10%

[no limits]

I've read a few articles about only a 10% success rate on hunting elk or only 10% of the hunters harvest the elk. Now how true are these statements? I've seen many elk hunting videos where they have the opportunity to harvest an elk but it wasn't trophy quality so they passed the shot. Then went home empty handed. Should the percentage be based on opportunity instead of harvest? I believe it would be a lot higher, maybe 25 to 30% or maybe a little higher. If everybody was hunting meat instead of the head gear their would be a lot more dead elk.

 

[whitingja]

I think it depends on the state and more specifically, the unit. But as an overall average, 10% is about where it is at. There are those hunters who really put in the time and effort, and get elk yearly. Then there are those who just wing it, which really brings the percentage down. Cameron Hanes wrote a great article in the Extreme Elk magazine I believe. Ut talks about the different types of hunters, and the reality of the averages. Good article. Check it out. Some people don't care for Cameron, I think he is dang inspirational. Just my two cents.

 

[squeekieslayer]

I would say that seems about right.... that said, I think you have to be careful when you say an AVERAGE 10% success rate.

If I had to guess that number is very skewed due to the fact that the good hunters out there have a MUCH higher success rate than the rest. Thus that 10% success rate is made up of the same 5% of hunters than fill their tag 75% of the time, mixed in with a few guys that just got lucky.

Joe

 

[colonel00]

Sounds about right to me. As a flatlander from Kansas, I have had the chance to chase elk with a bow several times in Wyoming and New Mexico. Doing DIY hunts meant there was a tough learning curve and we weren't able to make scouting trips so that made it much tougher. By the third trip I think we were slowly getting a grasp on what to do to be successful. However, in the three trips, only one tag out of a total of 11 was filled. Granted, as others mentioned, those that have the time and knowledge to be in the woods a lot will have better odds.

 

[elkmtngear]

After hunting elk for quite a few years now, I believe that statistic. I think a small percentage of (experienced) hunters take the majority of the elk each Season.

If you are not willing to put in the time, and endure several unsuccessful Seasons, archery elk hunting may not be for you. For me, it's just about getting out there into the elk, in some of the most beautiful country on earth. Every encounter with elk is a success.

 

[Foldem]

Many of those videos are shot on large private ranches or on limited hunting units so it's not apples to apples if you're expecting to come to Colorado and be passing a bunch of smaller bulls in OTC units. Just my opinion anyway.

I've read a few articles about only a 10% success rate on hunting elk or only 10% of the hunters harvest the elk. Now how true are these statements? I've seen many elk hunting videos where they have the opportunity to harvest an elk but it wasn't trophy quality so they passed the shot. Then went home empty handed. Should the percentage be based on opportunity instead of harvest? I believe it would be a lot higher, maybe 25 to 30% or maybe a little higher. If everybody was hunting meat instead of the head gear their would be a lot more dead elk.

 

[HUNT]

That's been our experience also. I also think 50% - 75% of the hunters don't really hunt, don't get away from the roads, and don't know where the elk are and hope to stumble onto them. Where my partner and I hunt we see quite a few guys up on top where the road ends, but they never bail off into the bottom with us. We end up packing meat every year, most of the time twice. With very little competition.

 

[KMT]

Colorado publishes success rates annually, and I think 10% is about right for archery and about double for rifle seasons. I think there are a few hunters out there who account for most of the success. I know some who get there elk almost every year but many more that get one every 9 or 10 years. It would be interesting to know how much of the success comes from hunting ranching for wildlife land or other pay to play ranches. I'm sure that success rates on those places are 75% or better.

 

[jmez]

That's been our experience also. I also think 50% - 75% of the hunters don't really hunt, don't get away from the roads, and don't know where the elk are and hope to stumble onto them. Where my partner and I hunt we see quite a few guys up on top where the road ends, but they never bail off into the bottom with us. We end up packing meat every year, most of the time twice. With very little competition.

I think your % are too low. When we were researching our first DIY hunt in Co the game biologist I talked to said hunting a Wilderness Area will eliminate 90% of your competition. Being willing to walk over a mile from the trail head will eliminate another 5-7%.

 

[whitingja]

If there wasn't so much land lock by private land, the numbers would probably be higher. Too much private land. My opinion. But I probably would tthink different if I was one of the land owners. Jealous I guess.

 

[MAT]

I am on a very bad streak with elk, so maybe I'm not the guy to ask. But I've made every mistake possible (some more than once - getting old). Luck has A LOT to do with it, even for experienced guys. But you can't get lucky unless you are in the right situation, which is often the deciding factor. Spending more days hunting also helps too. Some of my bad luck has come from morons who don’t know how to hunt and run all the elk off, even in wilderness areas. Outfitters are not picky who they drop off 2-4 miles into the wilderness. You can’t get away from them in some areas.

 

[dreamingbig]

I have been hunting elk for 11 years. I was fresh out of college my first year and it took me 4 years to take my first elk (had a crushing miss in year 2 and made every mistake imaginable). I will say that I have been hunting cow/spike only units and I had to pass on more than a couple bull opportunities.

To date I have now taken 4 elk in 11 seasons total. 2010 and 2011 were tough because I got stuck hunting a spike only unit which is like finding a needle in a hay stack for a bowhunter. All that said the % shakes out at 36% or 50% since the season I took my first elk. I plan to up it to 42%/55% respectively this year.

Each season I have only had 7 to 9 days to hunt. 5 days the first two years... As you can see, a lot of things play into success rates.

 

[LostArra]

I agree with Jeff ("a small percentage of (experienced) hunters take the majority of the elk each Season").

Plus the residents success (more experience/scouting opportunities) is probably greater than non-residents success (less scouting opportunities).

I know a number of locals (Wyo and Colo) that annually fill their freezer hunting in blue jeans, sweatshirts and running shoes because they know when and where to go.

Bowhunting can be a very fickle influence on success rates. You can be covered up in elk but still not get the shot opportunity. A rifle hunter gets more slam dunks given the same opportunity.

 

[blb078]

I never really paid much attention to those stats. Mainly because only a small percentage of it applies to me(and probably a lot of people on this forum). How many residents buy a tag and only hunt a weekend or two, or not at all? How many only hunt for a week? Or get 1 or more mile away from the road, etc. Then you have the private lands and outfitters which will bring the % up. Me I have 20 actual hunting days for set for my WY elk hunt so right there that puts me in a better situation that most. To many variables that don't really apply to me when it comes to these stats. Now if there was a stat that shows 15+ hunting days, weapon usage, public land, X miles from the road/trail head then I'd pay a little more attention to it.

 

[trophyhill]

IMO the percentage of "trophy hunters" is minimal compared to those willing to take any elk and doesn't change success rates much. I've had a whole lot of blown opportunities on "any" elk that fell apart for 1 reason or another. Whether "trophy" hunting or "meat" hunting you still have to hunt smart and be in the right place at the right time for everything to come together and to be successful. I also think that there are more guys that "claim", "I was holding out for a bigger bull so I let x amount of bulls walk" when in all reality they never had a shot, missed the shot or blew opportunities at lesser bulls and simply won't admit that to anyone, themselves included in an attempt to "save face"

 

[no limits]

Many of those videos are shot on large private ranches or on limited hunting units so it's not apples to apples if you're expecting to come to Colorado and be passing a bunch of smaller bulls in OTC units. Just my opinion anyway.

I don't have satellite or cable tv. All of the videos I watch are on you tube, mostly just guys like me out there on their own trying to make it happen. Even then I watch some of them passing smaller bulls or cows. Was just curious on how accurate everyone thought the statistics were.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

The stats seem to be pretty accurate from my view point. You also have to remember the number of people on tv, youtube, and even this website are really pretty minimal in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Broken Arrow]

I took a trip to my unit last year just to get a feel of things. First time in the mountins I saw 22 elk and a handful of mulies in 2 days. Granted it was in May but I feel that I upped my %. Maybe I'm wrong but for a rookie seeing that many elk in that amount of time gives me a lot of confidence that I can be in that % to take an elk. 3 of those 22 were in bow range.

 

[Olydog09]

I hunt out of state and early on I made the mistake of being young and dumb. I hunted multiple units year to year looking for the "holy grail" of elk. Never found it either. I was young and strong and not very smart. I would drive into an area that looked good and get out and walk. No idea where I was going just that it looked good. I didnt kill many elk. I had a kidney transplant and had to slow down. Now I hunt 1 area every year. I have quad maps and use google earth. Every year we find more and more info on our area. We also now have a main camp but we spike into our hot spots for 3 days or more at a time. I used to be the 90% that rolled into elk country and set up a camp and hunted from my truck every day coming back to camp in the evening or back to camp after morning hunts and evening hunts. I thought we were hunting hard but we rarely killed elk.

Now we know where the elk should be we get into those areas and stay in them. Even if you are taking a rest day in your spike camp you can have elk all around you. We are also in areas that not many others come into.. If they do come in it is usually a brief visit then back out. So I completely understand how the percentage is around 10% overall and how 5-10% of the people usually kill the elk. It is all in how you go about hunting them that will determine your personal success %.

 

[Nick Muche]

Should the percentage be based on opportunity instead of harvest? I believe it would be a lot higher, maybe 25 to 30% or maybe a little higher.

You are right, they may be higher if that was the way it was measured... But, the reality is this... Not everyone who is presented an opportunity can turn it into a harvest. When I look at hunts out of state, I am way more interested in hearing about opportunity rates than harvest rates. Just me though...