Planning my first elk hunt (Colorado)

[ndbwhunter]

So I've been looking at the CO hunting atlas on the DOW website. It's a pretty neat tool but how do I go about finding trailheads? The plan is to make the 27ish hour ride from Virginia and show up at a predetermined trailhead. What am I missing? I've been looking at the topo layer.

The national geographic trail maps for that particular area will give you all the information you need. I've heard that the forest service maps also show trails and trailheads, but I've never used one of their maps for that.

 

[Poser]

You definitely want to be aware of all of the trailheads, trails, forest service roads etc in the area. Nothing worse than working really hard to get to a spot that others can easily access from a trail or road you were not aware of. Once you identify the formal trails, you can often find informal/unmapped trails by zooming in closely on Google Earth. You can also usually find pullouts and well used parking areas along forest service roads.

 

[COLOelkman]

I've not looked at the hunt planner but just wanted to note that there will be many areas that a trail would not showup as a designated trailhead. Since most areas of the National Forest you can park along most any road (as long as you are off the road) there are often trails from areas where people typically park or setup to camp. Most of the areas I hunt do not have designated trailheads but they do have trails that are easy to see. Looking at Google Earth, trails are often visible assuming they are well used by hikers or cattle. So, if you only look for designated trailheads, you'd be significantly limiting where you might go. Not sure this helps but I just wanted to point out that you may not want to only hike in on designated trails. Not that these are any better or worse than non-official trails. Have you narrowed down your search to any GMU's or still trying to whittle this down. Once you have a GMU(s) in mind, you might get some more definitive suggestions on where to go or at least some options. I'm sure this is a bit daunting if you've never hunted here in CO as there's a lot of options!

 

[bz_711]

Similar to what others have mentioned - be cautious of well posted trailheads that include parking lots...then you're dealing with hunters, hikers, photographers, etc.

Have you nailed down a wilderness area or national forest?
One thing that has helped me is once you peg an area on a map, are there named lakes or peaks nearby? For example, if John Doe lake is close to where you'd like to go, do a Google search for John Doe Lake trail report...I have learned tons from posts on sites such as Summitpost.org and others like Protrails, etc...as well as fs.usda.gov site that has many trail guides, even for those trails that are just a single wooden post trailhead on the side of the road with no parking.

Feel free to PM also if really starting to zoom in a particular area - would be glad to help if possible...

 

[Archerm]

I would say don't overwhelm yourself, don't confuse yourself , and don't stress out on your first Elk hunt. Do a little research nail down a few areas, commit to them then stick to that plan. Many people over think their first Elk hunt and get overwhelmed with information overload. Ive seen to many first timers cancel because they get way to much information they cannot decipher it all or stay confused with it all. Go have fun on your first hunt you will learn a tremendous amount.

 

[bz_711]

I would say don't overwhelm yourself, don't confuse yourself , and don't stress out on your first Elk hunt. Do a little research nail down a few areas, commit to them then stick to that plan. Many people over think their first Elk hunt and get overwhelmed with information overload. Ive seen to many first timers cancel because they get way to much information they cannot decipher it all or stay confused with it all. Go have fun on your first hunt you will learn a tremendous amount.

And this...you will not be let down if you just pick a forest service road, pull over, and take off for a couple miles (or follow a creek or drainage) toward a spot you picked out prior...and go from there. You will be close to elk!

 

[COlineman78]

And this...you will not be let down if you just pick a forest service road, pull over, and take off for a couple miles (or follow a creek or drainage) toward a spot you picked out prior...and go from there. You will be close to elk!

The only caveat I would add to this is that the easier the hike, the more likely you are to see other people. Try to pick something with fairly tough terrain right off the road as it will keep the riff-raff out. I would also recommend picking one of the wilderness areas so that you have plenty of room to hunt and motorized vehicles are prohibited.

 

[Finch]

Wow, wasn't expecting this many replies so quick. Thanks guys for all the tips. I'll definitely take everyone's advice.

I've narrowed it down to 14, 214, 42, 43, 421, 521, and possibly 62, 65, 70 & 71. I mostly chose those due to percent success and total harvest stats. I've called the hunt planners a couple times but it sounds like all they do is look at the hunting atlas (interactive map) and go by the migration and elk holding areas. Seems like something I can do on my own. I'll probably narrow down my list even further by choosing wilderness areas. At that point, I'll contact the local office of that unit and hopefully speak with a warden with boots on the ground experience.

 

[COlineman78]

Wow, wasn't expecting this many replies so quick. Thanks guys for all the tips. I'll definitely take everyone's advice.

I've narrowed it down to 14, 214, 42, 43, 421, 521, and possibly 62, 65, 70 & 71. I mostly chose those due to percent success and total harvest stats. I've called the hunt planners a couple times but it sounds like all they do is look at the hunting atlas (interactive map) and go by the migration and elk holding areas. Seems like something I can do on my own. I'll probably narrow down my list even further by choosing wilderness areas. At that point, I'll contact the local office of that unit and hopefully speak with a warden with boots on the ground experience.

I hunt 131, however there isn't a whole lot of public land so I wouldn't recommend it. It gets complicated trying to find corners of BLM touching the road. The best hunting in the state is the north west corner of the state (Unit 10 has a 25+ year wait for 1st rifle bull), as such my buddies hunt archery in the bordering units and have decent luck. Not to add to your long list, but you may also consider unit 25 as it contains a small piece of Flat Tops Wilderness just outside of the limited (draw) hunting units (33, 24). Parking here and heading just north east should put you into some good country.

 

[Rs3003]

so much great advise here!

 

[Finch]

Just a little update. I've upped my pack weight to 70 lbs and have been walking our neighborhood from 1 to 3 miles. I'll step it up and get up some mountains soon. If I add water, it'll probably be closer to 75 or 80 which I'm not sure how I'll handle it.

Also, I ran in my company sponsored 5K this morning. It's the first time I've competed in any kind of race. I placed 3rd in my age group (30-34) and 29th overall with a time of 23:45. I'm pretty happy about that especially since I consider myself a "casual runner". I increased my pace by a minute and more compared to my runs around the neighborhood. The race brought out my competitive spirit!

I attribute my work outs to my desire to chase elk this fall. I really don't enjoy working out but I've stuck with some kind of exercise for several months now. Either hiking with a pack, running, or whatever. We recently joined a gym and I'm trying to go more. The wife talked me into doing a spin class with her the other day and that was 60 minutes of pure hell but a great workout. It kicked my ass!

Just an update. More questions to come about actual elk hunting. 3 months until my hunt!

 

[Disco14]

Congrats , that's Awesome - keep up the hard work. I'll be following your progress up to the hunt and looking forward to hearing about your experience. I think I will be giving CO a try next year.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Congrts and keep up the good work. It's getting closer to Sept everyday....

 

[lilhooter82]

Congrats! Keep up the hard work and good luck.

 

[Finch]

Thanks guys! I hiked 8 miles on a section of the Appalachian trail (McAfee's Knob for those that know) this morning with a pack weight of 75lbs. Wasn't the funnest thing I've done but I felt it best represented hauling out some meat.

I had to replace my stock insoles on my Lowa Tibets after I increased the weight of my pack a couple weeks back. Went to the local Fleet Feet and they fitted me with the green super feet. They help a lot! Still adjusting my pack though. The load lifters really seem to dig into my shoulders through the shoulder straps if that makes any sense. Maybe this is supposed to happen with that kind of weight. I find myself constantly readjusting to try to make it more comfortable.

I've got all the big ticket items for the trip. Just need some odds and ends. I've been shooting my bow everyday for a while and trying to shrink my groups down at 50 and 60.

Still need to order some calls to start practicing. I want to do that this week. I'm just so indecisive and there are too many damn calls on the market. Looking at a compact bugle and some cow call mouth reeds.

Also still trying to pick a unit. I have several picked but just need to think about it a bit more.

 

[DWinVA]

Good going making it to the Knob with that kind of weight. I carry 80 in my EXO without the shoulder straps digging in, must need some adjustments.

God Bless.

 

[COlineman78]

I have the same problems getting my pack just right especially since my shoulders are crap. I have yet to get my Icon Pro perfectly adjusted and plan to work on it throughout the summer. It sounds like you don't have yours adjusted quite right though as the load lifters should be taking the weight off of your shoulders and turning it into compression across the chest.

I would keep going about the same distance with that weight until it no longer bugs you. Go on some backpacking trips and take every luxury item you have. If you think it's not fun there, it's really not going to be fun at altitude. Also, practice hydration and get into the habit; even if it's sipping and spitting because altitude sickness will hit you hard if you forget to hydrate which is easy to do when the ambient temp is relatively cool.

 

[Ironman8]

Finch, I have an EXO as well. Try lengthening the torso length adjustment so that when you place the hip belt at your normal spot, you'll have a gap between the shoulder pads and the tops of your shoulders. When you tighten down the shoulder pads, you'll end up with slight compression on the front of your shoulders/chest while still having that gap at the top of your shoulders. IME, too much gap and the load will wobble laterally a little too much; too little, and you'll end up with more load on your shoulders than you want. Hopefully that helps.

 

[Finch]

I'll try that, Ironman. Thanks.

 

[HunterHawk]

Wow after reading this thread I love this site more and more! A lot of good guys on here willing to help people out is awesome!

The 1st year I elk hunted out here I had no clue what I was doing! My buddy met me out here (he was living in AZ) we were both originally from MI so we knew nothing about elk hunting! My buddy who had to buy an out of state tag was up first and as we were hiking back in with our camp on our back abut a mile in from where a lot of vehicles were parked I saw a 4x5 raking a tree in front of us and he ended up coming down the stream at us and my buddy nailed him at 23 yards! I wanted to tell you that because obviously it was blind luck but anything can happen!
We were in bulls everyday on that hunt and I have never been back to that spot again because I found a closer spot! there is elk all over colorado so just find something that looks good and do it! I used to do tons of google earth scouting before I ever put boots on the ground and it has worked out for me for both of my spots! I have still never shot a bull but thats definitely not for lack of chances! I have yet to release an arrow on an elk and have had 2 monster bulls within 30 yards! talk about good and bad luck!

some things I will suggest as we are about the same height and build. I was lifting weight a lot and running and what kills me every year is my legs! make sure ou do some mountain climbers and squats as im sure you are finding out with your hikes! its even worse when you arent getting oxygen as your muscles get tired faster

drink lots of water!

take a compass reading before you leave your truck/base camp! I learned this the hard way when hunting solo last year and relying on my GPS. Last September when the solar flares made the news my GPS stopped working for a couple hours and I had made a figure 8 on my gps. Went throught a stupid panic phase, made a lot of noise and ended up running into a bull... almost literally!! It was stupid to panic as I could have stayed a night in the middle of nowhere and had stuff to filter water and extra food but hunting solo can play tricks on you! i see now you are going with someone so shouldnt be an issue.

Instead of spending the night in Kansas and wasting some time maybe just change drivers? one sleeps while one drives! that way you can drive straight through? just a thought

good luck and if i think of anything else ill let you know!