Possible DIY Colorodo OTC 2nd season

drewkzoo · Apr 18, 2017

Hey everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to look at this post first and foremost. I'm trying to put together a possible 2nd season OTC elk hunt this year. I had intended to put this off 1 year in order to have more time to save and get some gear. However, this past week my hunting buddy and good friend was in a car accident. It's made alot of things clearer and shown me that if I wait to do this then I may never.

What I'm wondering is if anyone could offer any advice on units that offer otc and relative good hunting. I'm willing to work for it, but could use a little bit of starting point. Thanks for any help.

Drew

JohnCushman · Apr 18, 2017

You need to get gear together before you worry about coming out West. Coming out ill-prepared could not only be miserable, but could end up dangerous.

drewkzoo · Apr 18, 2017

I'm going to ensure that we have the right gear that we need, just may make some budget related decisions that were going to be put off by a year.

SFC B · Apr 18, 2017

Like Cush said, be mindful of the importance of planning when you are talking about hunting in the "big woods". I hunt 2nd season at between 9 and 11,000 feet and have seen temps from about 65f to -15. You never know what the weather will be and dealing with altitude adds another variable. Always err on the side of caution and carry survival equipment. As for a unit, I would focus on the units with the White River herd. Contact the hunt planners at CPW (it is a free service and they can answer a lot of questions) and scan this site for previous threads on equipment, planning etc. There is a LOT of info on here to be farmed.

wannakillabigbull · Apr 18, 2017

Where are you coming from? If you're driving, then sticking the side of the state closest to home probably makes a lot of sense time wise. There's good hunting in many units, and it would be easier to dish out advice if you can let us know if there's a region that makes sense for you. My guess is you're coming from the East. If you're looking into west or southwest Colorado I can give you some pointers on places to start. Contacting a hunt planner would be a great idea for sure.

02350FC · Apr 18, 2017

I have a pack and gps for sale of your interested. Cabelas has some good elk hunting sales in august and September usually and the classified section here may help as well. Be prepared a lot of that doesn't take money but thought. Fire starter, lighters, batteries spare batteries, paper maps, compass (they don't lie), etc I'm sure you have that under control I think it was elk nuts website that helped me pack my pack the first season. As far as finding the honey hole unit I think we are all in search of those pastures. And in the season your talking about I think most on here would give you a portion of their anatomy before their post rut meat locker. (I haven't found mine I'm just speaking from my experience of searching for direction)

02350FC · Apr 18, 2017

I will say I was lucky enough that with some PMs I was told to look else where which will turn out to be invaluable.

nrpate05 · Apr 19, 2017

You've got a decent amount of time to figure out a unit to hunt. There are good elk numbers in most of the OTC units, its just a matter of figuring out where the elk will go once they have been pressured. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Hunt Atlas is a really good resource that the state offers. It shows summer range, winter range, migration routes, etc. Also, the regional hunting guides will show you success rates and the number of hunters for each season. I wouldn't stress a ton about picking "the best" unit, necessarily. I would use Google earth to your advantage as well. It can really give you a boots on the ground feel without actually setting foot in an area. Part of what I really enjoy about hunting is doing all the research before the season. Makes it feel like hunting season is longer than it is!

rkieson · Apr 21, 2017

The CO Parks and Wildlife has an Elk Hunting University which is free on their website. Lots of valuable information there too. If you want to spend a little money Elk101.com has an online course with lots of information also. Then go to the CO Hunting Atlas. It also has files which you can overlay that the concentration areas, travel corridors, etc.. information on Google Earth. I am going out for the same season. It will be my first elk hunt. Lots of information online free or little cost.

Possible DIY Colorodo OTC 2nd season

drewkzoo

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JohnCushman

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drewkzoo

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SFC B

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wannakillabigbull

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02350FC

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02350FC

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nrpate05

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rkieson

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