Hunting with Base and spike camp.

[bmf0713]

Planing my first Elk hunt with a friend in Colorado this year. I put in for a limited tag and waiting for results. Will be getting an OTC tag if I don’t draw. I am thinking of hunting out of 2 camps. I have a cabelas Alaknak and was thinking about setting up a base camp at either a campground or at a trail head. I also just purchased a Seek Cimarron to use for a spike camp. Not sure how far we will make it in or if we will want to go back to our base camp at night. Do people that tend to have a base camp usually set up in a designated campground or do they set up camp at a trailhead. Been doing some research and heard a few stories of issues with trucks being broke into and things being stolen. Would a designated campground be better to avoid this sort of thing or should I not worry about it? The drive from the trail heads where we would be walking back to the campground would only be a couple miles in the area I’m looking at hunting. I would also have better access to more trail heads by setting up base camp in a designated camping area. Curious what everyone else does.

 

[Newtosavage]

This has been my plan for the past three years. Only once have I spiked out, and that was with my son two years ago. It was warm and the herds of cows were still up very high. I was running into lone bulls nearly every day down lower and if I'd had a bull tag, I could have killed a couple within 1/2 mile of my base camp. Last year, my buddy killed his bull within sight (albeit 2.3 miles) of our base camp and I dropped him at a road less than 1/2 mile from where he took the shot.

Three years ago, the biggest bull we saw in a week of ML hunting was 30 yards off a main road on our way back to our base camp. We parked on a roadside pullout and hiked in every day and had plenty of opportunities.

So while the idea of spiking out is appealing and it's good to have in your bag of tricks, I have not found the need for it like I thought I would.

Most hunters in CO are base camping along a FS road. Check the motor vehicle maps issued by the FS and they will show which roads you can camp along (little dots on either side of the road on the map). No need to be in a designated campground unless you just want to pay a fee and have a pit toilet nearby (which all the roadside campers stop in and use anyway LOL ).

I haven't had an issue with anything being broken into, but my guess is if you're parked near popular trailheads you're more likely to have that happen. But I've never had a problem.

One strategy that worked pretty well for me was to base camp near a fairly major road to have access to multiple areas. If you base camp way back in the back of a FS road 10-15 miles from a main road (and plenty of people do - don't be surprised if you find a camp at the end of literally every SINGLE road you drive on), then you have limited yourself to that area. If the elk aren't there, then you just set up your whole camp somewhere there are no elk. By base camping near a main road, you have more options of where to go each day. The downside is road noise, which for a lot of folks isn't why they come to Colorado to elk hunt.

Same is true if you spike in. If you spike in, then you're committed to that area for at least two days. I wouldn't bother spiking in until you've found elk. This is what we did two years ago - we day hunted from base camp until we located the elk, then we spiked in and overnighted about 1/2 mile from where we had been seeing them. It saved us a 2 hour hike in and hike back to the truck.

Hope that helps.

 

[bmf0713]

Yeah that helps. Thanks. This is all new to me so I really have no idea what I’m doing. I might just be a little intimidated because all I can do is look at stuff on google earth. Everything might come to play when I get out there. Or maybe I’ll be even more screwed up. Idk. Haha. Backpacking in sounds cool and everything but if we see elk a 1/2 mile from our base camp I’m not putting up another tent. Planning on getting out there a couple days early so we can acclimate to the altitude (from Iowa) and maybe do some scouting. If we get back a couple miles in an area where we see elk we can set up the spike camp so it’s not such a long hike in the a.m. The area I’m looking at has a couple public campgrounds at the beginning of a bunch of roads that branch off to different trail heads in different drainages so we would just have to drive from basecamp to whatever trailhead we wanted. I hope I can use my new tent and get back in the wilderness for the experience but if I get to stay in a five star tent with a cot, heat and cooler that’s cool too. Haha.

 

[Mosby]

I normally set up base camp in campgrounds, if convenient. I like having a water supply/source at camp, especially in a high desert area and I also prefer having a campground with people around. Having a water source is key at altitude. Also, I think stuff is less likely to disappear in a campground vs having base camp off a dirt road with no one around for days at a time. But it is probably just luck. Also nice if plans change to have a base camp set up to come back to if needed. Particularly if you haven't hunted that area before. I have learned it is Important to be flexible and ok to change plans. We got three bulls one year hunting a spot that I never saw before until the day before the season opened. I spent a week that summer driving past it. Fortunately, so did everyone else.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Try not to worry about the trailhead vandalism and campsite theft stuff. There are always the horror stories but overall it seems to be a rare occurrence. Lock up your stuff and dont leave behind anything you can't live without. Two camps can actually be rather convenient depending on the circumstances of the Hunt.

 

[brsnow]

Make sure to check maps, many times you can hike in 5 miles to set up camp a half mile from a different trail.

 

[mwebs]

The area I’m looking at has a couple public campgrounds at the beginning of a bunch of roads that branch off to different trail heads in different drainages so we would just have to drive from basecamp to whatever trailhead we wanted. I hope I can use my new tent and get back in the wilderness for the experience but if I get to stay in a five star tent with a cot, heat and cooler that’s cool too.

Just keep in mind the area you just described looks just as great to everyone else in the midwest scouting goggle earth, roads, campgrounds, trailheads..... Sounds terrible.. Having the option and equipment to spike opens a lot of options to you, so always a good idea to have it and be prepared to use it. When you get to your chosen area and see all the rigs driving around with the same plan it will be nice to throw some stuff in a pack, hop over a ridge and just maybe find an elk or two.

 

[5MilesBack]

I always have my wall tent base camp.......it's comfortable, and I don't use campgrounds for hunting. That's part of the allure, getting away from people. But I always have my spike camp ready to go as well. I only use it about 10% of the time, but it's nice to have that option. I might drive 50+ miles from base camp to hunt another spot, so it's nice to drive over and set up the spike camp. Then there are other areas where it's just better if you're there before first light and you don't want to do the 2 hour hike in the dark, so hike in and set it up camp the afternoon before.

 

[nursul]

Planing my first Elk hunt with a friend in Colorado this year. I put in for a limited tag and waiting for results. Will be getting an OTC tag if I don’t draw. I am thinking of hunting out of 2 camps. I have a cabelas Alaknak and was thinking about setting up a base camp at either a campground or at a trail head. I also just purchased a Seek Cimarron to use for a spike camp. Not sure how far we will make it in or if we will want to go back to our base camp at night. Do people that tend to have a base camp usually set up in a designated campground or do they set up camp at a trailhead. Been doing some research and heard a few stories of issues with trucks being broke into and things being stolen. Would a designated campground be better to avoid this sort of thing or should I not worry about it? The drive from the trail heads where we would be walking back to the campground would only be a couple miles in the area I’m looking at hunting. I would also have better access to more trail heads by setting up base camp in a designated camping area. Curious what everyone else does.

The last four years have been a mix camping strategies...from straight up park at trailhead and go backcountry for 6 nights, to a “base” camp with spike outs. I’ll spare you the blow by blow analysis of each and say that each has its advantages. For me the base camp with options sounds right, but it just doesn’t always work out that way. You need a consistent inner drive to get away from base camp , just be prepared for that on day 4, 5 etc. It’s easy the first few days but when it gets tough and things go wrong...and they will go wrong (at least from the day dreams you have about it today). I hunt CO as a nonresident too. Based on what you’ve shared I would use the great equipment you have and go base with spike outs set up. I like remoteness so I’d scrap the campground idea and get up in the mountains...I set up high...better view for a flatlander like me. Have fun.

 

[bmf0713]

Make sure to check maps, many times you can hike in 5 miles to set up camp a half mile from a different trail.

Yeah. I’ve been studying onX maps pretty hard. There are a couple spots that are like 7 miles in from a trail head in my hunting unit but only 3 miles in from a trail head through another unit. So the plan would probly be to hunt the 7 miles through my unit but pack out any meat the 3 mile route.

 

[juan trueno]

If I’m not backpacking 3-5 miles in for a few days with a buddy- I sleep in my jeep in a turnout on a the side of a road or I bivy. When I leave the jeep in the morning it is almost always with bivysack and poncho liner or at least poncho liner and alway with enough food to be gone over night And not crash. So 1.5lbs about. It’s most important not to have any nagging need to get back to the truck or back to camp. You mitigate that stuff And it makes you hunt more effectively. I’ll add that if I do base camp either tent in the back country or in my jeep- my first day in the AO will almost always be the highest mileage day- in which I move to furthest most area of interest and familiarize myself with what I thought I knew. There are always elk between camp and that spot that’s the farthest- but they ar always in crappy places that can take a little bit to “work up to” or otherwise be a tough but to crack. Anyway- this gets me familiar with as much of the AO as possible and allows me to hunt back to the vehicle or camp in the subsequent days. But the areas I hunt the numbers and habits of the elk don’t support much glassing and require a little more hide and seek.

 

[Newtosavage]

Last year, we moved our base camp twice (meaning 3 camps over 10 days). First time because of snow (lots of it), and second time because the elk got run out of the area after the 2nd day of 1st rifle season.

But the 2nd camp we had was SO NICE. It was in a BLM campground and the fee was $17/night. That $17/night kept everyone else out (there were a lot of base camps within 4 miles of us along FS and BLM roads) and we had the place to ourselves. Picnic table, fire ring, CLEAN pit toilets (that almost nobody else used because it was a fee area) access to a river and a view to die for - of our hunting area. I couldn't believe we found that place. I hated to leave after 4 nights there, but we had to. The herd we were hunting (my buddy shot his on opening day) had high-tailed it into the adjacent hunt unit and left everyone just wandering around for 2 days. So I wanted to change my luck and hunt somewhere else we had scouted (still below the snow) the last 2 days. We found a nice site near a small stream on FS land that someone had just vacated and set up there for our final 2 nights of the hunt. We sure got good at tearing down base camp. Having my 10x10 Kodiak Canvas tent really helped. We could break down camp in less than an hour and set it up in about 30 minutes.

That canvas tent and a buddy heater run off a propane bottle are two of the best investments I've ever made for elk hunting. They saved our bacon last fall when it was 16 degrees and 10" of snow.

 

[Newtosavage]

But I always have my spike camp ready to go as well. I only use it about 10% of the time, but it's nice to have that option. I might drive 50+ miles from base camp to hunt another spot, so it's nice to drive over and set up the spike camp.

Another great reason to have a reliable spike camp bagged up and ready to go. The area we hunted opening day last fall was 80 road miles from where we set up our 1st base camp. Knowing we had our spike camp with us gave us the freedom to scout all day and through last light, knowing we could throw down camp on a moment's notice if we needed to, or if we wanted a look at an area at first light without having to make that drive 2x again.

 

[Donk]

I would echo what Juan and br snow said on Colorado. Last year we went to a spot I had hunted before and there were several vehicles at the parking spot. We drove about two hours to the other side of the mountain to another trailhead that accessed the same area. There were even more vehicles on that side. We got into some elk about 800 meters off the trailhead. There were a lot of people up top pushing them around.

 

[HunterJoeMI]

I like to set up a base camp off a the road with my 12x20 Alaknak tent that can get me access to different areas fast and easy. All the comforts of home. Generator, heated shower, wood stove, comfy bed, freezer for storage of prepared meals and even a microwave to cook. Sure is nice to come back to dry wood and a warm tent, hot food, and electricity at the push of the remote button. Then I also have bivy gear all ready to go with ultralight tent, bag, pad and non cook ready to eat food in a bear canister all staged in the truck or at basecamp ready in five minutes to grab and go. Flexibility !!!

 

[njdoxie]

They saved our bacon last fall when it was 16 degrees and 10" of snow.

I hunt 2nd rifle in CO, camp is at 8700 feet, and for the last 6 years or so, it rarely gets below freezing and rarely snows. It used to freeze damn hard every night 10-20 years ago.

 

[Poser]

I tend to think that it’s easy to overwhelm yourself with comforts, distractions and camp chores. “If you bring this, you might as well bring that” mentality. Next thing you know, it takes days to pack and unpack on each end of the trip, you need tools, fuel, dishes, batteries, fold out tables.... the list keeps going. Then, with all of these comforts, it is difficult to commit to hunting the way you need to effectively hunt.

So, I’m on the other end of the spectrum and advise unplugging yourself from excessive amenities and just going for it in the simplest yet most practical manner possible : backpack and a weapon. Lightweight tent. If you have to do some driving to change locations, so be it: toss your pack in the back of the truck and drive to the next spot. You want to be focused on the hunting and the experience not the endless logistics of multiple camps. Every amenity you tack on has a time cost in the form of chores.

 

[GunsAreFun]

I tend to think that it’s easy to overwhelm yourself with comforts, distractions and camp chores. “If you bring this, you might as well bring that” mentality. Next thing you know, it takes days to pack and unpack on each end of the trip, you need tools, fuel, dishes, batteries, fold out tables.... the list keeps going. Then, with all of these comforts, it is difficult to commit to hunting the way you need to effectively hunt.

So, I’m on the other end of the spectrum and advise unplugging yourself from excessive amenities and just going for it in the simplest yet most practical manner possible : backpack and a weapon. Lightweight tent. If you have to do some driving to change locations, so be it: toss your pack in the back of the truck and drive to the next spot. You want to be focused on the hunting and the experience not the endless logistics of multiple camps. Every amenity you tack on has a time cost in the form of chores.

Amen. I used to fill up my truck with stuff for a weekend camping trip. More stuff, leads to more stuff to support the other stuff, and then more headaches, $$$, space needed, etc.

 

[Newtosavage]

I tend to think that it’s easy to overwhelm yourself with comforts, distractions and camp chores. “If you bring this, you might as well bring that” mentality. Next thing you know, it takes days to pack and unpack on each end of the trip, you need tools, fuel, dishes, batteries, fold out tables.... the list keeps going. Then, with all of these comforts, it is difficult to commit to hunting the way you need to effectively hunt.

So, I’m on the other end of the spectrum and advise unplugging yourself from excessive amenities and just going for it in the simplest yet most practical manner possible : backpack and a weapon. Lightweight tent. If you have to do some driving to change locations, so be it: toss your pack in the back of the truck and drive to the next spot. You want to be focused on the hunting and the experience not the endless logistics of multiple camps. Every amenity you tack on has a time cost in the form of chores.

I can completely agree with this sentiment.

Having said that, the two items that saved our hunt this past year were my 10x10 Kodiak Canvas tent, and a Buddy heater on a propane tank. That KC tent went up fast and easy and came down fast and easy. I was actually surprised at how quickly my buddy and I could take down and move our base camp and have it back up again, mostly thanks to that tent and "stove" combination. And when the temps were in the teens a couple nights, being able to turn that stove on and have a warm tent within about 2-3 minutes was priceless. Despite being the worst weather I've encountered out of four elk seasons, we were probably the most comfortable so far.

But yea, it's so easy to bring too much stuff. Every year, I'm weaning down my gear list.

If you can find a good balance between the amount of time spent on camp, and the amount of rest it provides, I think that's where you want to be.

 

[Newtosavage]

I hunt 2nd rifle in CO, camp is at 8700 feet, and for the last 6 years or so, it rarely gets below freezing and rarely snows. It used to freeze damn hard every night 10-20 years ago.

Winters don't routinely get as cold as they used to. That's a known fact in North America. My dad grew up in Chicago and Wisconsin and he can tell some stories.

The locals around our units during 1st rifle last fall said the weather we encountered was very unusual but that it did remind them of the "old days."