Colorado OTC hunting dates advice.

[jnwebb45]

Have my first elk hunt planned for this September and wondered peoples thoughts on dates. Planning the 10-21st. I'll be bow hunting and wondered if people prefer to get out early before muzzleloader season kicks in, or does the pressure not ramp up a bunch during that season? Thanks for any replies and good luck to everyone this fall.

 

[Huntfun]

I have been going to north central CO area 6 for many years and usually the ML dates fall over the rut and that is when I like to hunt archery. In the past I have never had an issue with running into ML hunters but I am sure that could be very different in other areas. One thing you need to keep in mind is CO has let E-bikes into certain areas, like the area I hunt, and that can change things drastically for the bad. Last year I hunter the last 10 day of archery and the area was over run with people who normally would never get back where I go. For soem reason they opened it up to E-Bikes and it has ruined the area for me. Called in people for 7 states and only had one encounter with a real bull. We packed out 4 days early is was that over run with hunters.

Good luck!

 

[Shake_n_Bake]

I won’t hunt archery during the ML overlap.

Few years ago in colo there was a case in the paper where a guy was hunting archery with his 14 year old son and a ML hunter shot and killed the boy thinking somehow he was an elk. I don’t wear blaze during archery and have no desire to have either myself or my son killed.

After that incident I won’t take my son sneaking around in the woods in full camo with rifle hunters around.

I hunted the overlap before that with no issue except once when a 50 cal went off at daybreak and cleared all elk off the ridge I was hunting. Only had one day left in the hunt so instead of going in deeper I just packed it in. I was already 2.5 miles from the trailhead.



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[Bcorn]

Where I hunt it can get pretty busy ML season.

 

[spike camp]

Number one issue with CO is pressure.
During ML, there will be double the amount of hunters in the woods.
Choose wisely.