East Coaster looking for resources on western elk hunting

[NewElkMan]

Hey All,

Looks like my dream of roadtripping cross country to elk hunt is possible this year.

Due to a change of job, I am free all of September.

I am hoping someone can point me to resources on good OTC places to hunt (I am state agnostic).

Aside from a bugle and good glass, what other elk specific gear do I need? I have hunting gear and camping gear.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

 

[CAElkhunter]

Colorado is the main OTC state and even they have changed some rules around this year. I believe you can
still go and hunt certain units OTC. Good boots that are broken in are a must. Gear will vary depending on which of the 4 rifle seasons you are hunting there.

 

[Indian Summer]

You can certainly have fun and learn some things about living and navigating in the mountains. But on August 4th planning a diy hunt from the ground up is insane. To gear up, pick a spot, and learn online how to find elk in that amount of time isn’t realistic. By all means you should go. But the whole point should be to prepare for an actual hunt next year. Don’t mean to rain on your parade but I’m a realist. There are those of us still tweaking gear after decades of hunting and we’re all still learning. Best of luck to you sir.

 

[fatlander]

Since you’ve got the entire month of September, time is on your side. Pick an OTC unit in CO that you think you’ll like. Drive there and hunt. If you actually hunt every day the entire month, you’ll almost have to eventually stumble in to elk.


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[11boo]

Be a hell of an adventure for sure . A few weeks to put it all together. Cheap gas.
I would do it . Search the site, you ain’t the first one.

 

[pdun24]

Holy cow thats a short time frame to put together a hunt. I've been reading and planning for several months and plan on trying to hunt 2021. Get on youtube and watch some experienced people do an elk hunting pack dump and see what all they carry. Don't need to use the same brands, but having an idea of what is necessary is a big deal.

 

[George Hamrick]

I’m definitely no expert by any means, but it depends a lot on how you want to hunt for the type of gear you need. Truck camping or leaving from a base camp every day would take less dialed in gear than backpack hunting. Either way though, you’ll need a good pack. I plan on hunting thicker timber, so I didn’t see the need to buy high dollar glass. If I was going somewhere more open I could see where that would be important. Lots of information on the forum though for any questions you have. It’ll be tough to get everything and have a solid plan in place in only a month, but learning is a lot of the fun.

 

[stykbow14]

Where you leaving from? I'm doing the same thing. Leaving from Delaware late August & staying for the whole month. I have a mule deer tag to fill before chasing elk. Are you going to car camp or pack in or stay in a hotel?

 

[Sapcut]

FYI.....If you adhere to all of the above important information but fail to drink your weight in water before and during your high altitude adventure, the said information will matter not.

 

[njdoxie]

Start by spending a few hours to read thru all the elk threads, there is already a hundred threads on this exact topic and more every week....then come back and ask specific questions.


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