Colorado First Rifle Elk

[Hmr]

My buddy and I each got lucky, and drew decent first rifle tags for this coming season.
I have only ever hunted elk and mule deer with the bow, so this will be a change. What I was wondering is, how are the elk behaving at this point of the season, and where will they be most likely to be found? Timberline and above?

We have long range rifle setups so we will be prepared for distance if necessary. I don’t think pressure will be a significant variable in this hunt due to the limited number of tags, which is a plus! Any insight is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[wannakillabigbull]

From my experience it can vary greatly from year to year and from unit to unit. In general the hotter it is the higher the elk will be, and they will move into the timber with pressure. First season is a bit of a gamble in that sense. If you catch it on the right year they may still be rutting above timberline in which case you will have the chance to put down a nice bull. My first 6x6 bull was taken first season on a year where the bulls were up high and actively rutting. The year before and the year after the elk were tucked into the trees and hardly made a sound, and I went home without an elk.

The best advice I can give is to be adaptable. Don't decide how you want to hunt beforehand and stick to that plan to a fault. Figure out what the elk are doing and mold your plan to give yourself an opportunity.

 

[Catahoula]

I usually put together 3-4 hunt options ahead of time. Be thinking MOBILE. As mentioned, elk can move elevation with temperature changes and such. Never know what will be happening during 1st Rifle. Best of luck to you and your hunt partner.

 

[Hmr]

Thanks for the advice! We will definitely have multiple approaches depending on the weather. Thank you

 

[cnelk]

You're gonna find out a 5 day season goes fast

 

[Hmr]

We will be in there 3 days before the opener locating.

 

[cnelk]

^^^ yep. And you’ll find them before season. And then wonder why you can’t find them when season opens

Heard that one a few dozen times

 

[Back Country Hunter 2]

The great thing about 1st season is the elk have had a decent break. It starts 12 days after the end of archery season. As stated above, have multiple plans. Good luck!

 

[Coveyleader]

One of the best seasons. I take a few people out to my archery area during 1st rifle, normally great weather and rarely if ever have we needed 5 days. If anything packing 2-3 bulls in 5 days hurts!

They will be in the same place they were during the archery seasons unless there is tons of snow which is very unlikely.

 

[ChrisAU]

We have high hopes this year, our unit has literally half the hunters and a 10% higher success rate than 2R per the DNR stats.

 

[Hmr]

^^^ yep. And you’ll find them before season. And then wonder why you can’t find them when season opens

Heard that one a few dozen times

 

[Hmr]

I bet you have

 

[Newtosavage]

From my experience it can vary greatly from year to year and from unit to unit. In general the hotter it is the higher the elk will be, and they will move into the timber with pressure. First season is a bit of a gamble in that sense. If you catch it on the right year they may still be rutting above timberline in which case you will have the chance to put down a nice bull. My first 6x6 bull was taken first season on a year where the bulls were up high and actively rutting. The year before and the year after the elk were tucked into the trees and hardly made a sound, and I went home without an elk.

The best advice I can give is to be adaptable. Don't decide how you want to hunt beforehand and stick to that plan to a fault. Figure out what the elk are doing and mold your plan to give yourself an opportunity.

This to a "T" is how my buddy and I rolled last year. The early snow drove down a lot of elk - albeit temporarily - and he ended up shooting his bull below 7K feet, even though our first camp was above 9K and we planned to hunt higher than that. He shot his bull nearly 80 miles from where we started the hunt. Being flexible is the key.

 

[Hmr]

We learned the hard way by not having enough backup plans one time. Was beginner’s ignorance I guess.

Really anxious to give a bull a dose of RUM.

 

[davsco]

^^^ yep. And you’ll find them before season. And then wonder why you can’t find them when season opens

yep saw two small groups of nice bulls way on private land while scouting the week before first rifle. then two cows first light of opening day. then zilch other than mule deer the rest of the season.