First time Colorado elk hunt

[Ian McCririe]

I am planning my first elk hunt for this fall, and have chosen Colorado. My dad my wife and I will be going with me on a 9 day backpacking hunt. I have backpacking experience and my dad has plenty of camping experience. My wife and I live in Wisconsin and my dad lives in southern Michigan and we plan to arrive at our hunting area 3-5 days ahead of season to acclimate hike in and scout. My dad and I are more interested in legal bulls (they do not need to be big) and my wife only seems interested in cows, which was a large part of why 54 might work for us. Here is where the questions start. It looked like I can buy over the counter either sex tags for unit 54 in second rifle season, is it realistic to think that all three of us can just buy then over the counter when they go on sale or are they going to sell out in a flash? We are all training, my dad however is in this 50’s, are we getting in over our heads or is the trip realistic with training? Should we be applying for tags instead of banking on over the counter (we have no preference points)? If 54 is feasible as a hunting unit I was thinking about hiking in (several days ahead of season) and setting up camp in the northwest area of the west elk wilderness. I am planning on this all being a learning experience, but I would like to avoid any major pitfalls so we can simply enjoy a season learning how to hunt elk so please feel free to give advice.
Thanks for reading,
Ian

 

[8andcounting]

over the counter or unlimited

 

[Pagosa]

1st Season 54 either elk sell out quick. Usually about a week. 1st season bear tags sell out quick too. There are other units you can draw with zero points that are good units too. 54 is steep and high.

 

[rmyoung1]

Ian, congrats on taking the plunge and getting serious about your first elk hunt. You'll have a great time in fantastic country. CO is a great place to hunt elk. I was just looking over the regs and it looks like 54 had second season cow tags available as leftovers. Assuming everything stays the same in '14, your wife can apply for one of those cow tags through the draw and escape the OTC with caps rush. She will also pay less for the tag.

I do have a word of caution. GMU 54 in late October can be a pretty cold, snowy place. Your backpacking ideas sound like fun but they sound like archery season plans. If you're heading to that country in late October, I would find an outfitter who can provide you guys with a drop camp. You'll still be hunting on your own, but you won't kill your wife in the process.

 

[Jwill]

Agree with Pagosa. If you're not playing the preference points game, find a 1st season either sex tag that you can draw with 0 points. Check to make sure your wife can draw a cow tag with 0 points in the same area, but there should be several units with leftovers for cow tags in 1st season. Shorter season, but better odds of success, generally a little bit warmer, quite a bit fewer other folks in the woods, and you should be catching the tail end of the rut.

 

[drthornton]

I agree with rmyoung1...your plan sounds like an archery hunt.

I have never been to 54 but I know 2 crews that hunt it. Both use horses to get into good Elk and both say they would not go in without horses.

54 has a good herd and higher chance to find an older age class bull mostly due to the difficulty of the terrain I would think. I would suggest 1st season riflle and hiring either a drop camp or a packer to haul you and your gear in deep.

You can draw 54 1st rifle with 0 points for Either sex

 

[one ate E grain]

On the Colorado Parks and Wildlife web site go to the drop down menus on the L where it says "hunting", click on "Big Game" and under that heading click on "Statistics", under that heading go to "Elk" and under that one go to "Estimated Harvest" and pay particular attention to the success rate.

Some places have low success but a guy on foot can access the thick timber, other times there just aren't many elk. 54 doesn't look that great to me.

I usually car camp low and hike high every day. Temps second season dip to the twenties at night and there can be lots of snow and lots of cold up high,, or down low. Second season is also often when the elk start to move down. Low is 7500 to 8K, high is 10,000.

Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife have experienced hunters manning the phones just waiting to answer questions like you probably have, give them a call.

Somebody is going to be shooting some elk this fall, might as well be you and your wife and dad.

 

[rmyoung1]

Low is 7500 to 8K

If you find 7,500 feet in the Gunnison Basin it's because you dug a 1,000 foot well.

 

[EODRay]

This is what GMU 55 (adjacent unit) can look like in the third rifle season at 10,000ft. 1st might be better if you are planning on backpacking it. Good advise on options already given.

 

[drthornton]

I think "Estimated Harvest" is one of the last things you should look at when evaluating a unit. There is no way to know what type of hunter had those tags.

54 is it's own DAU(41) which makes evaluating population really easy. At last count(2011) there were 4,280 Elk in 54. With a Bull/Cow ratio of 24/100 that's over 1000 Bulls just in 54. For first rifle there were 335 Either Sex tags last year....That's 3 Bull per person! With allot of the Elk habitat being public it sounds pretty freakn good for a 0 Point draw to me.

Low harvest rate is more than likely due to access and terrain difficulty. Solve that and you could have a pretty fantastic hunt in 54.

 

[Pagosa]

I was mistaken 1st 54 is a draw but you can get it without preference points. I was thinking about 2nd season. The 1st season will be your best chance of filling an elk tag.

 

[Redwood]

Right away my concern is what happens when someone shoots something. How are you going to keep it and pack it out. Depending on when you go makes one easier and the other harder.

 

[EODRay]

I think "Estimated Harvest" is one of the last things you should look at when evaluating a unit. There is no way to know what type of hunter had those tags.

54 is it's own DAU(41) which makes evaluating population really easy. At last count(2011) there were 4,280 Elk in 54. With a Bull/Cow ratio of 24/100 that's over 1000 Bulls just in 54. For first rifle there were 335 Either Sex tags last year....That's 3 Bull per person! With allot of the Elk habitat being public it sounds pretty freakn good for a 0 Point draw to me.

Low harvest rate is more than likely due to access and terrain difficulty. Solve that and you could have a pretty fantastic hunt in 54.

Good point there. I have hunted 54. I'm one of the ones that added a 0 to the hunt harvest. I will tell you that it's very vertical and tough terrain. Depending on how hardy your father is, it's something to take into consideration. Hight altitude is something that takes more than a few days to adjust too. Thin air up there. Whatever unit you choose, it might not be a bad idea to do some training in an altitude mask. Have your father set one to 10,000 ft and get on a stair climber. It may change your mind about where you want to hunt. Don't get me wrong, you can do it. I just want you to have a good hunting experience.

 

[HighDesertSage]

What is an altitude mask?

 

[Walkitoff]

Ian,

Elk hunting with your pop and wife will be a blast, but I'd modify my plans a bit.

I agree with the crowd here, a backpacking camp in that unit in October could be a recipe for disaster. That area is notoriously cold, and as others have identified, it's high. I think you can expect snow, even as early as late September.

My rule of thumb (with limited exception): once the snow flies, deep back country backpack hunting is over. You're too far from help, and getting wet and cold is likely (unless you really know what your doing). It's just too risky. I think you're far better off (from a safety perspective) in paying for a drop camp.

 

[Zach]

What is an altitude mask?

Mainly used by low elevation runner, it restricts oxygen/air to simulate high altitude.

 

[EODRay]

What is an altitude mask?

There are other kinds but this is an example.
http://www.trainingmask.com

 

[Ian McCririe]

Thanks for all the replies! So it sounds like I might need to change my plans a little. I’m not sure if we can afford a drop camp. Would going in the 1st season change anything as far as backpack hunting goes? If not, I had also been looking at unit 53 but it looks to be very similar terrain from what I can tell off of google earth. Would we be in any better shape in one of the surrounding units? Unfortunately the local guide for 54 does not pack out meat for people who are not clients. What is the farthest you would consider packing out an elk? Keep in mind that there are three of us, and my wife and I are both in our twenties and she was a college athlete. I would like to have an idea of how far out our range should be from a trailhead.
Ian

 

[Devil Diver Down]

"How far can you pack an elk?" is a question that varies greatly by terrain, equipment and individual. Some people can do 6 miles and others would have trouble with 600 yards. You have roughly 1 1/2 months before the app deadline and training began yesterday. Or the day before.

You should all have good packs, start with minimal weight and start hiking medium grade hills. Work your way up from there both in weight and grade. Depending on the unit you hunt, terrain will be a variable; weight will not. Use the next 45+ days to assess your own ability to pack additional weight, then extrapolate. Elk are big animals and hauling them out is hard work - having meat go to waste is not only a true shame, but against the law.

I'd definitely consider 1st season and maybe a unit that's not quite as ^^^^ although that comes with the territory in CO. I'd also consider going OTC as it will allow you to modify your plans if needed past April 1. Chasing elk is a ton of fun and you're going to want to do it again and again. Your first time out will mostly be learning the ropes and what you can/can't do, but good fortune might smile on you right away, too. I'd definitely call the CO Dept of Parks and Wildlife a couple weeks before the app deadline and ask questions - they can help you out. Have a great hunt!

 

[JohnCushman]

The Co DPW website also has what they call the Elk Hunting University that has a lot of good tips and information. I would also recommend elknut's playbook if you plan to do any calling.