How to deal with 2nd rifle season pressures

[justin1134]

Hey guys this is my first post on here, thank any and all of you in advance for information.

I am going on my first CO elk hunt during 2nd Rifle season this year, I am a traditional whitetail hunter from East Tennessee. I was unsuccessful on my muzzleloader and first rifle tags so I have to go OTC rifle (my archery skills aren’t up to snuff for the task just yet). I have a unit picked out that will require me to walk in a few miles of steep terrain to get to where I would like to start hunting, which is around the 10k feet mark.

My question is how should I adapt my hunt in response to not seeing elk as well as hunter pressure. (I know I just created a punching bag for jokes and jackasses).

When I say not seeing elk I mean in terms of elevation. This specific unit would allow me to go up to 12k feet in a few areas. If I am not seeing elk at 10k and below (in glassing range) should I trek further uphill and try more glassing or should I try to find spots lower to glass from. This may sound like a rudimentary question but I’ve read advice on these forums suggesting both. How do I read the weather, terrain, etc. to determine which direction (vertically) to go? I understand I’ll have to move around a lot but am just trying to wrap my head around that.

As far as hunting pressure is concerned is there a clear cut technique that I should default to in case my handful of spots are already occupied? Should I still hunt through the timber at that point or keep walking further into the mountains to distance myself from the other hunters? My current plan has me hiking a trail for roughly 3 miles before I ditch the trail for another mile or so to (what looks like) a good spot to set up camp for the week. I have 2 different variations of that plan at different sides of the unit. Should I plan to go further or shorter to maximize my chances of other hunters?

Anything that anyone has to say will be much appreciated. I love hunting the mountains (you guys would probably call them hills) where I live and am excited to get out of my comfort zone for different animals in different states.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sndmn11]

Elk can be at all elevations.
Look at your planned trail headed in, and think if you were a whitetail at any point on that trail from the parking lot to wherever, what route would you take to hide from a person walking that trail.
Hunt there.

 

[11boo]

Move till you are into very fresh elk sign. Be ready for anything while moving, and use every opportunity to use the binocs.

 

[justin1134]

Both of those sound like excellent pieces of advice. I appreciate it. If snow is getting thicker as I hike uphill should I consider turning back around for lower elevation?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Poser]

Both of those sound like excellent pieces of advice. I appreciate it. If snow is getting thicker as I hike uphill should I consider turning back around for lower elevation?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Varies wildly. Initial early season snows can push elk down lower, but they will often return within a few days (once the snow settles and melts off some) until the snow is too deep. (“Too deep” is probably deeper than you think and snow that is days il or weeks old is very much subject to the wind, complete stripping certain aspects while piling it up elsewhere).

That being said, I’ve jumped herds of elk while out snowboarding with 30-40 inches of snow on the ground, so there are no steadfast rules that apply here. The commonly repeated phrases such as “they elk are up high”, “the elk are in deep” and “the snow pushed the elk out” are phrases repeated by people who don’t observe elk on a regular basis throughout the various seasons. When you start hearing these generic phrases and advice, turn your ears off.

 

[11boo]

It would be a miracle to get that much snow.

 

[Marble]

Both of those sound like excellent pieces of advice. I appreciate it. If snow is getting thicker as I hike uphill should I consider turning back around for lower elevation?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It depends on what you are seeing, how long the snow has been there. If it is snowing, I'll just keep moving until I cut fresh tracks. Then I'll follow the herd and kill one.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[Ucsdryder]

Hey guys this is my first post on here, thank any and all of you in advance for information.

I am going on my first CO elk hunt during 2nd Rifle season this year, I am a traditional whitetail hunter from East Tennessee. I was unsuccessful on my muzzleloader and first rifle tags so I have to go OTC rifle (my archery skills aren’t up to snuff for the task just yet). I have a unit picked out that will require me to walk in a few miles of steep terrain to get to where I would like to start hunting, which is around the 10k feet mark.

My question is how should I adapt my hunt in response to not seeing elk as well as hunter pressure. (I know I just created a punching bag for jokes and jackasses).

When I say not seeing elk I mean in terms of elevation. This specific unit would allow me to go up to 12k feet in a few areas. If I am not seeing elk at 10k and below (in glassing range) should I trek further uphill and try more glassing or should I try to find spots lower to glass from. This may sound like a rudimentary question but I’ve read advice on these forums suggesting both. How do I read the weather, terrain, etc. to determine which direction (vertically) to go? I understand I’ll have to move around a lot but am just trying to wrap my head around that.

As far as hunting pressure is concerned is there a clear cut technique that I should default to in case my handful of spots are already occupied? Should I still hunt through the timber at that point or keep walking further into the mountains to distance myself from the other hunters? My current plan has me hiking a trail for roughly 3 miles before I ditch the trail for another mile or so to (what looks like) a good spot to set up camp for the week. I have 2 different variations of that plan at different sides of the unit. Should I plan to go further or shorter to maximize my chances of other hunters?

Anything that anyone has to say will be much appreciated. I love hunting the mountains (you guys would probably call them hills) where I live and am excited to get out of my comfort zone for different animals in different states.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Someone showed me a flat tops unit. 5000 rifle bull tags and 2500 rifle cow tags. It amazes me people will pay 700 dollars for that. It’s highway robbery!

 

[Truthbetold]

Someone showed me a flat tops unit. 5000 rifle bull tags and 2500 rifle cow tags. It amazes me people will pay 700 dollars for that. It’s highway robbery!

That is true but that is also for 11 GMUs last time I counted.

 

[sndmn11]

Someone showed me a flat tops unit. 5000 rifle bull tags and 2500 rifle cow tags. It amazes me people will pay 700 dollars for that. It’s highway robbery!

That is true but that is also for 11 GMUs last time I counted.

Yep many, many units @Ucsdryder and we are going to hunt in the middle of the sheep and cattle, so we should have some space in between the other hunters.

 

[Fullfan]

Going to be a circus this year, Colorado will be everyone’s fall back due to all the other western states having screwed up tag sales. Good luck

 

[cnelk]

To the OP

Your tactics are the ones I hunt around.
I'll be hunting 2nd Season this year with a cow tag.

My plan is to hike about 3/4 mile, sit my ass down and wait for everyone to push the elk to me and then - BANG.

This usually happens when about 11am when everyone gets tired of hiking around, looking for tracks/sign and head back to camp.

 

[Jaquomo]

I live in the middle of elk country in NoCo (8600') and have been hunting and sometimes guiding for elk for almost 50 years. In our area, many of the elk have moved down to the 9000' and below zones by second rifle season (the new dates..) due to a number of factors. Snow being only one of them.

If you backpack in to an unknown area hoping to find elk, you may very well be ratholed where there arent any, or they have been blown out. Best to stay mobile, hunt from a vehicle camp, keep moving until you find elk. Also, not unusual for major snow to hit that late in October. Remember, you have to get an elk out of wherever you kill it.

My wife killed her second season cow year before last 500 yards from a main road. I killed my archery bull 200 yards from a main county road at 8100' in September. Bulls were bugling around us while we broke her cow down. It was 8 degrees, 16" of snow, and we were at 8200'. Camps had been abandoned and vehicles were stuck. Her feature story of this hunt was in the March-April issue of Bugle. Lots of variables to consider when planning a late October elk hunt. Good luck!

 

[justin1134]

To the OP

Your tactics are the ones I hunt around.
I'll be hunting 2nd Season this year with a cow tag.

My plan is to hike about 3/4 mile, sit my ass down and wait for everyone to push the elk to me and then - BANG.

This usually happens when about 11am when everyone gets tired of hiking around, looking for tracks/sign and head back to camp.

I have thought long and hard about how I’ll try to use other people to “push” elk in my direction. I think I’ve identified some corridors that would be used as escape routes. Who knows I could end up hunting like that the entire season if people are too thick.

I’m really just trying to focus on learning the particular unit that I have chosen in hopes of doing better in it as the years progress and I build preference points for more desirable locations.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[justin1134]

Someone showed me a flat tops unit. 5000 rifle bull tags and 2500 rifle cow tags. It amazes me people will pay 700 dollars for that. It’s highway robbery!

That is legitimately why I’ve waited so long to try and hunt out west. I’ve been collecting preference points for about 3 years now but don’t know exactly when I’ll use them. I decided to get out there this year just to “cut my teeth” on moving in the western environment.

I like to think I’m a decent woodsman, but the 2-4K elevation I deal with here (and the foliage associated with it) won’t even compare to 10k or above (and below). I just want to learn and have fun without stepping on other hunters toes. It makes me feel a bit uncomfortable knowing that I’m going into someone else’s “backyard” in an attempt to harvest a resource that isn’t local to me. I don’t want to be one of the assholes, but I do want to learn a new skill.

After this trip I may even find a job in a western state so that I can move. I am pretty amped up even though I’m hunting an OTC unit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[justin1134]

Thanks to everyone for their input. I appreciate it a lot. I am hoping that this is a life changing trip for me, and that I at least get to lay eyes on an elk or two


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gelton]

To the OP

Your tactics are the ones I hunt around.
I'll be hunting 2nd Season this year with a cow tag.

My plan is to hike about 3/4 mile, sit my ass down and wait for everyone to push the elk to me and then - BANG.

This usually happens when about 11am when everyone gets tired of hiking around, looking for tracks/sign and head back to camp.

The first elk my group killed was literally less than 300 yards from basecamp and how you described it is exactly how it went down.

It's kind of a funny story because he is deaf and my dad and I were headed into town to get horses because we had been snowed in for a day with ~2ft of snow and high winds. We told him that we would call him on the radio at ~3pm.

He had laid out a table cloth over the snow to sit on and had a bottle of whiskey and looked comfy as all get out (showed us the video afterwards)

We get back to camp with the wrangler and horses and he comes over the radio hooten and hollerin, but because of his speech impediment we really couldn't understand him and told him we were busy and would hit him back (the wrangler was going through the motions of how to tie the horses to the highline, saddle em and feed) we finally realized he was telling us he shot an elk.

We didn't even have to saddle up the horses before they were packing out an elk 300 yards behind base camp along a road with ~ 10-12 other basecamps.

So your Go Deep Boys thread rings true for sure.

 

[justin1134]

That is a badass/insane story. Over here in east TN we still hunt through the mountains very early in the day and very late in the evening at a really slow pace and hope to run across deer right before they bed down or move out of bedding. On more than one occasion I’ve encountered animals that have been spooked by someone else.... I think it just “clicked” to me.

I may have to revisit my initial plans but I honestly think that I may “play” the anticipation of other hunters to be in an ambush type position. Thank you guys for the advice. I know I’m still a novice at elk hunting but I just gained confidence for sure.

I’ll make sure to write up a good summary of the trip and post it, Whether I get some food for the next year or not.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Grant K]

I live in the middle of elk country in NoCo (8600') and have been hunting and sometimes guiding for elk for almost 50 years. In our area, many of the elk have moved down to the 9000' and below zones by second rifle season (the new dates..) due to a number of factors. Snow being only one of them.

If you backpack in to an unknown area hoping to find elk, you may very well be ratholed where there arent any, or they have been blown out. Best to stay mobile, hunt from a vehicle camp, keep moving until you find elk. Also, not unusual for major snow to hit that late in October. Remember, you have to get an elk out of wherever you kill it.

My wife killed her second season cow year before last 500 yards from a main road. I killed my archery bull 200 yards from a main county road at 8100' in September. Bulls were bugling around us while we broke her cow down. It was 8 degrees, 16" of snow, and we were at 8200'. Camps had been abandoned and vehicles were stuck. Her feature story of this hunt was in the March-April issue of Bugle. Lots of variables to consider when planning a late October elk hunt. Good luck!

I second all of these recommendations, its a lot better to hike in 4 miles and see if there are any elk there as a day hunt with a light pack than to get yourself committed to that spot by backpacking in, if there are elk and they are likely to stay there then maybe commit to camping then, but not before you know what you are looking at.

I find being flexible and able to hunt different areas morning and night until I get on elk to be key for OTC success, there's elk somewhere, if you know exactly where they will come through when pressure comes then maybe sitting and waiting is useful, until you know where those spots are its easier to find them by covering ground.

 

[Laramie]

To the OP - keep in mind 100s of other people are trying to outthink the elk and figure out where to be. Instead they should be trying to outthink the other hunters.