Colorado Elk Hunting

[Powerstroke]

PS, I'm reading this about once a week just to keep my mind fresh about what I need to be learning for my elk hunt planning.

Thanks so much to all the guys who share their knowledge on this board. This is what its all about.

[HooknHorns]

It's funny how the smell thing came up when talking about base layers. I just started to notice my cabelas ecws top stinks no matter what I wash it in. Now I'm thinking more about clothes than the rest of the gear for a backcountry trip. I might have to start hiding stuff from the wife.

[minky]

Any tips on optics? Thanks minky

[Scoot]

Now I'm thinking more about clothes than the rest of the gear for a backcountry trip.

My opinion, and the opinion of many seasoned elk vets- boots/socks are the most important piece of equipment you'll have on the trip (after your bow/arrow/sight of course). Next, your sleeping bag- your life can literally depend on it. Next, tent for the same reason. Next, a good pack that will allow you to hunt with it on your back AND carry a medium sized load of elk meat out. Having a pack that'll let you do both is not so easy to find. I tried to cut corners and save money on middle of the road packs and finally bit the bullet on a good pack. It made a world of difference.

I'd rank clothes somewhere after those things. The truth is, you're going to stink! No matter how hard you try not to, if you're working hard enough, you'll smell. I carried Sea to Summit little soap tabs that were little squares that are contained in a dental floss-looking thing and a very tiny, light child's wash clothe. It worked great and made a big difference. Still, I smelled dang bad when it was done. That being said, having a merino wool shirt really makes a difference. After that, merino isn't nearly as important IMO (other than socks).

[HooknHorns]

Does anyone personally know of anybody taken chlorophyll pills before a hunting season for the purpose of lowering body odor? I think it would raise the chance of success when the "spray down" option is absent.

[Scoot]

HnH, I've never heard of anyone doing this. I'm guessing it's been done, but I don't know of anyone who has tried it.

The truth is, the vast, vast majority of guys who shoot an elk stink! Even truck hunters who aren't backpacking away from trucks, and more importantly their sun showers, soap, and towels usually smell pretty badly pretty quickly. Honestly, the fact that I clean up in the back country isn't nearly so much to try get a better chance at shooting an elk as it is for me to be able to tolerate myself. If I don't wash up and try keep my head inside my mummy sleeping bag, it's a very bad combo. Using merino wool and washing the stink off each night helped me sleep at night without making me gag while I tucked my head in from the cold air. No joke.

Keeping stink has a lot more benefits to the hunter than it does to your odds of shooting an elk. If the wind/thermals are wrong, you're going to get smelled- simple as that.

[Cheetah]

Keeping stink has a lot more benefits to the hunter than it does to your odds of shooting an elk. If the wind/thermals are wrong, you're going to get smelled- simple as that.

Agree 100%. Hunt the wind and the thermals, forget the scent magic tricks.

[HooknHorns]

Thanks guys wasn't looking for a gimmick or anything. It just seems half of the stories of hunts ended with the wind swirling and the only shot opportunity going down the drain. I realize it's going but like to increase the odds if I can. My hunts from home and bear camp I'm strict on scent control. So it's hard not to think anything different.

I apologize cause it's seem like I'm starting to steal this thread. I will place other post in another thread.

[frogtosser]

Hey scoot, where should I apply for an elk tag if I want to be able to go on a hunt in about 5 years? I was wondering about state and permit area. I am not ready for an archery elk hunt now but plan on it by then, after I get some mule deer hunts in and some experience out west. Any tips and advice will help.

[Scoot]

I apologize cause it's seem like I'm starting to steal this thread. I will place other post in another thread.

Don't sweat it, HnH! I see this as a general elk hunting info thread, so if you've got questions or comments just fire away.

[Scoot]

Hey scoot, where should I apply for an elk tag if I want to be able to go on a hunt in about 5 years?

frogtosser, I'm not sure I understand your question. Do you mean where should you apply for points for the next handful of years so you can apply to a limited entry tag in about five years?

You definitely don't need to get preference points to go and have a great hunt in five years. However, if you know you're going to go in about five years and you'd like to find an area with good elk numbers and limited numbers of other hunters, I'd suggest you get points.

LMK if that's what you're asking and I'll respond.

[PFUNK]

Just stumbled across this thread and wish I had seen it earlier. Been lucky enough to hunt elk the last several years and have learned a ton over that time. Lots of good info has been shared already but I'll try to keep checking in to add my advice where I can. Some things I can't stress enough:

1. Take care of your body (especially your feet). Drink way more water than you think you need! You will sleep better and hunt longer and harder.

2. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS play the wind right. If it is not in your favor the elk will win 99.9% of the time. Plan your daily hunt with knowledge of what the thermals will be doing at given times of day.

3. Every time u set up to call, make sure you are in the right position. Visualize how that elk will come in to your calls. It is easy to set up half heartedly, especially if you are having tough luck. You may get a single opportunity for a shot, so make sure you are set up for success.

4. Trust your instincts and your decisions. Hunting with confidence is huge when elk hunting. It is not easy and failure is far more common than success. But, you learn something from every failure. You learn what not to do. Try to pinpoint what is going wrong and don't repeat those mistakes.

5. Start early and end late. Be up and on the move well before daylight so that you are where you want to be as day breaks. Be comfortable finding your way to and from camp under the cover of darkness.

6. If you think you are hunting slowly, slow down even more. You'll go out there thinking elk are big, loud, and easy to spot. They are big and loud, but you will be amazed at how well they can disappear in the timber. If you move unconfortably slowly, you can spot them before they spot you. But rest assured, if you want to kill a big herd bull, you will need to fool many sets of eyeballs.

7. By far most importanty, HAVE FUN. It is extremely difficult, but with thats comes extreme satisfaction!

[frogtosser]

I meant the latter, I am not planning on going for a few years so I was just looking for an area with a limited number of hunters and good population of big elk. I have heard the "strip" I think its called in Arizona takes like 10 years worth of points to draw a tag. How much is it to apply for a preference point, I couldnt find it online when I was looking.

[Scoot]

AZ ends up costing $158.75 for an elk preference point. AZ has some of the best hunting for elk in the US, but it takes at least a decade of point collection to even sniff some of the better units. There is decent elk hunting to be had in AZ in five years, but that's definitely not where I'd suggest.

ID and CO have lots and lots of great options for archery elk hunts that are OTC. Similarly (sort of), MT has left over tags for elk or elk/deer. All three of these states have great opportunities and the chance for a great hunt is always there.

Also, NM has no preference points at all, which means it's a random draw. If I had no points anywhere and was planning on hunting elk in five years, I'd definitely plan on two things: 1) getting points between now and then in some state(s) and applying to NM when I did apply.

If I were in your shoes I'd do two things: 1) I'd definitely apply to WY for the preference point only option, and 2) I'd think about applying to the MT.

For option #1 WY has a pref point only option that'll cost you $50/year. Apply between June and Aug and you'll be able to draw a ton of great options in five years.

Option #2 is trickier and will cost you more. Right now there is no points only option in MT. There's rumor that may change for next year, but nobody knows for sure right now. If it doesn't change, you can get a pref point by applying for the Elkhorn unit. There's a <1% chance you'll draw this tag. If you drew it, you'd have a once in a lifetime hunt and you should go on it whenever it happened. Much, much more likely is you'll never draw it and you can simply choose to get the preference point and not take a general license if you don't draw the Elkhorn tag. The bad news is that with this option you only get 80% of your fee back, so you lose out o 20% of the over $900 application fee (if you apply for elk/deer combo- it's about $100 less if you just apply for elk). So, this option is expensive, but a decent option if you're interested.

There are other states and options too, but that's what I'd be looking at if I were in your shoes. Others may have a different take on it.

[DonBo]

BTW, if you're at all interested in AZ, their apps are due in just a few weeks.

[frogtosser]

Thanks scoot, Wyoming is probably the route I will go. I just have to figure out the best area for big elk.