Possible First Elk Hunt, Looking For Advice

[NorthernHunter]

Excellent footwear and more training then seems necessary will help with getting around. Onx helped a lot. Ross gave some great advice. Shocking how many more animals I saw once I got comfortable hiking in the dark.

 

[jchamwv]

First thing I would do is have a serious discussion with your friends about what type of hunting they will be doing (steep and Deep, road hunting, hiking to glassing spots and stalking etc.) Make sure that is the type of hunt that interests you and your dad. Be honest with them and yourself as far as expectations and physical abilities. If you then decide to go for it, buy the best boots and insoles that are comfortable for you and that you can afford and start hiking with them now. Carry a weighted pack, carry rocks carry logs, carry anything that will make it suck. Most importantly, HAVE FREAKIN FUN WITH YOUR DAD!

 

[hoosierhunter11]

The OP wanted some advice, here’s some advice.

Since you’ll be hunting Colorado, good chance you’ll be in a 4 Pt antler restriction.
That means 4 points on one side or a 5” brow tine.

So many times I’ve heard guys say they didn’t shoot a bull because they couldn’t count 4 points.

I’ll ask them if it had a 5” brow tine and they’ll say “Yes”

Well…. Guess what. They effed up.

So much easier to determine a legal bull just based on ONE 5” brow tine than try to count antler points

I realize this is very naive but it is something I am nervous about. I drew my first archery elk tag for CO and will be joining my dad and his buddies who have a lot of experience. Any resources you know of that will compare legal vs non legal bulls just to get my eyes/mind trained? I know this is no replacement for eyes in the field...

 

[Mcribs]

I realize this is very naive but it is something I am nervous about. I drew my first archery elk tag for CO and will be joining my dad and his buddies who have a lot of experience. Any resources you know of that will compare legal vs non legal bulls just to get my eyes/mind trained? I know this is no replacement for eyes in the field...

https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Hunting/BigGame/Elk-Antler-Point-Restrictions.pdf

 

[hoosierhunter11]

https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Hunting/BigGame/Elk-Antler-Point-Restrictions.pdf

This is great. Thank you!

 

[SloppyJ]

Advice: Skip the above, save your pennies and go on a guided elk hunt with just you and your Dad. Then if it's something you love, go back on your own and use what you learned as a foundation to learn on. Many of the guys on this website live out west and for them, DIY makes alot more sense (especially the younger ones), but if what you said in your original post was true, and your friends are not BOAL elk slayers, you probably have a 99% chance of just going on a camping trip to CO and getting humbled physically and mentally. If you are good with that, then carry on and good luck. There are lots of youtube videos to help give you an idea of what you are getting into. But watching all the videos in the world won't substitute for time in the mountains.

If you want to check out guided hunts, call Epic Outdoors, Rolling Bones, Global Hunting Resources, or Huntinfool, and give them your budget. They can give you some referrals

Doc do you have experience with these guides? I'm in this boat and that's the route I wanted to go. I want to take 1 or 2 guided trips first to learn and then go try my hand at DIY. I'm trying to learn and teach myself so this can be a yearly trip that I take with my boys as they start to get older. My first hang up is finding a legit guide. There are way too many options out there and horror stories.

 

[cnelk]

If I was to ever hire a guide, one of the first questions I would ask for is the names and numbers of previous clients.

 

[Rosst]

Myself and my Dad have been invited by some friend to try and draw tags with them for a public land unit in Colorado this year in hopes of going Elk hunting in the first week of the season. We would be primarily looking to bow hunt, but have zero experience on this type of hunting. If your were to recommend some resources that are truly useful to guys who have spent their whole lives hunting whitetail deer in South Alabama from ladder stands, climbers, and blinds, what would they be? I'm open to articles, videos, or just advice, please feel free to post below! For the record, I understand we may not pull a tag, but if so, thats one more year to prepare!