As a flat lander who took 3 years to kill my first bull OTC in Colorado with a bow:
- 90% of people who head west have a misconception of where they’re starting from because of the internet. You will have to crawl before walking. You’re learning an entirely new hunting process. That includes simple stuff like tags, regulations, where the animals live (macro and micro), animal behavior, etc. just because you read posts on rockslide or watched YouTube doesn’t mean you know anything about elk hunting. I know, I was a 90%er.
- whitetail are like rats. They’re extremely prolific and adaptable. And most places you kill them it’s easy. Plus they have very small home ranges. You bump one and it’s going to be within walking distance. Elk can run for miles if bumped. Having someone take your advice and end up in your unit can cost you a shot at a herd of elk, simply because they accidentally push a herd or two around. It’s not always direct, but 5-10 random encounters will eventually add up.
- the country is big out west, but it can be hunted from glass or by ear many times. Which means one person can cover an entire drainage or bowl in a day or two simply by sitting on a rock eating snacks and watching listening. Then the above about pushing elk can occur next.
- most people elk hunting for the first time only need a mention of a unit, or a tip from a friend of a friend, or some other small random event to randomly choose a unit or spot when they know nothing. I have witnessed first hand random first timers going full tilt into the middle of elk that I have spent time locating and planning an approach. It is significantly more frustrating than meeting another patient skilled hunter on the trail, realizing you’re hinting the same animals, and coming to a gentleman’s agreement about how to approach. One ends with no elk killed, one ends with friendships and maybe elk killed. They shouldn’t be different, but people are people.
- most people have very little understanding of wind and thermals, and even with a pile of hunting skills, can push elk out of a spot in a hurry.
- most flat landers who elk hunt for the first time think they want to kill an elk and pack it out. It usually takes a few days for the enormity of the task to be made clear to them. People willing to walk 2 or 5 or 10 miles on day one, blowing through good elk habitat thinking they can do it. Only to come to the realization that they’re physically incapable of completing a hunt, or don’t desire to. But they’ve already blown through the country. No one wants to facilitate that by saying “this unit has elk”. I’ve watched it first hand - both on trail, and within my own hunting group.
I say all these things having been part of either side of the happenings.
As an owner of land in Colorado, and a flat lander who finally punched a tag:
- I got absolutely NOTHING from asking about units on the internet. Not even logistical information. I spent dozens if not hundreds of hours trying. I got more in three total hours of lunches spent on a weekend in the unit during hunting season chatting folks up at trailheads, or at restaurant. Gas station. Stop and talk to a ranch hand mending a fence. USFS workers on trail. Local bartenders, especially ones that don’t hunt. No one wants to spend time in their hunting area not hunting. But my first year hunting I would have been better off spending a week around town in the unit I chose. I’d have shortened the curve I believe.
- access is key. Most people look at crowded units and areas, whether hunters or recreators, and write them off. Elk don’t want to see smell or hear humans. Usually one steep ridge or cliff line can put enough distance in their minds. But steep ridges and cliffs almost always have a way across. Most people don’t consider them from a distance. They look at trails on maps, and follow them in. Stop thinking like a human, and start thinking like an animal that doesn’t want to be around them.
- YouTube videos show 5-30 minutes of glory. They don’t show days weeks months and years of time effort money and focus built up into those glorious minutes. Recalibrate your brain.
- I’ve gotten as much elk intel walking around the mountains backpack camping, as I have hunting. Sometimes having a different goal when out there, and no pressure, allows you to pay attention to things tunnel vision of a defined goal makes you miss.
TLDR - there’s almost zero upside to sharing any type of unit information with strangers on the internet. Go to the place you want to hunt, and interact with the people and land there, in person.