CO third season unit

[02350FC]

I've hunted a few years in unit 231 but it had a bit of traffic, hard to glass, and I personally have had zero success. I was sent up north of Steamboat last trip and tracked an elk in the snow but got busted. I have been looking into units 4 5 a bit and was exploring the south west corner of the uses land in 4 with some blm off chutes but was a little worried that that might have too much pressure which is always hard to know. I'm going with a good friend and I'm tired of tag soup. We work hard will hike to hell and back if needed but just want to earn a good hunt and that freezer of meat.

 

[jlmatthew]

You sound like a lot of guys that hunt Colorado. I'll give it to you short & sweet. The CPW sells a tag to anyone who wants one as you already know. This mass of hunters pounds the public land. The elk herd up and head straight down for private land which is either outfitted, leased or no hunting allowed. I suppose you used to be able to get back in far enough on public to find em', but now with the wannabe Cameron Hanes Sitka/Kuiu hunters, and horseback hunters swarming the backcountry, even that is getting harder from what I've heard.

And that is how they are able to sell OTC tags. Sure a few elk will get picked off here and there on public, but for the most part they're very safe on private with minimal harvest happening. How many successful hunting shows have you seen that have been filmed in Colorado on public land in OTC area's. Even the hypocrits "No Fences Here" Eastmans' clan don't dare waste time on public land in Colorado.

 

[T Bone]

I usually archery hunt, but the last 3 years have been the exception. I've hunted the last 3 years OTC in either the 2nd or 3rd seasons. My experience has been different than the above post. There are a lot of elk here. I hunt the vertical. I can see a lot of it from my house .

2014 I hunted rifle because my Sept was filled with hunting Mtn goat. I passed on 7 small, but legal bulls in 3 days in hopes of finding a mature one. Didn't happen. I filled the freezer with an OTC B tag cow elk on Thanksgiving day.

2015 I hunted 3rd season. Packed in and set up camp at elevation. I hunted much higher than most in 3rd in hopes of avoiding people. Hiked up the ridge mid day and sat and glassed....Bingo, at last light a single big bull stood up in brush and I scrambled to get in range, darkness beat me. The next morning I saw over 50 elk in the first hour of light and killed a decent 5x6 at 80 yards. Also killed a B tag cow in deep snow later that year.

2016. 2nd season. Season was a cluster because I was building a house. I pack in at 2 am....and I'm where I want to be at 6am...First light glassing reveals, a lot of elk including 4 legal bulls. And deer. In my pocket I had a bull, cow, and buck tags. Temps were forecast to be hot, so I committed to kill only one critter. 20 minutes into legal shooting light, the smallest bull tumbles down the mountain. I could have punched all three tags if the weather were cooler or if I had packing help.

Elk aren't unicorns. They are all over the place. Spend time in your boots before and after light. Glass. It works.

 

[marksjeep]

I agree with T. Bone. There are elk all over the state, and no, they don't all magically disappear onto private come hunting season. Will some of them? Surely. But if you research the habitat, research the access, and put in the miles to separate you from the herds of hunters, you have a good chance of finding elk in any half-way decent unit.

 

[LuketheDog]

Elk aren't unicorns. They are all over the place. Spend time in your boots before and after light. Glass. It works.

Yep, we hunt 4th season for deer in a unit that is described by most folks as a waste of time for elk, and yet we see them in there every year...

 

[Dinkshooter]

Seriously, If a person actually puts in a solid season of hunting elk in Colorado and does not shoot a "legal" elk, they either passed them up or they should pick up golf.

 

[jlmatthew]

The OP was asking about 3rd season in GMU 4 & 5, I just tried to tell him what its like there. Calm down everyone :W:

 

[JohnCushman]

Seriously, If a person actually puts in a solid season of hunting elk in Colorado and does not shoot a "legal" elk, they either passed them up or they should pick up golf.

That's why I haven't gotten a bull with my bow yet. I get monsters on trail cameras and hold out for them, passing up cows and raghorns. Come the last week of the season when I'd shoot a raghorn or cow, they seem to disappear. Oh well, I'll try again this year and not be picky.

 

[Dinkshooter]

The OP was asking about 3rd season in GMU 4 & 5, I just tried to tell him what its like there. Calm down everyone :W:

Pretty much looks like a statewide overview to me.

 

[jlmatthew]

Pretty much looks like a statewide overview to me.

Could be applied statewide in OTC, never hunted in the SW so don't know there, but I do hunt the Yampa River Valley. Hunter numbers are downright ridiculous from Archery on, on public ground. Sure do see a lot of elk on the private driving up to the public. Sorry to insult your hunting prowess, but a lot of guys watch these Primos or Eastmans videos thinking they just need to bugle up every draw and canyon and 350" bulls will come in on string for easy pickings.

 

[Jasher]

Never been there but I'm going this year for 3rd rifle also. From what I have read about the area it gets hit hard during 1st season.

 

[02350FC]

Seriously, If a person actually puts in a solid season of hunting elk in Colorado and does not shoot a "legal" elk, they either passed them up or they should pick up golf.

Dink I hunt my ass off and I'll send you my gps track as proof . Maybe I'm doing wrong but work is no object for me. I am a wildland firefighter so this country is my home!...

 

[T Bone]

Dink I hunt my ass off and I'll send you my gps track as proof . Maybe I'm doing wrong but work is no object for me. I am a wildland firefighter so this country is my home!...

I'm not Dink...but I'd guess you'll do fine. I hunted with a Hotshot in ID for a few years. The guy was a mountain machine. Just remember to STOP moving and glass, glass, and glass.

 

[squirrel]

You mention tracking AN ELK... ONCE and getting "busted" well if you get busted by elk 3 times/day for 10 days you will end the trip with a whole lot higher elk IQ than you started with.
Once you learn to track elk and whack them in their beds you can take those skills and kill elk anywhere if you get the right conditions. And the knowledge you gain will help you whack them when conditions are not right.

It is very demanding, but you claim that is no object. The stuff you learn from the act of tracking is the most important, where why when... and there is the old adage of they are always standing in their last tracks. But many a snapped twig and thundering hooves lesson will precede that final lesson.

 

[02350FC]

T bone thanks! Squirrel you have a good point and that's why I took off on the trail. I've done it twice once I tracked for almost 10 hrs over miles and through blowdown beetle kill it was brutal I was gassed by the end but got busted and the second time which is what I was referring to here went a little better but I should have slowed down in the end would have gotten the job done I think part of it is you know your hours behind them. I also would like to be in country you can glass a bit more but it was good elk habitat just makes it hard to leverage your area with out being able to cover more ground. Thanks for the engagement gents you have my wheels turning on possibilities to make the ground a know a little bit from two years ago better.

 

[squirrel]

Most elk hunters do not need a better unit, they need to be a better elk hunter, and the first step is growing a bigger pair. It is brutal, when done right, and after the boom it gets worse.

If you do the tracking thing you need a rifle, knife, and your big boy pants. Compact quality binocs are nice for when you are in the herd as the rifle/scope thing gets heavy and catches on branches. But contrary to all the adds that's about it. You don't even need more shells, what's in the rifle will last all season. (sometimes even if you hunt with a Ruger #1!)