"It's not like you see on TV"

Very true.

I personally like a tasty young spike or cow...they eat so well and don't taste rank and nasty!!! and just a quick little note here ....no matter how long ya boil bake or broil them antlers they still are not fit to eat!!!!!

I always have a cow tag in my pocket while hunting my real game of choice........ mule deer bucks.

Gotta fill the freezer and there isn't anything better. Not to mention, if I go into December without fresh elk meat in the freezer my wife feeds me dog food.

My plan (if we get the trip together) is too buy a cow tag, bull tag, and Mule deer tag. I would love the experience whether I tagged on or not. I know that is load of money for an out-of-towner but I may never get another opportunity.

Just some advice, but if you are looking for an outfitter and want to hunt CO I suggest you contact Dick Dodd of Elkhorn Outfitters

http://www.elkhornoutfitters.com/

He has a huge amount of property under lease in Northwest CO and due to the huge herds of elk in the area he has access to a lot of bonus cow elk tags. He hunts under the Ranching for Wildlife Program on some properties and under normal guiding criteria on others. There are a lot, and I mean a lot of elk in that area and some great deer. Dick Dodd can probably help you if an outfitter is the way you want to go. Because he has the bonus cow tag you don't have to worry about drawing a tag and most of the bull tags in that area are over the counter tags. He also can arrange landowner vouchers if that is what you want. All you have to worry about drawing is the deer tag.

Now for the disclaimer: I have not hunted with Dick Dodd but I have hunted some of the ranches he has on a public Ranching for Wildlife tag. That means I had to get the ranch info and check in/out with him. He struck me as a good guy and there were a couple of times when he had his employees help us get elk out of the field when the weather turned. He didn't have to do that and he didn't ask for anything in return, he was just helping hunters out. If I was going to do a guided hunt and I wanted a bull elk, a cow elk and a mulie, Dick Dodd would be on the short list of people I'd contact.

# 1 You gotta see them, before they see you.

Let's start there......................!

Let me throw this out there.....When do you guys like to hunt? Early season archery/muzzleloader or later season rifle?

I really, more than anything, want to hear the bugle of a bull elk. Just watching it on TV gives me chills. I equate it to hearing the first gobble of turkey season.

You may not know it, but you have already answered your own question. Most states with elk have their archery and mybe their muzzleloading season during the bugle period. The rifle seasons normally are held after the rut. Now since the time of the rut fluctuates from year to year, occasionally the rifle seasons include the rut. So, if you want to hear them bugle you need to hit the rut which means early (mid-Sep seasons for the most part).

I can't speak for the rest of the people but I prefer to either hunt the muzzleloader season in my native CO if I want a bull and one of the late seasons if I want a cow. Since I'm normally more interested in the meat, the later seasons appeal to me. But then I grew up in elk country so I was always able to hear them bugle even if I didn't have a tag.