Advice on This Year's Hunt - Unit 18 - Do I cancel?

[SeanDC]

Hey guys I'm looking for opinions here. Last year was my first elk hunt. My brother and I hunted CO unit 65. We put a lot of miles under our boots and learned a lot. We didn't figure out where the elk were until it was too late. I still consider that trip a huge success and I've been waiting all year to get back out there. For this year I drew a first rifle either sex tag for unit 18. I have been super pumped for this trip and working hard to get in shape for it. Well the COVID situation seems to have put a damper on it.

The plan was to hunt with my brother again. He also drew a muzzleloader tag but just cancelled that trip. He works freelance and hasn't worked much at all the past few months. He just took a big job which starts Oct 1st. He really can't ask for time off the second week of the job so he is either out this trip or may try to come out for a 3 day weekend.

This leaves me in a pickle. I have been planning on driving out there (from SE Michigan) and getting out there by the evening of the 8th. I was going to scout the 9th then hit it hard. Do you guys think I should roll solo, or return my tag since that is an option this year? I've got mixed emotions but leaning very heavily towards going no matter what. My bro was suggesting I cancel and come down to Texas and do a muley hunt later.

I have been very serious about excercising and eating well for the last couple months. I've dropped 17lbs and feel great. I am not at all nervous about about the physical demands of this trip. I did great last year, though I didn't get to pack an elk, and this year I am in better shape. I have a lot of nice gear. Nice merino and several layer options for different weather. I have a great rifle and reliable transportation. I could bring a 4-wheeler but I feel like that may be more hassle than benefit.

What makes me nervous is being out there alone at night. Call me what you will but I became scared of the dark at one point in my childhood and it has stuck with me. I am getting much better with it the past couple years and part of me really wants to push myself to get over it. I'm almost excited about the thought of facing this head on. Are there really reasons to be nervous on a solo hunt in CO? I've heard people say black bears are scared of people and would never bother you. I have heard others say you should carry bear spray and keep an eye out. If I'm hanging my food away from my tent strung between trees do I really have anything to worry about asleep in a tent?

Also, my wife is not really keen on me going out there solo. I have tried to reassure her that there are a lot of hunters around if I get into trouble. I would also have a garmin inreach so I should be able to communicate. I can probably convince her it is ok. I have a good job, a great family, and I understand that I need to come back safe and healthy.

I don't necessarily feel a lot more confident that this year's hunt plan will get me any closer to elk than last year's. I have been doing research but haven't found any info that I feel solid enough about to pick a direction based off of it. My starting plan is in a spot that I haven't really come across much discussion about. If someone who has hunted the gmu would be willing to PM me and hear me out that would be awesome. I will take any advice I can get but now that I'm on my second attempt I really feel part of the experience is making my own plan and seeing where it gets me. I expect they will be at high elevations.


Sorry for the long winded post. To sum it all up I'm looking for opinions on whether I should attempt the hunt this year even if it means going solo. Given the hot summer, the forest fires, the COVID, the opportunity to back out and get my money back.

Thanks as always.

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[MOcluck]

I would go solo. It sounds like you've done your prep work, why waste it? I also wouldn't worry about bears. I have hunted in high density areas for bears and haven't even laid eyes on one (I've also camped in grizzly country and taken all the precautions). Black bears I don't worry about. Brown bears are a different story. As far as the wife's concerned I could open up a can of worms but I'll just say you do you

 

[HuntNTag]

I know unit 18 really well. Hunted there personally and have had clients there. If you want input, shoot me a PM. It might make your decision easier one way or another.

 

[TFAvalanche]

Is your Mulie hunt in Texas guaranteed? It’s one thing to swap one hunt for another as long as you’re not banking on the draw down here... they are close to impossible.

Is stick with the solo trip, I solo’d last year in 16E NM and while I wasn’t successful I was happy I did it.


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[Trevor73402]

Pack a lantern and roll out bud. I hunted with my dad until he passed away. That was in 2008. Once he was gone, I could never find anyone that had the balls and commitment to elk hunt the high country. I got tired of missing out year after year because I couldn’t find anyone to go, so I finally just started going solo. You don’t have to deal with anyone else’s BS. Get out there and enjoy the time alone. Take a lantern, a solar powered lamp (amazon), plenty of batteries, some candles. Keep a solar light on in your tent at night if it makes you feel better. Take a pistol if you are worried about bears eating you while you sleep (joking).
Don’t cancel your hunt because you have to go alone. I just got back from a week up there solo and I’m most likely going to head back up there this next week to hunt again.....solo.

 

[TX_Diver]

Not sure if it's feasible in the unit (as I know nothing about that unit) but get a good headlamp, keep the inreach and a pistol close, and camp close to some other people (not on top of them but a few hundred yards away) Or see if there's a developed campsite nearby where you'd be near other people at night. Also depending on the unit look at renting a travel trailer from outdoorsy or something. Make yourself camp out there the first night and if you get attacked by a bear then you can get a hotel the next night (that's a standing offer to myself on all trips). All those maybe a slightly different hunt than what you would have done with your buddy but nothing wrong with baby steps. (Also again I know nothing about 18 so some of those may not be feasible) but elk hunting > not elk hunting.

I really like hunting alone but really don't like camping alone. In my unit this year there's a big flat spot along a forest road with 3-4 travel trailers all within 100 yards of each other. I'm just gonna camp a bit further down from there the first few nights as it's close to the first two spots I want to hunt anyways.

 

[Trevor73402]

Also....on the bear thing. I seen 8 bears last week while hunting. The closest one was probably 45 yards. None of them wanted anything to do with me. I cooked right beside my tent and even had a trash bag tied to my little table there. The only thing that ever attacked was the chipmunks. If it was grizz country, be a totally different story, but in CO, no worries.

 

[SeanDC]

Is your Mulie hunt in Texas guaranteed? It’s one thing to swap one hunt for another as long as you’re not banking on the draw down here... they are close to impossible.

Is stick with the solo trip, I solo’d last year in 16E NM and while I wasn’t successful I was happy I did it.


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I wouldn't say that hunt is "guaranteed". My brother knows some guys who took him out last year and he got a 10 point muley. He said he could ask them again this year but it's not something that I could absolutely count on.

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[dr.mooseknuckles]

I’d go but know your limits solo. Pretty steep place, beautiful, and a fair amount of people, though given the size of the unit, not terrible. Shoot the first legal elk you see


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[Mkrueger88]

I’d say go solo as others have stated. Sounds like you’re putting in the work and prepared for it. Only way to get over any nervousness is to just face it head on that’s how I look it at. Also you could always camp at the vehicle even if it’s just with a tent at the trailhead there will almost certainly be other people around that way or sleep in the vehicle if that’s an option. Going solo can be a little nerve racking at first but after you get over the hump I prefer going into the mountains solo almost all the time. Get a can of bear spray if you’re worried and you’ll be fine!

 

[TFAvalanche]

I can only speak for myself but I’d rather be chasing Elk in the Colorado high country than glassing for Mulies in the Texas desert... and I live here! On the flip side I’d rather pack out a 200lb deer over an 800 pound elk sooo....

Stick with your Elk hunt you’ll be happy you did. Just a piece of advice the hardest part of a solo hunt trip isn’t the physical effort it’s convincing yourself to stick it out when the days get long and the Elk aren’t where you are. Don’t quit early and don’t forget why you’re there.


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[AnotherMile]

Make sure to exercise a bit more caution such as not trying to pack an animal out in the dark..don't want to fall or injure yourself and it's easy to do with 45 lbs of meat on your back coming back down a rocky trail. Have never had any issues with black bears in Colorado while hunting. Make sure to carry a spare headlamp. And be careful field dressing your game..take your time as some of those replaceable blade knives are scary sharp. Good luck!

 

[LongWayAround]

Don't cut yourself and go hunting. You will learn much more on your own.

 

[sndmn11]

I am not hunting that season, if your decision comes down to thinking the task of packing meat out is too much, I am happy to help. Shoot me a PM if that helps.

 

[Dalen88]

im from b.c and dont know anything about CO but i couldnt find anyone to go with me on a recent archery goat hunt, so i said screw it and went. Havent got anything with a bow before and didnt think it was a likley thing to harvest, but i also wanted to go for the adventure, and that it was! Ran into griz at 40 yards, seen lots of nice country, and also harvested a great billy with my bow. Dont know till you try! And you make great memories. I say go!

 

[SeanDC]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement. It has really made me feel more confident about facing this challenge. I talked to my brother again and he is on the same page thinking I really need to give it a go. He will try to come up for the opening weekend if possible but still not hopeful.

I am going to keep pushing hard on my physical prep. I really just can't wait to get out of work, turn my phone off, and disconnect for a week. If I can make it through this trip I think it will open doors for more opportunities in the future. I am excited and nervous.

I am considering taking a sidearm just for peace of mind. I have a couple options but I don't think either of them are ideal. I have a Ruger P89 9mm and a Rossi m971 357mag (6" barrel). Is it worth the extra weight to carry one of them?

Again, thank you guys for all the support. This is a great site with a lot of great people helping each other out.

 

[HuntNTag]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement. It has really made me feel more confident about facing this challenge. I talked to my brother again and he is on the same page thinking I really need to give it a go. He will try to come up for the opening weekend if possible but still not hopeful.

I am going to keep pushing hard on my physical prep. I really just can't wait to get out of work, turn my phone off, and disconnect for a week. If I can make it through this trip I think it will open doors for more opportunities in the future. I am excited and nervous.

I am considering taking a sidearm just for peace of mind. I have a couple options but I don't think either of them are ideal. I have a Ruger P89 9mm and a Rossi m971 357mag (6" barrel). Is it worth the extra weight to carry one of them?

Again, thank you guys for all the support. This is a great site with a lot of great people helping each other out.

Both guns will do you just fine. You will feel way better knowing you have a side arm with you that the little extra weight that they are.

 

[TX_Diver]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement. It has really made me feel more confident about facing this challenge. I talked to my brother again and he is on the same page thinking I really need to give it a go. He will try to come up for the opening weekend if possible but still not hopeful.

I am going to keep pushing hard on my physical prep. I really just can't wait to get out of work, turn my phone off, and disconnect for a week. If I can make it through this trip I think it will open doors for more opportunities in the future. I am excited and nervous.

I am considering taking a sidearm just for peace of mind. I have a couple options but I don't think either of them are ideal. I have a Ruger P89 9mm and a Rossi m971 357mag (6" barrel). Is it worth the extra weight to carry one of them?

Again, thank you guys for all the support. This is a great site with a lot of great people helping each other out.

Sidearm is more for camp/the drive across the country IMO but if it provides additional peace of mind while you're hunting also then it's worth the weight! Take a book also as something to do/read in camp at night and occupy your brain a bit.

 

[SeanDC]

Another question for you guys about camping. As I have been laying out my hunt plan and glassing spots I'm also trying to plan the best way to come and go from these spots in the morning/evening. Last year my brother and I camped next to the truck and hiked out before daylight. I feel like often we weren't out to our spots as early as we would have liked though it was really nice to have access to everything we wanted at the truck.

This year it is critical to me to get to my glassing spot bright and early for the best chance of success. Most spots I am looking at are within a couple miles from where I plan to park. I do have concerns about trying to hike out solo in the dark of the morning. I won't be familiar with the area and want to be careful with risking injury especially in a gmu full of beetle kill.

This leaves me thinking I should camp closer to my glassing spots, leaving a short morning hike and time to drink my coffee without rushing. Last night I started thinking about my tent. It's a Mountain Hardware Vision 3. At about 6lbs there is no way I want to carry that around and it is way too big. I ordered a Drop x Mid tent. It's reasonably priced and lightweight.

So I guess there are a couple questions. #1 - Do I camp down in the valley near the creek and hike up to the glassing spot in the dark? Or if there is a flat enough spot up top do I camp right near where I want to glass? #2 - My tent requires my trekking poles to pitch. Do I break it down every morning and pack it with me everywhere I go to stay mobile?

 

[TFAvalanche]

Are you going to be in pitch black conditions or have you checked the moon cycle for your hunt? You can always use the old school compass and protractor method for land navigation in the dark.


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