Real elk hunting!

[Hnthrdr]

its far better to act than to react, and unfortunately we are so now this becomes an issue of not wanting out of state hunters which then becomes unfair. license allocation favors residents as it should but having 100 residents in one area is no different than having a 50/50 split in an area so we then circle back to who is willing to give up hunting to please the next guy.

not wanting as many out of staters is logical and normal. I would never have the gall to go to any other state and tell the full time residents to take a back seat so that me a visitor can have their opportunity. Wouldn’t expect a anyone from Arizona, Wyoming, Ohio or Michigan to do that for me, so why are Co residents supposed to bend over and take it?! We are getting the shaft with tag allocations currently don’t pretend like we are not, don’t pretend that a population that has doubled in 10 years doesn’t need to adjust tags accordingly. Sorry if you didn’t move here in the last 10, might as well join if elk hunting here is that important to you.

 

[FlareBlitz91]

Y’all are depressing, I leave Tuesday for my first elk hunt in 10 years. This will be my daughters first elk hunt and I am so excited for her. I guarantee a good time, nothing more. If she sees elk I’ll be happy, if she fills her cow tag I’ll be ecstatic, if she fills her bull tag it will be unbelievable! She has a bear tag just in case and I have a bull tag so I am in the game. I guess it’s all about expectations. I’ve killed them with bow, muzzleloader and rifle, I always enjoyed the bow and muzzleloader seasons the best but man the color in first rifle.. it ain’t the 1960s but I am still living the dream.

Shawn

Don’t let negative people ruin your experience. I tune out all the BS hunting social media so i barely know what these people are complaining about.

We are truly in the good old days of elk hunting right now.

 

[FlareBlitz91]

not wanting as many out of staters is logical and normal. I would never have the gall to go to any other state and tell the full time residents to take a back seat so that me a visitor can have their opportunity. Wouldn’t expect a anyone from Arizona, Wyoming, Ohio or Michigan to do that for me, so why are Co residents supposed to bend over and take it?! We are getting the shaft with tag allocations currently don’t pretend like we are not, don’t pretend that a population that has doubled in 10 years doesn’t need to adjust tags accordingly. Sorry if you didn’t move here in the last 10, might as well join if elk hunting here is that important to you.

Think of the poor bastards in UT (soon to be me) who can’t even get a general deer tag every year.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Don’t let negative people ruin your experience. I tune out all the BS hunting social media so i barely know what these people are complaining about.

We are truly in the good old days of elk hunting right now.

Good old days in which state? Not in Co friend. Good old days were 70s- early 00’s in Co for archery elk hunting. You can still kill elk, but now it’s a lot of hunting the hunter strategy, and getting really creative, with spots and tactics.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Think of the poor bastards in UT (soon to be me) who can’t even get a general deer tag every year.

Welcome to Co’s world buddy. Get a deer tag every other year in a marginal unit or wait 2/3 years for an okay unit

 

[FlareBlitz91]

We address it by limiting tags, end of story.

Look at the Kenai/Russian River in AK. Everyone fishing shoulder to shoulder. Is it fun? Maybe for some. Does everyone have the right to be there? For sure. Do they catch fish? Defiantly! Is it what I would call salmon fishing? Hardly!

This is the modern day CO elk hunt for everyone to enjoy!

View attachment 462509

This looks like the Great Lakes runs back home. Fun to catch steelhead but not fun to combat fish for them.

I’m much more into blue lining small fish with my 3wt now. I guess the same mentality applies to hunting too.

 

[FlareBlitz91]

Good old days in which state? Not in Co friend. Good old days were 70s- early 00’s in Co for archery elk hunting. You can still kill elk, but now it’s a lot of hunting the hunter strategy, and getting really creative, with spots and tactics.

I get that, I’ve never hunted CO OTC, nor do i plan to, but elk numbers are up damn near everywhere

 

[2rocky]

What's a "real Elk Hunt"? If I can touch 'em they're real...

..but what makes an Elk hunt worthwhile and special that hunting other species doesn't deliver?

Going out on horseback in the dark
Hearing bugles
The thought in the back of my mind that there is a distant but distinct possibility I may have to spend the night out in the mountains.
Committing 5 days to hunting in a row.
Camping in Elk Country
Aspens
That Smell...

 

[trophyhill]

I could care less about all the other hunters. Real elk hunting to me is all about opportunities. Which I manage to get every year. I may only get one opportunity so if I don’t capitalize on that 1 chance, that’s on me.

 

[5MilesBack]

I get that, I’ve never hunted CO OTC, nor do i plan to, but elk numbers are up damn near everywhere

Elk numbers mean nothing. You've never hunted OTC CO but you say "we're in the good old days of hunting" right now? Must have read it on a bumper sticker. LOL.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I am sitting here looking at my B&C elk. His feelings were hurt when I told him that he did not come from a "real elk hunt". His response was "early rifle in unit 10 in an above average year ain't no slouch". I told him about the WKR definition and that was gospel. He wasn't impressed.

 

[5MilesBack]

I am sitting here looking at my B&C elk. His feelings were hurt when I told him that he did not come from a "real elk hunt". His response was "early rifle in unit 10 in an above average year ain't no slouch". I told him about the WKR definition and that was gospel. He wasn't impressed.

This thread is all about P&Y.......we don't care about B&C. Is carrying a firestick even considered "real hunting"?

 

[Wapiti1]

I grew up hunting public and after hunting 4 states for elk in both LE and general units, it's all the same. You're either outsmarting the elk, the competition, or both.

I'll be the first to admit it feels pretty good to sit on the tailgate of my truck next to an elk I just packed out, eating a sandwich that was smashed in my pack, and answering questions about "where did y'all get that there elk, we ain't seen hide nor hair of them critters".

Jeremy

 

[Hnthrdr]

I grew up hunting public and after hunting 4 states for elk in both LE and general units, it's all the same. You're either outsmarting the elk, the competition, or both.

I'll be the first to admit it feels pretty good to sit on the tailgate of my truck next to an elk I just packed out, eating a sandwich that was smashed in my pack, and answering questions about "where did y'all get that there elk, we ain't seen hide nor hair of them critters".

Jeremy

I mean when you boil it all down to the bones of it that sums it up, or even more succinct, “ sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you”

 

[trophyhill]

Elk numbers mean nothing. You've never hunted OTC CO but you say "we're in the good old days of hunting" right now? Must have read it on a bumper sticker. LOL.

I question the elk numbers listed on the web site. I haven’t seen evidence of a high elk count in the unit I typically hunt. Then again it’s impossible to cover the whole unit in a archery hunt.

 

[FlareBlitz91]

Elk numbers mean nothing. You've never hunted OTC CO but you say "we're in the good old days of hunting" right now? Must have read it on a bumper sticker. LOL.

I think this is funny considering OTC CO isn’t “real elk hunting” according to this thread

 

[stanginthe11s]

I think what flare is saying is that based on the numbers provided colorado elk have recovered to a point of the past, not that hunting has gotten better. because of the increase in elk population, there has been an increase in hunter activity as the 2 go hand in hand. I thought this thread was about the statement "hunting elk in colorado is in no way shape or form real elk hunting" but really its just about blaming non res for coming to hunt, kinda ironic seeing as the OP was using a state he was not a res of as comparison. wonder if that state is complaining about non res hunting their "real" elk.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I think the OP was referring to the fact that chasing super heavily pressured animals, elk in this case; isn’t the “pure” interaction that most hunters dream of. Yes killing an elk, even a nice elk in an otc archery unit happens every year. He is saying the lack of elk getting to act like rutting elk is a turn off for him. I have to agree with him. If I wanted to hunt silent bulls that are running to and fro from getting bumped constantly I’d pick a rifle and join the 2/3 season clown show. What most archery elk hunters dream of is unpressured elk that you can test your skill against, not you testing your knowledge of the land and knowing where to sit when other hunters bumble into bedding areas and blow them out. Yes we as residents know it is the change in the number of resident hunters… but also out of staters. I think in 2020 they sold like 45k resident archery tags and 53k non resident archery tags… that’s an issue if you call colorado home. The state he went to, to have a better hunting experience already protects their residents and limits non res hunting there

 

[Chipz]

I grew up hunting public and after hunting 4 states for elk in both LE and general units, it's all the same. You're either outsmarting the elk, the competition, or both.

I'll be the first to admit it feels pretty good to sit on the tailgate of my truck next to an elk I just packed out, eating a sandwich that was smashed in my pack, and answering questions about "where did y'all get that there elk, we ain't seen hide nor hair of them critters".

Jeremy

Just came back from muzzy season in New Mexico 6C. This was our first western hunt and to be honest we were pretty appalled. It was a circus of locals just bombing down closed or non motorized trails in 4x4s, ATVs, and SxS all day looking to jump shoot a bull. Only a single sitting in 5 days was undisturbed by vehicle traffic. The rest of the time it was dudes literally driving in front of our sets, or driving into where we were chasing bugling bulls right at shooting light.

One group shot a bull and decided to mow down a 100 yard path in thick National Forest timber with chainsaws so they could fit their 3/4 ton dodge through to pick it up.

The only other people we actually saw putting in sweat work was guides and their clients.

 

[Maverick1]

"What is real elk hunting?"

I am "really" hunting elk when I have a tag in my pocket, the season is open, and I am in the field hunting. I'll go wherever and whenever I get a tag. The hunting experiences have varied from state to state and within each state. Have been on some great hunts, and some not so great hunts. So, that's my real elk hunting experiences. YMMV.