CO Public Land Elk

[Walkitoff]

I tagged a cow at 10,905 in a wilderness area on Sunday in Colorado. This is my third season hunting Colorado and my second Colorado public land elk. Here are a couple of observations, which other Colorado public land hunters might find useful, and which might prompt additional discussion on how to successfully hunt elk on public land in Colorado:

1. Once the Snow Flies, the Elk Head for the Lower Elevation: in Montana, where I grew up, the elk seemed to stay high until the snow was either crusty or 18 inches deep (or better). In Colorado, at least in the unit I hunt, it seems to be the case that as soon as the snow flies, most of the elk head immediately for lower range. I was fortunate to harvest this cow at high elevation, but there were not many elk up high, and I ran into two hunters on the pack out that had killed elk at lower elevation. My conclusion: there isn't much of an advantage (other than getting away from other hunters) to going high once it's snowed heavily a time or two.

2. When Hunter Pressure is On, the Elk Retreat into the Timber Early, and Return to the Openings Late: I noticed this trend last season, on a back country archery hunt. It applied this rifle season too: the elk seemed to be retreating from the openings into the timber early in the morning (before 7:00 a.m.) and not returning until near dark or after. I shot this cow 20 minutes before dark, at the end of legal shooting light. My conclusion: be on the openings early, and stay as late as you can.

Perseverance prevails. Good luck to all you public land hunters!

Doug

 

[HighDesertSage]

This is solid advice. My buddy took a bull in the PJ's on Monday. Snow was up high. Public land OTC....

 

[JWP58]

Thanks, I'll be putting that advice to good use next week (Sun, mon, tues).

 

[sbhooper]

I have killed a number of elk in Colorado and I agree with you. I was always amazed at how little snow it took to make them move. At least it seemed that way in the areas that I hunted. In some cases, I think it was snow combined with hunter pressure that actually made them move.

Your second point is pretty much status quo for elk.

 

[Sheepdog_holsters]

Area 3 and 301 for third rifle, any suggestions? Trying to get my dad, my daughter and I cows.

 

[idnative1948]

Good info Walk. First choice is heavy timbered ridges with room to bed. Second is the bottom hell holes especially if it is still warm so they can get down in the shade.

 

[Magicman]

Congrats on a successful hunt, and the information is spot on.

 

[rmyoung1]

Hey, Walkitoff, you don't know your butt from third base much less anything that remotely has to do with elk or elk behavior.

I bet your hunting buddies are idiots, too.

 

[Walkitoff]

Rmyoung1 - everything I know I learned from one hunting buddy in particular; a misguided former Montanan who runs too much.

Let's hit the woods soon!

 

[rmyoung1]

Lookin forward it, buddy!

 

[Camo123]

No Elk

I just returned from my first real elk hunt in the Gunnison National Forest in Colorado. We got a late start and did not start hunting until Monday of this past week. We stayed after it for 5 days and hiked many a mile from 8,000 to 10,500 feet. We never saw one elk! We found a spike that some one shot and left deep in the woods but it appear to have been there for at least one week or more. We spoke with the Biologist with the Forest Service since he was out riding the National Forest on his four wheeler about mid week. He told us that there were very few elk where we were since most were WAY back in the forest in deep HIGH country and they had not been moved down as of yet due to weather. He suggested that we go hunt the Black Canyon area and we tried that one day but all we saw were a BUNCH of hunters with most telling us they had not seen an elk either. Are we that bad at scouting for elk or have you guys found that same thing. We were in the Gunnison National Forest near the Crawford area. We love being outdoors but I can not believe we did not see one elk. We saw well over 100 mule deer but no elk. We had snow on the ground and saw very few elk prints. We hunted 6 different areas throughout the forest and same thing every place we went. Bright moon and clear skies with lows in the upper 20s. Highs in the mid-to-upper 50s. We did get some snow on Friday morning otherwise it was calm and clear.

 

[dmserpa]

Same story out of Basalt,,, snow on top but Elk were headed down, pnly one sighting in six days, deer were scarce also. Neighbors that were 10 yr veterans of the area said this yr was the worst they've seen???

 

[jlmatthew]

I just returned from my first real elk hunt in the Gunnison National Forest in Colorado. We got a late start and did not start hunting until Monday of this past week. We stayed after it for 5 days and hiked many a mile from 8,000 to 10,500 feet. We never saw one elk! We found a spike that some one shot and left deep in the woods but it appear to have been there for at least one week or more. We spoke with the Biologist with the Forest Service since he was out riding the National Forest on his four wheeler about mid week. He told us that there were very few elk where we were since most were WAY back in the forest in deep HIGH country and they had not been moved down as of yet due to weather. He suggested that we go hunt the Black Canyon area and we tried that one day but all we saw were a BUNCH of hunters with most telling us they had not seen an elk either. Are we that bad at scouting for elk or have you guys found that same thing. We were in the Gunnison National Forest near the Crawford area. We love being outdoors but I can not believe we did not see one elk. We saw well over 100 mule deer but no elk. We had snow on the ground and saw very few elk prints. We hunted 6 different areas throughout the forest and same thing every place we went. Bright moon and clear skies with lows in the upper 20s. Highs in the mid-to-upper 50s. We did get some snow on Friday morning otherwise it was calm and clear.

I dont believe you, the CPW says we have over 260,000 elk, you should have been tripping over them!

Just watch the Colorado segments from the last few seasons of OYOA, shooting an elk in Colorado is too easy and Colorado is the greating hunting State in the west!