Planning my first elk hunt (Colorado)

[1hoda]

Got a quick question.

Are wildnerness areas and National Forests essentially the same? My hunting partner and I are thinking of only honing in on wilderness areas that don't allow ATVs. Are these allowed on National Forests? Also, we've been looking over the Colorado hunting atlas. Is there really an easy way of determining a wilderness area? They lump the WA's and NFs in as the same color on the map legend.

I called the hunt planner the other day and he suggessted units 14 & 81. I'm thinking about calling again (hopefully to speak to someone different) and get their opinion as well.

There are both wilderness areas and roadless areas within national forests. The first has a legal designation the second does not- but for our purposes they are the same. You can find maps of each on the specific NF websites. You won't find ATV traffic in either. You will find horses or human foot traffic only.

Another way to avoid the ATV traffic is to get free copies of the MVUM maps from each Ranger District- they show all roads open to motorized traffic. Once you get the maps, cross all the road areas off you map. Pretty soon you will be zeroing in on solitude.

T

 

[COLOelkman]

Regarding ATV's, much of the NF does not allow them, that said, I've had several bad experiences with people not aware of or disregarding rules and running them on closed roads etc. so if you're in an area like that, it could happen but it just depends on the area you select and whether it has many old/closed roads or not.
Not sure what gear you are still looking for so it might be good to post what you still need and see what others recommend. I didn't see if you've got a sleeping bag yet. I recently went with a quilt from Hammock Gear as I wanted a lightweight bag and I don't sleep well in a mummy. Very warm but if you roll around much, a quilt is somewhat the new-wave to address that and it really helped me. You'll want to be able to get a good nites sleep as you will definitely be drained. I got a bag around 10 degrees (i hunt Sept and Oct) as I get cold easy and the bag is around 1.5 lbs compared to my old REI zero degree down bag that was over 5 lbs. One of my best purchases so far. I'd recommend going with lightweight quality gear also as I find myself doing that now after 35 years of hunting. So much good quality stuff out now and for backpacking, the light weight gear can be used for road camping as well. I'm planning a solo this year in WY but likely more of a road camp mainly due to the area I've selected but might do a couple nites via backpack. Have you narrowed down the area you'll be hunting? Once that's done it will help a lot to determine the type of camp (road vs backpack) you might be doing. Personally, a 7-10 day hunt solo would be a hard thing for many guys especially if you haven't done it, so you might consider combining road and backpacking at least as an option. So having a basecamp at the road and packing in for shorter durations might help. Just don't want to "waste" too much time moving camps. I've never had anything vandalized or stolen either at a basecamp so it'd probably be out of the norm for that to happen. Good idea also to leave a note on your car if you do go in solo with an expected time you will return just in case......can't hurt. A sat phone is a good idea or at least a SPOT or Delorme InReach type of communication for basic safety precautions.
We're all cheering for you as you seem addicted already without ever being actually bitten yet!!! Glad to have you in the EA (Elkaholics Anonymous) support group!

 

[Finch]

Thanks again for all the help and the PMs!

I guess I should have updated this thread along the way. I'm no longer going solo as a buddy from work will be going as well. We'll be heading out Sept 5th and have to be back on the 17th. Maybe if my buddy can take an extra day off, we'll leave out of Virginia on Sept 4th, just depends. Google says it'll take about 25 hours of driving. Let's just say leaving Sept 5th. Kinda figuring on driving 16 hours and stopping somewhere in Kansas that night. Get some decent sleep and then pick it back up first thing that morning (sept 6th) and continuing on to our destination. Probably get there sometime that evening. Guess we'll have to sleep at the trailhead and pick it up that 3rd morning (Sept 7th) to actually start hunting. We should have a solid 7-8 days of hunting. Leave first thing Sept. 15th and pull into the house the evening of the 16th. We both have to work the night of the 17th. How does that plan sound?

I have acquired some gear and I'll list it.

Sleep system:
Marmot Couloir 0 deg down bag ~3lbs
Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 tent
Still need a pad - looking at the Exped's but waiting for prices to drop

Clothing
Lowa Tibet boots
Smartwool socks
Eddie Bauer First Ascent guide pants - will probably do most of my hunting in these
Cabelas Microtex pants - might bring these as a backup
Under Armor synthetics for base layers (backup)
First Lite Chama QZ longsleeve and Core4 element baselayer
Need some wool bottoms
FL Uncompadgre Puffy

Katydyn Hiker Pro H20 filter
Primus Litech Trek Kettle 1.0L with Fry Pan Lid
Primus Express Stove Ti With Piezo Ignition
Havalon Torch
Exo 3500 pack
Vortex angled spotter - not sure if I'm taking this or not.
Vortex binos - 8x42

So I've gotten some stuff but obviously I'm not finished. Need some decent raingear that won't break the bank. Here in Virginia, I don't use raingear as I'm usually perched under my tree umbrella while whitetail hunting. Need a sleeping pad and a few other odds and ends. Guess we'll need a GPS but I've recently bought a nice Suunto M3 compass and have been practicing navigating with it. Don't want to solely rely on the GPS. Not sure if we should get a Spot or rent a Sat phone.

My theory of picking units has pointed me to look at 14, 214, 42,43, 421, 521, 70, 71, 78, & 81. I'm basing that on percent success (not entirely though) and total harvest numbers. I know not all of those are part of Wilderness areas and we might not be fully committed to WA's anyway. Whatcha think?

 

[rayporter]

you got a plan. not a bad one either.

35 years ago i drove 31 hours straight through from ohio, many times. unless we crashed when we unloaded horses we just loaded them back up and hit the road again. we figured we could sleep all we wanted in camp, but we couldn't wait to get there.

personally i hate 4 wheelers with a passion. if you can, hunt where they cant go.

 

[COLOelkman]

On the Exped pads, I've seen the newest ones are supposed to be out in March. I believe there's a thread on this forum on pads. They are supposedly lighter just from what I've read, so depending on your budget, you can probably find less expensive ones and probably won't be much heavier. I was also looking at the Exo packs and a friend that has one told me his 3500 was a bit too small for him for a 4-5 day hunt if that helps you any so I'm gonna check out the larger size at a hunting show in SLC in Feb. I'm sure you could supplement it if need be with packing things on the outside. Of your units noted, I only know a little about 43 as I have a friend that has a cabin there and the areas I've hunted has a lot of private around it but we've taken a few elk there and it's not accessible without going thru gated private property. Personally, I'd not get too hung up on the Wilderness Areas because much of the NF is not really different at least relative to hunting, but it just depends on the specific areas you'll be hunting. As for a GPS, you might consider your cell phone with an app. They can serve as a camera, phone (if service is available), GPS, compass, video, emergency light, and can be paired with a SPOT. Anyway, it can save some weight but I've found it took me a while to feel comfortable using it. Main drawback is battery life but that can be alleviated it if it's used wisely. I bought a couple extra batteries (android) and use airplane mode and it would easily make a week if not more depending on how you use it. So there are pros and cons with GPS vs cell phones that need to be considered. I have the original SPOT and it always worked but just never liked the 1 way texting but now there's a lot more options. Looks like you've got a good start on your gear so you might wanna start to weigh everything just to see where you are at. I've typically overpacked and end up with too much unneeded items. Food for 7-10 days is also a fair amount of weight so I'm sure you'll find some good ideas on other threads. Do you have meat bags yet as you'd likely need to have them? I vacuum seal my bags (Caribou) to take up a little less room in the pack, and I typically don't bring them all but it just depends on how far away from the truck you might be. Sept can be very warm and protecting the meat from flies is a consideration. I experienced a zillion flies on my elk last year (really gross) so I bought some stuff thru the Caribou bag guy at a sports show recently which is a powder that you mix with water when needed and spray on the meat so it's fairly light to carry. Hope I get to use it this year! Keep at it and you'll do better than 99% of the other 1st timers!

 

[Finch]

I'm gonna be real quick since I'm walking out the door. We were thinking of coming out midweek back to the truck to resupply and maybe go into town but now that I think about it, it might take us a few days to get into where we're going. It might be a waste coming out halfway thru if we only have 7 days. Need to think about that more I guess. I was set on the 5500 but found a deal on the 3500 and took it. My buddy has the 5500 though.

I forgot to add bags to the list. Actually there's several things I didn't list. I just hit the big ticket items. I read about that acid or spray you're talking about. Good point!

Thanks again fellas!

 

[DWinVA]

Sounds like your well on your way preparing for your first DYI hunt. I'm almost preparing like ours is DYI (we're going with a guide) since that's what I plan to do the next time. We'll be out that way at the same time, our 5-day hunt is 8-29 through 9-2 with a day packing in and a day packing out on each end. Just in the last week we finally decided (I think) to drive rather than fly. 24 hours is what we are looking at, talking about options of driving straight through vs. getting some sleep somewhere 16-20 hours into it. We may just see how we feel during the drive. I ended up getting a great deal on a BA Q Core which is a little on the heavy side but sure is comfy. I've got my EXO 3500 loaded with 50 lbs. of sand and have been walking with it at least every other day and running on the days I'm not carrying it. We'll have to meet up at McAfee sometime for a pack hike workout.

God Bless.

 

[Finch]

Sounds like your well on your way preparing for your first DYI hunt. I'm almost preparing like ours is DYI (we're going with a guide) since that's what I plan to do the next time. We'll be out that way at the same time, our 5-day hunt is 8-29 through 9-2 with a day packing in and a day packing out on each end. Just in the last week we finally decided (I think) to drive rather than fly. 24 hours is what we are looking at, talking about options of driving straight through vs. getting some sleep somewhere 16-20 hours into it. We may just see how we feel during the drive. I ended up getting a great deal on a BA Q Core which is a little on the heavy side but sure is comfy. I've got my EXO 3500 loaded with 50 lbs. of sand and have been walking with it at least every other day and running on the days I'm not carrying it. We'll have to meet up at McAfee sometime for a pack hike workout.

God Bless.

Just saw this...I'm hoping to make the 16 hour drive and spend the night somewhere in Kansas. Wake up and make the additional 9 hour drive to where ever we decide to hunt in CO. Sucks to be so far away!

I'd be up for a pack hike to McAfees. Just did it the other week actually. There's another member (SWVA_Tim) that is interested as well.

 

[DWinVA]

It's a long drive but I think I still prefer it over the hassles of flying. Hopefully gas prices will keep droping or at least stay were they are now.

God Bless.

 

[blackdawg]

Sounds like your getting things lined out. I would like to suggest taking a nice long three day weekend backpacking trip to the nearest set of mountians and national forest back east to test your legs and your gear this spring before the weather gets too hot. I have done the backpacking back into the wilderness area thing and can attest to the need for preparation of yourself and your gear.

 

[Finch]

Sounds like your getting things lined out. I would like to suggest taking a nice long three day weekend backpacking trip to the nearest set of mountians and national forest back east to test your legs and your gear this spring before the weather gets too hot. I have done the backpacking back into the wilderness area thing and can attest to the need for preparation of yourself and your gear.

Thanks for the tip. I'm actually hoping to do that soon while it's still freezing at night. I don't have a good pad yet (just the blue Wally world special I used to use for car camping) but I pretty much have everything else to test the waters.

 

[bz_711]

CO DOW did release it's next 5 year structure for Season dates: http://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Hu...Big-Game-Season-Structure-Dates-2015-2019.pdf

What part of season you are looking to hunt?

 

[Finch]

Sept 6th thru the 16th. Wish we could've gotten vacation a little later during the month but it just didn't work out that way.

 

[bz_711]

Sept 6th thru the 16th. Wish we could've gotten vacation a little later during the month but it just didn't work out that way.

That time of year can be just as good or even better then last week of season...seems like each year is a little different on how quickly fall occurs in the mountains...in my opinion it's closely related to how long the spring snows stick around. I know a lot of others like to avoid the muzzleloader season, but I've overlapped both the beginning and end of muzzy season and have yet to even see a glimpse of a muzzy hunter...I guess every unit is different.
For backpack style I'd probably prefer the dates you picked just to have better odds of avoiding snow...and the older I get the more I appreciate fair weather hunting

I've shot a bull Sept 10th and 24th...with plenty of bugling around both of those dates (although my 9/10 bull slipped in to my calling silently...so be ready for anything).

Regardless, you'll be chasing elk in the mountain with bow in hand...it doesn't get any better than that!

 

[Finch]

Yep, it should be one hell of an experience. This hunt is definitely out of my "comfort zone" but I'm enjoying all the planning. Think about elk more than I do sex now!

 

[Hard Knocks]

Last year,I was in the same boat.My first diy backcountry hunt,and I felt overwhelmed.I packed in 7 miles,and killed a cow on the second day of archery season.Most would consider it foolish to pack a cow that far,But she was a trophy to me.I took a beating,physically and mentally,but I learned a ton on that trip.Im hooked and planning for this years trip.Its an experience that you will never forget,Good luck!

 

[Finch]

Last year,I was in the same boat.My first diy backcountry hunt,and I felt overwhelmed.I packed in 7 miles,and killed a cow on the second day of archery season.Most would consider it foolish to pack a cow that far,But she was a trophy to me.I took a beating,physically and mentally,but I learned a ton on that trip.Im hooked and planning for this years trip.Its an experience that you will never forget,Good luck!

Wow, 7 miles is a good little hike! Congrats on a successful first backcountry hunt.

Gear update:
I picked up a Garmin Etrex 20 today for $50 from craigslist. It's essentially brand new. I guess I need to buy the hunt maps chip now. Anyone have any advice on the Etrex 20? Anywhere to get free topos so I can play around with it?

 

[Shrek]

Try the gpsfiledepot.com. I used a map I got free from there year before last and it was very accurate and had the Montana school trust lands as well as the NF shaded green which allowed me to hunt some tiny pieces of land that was surrounded by private. I used the huntmaps this year and the information was golden..

 

[Finch]

Thanks Shrek, I'll check that site out. Do you have the Etrex 20? Likes, dislikes?

 

[Shrek]

No , I have a Oregon 450. I think Luke Moffit used the extrex 20 along with several other people here.