Planning father and son Colorado hunt

[cgasner1]

Worked for me the last 4 years.

Better hope that rancher doesn’t change his mind or you are screwed we just recently lost access to a bunch of public ground because the rancher said it wasn’t a country road but a 2 track so it got closed by the time it went to court they all went up there and the judge ruled it was a 2 track because it has been closed with no traffic so it got overgrown. Now a outfitter has a bunch of new blm ground locked down to guide on that no one can access so as far as Montana is concerned better have legit legal access or permission


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[cgasner1]

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[Smarpin]

You'll likely find that the learning curve for OTC elk is EXTREME! Be prepared for lots of orange.....and frustration! A high proportion of public land hunters are super excited if they even see an elk! If you think about it, Colo elk get hunted from August through November....and even later in select units. You can imagine the elk know exactly where public/private boundaries are locationed. Your best bet is to find lightly hunted private land.....it will up your success chances and total experience 100-fold! As mentioned above, the better ranches may charge a chunk for private land hunt.

Another option would be to find lightly hunted private land in NMex. You can buy landowner tags in NM directly from outfitters.

What is the best way to research private lands without being able to put boots on the ground?

 

[Jimss]

You can get a feel for units, private land, etc by looking up outfitters in the area/units you are interested in. Some of them may offer trespass fee options. Outfitter websites will give you an idea of what size bucks and bulls are available. NMex and Colo offer private landowner tags. There are a few outfitters and license brokers that offer landowner tags to clients. In Colo, landowners can sell tags to brokers or directly to hunters. I would highly advise checking out references of past hunters on any of these. It's tough but you can also spend time knocking on doors and praying a landowner may offer advice, access, or trespass fee options....do this well before you plan on hunting! As can be expected, the very best ranches often charge a premium for hunts....some may even have a waiting list.

 

[THunt]

I'd look at what you want out of the experience 1st. For instance, I find I really enjoy the "less desirable" cow or spike only hunts, with the full knowledge that there wont be a taxidermy bill. There just seems to be less intensity from the competition, people just aren't willing to go to the same lengths to kill a cow. I have a December muzzleloader cow elk hunt coming up that I'm really looking forward to because I know the pressure will be minimal and I anticipate having a lot of ground to myself.