Elk hunt was a bust.

[Conrad101st]

Hunted south central Colorado.
Guess it got 16 - 18 inches of snow the 2 prior days to showing up.
Saw not one elk.
Finally found fresh poop on day 4.
Heard not one bugle.
Walked out areas at 9,500 feet to 12,000 feet.
Walked a lot of miles.
Worst season for me in 20 years.
Oh well, still had a good time.

 

[Murph1]

Sure makes you appreciate the years when you have a lot of encounters. That's cool you could still have a good time.

 

[jolemons]

I was in 74 around Hermosa, same story. Only had opportunities sitting wallows on young bulls. I'm now guiding in north central NM, same story. Bulls are just starting to rut with cows coming into heat.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Hooverfb]

The cpw pubs this year mentioned alot of migratory movement between there and new mexico. Guess cant find em if they arent there. I'm hoping the spots I've escouted actually hold elk when I get there, but gotta keep moving. Any day in the mountains is a good one though.

 

[wseidel]

Had a similar "character-building" elk hunt last fall in Wyoming. My partner and I had fun and learned new country since all my favorite spots were devoid of elk due to 18 inches of snow. In fact, we saw no tracks the first five days! Stay encouraged and consider yourself blessed for having the opportunity to be out in mountains hunting...what a gift!

Stay encouraged and God bless.

 

[Conrad101st]

We definitely made the best of it.

We shot a couple grouse, pan fried them with a rub of spices and crushed ritz crackers. You could not have bought as good a meal even in Paris.
Then we had quick peach cobbler made in the Dutch oven. Drained the peach juice into my cup, added snow and rum. Tasty!!

 

[def90]

I've been out 5 times now in two different units and have not seen or heard a thing. I feel like they are still up high because it has been so warm yet I have friends that have a small ranch off of Green Mountain Res on the Blue River and they have had elk going through their property down low so maybe they are lower than I'm thinking they are. One thing I noticed is that all of the normal watering holes I know of in the areas I have been have all been dry.

 

[bigjohn]

Better than being at work!

 

[Gerbdog]

Being in the woods and eating well at the same time.... that sounds pretty dang good all things considered!

 

[CAElkhunter]

it can be no fun when hunting becomes hiking with a heavy backpack/ bow or rifle...but that is why they call it hunting and not shooting.....

 

[T.Rep]

Hunted south central Colorado.
Guess it got 16 - 18 inches of snow the 2 prior days to showing up.
Saw not one elk.
Finally found fresh poop on day 4.
Heard not one bugle.
Walked out areas at 9,500 feet to 12,000 feet.
Walked a lot of miles.
Worst season for me in 20 years.
Oh well, still had a good time.

I had the same experience. What unit were you in?

 

[Conrad101st]

80/81

 

[T.Rep]

I was in 82/86. Lots of other hunters and no elk.

 

[Ontarget99]

I see a trend in Colorado, lots of hunters and no elk. l wonder if the Colorado Parks and Wildlife primary concern is "money". Sure, I get it all businesses have a budget that they need to maintain, employess to pay etc. But, having lived in Colorado my entire life and seeing the elk numbers decrease and the licenses increase makes me wonder if they know how to balance herd managment, counts etc. and license numbers. or has it just come down to the dollars, because they sure do give out a ton of licenses.

 

[Hooverfb]

I see a trend in Colorado, lots of hunters and no elk. l wonder if the Colorado Parks and Wildlife primary concern is "money". Sure, I get it all businesses have a budget that they need to maintain, employess to pay etc. But, having lived in Colorado my entire life and seeing the elk numbers decrease and the licenses increase makes me wonder if they know how to balance herd managment, counts etc. and license numbers. or has it just come down to the dollars, because they sure do give out a ton of licenses.

I've been reading that alot. It also just makes me think the elk move to where people are not at, or their management of predators might not be great. For instance I've talked to some people about a good unit for bear, that also coincides with a declining population. The elk/deer tag is now a draw only for early seasons, but the bear tag is only obtainable if you got one of those. Otherwise the first bear only tag is available otc late in the season where they're more happen stance than huntable.

 

[Conrad101st]

Do you guys think the elk herd is down b/c Colorado purposely reduced the herd?

This may be unfair; But gut impression is that a bunch of farmers were griping about crop deprivation so they started issuing too many either sex tags during rifle season

We had trips back into the same units back in the early to middle 2000s where the entire group would tag out with fairly nice bulls or in the alternative several of us would shoot very nice herd bulls with lots of mass.

Those days seem long gone now.

 

[Overdrive]

Slim Jim pan fried Grouse is good, slice up a slim Jim and they're greasy enough to coat the pan and put your grouse breasts in there and cook it in the Slim Jim flavor.

As far as Hunting, I was guiding last week the first 5 day's of Muzzleloader season and we saw ton's of elk, we glassed up over 100 Elk between 3 guides on Friday night before opener, and I personally saw 100+ elk in 5 days of hunting. Bugling was like I haven't heard in a long time too, some days they bugled all day. We saw elk from the high bald knob's all the way out to the sage brush. We went 2-3 on bull's with guided hunters, my guy missed the first day on a Nice 6x, about a 310" bull at 40 yards. And I put him on Elk everyday but pulled him off the shot on a 300"+ bull because of the bad angle and dead limbs in the way.

Even the bad season's keep us coming back because the good always is remembered more than the bad. Good Luck in your future hunt's!!

 

[Conrad101st]

I’ll be back, as Arnold says. ;-)

just odd that the unit seemed so weird this year in particular.

 

[NMframed]

Me and my group were in elk all three days we got to hunt before 2 feet of snow forced us to pack up and ride out. There were four of us hunting in pairs. We hunted the 6th, 7th, and 8th. No bugles on the 6th but two of us were on bulls but couldn’t connect. The 7th and 8th both groups heard quite a few different bulls bugling but couldn’t get a consistent wind to save our lives. We’d be working a bull have him coming and the wind would change and never hear him again, or we’d get a bugle and try moving in to set up and the wind would change and see cows running through the trees. These weren’t changing thermals, just inconsistent wind from the storm that was moving in. We had a good time, just wish the weather would’ve cooperated a little more and given us 4 more days to hunt. Also had a couple opportunities to shoot a cow but didn’t want to that early in the hunt. I’ll definitely be going back

 

[Ontarget99]

I did read something a while back about predators in some units having an impact on populations, not sure the units though. I just thought of something else, the fires could be displacing some people from units, so that could be a factor this year as well. Still, i heard that the CBA had some concerns about decisions by the CPW on licensing. For those getting into elk i would be curious if it was a draw unit or otc. No need to list the unit, but just curious draw vs otc. Draw should be better i bet.