Howdy Fellas,
Over the last 6 months I’ve been reading a lot of discussions getting ready for my first Colorado elk hunt to GMU **&***. I got a bit disheartened that I read folks saying those units were shot up. However after 1st rifle I’m happy to say there are plenty of elk. I quickly realized the people saying that are either not glassing at the right elevations or are not willing to go get those elk at 13k+ elevation. There were elk everywhere. One guy in our party downed a 5x5 at 680 yards. And the rest of us had chances but couldn’t make the stars align. I underestimated a couple things in my preparation. Distance shooting and physical preparation. I ran a lot but should have been running harder up hill. And I should have been stretching my .300 out at the range to be prepared for a 750 yard shot. Some folks say you shouldn’t do that, whatever. I agree if you’re not comfortable. But if you have good glass, good boots, excellent physical stamina, and the ability to take distance shots, you can still be very successful in those GMUs. And we glassed multiple 300+” bulls. No guides. Just went with some friends that grew up elk hunting.
Over the last 6 months I’ve been reading a lot of discussions getting ready for my first Colorado elk hunt to GMU **&***. I got a bit disheartened that I read folks saying those units were shot up. However after 1st rifle I’m happy to say there are plenty of elk. I quickly realized the people saying that are either not glassing at the right elevations or are not willing to go get those elk at 13k+ elevation. There were elk everywhere. One guy in our party downed a 5x5 at 680 yards. And the rest of us had chances but couldn’t make the stars align. I underestimated a couple things in my preparation. Distance shooting and physical preparation. I ran a lot but should have been running harder up hill. And I should have been stretching my .300 out at the range to be prepared for a 750 yard shot. Some folks say you shouldn’t do that, whatever. I agree if you’re not comfortable. But if you have good glass, good boots, excellent physical stamina, and the ability to take distance shots, you can still be very successful in those GMUs. And we glassed multiple 300+” bulls. No guides. Just went with some friends that grew up elk hunting.