Elk hunting Questions

[nturpin]

All, me and a small group of friends are going to bow hunt Colorado this year. We are all in our early 30's with zero western elk hunting experience. I have killed an elk in our home state of Ark. But, that's the extent. I have been doing the majority of the online scouting since I have the memberships to OnX and gohunt. I have a few questions that I haven't found the answers to yet. My first question is about burns. When does a burn become too old? The areas I am looking have had burns but most are in the 5 to 7 year old range. Another question is timing. We seem to be pretty set on Sept 1st - 9th. We want to be ahead of the muzzleloader season and logistically we can't go before the 1st. How do these dates fall within Randy's scale of where the elk will be in relationship to their biological phase? Lastly and maybe the most difficult to determine is. How do I predict or anticipate hunting pressure? We will be hunting by backpack and really plan on staying fairly mobile and not marry one area unless it seems worthwhile. I am looking more in wilderness areas or in areas that border private land. Any help or criticism is greatly appreciated.

 

[Backcountry Hunter 2]

As far as anticipating hunting pressure, I'm not sure you can. You, or anybody, can't predict what other people will do. A good rule to follow is that people will be close to roads and trail heads. Staying away from those, or using them to your advantage is a sound strategy IMO. For burns, as far as I know in the series that Randy is putting out he is going to talk in depth about burns, or at least he eluded to that. For timing, whatever gives you the most time in the woods is what I would go with. The more time you are there, the more chance you'll have to figure them out. You can't shoot an elk, unless you find an elk.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Timing on the burn is entirely dependent on a number of factors. These include burn intensity, burn speed, slope aspect, type of soil, amount of precipitation, type of vegetation cover, and so on. A SE facing slope of Doug Fir that experienced a downhill burn (slow and high intensity) will take many more years to regenerate than a N facing slope of Lodgepole that experienced an uphill ( fast) burn.

As to your question about hunting pressure, it’s my belief if it’s a wilderness area I’ll go somewhere else.

 

[Irrelevant]

In terms of timing 5-7 yrs afterward is going to offer great browse in 95% of burns. I still find great browse in many that are 15-20 yrs old (excluding LP thickets, but they're great security cover). Sept 1-9 can be either pre-rut or rut depending location and weather. I've never enjoyed hunting during that time, but tons of people do and find great success. Pressure in CO will likely be high, it has the most hunters, but it has tons of elk so it may not be a deal breaker.

 

[Mntbiker]

I moved from Colorado over 20 years ago and have gone back to backpack archery elk hunt almost every year. It is my opinion 5-7 year old burns are great to hunt. I also seek out wilderness areas to stay away from the sheep and cows and look for areas with heavy blown down timber that horses can't get through. My favorite time to hunt is the last 10 days of the archery season and I try to stay a 2 to 3 hour walk from roads or trailheads. If I am hunting new areas I stay out late at night walking trails and ridge lines bugling and listening for a response, it is my opinion the elk are more willing to answer bugles after it gets dark when they feel safe, if I don't get a response at night I move to a different area. Enjoy your Colorado hunt, mine is the highlight of each year.

 

[Redman]

Definitely listen to Randy on the burns video, he mentions them in some podcasts too. I have seen big changes in hunting pressure and I bet everyone who hunts CO will agree that in the past 10 years it has increased. It is public land hunting and it is hard to say. I hunted muzzleloader season last year and ran into more bowhunters than MZ hunters actually my hunting partner was the only MZ hunter I saw. Remember MZ hunters have to draw and most archery is OTC, so don't let that be the deciding factor. The worst thing in my opinion is hot weather. I can deal with hunting pressure, full moon, rain, sleet, snow, but high temps make it very hard to get on elk during legal shooting light. The past few years have been hot.