with understanding of seasonal distribution of elk. You should buy and study the Colorado Department of Wildlife "Big Game CD." This has a wealth of information on draw probabilities in different units, success in different units, elk distribution seasonally in different units.

Partly you need to do research; partly you need to get out there to find out what you don't know yet. It is a great experience.

Speaking of which, has any of you ever tried to take meat back home as checked baggage? Do most airlines allow it? The times I've traveled out of state for a hunt, I usually drove. I've been looking into an elk or buffalo in the future and do not feel like driving out west.

Great post Alsatian and one that my experience echos. I will add this to the mix. If you have ever thought about hunting elk do it. Waiting will only reduce the number of hunts you will be able to go on. Once you start to hunt elk you will want to do it forever.

I always drive. No problem bringing back a cut up, packaged and frozen or refrigerated deboned elk in a 156 qt cooler with ice packs. Our trips last 3 days and the meat is the same at the end as when we pack it.

One way to care for meat during a long drive home is to store the meat in a cooler with dry ice. You don't necessarily want to freeze the meat solid -- unless it is already cut up and packaged into meal sized packages -- just keep it cold. Put dry ice in the bottom of the cooler, 1/4" of newspaper, and then the elk meat in canvas bags on top of the newspaper. Close the cooler and tape it shut with duct tape. The tape slows the loss of the dry ice and reduces the outgassing of CO2 into the vehicle. I've heard it said that it can be dangerous to have too much CO2 leak into a vehicle: the driver can fall asleep from lack of oxygen and then have an accident. Urban legend? I don't know. I occasionally open all the windows while driving to let the air circulate just in case. A nice thing about dry ice is that it doesn't pool as liquid and doesn't wet the meat. Also, it doesn't leak out of a cooler, like a cooler with a crack in it or with a poor drain plug, into your truck. Speaking of which, do put a tarp under your cooler in the truck. One year elk blood leaked out onto the carpet in the back of my Suburban. I got the truck detailed and the stain removed before the wife saw it!

Driving gives you some freedom that flying doesn't. You have your own vehicle there. You don't get bound into rigid schedules. What if you take your elk the last evening of the hunting season? Maybe it is two days later when you take out your camp and then the third day when you are ready to leave town? Maybe you get your elk on opening morning and are ready to pull out 2 days after opening day? If you have plane tickets, that may not be flexible. Also, the long drive -- speaking for myself -- is a good time to think about and get excited about the forthcoming hunt. I lose the concerns and worries of my home life and work life and get tuned into the wild and the mountains, slowly. If you are driving with hunting partners I'm sure this is all the more sweet. It is a great time for comraderie.

I have tried to pack dry ice which is widely available in the west to transport frozen game. It worked well but IMO was expensive and didn't do much more than our frozen jugs we packed in the last couple of trips. We processed my elk which I shot on day 1 about 4 days later and then froze all the packages including chunked up burger pieces. I packed them all into a 156 qt cooler and it filled it to the top. I added a few small jugs of frozen water and all the meat was still frozen 3 days later. I thawed out the burger fixins and ground them up when I got home and made sausage and it turned out great. Like you said Alsatian if you get an elk on the last day which is exactly what my hunting partner did. He shot the 5X6 15 minutes before the end of the season and we were set to leave at 4am the next morning. We got up and deboned all the meat after leaving it in a cold truck all night and then packed them along with some ice jugs into another cooler. The temp inside the cooler was in the low 40's when we got it all home after 3 days so that worked out great. Had we flown out we wouldn't have been able to deal with that last minute elk. I love a good road trip.

Where in Nebraska do you call home? I am in Montana but grew up near Elkhorn and have hunted many area of Nebr.. I actually have a 6000 acre hunting lease near Big Timber,MT that has elk, deer, bear and turkeys on it about an your west of Billings,MT. Might be looking for a couple of guys to go in on lease for 2013 would include both bow and rifle seasons if your interested let me know, I am not a guide or outfitter, just like to hunt and looking for someone who is a good respectful hunter(s)

Thanks guys. That's very true that driving will give me much more freedom than flying. I'm not a fan of long road trips, but I guess CO isn't too bad from IL...around 15 hrs? I'd love to get more meat back home, and I guess I didn't think about the fact that a tag can be filled at the very last minute.

The ice in jugs sounds like a good idea. It, like dry ice, prevents the meat from getting wet from melting ice. Ice in jugs may have a benefit that dry ice does not -- because ice is pretty much 32 degrees, it isn't likely to really freeze the meat. If you have packaged the meat, freezing is OK. If you haven't packaged the meat -- I do not package my meat in camp because I just don't have the kind of facilities I would have at home in my kitchen -- freezing isn't desirable (though it is not the end of the world either, particulary if the meat isn't entirely frozen).

How do you keep your jugs of ice frozen on the hunt? Do you take a deep freeze on a trailor and plug into a generator in camp? I ask because I have heard of people doing that. They don't have to run the generator all the time, either, just enough to keep a good chill on the freezer. When the outside temp doesn't get above 55 degrees during the day, you can imagine this would work pretty well. I don't have such a freezer or generator however.

I believe Denver is 1000 miles from Illinois. That is about 15 hours. But you may hunt on the far side of the mountains from Denver, adding maybe another 4 hours to the trip. If you are with buddies, you will switch off the driving. Some people don't like being cooped up in a car. I personally think of a long road trip as an adventure, and I always like it. I like it more when I'm with people to chit-chat with. My wife, by contrast, hates long road trips.

I should have explained I usually stay and hunt with a friend who bought a cabin in Colorado. A couple of years ago we bought a freezer for the cabin because getting a processor to do our elk was a long ways away and presented problems when an elk was shot late in the hunt. Both of us are good with doing our own butchering and the freezer allows us to have a ready supply of frozen jugs of water as well as being able to totally freeze the butchered and packaged meat. Several years ago we tried the dry ice and I was shocked at what that cost. We had large 2 coolers full of elk and figured we needed a lot of ice to keep it frozen. Since then we have discovered that we need little if any ice to keep a cooler filled with frozen packaged meat good for the 3 day drive home. Chilled and deboned meat put into the coolers with 3 or 4 quart sized jugs of ice will stay refrigerator cold for 3 days too. The secret to both scenarios is to not open the coolers until you get it home.

I have always butchered my own meat. I get a lot of satisfaction from this, and I am confident I do as good if not better job than a processor does. I keep my elk cold but not frozen on the way home and butcher at home. Possibly there is some aging benefit to the meat in this situation. I'm not saying there is. I myself would prefer to butcher in Colorado, package, freeze, and drive home with the meat ready to stack in the freezer. It just doesn't work out that way.

No disrespect to processors, but I know I'm getting my own meat, and I get precisely the cuts and sizes of cuts that I want.

David, I'm from Gretna, so if you're from Elkhorn you know the area. I might be interested in some more details re: the lease, but MT non-resident tags are pretty steep. Shoot me a PM and we can get some details.

I found out over the weekend that my primary hunting partner needs knee surgery in January so depending on rehab we might be iffy for 2013...

I appreciate all the good information guys, I really do. I realize that reading up and asking on an internet board is no substitute for boots on the ground experience, which is what we're ready to get. There is so much to learn about it and we can prep all we want, but it won't come together until we're there and doing it.

I believe that and with my wild game always age them over time before butchering. My personal minimum from harvest to butcher is 4 days when the weather and storage temperatures are Ok.

Exactly. Cutting meat requires a few steps and skills but anyone can learn how to do it through being shown or even a tutorial on the internet. I have been hunting for 50 years and can count on my fingers the number of times I have had a game animal processed.

Ouch. I looked at a map of CO and didn't realize that the hunting areas are all on the west side of the state. Oh well, it's not like I'll be elk hunting every year, so what the heck. I might as well enjoy the scenery. I see most of the outfitters will quarter and pack the meat out, so I won't necessarily be needing a processor, especially if I'll be driving. Thanks for the tips.

Be careful! Outfitters typically handle the in field care, skin, quarter and pack. They will DELIVER to a processor, but the butcher fee is on you. If you are comfortable (and have the time on a trip) to take elk quarters, or a whole elk, and turn it into steaks, go for it, but typcially with outfitters the actual proceesing it into steaks/roasts is on your dime.

the other thing to remember, especially for folks like me from a TINY state like NH, is western states are BIG. I can cross through 3-4 states in a couple hours from my house. Out west, crossing one state can take days.

Lots of good elk country on the eastern and Central part of the state especially in southern colorado.

I hunt unit 11. I think you should have no problem drawing tags for that area. There were 1400 leftover tags for fourth season when I knew some people that went. I just got back from a dec hunt up there and the elk are crazy thick up there right now, the problem was there was to much snow and it would of been impossible for me to get an elk out with no snowmobile or atv. Only had a truck and most roads were not able to be driven on but I ended up getting a yearling when mom got away. But you should have no trouble drawing for the 1st-4th seasons up there. The late season in December is cow only and they give out less than 300 tags.