Archery Elk EL

[Jswartz]

What's a general EL you guys finding elk at in CO?

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[wytx]

They can be anywhere.

 

[Geewhiz]

They can be anywhere.

He's looking for more specific info. If you could just tell him where to go, that'd be great.

 

[Jswartz]

He's looking for more specific info. If you could just tell him where to go, that'd be great.

No where in my original post did I request where to go. This will be my 2nd year hunting elk, and I have gained access to private land in units 521, 444 & and 34, hoping to get drawn for archery, and have no time to travel to scout. Owner does not hunt, and a few people i know who have hunted CO say I should be at 10k+ ft EL, and one of the properties is a little over 8k ft. Your comment was unnecessary.

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[Beendare]

I've seen them low...and I've seen them over 12,000' in CO....just depends on the unit and hunt pressure.

 

[Dos Perros]

Hey guys he did mention he didn't have time to scout, so spill the beans or otherwise keep it constructive.

 

[Geewhiz]

No where in my original post did I request where to go. This will be my 2nd year hunting elk, and I have gained access to private land in units 521, 444 & and 34, hoping to get drawn for archery, and have no time to travel to scout. Owner does not hunt, and a few people i know who have hunted CO say I should be at 10k+ ft EL, and one of the properties is a little over 8k ft. Your comment was unnecessary.

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If only I had known you didn't have time to scout.

 

[Jswartz]

Hey guys he did mention he didn't have time to scout, so spill the beans or otherwise keep it constructive.

Wish I had the time to fly out from the West coast to scout.

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[sndmn11]

Wish I had the time to fly out from the West coast to scout.

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3k-13999' in Colorado.

 

[Dos Perros]

Wish I had the time to fly out from the West coast to scout.

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Six months is plenty of time! Nice thing is you have three long weekends ahead of you between Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day. You can fly to Denver or Grand Junction and rent a Jeep and have a blast. Sometimes I like the summer scouting more than the hunting.

 

[Beendare]

Six months is plenty of time! Nice thing is you have three long weekends ahead of you between Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day. You can fly to Denver or Grand Junction and rent a Jeep and have a blast. Sometimes I like the summer scouting more than the hunting.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing. I too have as much fun on those scouting missions as the actual hunt. No pressure. Poke around and explore looking at new country....take the time to analyze the topography and assess how things will change when hunter pressure hits hard.

My buddy that will be hunting with me is the same....we are already talking on the phone about areas we want to check out.

 

[Danny Hoey]

Wish I had the time to fly out from the West coast to scout.

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Anywhere there is water and trees.

 

[cnelk]

The last 100+ elk we’ve killed have been between 9000’ and 11000’

 

[Archer829]

Depending on the location, I feel like 9,000 - 12,000 is a typical sweet spot. But depends a lot on where you're at. I've been in big herds of elk in western New Mexico at quite a bit lower elevation. So it depends. Mostly focus on the spots where north/east facing timbered slopes, water, and feed converge.

 

[yoopshoot]

No where in my original post did I request where to go. This will be my 2nd year hunting elk, and I have gained access to private land in units 521, 444 & and 34, hoping to get drawn for archery, and have no time to travel to scout. Owner does not hunt, and a few people i know who have hunted CO say I should be at 10k+ ft EL, and one of the properties is a little over 8k ft. Your comment was unnecessary.

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I think your access to private land makes this question a little tricky. Public land elk vs private land in my experience are vastly different in where they hang out.
My experience is limited compared to others on here. On September / early October public hunts in CO I found elk in the higher terrain in the unit. Obviously not every unit has 10,000-13,000’ elevation, and I found elk around 8,500-9,000’ in those units.
With that being said, typically private land is lower. On a couple private land hunts I went on, the elk were down low around AG/ oak brush. I would ask the landowner where/ if he sees elk.


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[Marble]

I think a lot of newer hunters do not understand the importance of scouting. I don't look at it as a mission to find animals. I already know they will be there. I'm looking at roads, trailheads, water sources, grocery stores, fuel, camping locations, glassing spots. Maybe pre-hike a trail to really know how long or grueling it is. Etc...


All the logistics that can take a few days to get figured out are out of the way.

Although there has been a lot of smartish type answers, using a target elevation as where to scout or hunt isn't the best method.

Safety
Food
Water

In that order

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[Indian Summer]

No matter what question you ask on here the answers are based on the specific area where people hunt. There are people killing elk at 12,000 feet in Colorado. I don’t even know where there’s a hill that high in Wyoming where I hunt. Same for Montana. In Washington, they’re killing them at sea level.

In any given state, the elevation of the elk can change every single year depending on how much snow pack and rain there was in the past 12 months. And regardless of the conditions, I have spotted bulls from a base camp next to my truck and killed them the next day a couple thousand feet higher.

If you think the answers you are getting are sarcastic, you are wrong. They are all honest answers.

No time from the west coast? Dude you’ll get no sympathy from guys coming from the eastern states I can tell you that! I already have a spot or two or 20 to hunt and I’ll still drive from Pennsylvania to the Idaho border in the summer to make sure I have a solid plan and to scout new areas. Seriously… they are at all ELs. lol

Besides… if you are hunting private land you’ll likely be hunting all of it. What are the high and low ELs of the properties?

 

[tkhuntsman]

I agree with above the secret to elk hunting us they are where you find them, and where you find them is determined by a multitude of factors. You can't get out to scout before your hunt but your going to hunt private land. Honestly who knows where they will be. Best bet is there are probably some elk that use the property if it has decent water and feed, there aren't a million cattle grazing it, nobody else has hunted and pressured them. 95% of the units in Colorado have good elk numbers. Being on private will up your odds if the conditions are correct. Good luck to you I hope you kill a good one.

 

[5MilesBack]

When I read the title I was trying to figure out what the heck "EL" was, so had to open it.

I really like hunting around timberline, which is generally around 11k-12k in CO. But I'll hunt as low as 9k as well, depending on the area.

 

[Jswartz]

Thanks to everyone for the information.

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