1st time Colorado OTC tag

Good evening,
A friend and I are planning our 1st western hunt. We are planning a 2nd rifle OTC Colorado hunt and hope to have a mule deer and elk tag so we both can hunt.
I've narrowed my search to unit 751, 75 and 43. I was wondering if anyone has any experience on which units have the best animal numbers.
Also curious which units, in your experience, had the most hunters. We are hoping to go OTC and have some solitude (impossible I know, but we're hoping for the best)
Thank you and God bless

Do not know those units but my advise on OTC units is to go 3rd season. You will have about 75% less hunters, at least that is the way it is in the unit I hunt.

No such thing as OTC deer tags. Draw only

3rd season you will have less hunters but most likely more weather. Just something to consider. I myself do like 3rd season tho. Elk are sometimes more predictable with some snow.

Colorado has the most elk and with that comes the most hunters. I've been on more than 20 elk hunts in Colorado, I love elk hunting in that state, but you have to be prepared to distance yourself from the crowds. Colorado attracts a ton of first timers and intermediates. It seems to always be the state that everyone starts with. Not all of course, but the majority seem to do a lot of base camping from their vehicles. If you plan on 3-4 mile remote camp pack ins you will be so much more ahead of he curve. Take every trail head on your National Forest Map and circle 3 miles around it. Look for the places that are not inside those circles and I think you will do just fine. I also try to pack in from non-traditional points. Meaning don't park and go in where everyone is going in. Even if you do run into a few guys way back there, they are usually much more stealthy with their hunting tactics and they are not much of a problem. Plenty of elk to be had, just get off the road.

Last thing, don't hunt from the pack trails. Get off those and you will be pleasantly surprised.

sound advise treeline. Packing in during the rifle season can be a challenge in its self. Tenting in snow is not much fun. But that is the best way kill elk by far.

Michigangunner, You are so right about rifle season pack ins. A couple more things I would add.

1. You never know when you are going to be up against serious snow that time of year. It could be 60 degrees or could be 18 inches of snow overnight. Personally, I would invest in a pair of snow shoes and make sure have one of the cheap plastic sleds. Snowshoes are actually very effective in the backcountry, if you get the right size... Make sure you get the 30" or so model, that way you can handle both your weight and the weight of your pack. The sleds they use for ice fishing are pretty cheap and have tall sides. That will make your life much easier getting camp and meat in and out in the snow. If you don't end up using it your kids can ride hills in it when you get home.

2. For late season hunts particularly, if you can afford it, I would go with one of the light weight Tipi Tents. There are lots of companies and models coming out now. Those things along with a packable stove are an absolute dream to hunt out of. They have so many advantages to a regular tent in the snow and cold. You can walk right in standing up with your boots on, that is amazing in itself. The stove is key in late season, you can use to warm up as needed, they are great in the mornings and you can dry clothes so fast you won't believe it. You take the tipi, poles and stove and divide the weight up between the guys sleeping in it and it usually ends up lighter to pack in than a regular tent.

I have found that we are using a tipi now in every season. Sometimes, we just don't take the stove. I'm getting ready to write an article on using Tipi's in the backcountry, I love them.

I would like to thank everyone for your helpful responses.
I think I am going to get a OTC cow tag as there are more cows than bulls, the tag is cheaper, and their movement is more predictable (their activity is year-round based on being near reliable sources of food)

If that logic is wrong, please someone poke holes in it

It took me until my third trip out West until I finally killed a bull. The mistakes I made on the first two trips were not allocating enough time to scouting and not being in the field far from any roads at first and last light. Since I was new to mountain hunting and had never been in the area I didn't feel comfortable hiking at night in 20 degree snowy weather. Most public land bulls will not be out in the open during daylight hours but you can sometimes catch them within the first or last few minutes of light.

Another mistake I made on the first two hunts was not packing any warm weather hunting gear. I was so paranoid about being cold I didn't pack any lightweight gear and fried in the sun during the last three days of the hunt when it was 70 degrees outside. Prepare for weather in the 0 to 70 degree range.

The most important thing I've learned after taking a few public land bulls is to learn to enjoy the scenery and not be so focused on putting meat on the ground that you forget you're not working and are in some of the most beautiful country on earth. Every hunt is awesome out West and enjoy the experience.

Somewhat related to this topic, the OTC Elk tags go on sale July 25, 2017 9:00 am MST. Only about 27 weeks to go !!! Can't wait !!