Next year three of us are planning on going elk hunting. We want to do a self-guided archery hunt. We are all in good shape and would like to get away from the heavily hunted areas. Is the archery season nearly as crowded as rifle season? Is mid September the best time to go?None of us have ever seen an elk so trophy caliber bulls are not of main concern.I have gone over the Colorado units and have a couple ideas but nothing set in stone. Any help choosing a unit for an unlimited license or specific site within a unit would be greatly appreciated.

Try unit 37/371 north of Dillon about 20 miles and turn left. Lotsa elk there in Sept. Weather's great too. Stay away from full moon week.

I agree with SILVERTIP about the full moon tip. I let my cousin pick the season in 2005 and the moon was so bright you could hunt all night if it were legal. mathewssotb22 What is the info that you have gathered so far? Have you looked at any maps or units yet? Do you and the other hunters want to hunt just bull or would you all want EITHER SEX tags? Are you going to hike back every year or do you all plan to backpack hut? Do any of your hunters know how to bugel or cow call? There are a hundred different ways to hunt elk. I would vote either sex backpack hunt the last two weeks in Sept SW Colo. Get atleast 4miles from roads and get high and glass the first couple of morning. Give me some ideas about the ?'s I asked and where you have looked into and then we could get a better idea. Delorme sell a Colorado Atlas and Gazetteer that shows also of public lands including some BLM, State and National Forest areas. It sells for about $13.00 through Midsouth Shooter Supply. I would start with that then order BLM land maps from the Bureau of Land Management for the areas your really interested in. -----Jovan

I live in CO and have bow hunted elk for the last 8 years. Your first step should be going to the Colorado Division of Wildlife webpage. There you will find the harvest results for 2005. Narrow it down to a few units that you would like to hunt in. Then contact the DOW office in that unit and ask to speak with an officer. They are usually more than willing to help you out. Ask a lot of questions. As far as when to hunt, the third week of the season is muzzle loader season. Once the elk hear a shot, you will not hear another bugle for a week and about 3 days. So, that being said. If you have the flexebility, I would hunt the first week of the season and the last week. The elks sort of let their guard down the first week since they have not been pressured in awhile. You can catch them by positioning yourself inbetween where they water and where they bed. The last 4 days of the season is crazy. The bullsgo crazy for hot sounding cow call. For some reason beginners think they have to hunt up at tree line. I have found most of the elk around 8-9,000 ft at this time of the year. Not to say ther are not any up high, but why work so hard if you dont have to. Unless you just want the experience. The archery season is not as congested as the rifle season but you can expect to run into 2 or so groups depending upon how far back you are. Ifyou do goway back, make sure you have cell phone coverage and can call a packer to the elk out. It can be very hot and themeat will not last long in the trees. Sorry probably too much info, let me know if you have anyspecific questions and If I can helpI will. Good luck.

Ok, I am a rookie and have hunted in 512, 19 20 28 and 18. The other guys are right in saying that there are people. We went in pretty far and still saw people everywhere. Three people with bull tags= $1500.00. Get a guide. The success ratio is low when compared to whitetail in the midwest even in the best areas in colorado. Hunting in colorado is over-rated. I reccomend wyoming. More space, fewer people and everything is cheaper, except elk tags. I livein coloradoand I am getting ready to start hunting elkin wyoming. Good luck. EJ

I agree wiith elkfreak and I don't think hunting in colorado is over rated you just have to be where the elk are, they can cover a lot of ground fast and ej suggested a guide that is good advice but three guys probally around 5k lots of moola.

Paru, I was probably still a bit sore from this year experience when I wrote that post.
We are gonna head out for a bow hunt this year on the western slope and see what we can find. I have got to get away from people when hunting! EJ