First Colorado OTC elk hunt.

[wihunter1]

I'm from Wisconsin and I'm planning an OTC hunt end of September/ early October. This will be my first time out with my brother (22) and my dad (56) were planning to bring a truck camper as a base camp then doing a 2/3 day satellite camp once we locate elk. Our plan is to use hammocks and tarp. Once again this is our first time heading west for elk and our first time camping in back country... I was wondering what are necessities to purchase or must haves because I have zero equipment for this style of hunt. Any help, or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any advice you can share!

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[cnelk]

Just an FYI
Archery Season ends on Sept 24th

 

[jfronk]

Start listening to the Gritty Bowmen podcast on gear, it'll give you a good idea of what you need. Also check out some of the numerous gear lists that people post up on here.

 

[J_hol]

Good Luck!

The May/June 2017 issue of The Western Hunter has a great gear list for early season archery from Nate Simmons. Also, as far as the inter-state hunts go, Randy Newberg (all platforms) can be a wealth of information on logistics, etc. Finally, the University of Elk Hunting course through Elk101 is probably the best money you could spend at this point.

Cheers!

 

[5MilesBack]

Just an FYI
Archery Season ends on Sept 24th

And OTC rifle begins Oct 21st. Since he didn't stipulate which he was planning on going, I believe he has his timing mixed up.

 

[wihunter1]

Sorry I should have stated..I'm hoping for archery season but rifle isn't out of the question. I'll look into the information you fellas have given me. I appreciate all the help!

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[alexanderg23]

Hammock can be cold...in my experience.

 

[Bar]

Sorry I should have stated..I'm hoping for archery season but rifle isn't out of the question. I'll look into the information you fellas have given me. I appreciate all the help!

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The only early Oct hunt is rifle 1st season and there's no OTC for those. So, your choice is Aug/Sept for archery and 3rd week in Oct for OTC 2nd rifle. Early Nov if you want a 3rd rifle OTC.

 

[xziang]

With 3 people may want to look into communication devices in the high country and or the GPS's that will show others positions/locations. Just an idea. (if you plan on splitting up)

Otherwise check out some of gritty's pod casts and catch up there. Start google earth scouting now and get maps and locations for possible places with backups. If you find a nice area and want a hard map look at mytopo.com. Or go cheap and cut and paste to 'paint' and piece them together that way.

Good luck.

 

[LaGriz]

WIhunter1,
My list would be by priority.
1.) Boots and feet -2 pair is a plus
2.) Warm & decent night's sleep
3.) Quality weapon I am confident with - Back up?
4.) Optics - best I can afford
5.) Daypack/Backpack that fits - with Meat Hauling ability
6.) rain gear

You can jockey 4-5-6 and not be wrong IMHO. Also, I will always eat well no matter what I'm doing!
LaGriz

 

[ROJO23]

I am from VA, and the best gear I invested in was good breathable clothes. The first time I hunted out west I used my normal whitetail clothes and almost roasted. The amount of sweat was unreal, and my clothes stayed wet. Be sure to get either merino, or synthetic leave the cotton at home. Also start off cool in the morning, once you start hiking you will warm up very quickly.

Look on youtube for videos about bag dumps, Randy Newberg has a couple, Gritty Bowman also has a few.

 

[Bulldog2nine]

I would honestly really consider getting a tent set up, late sept. could get a bit dicey, a good shelter is absolutely a must.

 

[oldgoat]

Archery season starts in a little over a month, even to do a rifle hunt it's not far off, I'd stick to doing a base camp versus spike camp at this point unless you have deep pockets and can just drop the dough! Also to do a spike camp in the rifle season adds a whole other layer to the gear you might need because it can snow quite heavily! First year I hunted 2nd rifle went from short sleeve shirt weather in the morning to actual blizzard conditions by the end of the day! I know lot of people that kill elk regularly hunting from a truck camp. Then next time you go you'll have a better idea and time to accrue gear.

 

[flippertn]

Last year was my first trip to co. Expect big temp swings in sept. 70s and tshirt during the day. 30s and frost at night. Get good layers that you can shed easily. We took too much food. Just for me I don't think I would like a hammock. It's cold at night and seems like a tough way to stay warm. Don't be intimidated. Have fun with it. Elk or no elk just enjoy the trip and time spent in the most beautiful country on earth.

 

[justinspicher]

You should go to Idaho. It's better hunting.

 

[JO.]

I will agree with others here, focus on what you need to setup a base camp. I generally hunt from a base camp and do well. Getting the gear to make a trip successful and at least "back county comfortable" can get pricey. I have a fair amount of cross over gear I use through the summer that doubles for hunting gear in the fall. I accumulated it over years and it took time to figure out what I needed and what was just extra weight. If its your first elk hunt and assuming you have not spent time in the area you plan to hunt then I would suggest picking up some of the big items (decent boots, clothing/base layers, pack, etc) and learn the area and enjoy being in the mountains in the fall. Another thing is be realistic in what you think you can do at elevation. Packing the essentials for the back country can be taxing. Having a decent bed and a warm cup of coffee in the morning is nice come day 5 or 6. Heck my best bull was shot about a 1.5 miles from the main road in the area I hunt.

 

[Tejasbow]

Before you can get down to the nitty gritty on planning and real specific suggestions you have to figure out if you are going bow hunting in mid september or rifle hunting in late october. Weather can change quiet a bit between those two seasons.

YOu might be able to do the hammock sleeping but you need two things.
a good mummy bag. do not go cheap on this.
a thermarest. Different thermarest have different r factors. In a hammock with open air below you id think youd want a decent r rating.
like already said do not skimp on boots.

On my first hunt i skimped on two things that I regreted.
1. Boots. Had a blister the first 2 hours.
2. Sleeping bags. they were rated as 0 degree bags. I like to froze in mid 30s and I do a lot of camping. My buddys bag (we bought them together) His zipper blow out night one.

 

[thunderchicken21]

Hope you have some deep pockets...you have a lot of stuff to get with very little time to research options. I'd also get VERY familiar with the Colorado elk regs. Hopefully you have also been working out...I "thought" I was in good shape my first hunt...boy was I wrong!

2015 Colorado Archery OTC – Brett Bueltel | SELFILMED Blog

 

[JustinSmith1754]

You've had a lot of great feed back regarding your question. I believe both Robby Denning's book and Cameron Hanes' book have gear check lists in them. Might be of use to you, plus read on some strategy and tactics as well. I found both books well written and informative.

 

[LongWayAround]

You can probably all pick up leftover tags for first rifle. That might be a decent option if you're going for a somewhat "off the cuff" hunt.

Mike Eastman's book was the most useful elk book I've read.

Even if you end up hunting out of a base camp, I would pick up some sort of backpacking stove. Days get long and a hot meal/drink can be a real motivator.

Bring a sleep-aid too. Even when I'm exhausted I sleep pretty poorly in the mountains.