OTC elk unit help

[rhendrix]

What guidelines are you guys using in CO to help you narrow down a OTC unit that you want to hunt in. I'm going with a fellow rokslider, were not looking for a 300" bull, I think both of us would be happy to take cows, a spike, and I'd personally be ecstatic if I shot a branched bull. We'd preferably like a unit that's almost all wildnerness, that way we can back pack in and live off our back for 8-10 days. That isn't a hard and fast time though, if there's a unit that would give us plenty of opportunity, but is more suitable for a base camp or that would be easier to hunt out of a truck, we're all ears. We don't want any honey holes, or hand outs, just a way to use the statistics, maps, and our loose requirements to narrow down some units. If we'd be better off looking at another state outside of CO, we're also all ears!

Thanks,
Ron

 

[1hoda]

My process is to figure out what I'm looking for- is it a certain type of country (alpine, montaine, juniper; rugged or not so much, etc.)? How much hunting pressure can I live with? Animal density?

Based on what you've said, the Flat Tops units should be on your list. That area will give you opportunity to pack for a ways in plus a decnet chance of getting an elk. The bonus is its pretty country- downside is more hunting pressure. There are other areas that would fit as well, zirkels, weminuche, etc.

 

[jdmaxwell]

I will say this much in my years hunting OTC units..
Check to see if wilderness you are hunting also has a special rifle mule deer tag for the same time..
Hunted Mt Zirkell wilderness couple yrs and it does not help with rifles going off and orange guys moving around..

 

[ckleeves]

I really doubt you would be happy with a spike if you got one and then got checked.

 

[under h2o hunter]

I would look over previous years hunt data that the Co park and wildlife have. You can see and figure a lot of information out just from that. You can use that information to eliminate or keep units on your list. Then I would look those units over on Google Earth or Caltopo eliminating more units. Once I have narrowed down my list to a few. I would put some questions out on the forums to see what info I could gather. Then I would put boots on the ground in July and August. Looking for things that will aid in your style of hunting. I would eliminate till I was down to 2 units. I would then form a game plan on how I am going to hunt those two units. I always have a back up plan. You never know if a forest fire or something might mess up your number one area. That way you can stay in your plan and more then likely will still be successful because you're not scrambling. Good luck

 

[westrnwild]

So is this an archery hunt or a rifle hunt....cause that will determine a lot.

Also as ckleeves said...you don't want to shoot a spike in Colorado.. 4 pt or better rule in play..game warden wont like you

 

[rhendrix]

Sorry about the spike comment, I thought I remember there being some units where spikes were allowed but I believe I'm thinking of Utah.

This would be an archery hunt, we'll be hunting the last two weeks of September potentially.

Thanks for all the feedback, I'll start looking into some of the wilderness areas mentioned.

 

[ckleeves]

I honestly don't think the unit matters a whole lot when it comes to OTC units. Some are slightly better than others but I think guys put to much though into it and spend a lot of time breaking down statistics that really aren't that accurate.

Pick a unit that has the terrain and access you want and go for it. Have a backup area that might be 5 miles away or 60. If your not finding what you want in the first spot go to the second. 10 days is plenty of time to do 2 different hunts and see some new county if the first spot is a bust.

 

[5MilesBack]

Sorry about the spike comment, I thought I remember there being some units where spikes were allowed but I believe I'm thinking of Utah.

Most draw units in CO you can legally shoot a spike, but not OTC units.

As Ckleeves says, "have backup plans"........always. Might be several miles away in the same unit, or may even be a different unit. Even when I hunt the same areas I've hunted for years, I always have at least 1/2 dozen backup plans.

 

[bz_711]

I honestly don't think the unit matters a whole lot when it comes to OTC units. Some are slightly better than others but I think guys put to much though into it and spend a lot of time breaking down statistics that really aren't that accurate.

Pick a unit that has the terrain and access you want and go for it. Have a backup area that might be 5 miles away or 60. If your not finding what you want in the first spot go to the second. 10 days is plenty of time to do 2 different hunts and see some new county if the first spot is a bust.

I agree.

I have spent all 5 seasons in the same OTC unit - and only picked it as I was invited there by a buddy. Have a few spots picked out ahead of time via maps and be ready when you get there. I think what has helped my success is that each of the 5 years I've gone I knew I only had 5 days to hunt before I had to head home for family/coaching commitments. This has forced me to hunt as hard as I can from the first break of daylight...there is no mindset of "I think I'll check this area out" or "I'll drive around and glass some." I do not see a bunch of elk, but always have a few opportunities and try to make the most of them.
What has helped more than anything IMO is sticking to the same unit year after year...you really do start to figure some things out, both with the elk, and the other hunters!

Personally, if I was starting from scratch - I would pick an area that suits me best for drive time, ruggedness, wilderness...and I personally want tall peaks to look at, hunting rolling hills would lose something for me.

No matter what - the two keys - have fun and Be Positive!

I would drive the 15 hours to elk camp and drop the $600 tag even if I could only hunt 3 days...I would even think long and hard if only 2 days...I love how my mind and body feel pursing elk in the mountains with bow in hand.

Good Luck!

 

[zman]

If you know CO a bit just concentrate on that. The OTC tags are easy to get hold of and relatively affordable. If you can get out and hike in one of the OTC units in the summer you have a big leg up. Just go for a long walk with binos. For an archery hunt, I would go with a unit that has lots of area above 10,000 feet. 45, 47, 471, 43, 53 all are pretty high.

 

[KMT]

I'm not sure where you're from, but in Colorado, national forest tracts of land are gigantic. (I say this because I lived in Maryland for a couple of years, and the national forest tracts were very small, almost unimaginable to anyone from the west.) You can be in he wilderness in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana without being in a designated wilderness area.

If you have the slightest idea of how to hunt elk, you can find them in almost any game management unit west of I-25. That's the western 50-60 percent of the state. I wouldn't get caught up in the "fact" that all elk are at 12,000 feet or above.

 

[les welch]

Lots of advice here, and I honestly didn't read through all of it. Is it your first elk hunt? What is your reasoning for wanting to hunt 8-10 days off your back? Solitude? More elk? Just because? Lots of things to look for. If it's your first elk hunt I would consider Base camp or truck hunting and giving yourself a lot of options. Once you pack in a few miles your options become much more limited. Pretty much anywhere you go in Colorado you will be around elk.

 

[under h2o hunter]

I honestly don't think the unit matters a whole lot when it comes to OTC units. Some are slightly better than others but I think guys put to much though into it and spend a lot of time breaking down statistics that really aren't that accurate.

Pick a unit that has the terrain and access you want and go for it. Have a backup area that might be 5 miles away or 60. If your not finding what you want in the first spot go to the second. 10 days is plenty of time to do 2 different hunts and see some new county if the first spot is a bust.

This quote absolutely cracks me up... Thanks for a good laugh. Here is why this is so damn funny. In one sentence you say that statistics aren't worth putting time into because you think they are not accurate. Then in the next sentence you tell the guy to have a back up plan incase he doesn't find what he is looking for. Wouldn't elk be what he is looking for? How can someone figure out if an area holds better numbers of elk then another area? Answer is pretty simple. Crunch the numbers. Why do you believe the statistics are in-accurate? Yes I can understand that not everyone that is called by the DOW to participate in their survey will be honest about killing or not killing an animal. However I highly doubt that they would lie about what unit and how many days they hunted. This information can tell you a lot about what you can expect in a certain unit. Also the numbers don't lie about how many people applied for the muzzle loading tags for a unit or a 1st rifle tag as well. The Biologist are pretty much on point about the herd size and Bull to Cow ratios. All this information when put together can give you a pretty good idea about a units potential and pressure. I guess I been doing it wrong for 25 years. I guess me filling an elk tag 20 out of 25 years is simply because I am lucky... I don't think so. The reason I have been so successful at hunting elk on public OTC units is because I do my homework. I crunch statistical numbers first then I visually put boots on the ground looking for the tell tail signs that their are plenty or elk in the area. After that finding the elk can be pretty simple. Elk are elk no matter what unit you go to they need food,water, and cover that is away from pressure. If you know what to look for then finding them can be pretty simple. If you want to be successful I suggest you take another approach besides blindly picking an OTC area and going for it. Otherwise you're gonna be like most and end up eating your tag rather then an elk. Best of luck

 

[bwlacy]

I will say this much in my years hunting OTC units..
Check to see if wilderness you are hunting also has a special rifle mule deer tag for the same time..
Hunted Mt Zirkell wilderness couple yrs and it does not help with rifles going off and orange guys moving around..

I didn't realize that they had the early deer hunt in the Zirkel. I've been looking at 14 and 161 quite a bit on the hunter atlas and google earth. May have to reconsider that area. My brother and I are going on our first archery elk hunt this year and that area looked pretty good I thought. Of course I don't know what I'm looking at anyway since I've never bow hunted elk I'll keep looking.

 

[jdmaxwell]

Not saying its not good or discouraging you.. But wanted to make you aware..
There are also other wilderness areas in Colorado that have that early rifle mule deer in at September time..
I wasn't aware my first time there..

 

[KMT]

Muzzleloader season is concurrent with archery season, so depending on when you hunt, you will likely see or hear muzzle loader hunters.

 

[westrnwild]

So after all that been said....my next question is this. Do you want a wild deep 8-10 day wilderness hunt where maybe the elk don't get as pressured...and if so do want steep like sangre de cristos or dark timber with blowdowns like the rhoutt? Or do you want a deep hunt with less elk and even less hunters? Or maybe an easier hike, but good numbers and fair amount of pressure.

So CO released all there updates..a lot of units are above the initial plans. That being said elk are doing a hell of a good job avoiding hunters. The 80-20 rule is now the 90-10 rule. Only 10% of the hunters are killing 90% of the elk..the easy to see during rifle season when it looks like pumpkin patch...you got go where others won't or haven't thought of...people can laugh at stats and say they do or don't matter, but no matter what state your in, elk are getting way better at avoiding people/predators....also know your physical limitations... I train all year hard! To do long extended backpack hunts, and sometimes I come out and try easier spots from time to time to take a break and change things up.

If your main objective is back country diy elk hunt that's successful, then decide which you think can handle physically and mentally..send me a Pm I'd love to help ya

 

[Bonedalien]

This quote absolutely cracks me up... Thanks for a good laugh. Here is why this is so damn funny.

myself, I like Rokslide because the members,old school guys and newbys are pretty cool and respectfull. You can ask a question or offer your two cents without getting jumped on. Plenty of other crappy sites like that on the web. You have plenty great advice, and experience to share. No need blasting another brother in arms to get your point across.

 

[under h2o hunter]

myself, I like Rokslide because the members,old school guys and newbys are pretty cool and respectfull. You can ask a question or offer your two cents without getting jumped on. Plenty of other crappy sites like that on the web. You have plenty great advice, and experience to share. No need blasting another brother in arms to get your point across.

I wasn't blasting him. I was pointing out it was a contradiction. It was funny to me. I guess next time I can perquisite the latter. I apologize for not being as sensitive as others.