First Colorado Archery Hunt: Elk or Deer?

Hi Gents!

I didn't grow up hunting but got into hunting white tails in Oklahoma about 3 years ago. I have killed 7 deer (3 with a car, 2 with the bow, & 2 with a rifle). I hunted almost exclusively WMA's in Oklahoma. My wife and I and our almost 2 year old made the move to Denver in May of last year.

Now that we've settled in, I am venturing into western hunting this year and am trying to decide whether to chase elk or deer. I am hoping for some of those with more experience to give some advice on what would give me a better chance at success.

I am not afraid of working hard but will most likely be limited to being able to hunt around 10 days, likely broken into 2 or 3 trips. For that reason I've thought about trying to Archery hunt to take advantage of the earlier season and to allow more days for me to hunt. My job would lower the days I could hunt the later into the year.

Is that thinking mistaken from the reality of your experiences? I've started researching areas and am drawn to the NW part of the state (north of Glenwood Springs) and the south central area of the state (San Isabel forest).

Thank you for any advice!

- Sam

I've been once, so don't take my advice as gospel. However, when I go again, I'm going deer only, especially if you're by yourself. The one downside is that there are no OTC deer tags in CO [EDITED TO ADD: You're a resident, so I'm probably wrong), so you have to commit and apply for one. I hunted elk for 5 days and didn't see or hear squat, but I saw mulies every day and had a real nice (for me anyway) 4x4 at ~30 yards. The other bonus is that if you get one down, packing out a deer is less of a challenge than packing out an elk.

3 deer with a car? That's not normal.

You'll see more deer and have more opportunities I would think.

Deer tags are a little harder to get, but not so bad for archery. Elk is over-the-counter in many units for archery (and rifle if you want bull-only). I have not even tried muley hunting with a bow, because elk hunting during the rut is so exciting (when everything goes right). But a previous post makes a good point about deer being much easier to pack out.

I found my best elk hunting spot while I was sheep hunting (yea, they are wayyy up there), so don't be afraid to try something and then adjust. We are all still learning, but being out there is the best part, so don't be afraid of buying the "wrong" tag. And if at all possible, why not hunt both species at the same time?

ChrisS said:

The one downside is that there are no OTC deer tags in CO [EDITED TO ADD: You're a resident, so I'm probably wrong), so you have to commit and apply for one.

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This is correct for Residents as well. All Deer tags are Draw-only. Many can be drawn with no points or as second choice (or even leftover), but you do need to apply (deadline is April 4). You can see what points required were in the draw recaps here (the tutorial is a good idea, as well: http://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/Statistics-Deer.aspx)

ChrisS said:

The other bonus is that if you get one down, packing out a deer is less of a challenge than packing out an elk.

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This is certainly true if you're solo. If you decide to hunt Elk solo, have a realistic distance from the truck in mind where you know you can manage 3-5 round trip packs and make that your stopping point. Probably a couple of miles max, depending on the terrain.

Personally, I think mature mountain Mule Deer in September with archery tackle is one of the most difficult pursuits. Does and small bucks less so, but still challenging. Not that public land elk aren't, of course.

Really - since you're new to the country, I'd find a unit where you can draw a deer tag and hunt an OTC elk tag (many GMUs will fit this criteria) and spend as much time as possible learning the unit. Knowing the landscape and getting intimate with a spot or three by putting boots on it is the most important thing you can do when starting out, IMO.

Thank you guys so much for the advice. I will have a guy hunting with me for since he will essentially be scouting while hunting with me for muzzleloader. I hadn't even thought about hunting both species in the same unit. I think that is a great idea and I definitely will do that. I want to still put in for something that I have a really low chance of drawing for so I can still get a point though. Maybe one of the ranching for wildlife hunts.

My thinking has been that I would definitely rather eat elk than deer but really would be happy with anything. Mule deer buck or doe or a cow or bull. A legal bull is definitely at the top of my list but I would be happy to just get on the board in colorado (and yes 3 deer with a car while I was driving, a passenger in 3 more). I am also planning to hunt antelope with a rifle in the northern part of the state.

On a side note, my wife and I hiked four miles in the snow (in boots) today south of Georgetown, CO. It was about 1200 feet elevation gain on the two miles up. Granted it was in the snow but crap, I have some working out to do...

I will keep posting updates of where I am at in the processes. Thank you all again for your suggestions!

Okay so new question(s). 1. How much attention should I pay to elk population estimates within a given GMU? And 2. How much stock should I put in success rates? I lean toward units with lower hunter numbers and subsequently lower populations.

I know that all of this is dependent on how much work I am willing to put in and my expectation of success. I plan to take a few scouting trips, that my wife will think are "camping" trips. I hope that this will pay dividends come opening weekend. Not so much find elk but educating myself with the landscape and getting ideas of where to camp, glass, travel routes, and potential feeding areas.

I would be thrilled with a legal bull but honestly hope to spot a few decent bulls (I've never seen anything other than cows and a spike in person), and have an encounter or two.

I don't like to look at harvest rates too much, other than to identify outliers. Big factors in harvest rates are often out of your control: amount of private land access, poor weather conditions or lazy hunters. The unit I elk hunt has about a 12% archery success rate, and I've personally had at least two shot opportunities every year. I would be 100% success if I could control my elk fever.

Edit: You do need to keep in mind the impact access has on the success rate. Some units the success rate for public land might be near 0, but you can't figure that out from a flat success rate alone.

If you are looking for success I would hunt deer but the wild wild west there is nothing like Elk hunting. You've taken a few deer so why not go for something more challenging. If its truely a successful hunt you are after (mind set on meat) stick to your hometown and slaughter some deers.