2022 Colorado OTC archery hunt

[cnelk]

There isnt anything wrong with the area you left - plenty of elk there

 

[Christianfjacobs1]

I live in Meeker and know 11, 22, 23, 24, 33 and 12 pretty well. You are welcome to DM me. I dont know if I have enough posts for that, but I am a guide in 11, 22 and 12 in rifle season so I am happy to walk you through what you need.

I hunted all over unit 22 for archery last year. could i message you and ask you a couple questions??

 

[Hoyt Ag]

I hunted all over unit 22 for archery last year. could i message you and ask you a couple questions??

Of course. Im not one to hog info. We need more people hunting. Happy to help.

 

[Christianfjacobs1]

I live in Meeker and know 11, 22, 23, 24, 33 and 12 pretty well. You are welcome to DM me. I dont know if I have enough posts for that, but I am a guide in 11, 22 and 12 in rifle season so I am happy to walk you through what you need.

I hunted all over unit 22 for archery last year. could i message you and ask you a couple questions??

well, I just made my RokSlide account today and it says I need 7 days or something to have a direct message. Do you have an email or number? I would like to send you ONx Screen shots of where I was in unit 22. It was my first time public land archery hunting DIY and coming back this year would love to get some more info on the area or see if you have some recommendations. Any information would be much appreciated!

 

[jkilburg]

I’d be interested to chat a bit more to compare notes. I’m planning OTC due to our group not drawing, and while GMU 16 was not on my list, I’d be interested to hear more about your experiences in the unit, and westward.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ccc9092]

Have you thought about going with an outfitter or doing a drop camp? Their knowledge and experience can help increase your success odds, especially if you’re not able to spend more time in the unit. It’s not the sexy DIY approach but it’ll greatly help the learning curve and also increase your odds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JENSEN]

I've thought about that but financially it'd be too much of a stretch...

 

[Meateater]

So I'm currently planning to head to Colorado for the first week of archery elk season; I've been out twice before in unit 16 by lone pine and am hoping to do something different this year. I'm putting in the effort looking at historical data in OTC units, hunter numbers, etc., but am also seeking some guidance. This might end up being a solo adventure if my two buddies aren't able to go, and currently I'm scoping out units 22, 211, 13, 15, and 36. I have about 10 days to hunt and am simply looking for some advice for best prospective unit...I understand that I'll have to put in the work and based on my last two experiences I know getting into elk isn't easy, if anyone can share some insights on the units I'm looking at, or if you'd have other recommendations, I'd greatly appreciate it. September cannot come soon enough!

Are you looking for a hunting companion at all, I am heading there also on opener and my original backed out on me.

 

[JENSEN]

Are you looking for a hunting companion at all, I am heading there also on opener and my original backed out on me.

That might end up working! I'm still trying to figure out some details for the trip where would you be going from??

 

[Meateater]

That might end up working! I'm still trying to figure out some details for the trip where would you be going from??

I now have a friend coming out with me as of today but it’s not 100%, I am traveling from Minnesota and hunting in the Colbran area.

 

[Hnthrdr]

If such a place existed, and it was disclosed here on the forum, it would longer be that kind of place. The reality is places like that really don't exist anymore in OTC units. Thank the internet, outdoor TV, and GPS units.

This is the truth! Buddy checked a trail cam in a super nasty drainage that we have hunted without company for 4 years… some good sign but also another hunter poking around. Nothing is secret or safe anymore

 

[StrYker33]

I live in Meeker and know 11, 22, 23, 24, 33 and 12 pretty well. You are welcome to DM me. I dont know if I have enough posts for that, but I am a guide in 11, 22 and 12 in rifle season so I am happy to walk you through what you need.

Headed out to 33 myself this year. Looking forward to seeing some new country even if I don't spot any elk or bear. Any tips on water holes though would be welcome.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Headed out to 33 myself this year. Looking forward to seeing some new country even if I don't spot any elk or bear. Any tips on water holes though would be welcome.

Dude, find your own water… it’s not a secret the blue lines on on-X generally lead you to water

 

[Hoyt Ag]

Headed out to 33 myself this year. Looking forward to seeing some new country even if I don't spot any elk or bear. Any tips on water holes though would be welcome.

Its been a wet year in that area, so I cannot imagine that water will be an issue. I was on Coulter Mesa last week hiking and we got dumped on for 3 hours straight.

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

Would be curious to hear more on this as well. The hardest part I have found is trying to find a place that is accessible but also in the middle of nowhere so I would not be stepping on a whole lot of other people.

There are places that have easy access via vehicle but then you have to climb up or down into places that others won't go. My son and I hunted in one of your mentioned units in 2019 coming from NJ. I had elk bugling from the next ridge 15 minutes after getting there having found the spot via e-scouting. On the opener we met a local who was successful in the spot the elk were bugling the night my son and I got there. We went farther downstream in the drainage because we heard one bugle that way while going down the hill. We got cliffed out and turned around for the original area. We stopped to have a snack and met the local with a quarter on his pack. He told us he had hunted that drainage and we were the first people in the ten years he hunted it having gotten 5 elk in those 10 years.

Most people aren't willing to go down 1000 ft vertical in a 1/3 of a mile, bushwhacking the whole way and the same up the other side. We were willing. Other then next to the stream we could hear traffic the whole time from a nearby highway.

 

[Grell1591]

Headed out OTC next year and im already paranoid about all the extra pressure and hunters haha

 

[gabenzeke]

Headed out OTC next year and im already paranoid about all the extra pressure and hunters haha

In my experience you put one nasty obstacle between you and an access point, like deadfall or a real steep grade or two or one year it was a giant open field with probably two inches of standing water, and nobody else will be there. Alternatively, if you pick a wilderness area and try to go in deep, you're going to run into a lot of people. By the time you're truly in deep you're committed anyway. A lot of times those spots don't hold elk.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[OutdoorAg]

In my experience you put one nasty obstacle between you and an access point, like deadfall or a real steep grade or two or one year it was a giant open field with probably two inches of standing water, and nobody else will be there.

This is the way.

I know a guy who's gone 5 for 7 on elk in a terribly crowded OTC unit (I mean, aren't they all). He never deals with the crowds bc he hunts so darn close to the road. Seriously. Less than a mile. But...the spot is just a perfectly overlooked by all bc its not "backcountry". And it seems the elk know it too.

So the question is...How to find places like that?

I'd start by marking all the trail heads where trucks and trailers park. Mark all the roads. Mark the elk camps you see on GE. Then instead of looking deeper - look closer to those places. Where guys walk right by em bc, you know, there can't be elk there.

But like @gabenzeke mentioned...you only need 1 obstacle between you and the spot to create a natural buffer that will hold the elk in place, and keep the people out. It almost helps when its closer to the roads/tailheads bc most guys think its too close to hunt.

Not the case...

 

[Grell1591]

Is everyone all thinking the same that they have to go 5 miles in to find elk? I was hoping that would be the ticket to get us into game. Back in 2018 I hunted unit 62 back and the sheer amount of atv and 4wheelers made the hunt not so enjoyable. Never seen an elk or heard a bugle in 8 days.... I was really thinking a wilderness hunt for next year because of this.


But then again I have no problem with hunting difficult terrain to get away from hunters, just not sure im 100% sold on anywhere rec vehicles are allowed because of my prior experience

 

[OutdoorAg]

Is everyone all thinking the same that they have to go 5 miles in to find elk?

Yes