Scouting OTC Public Land for Hunt

[ElkScouter]

Hello! This is my first post on this forum and I wanted to introduce myself. I am originally from Indiana. grew up doing a small amount of whitetail hunting with my dad a handful of times through my life. I moved out to Colorado at 20 years old. in 2021 I did my first ever Elk hunt. My dad passed me down his old Matthews bow so I decided to put it to use. Probably wouldn't have started unless he gave me that bow. So I am forever grateful.

It has been a steep learning curve. I've always loved hiking out here in Colorado. Got into fly fishing during Covid. So it was more reasons to head out into nature and I am very happy about that. My first hunting trip we were unprepared with food. I got crappy freeze dried food because I didn't prepare until the day we left. So we made a treacherous hike to a pretty lake and stayed overnight (there was either a moose or elk that walked within 10-15 yards of the tent that next morning) so that was cool. I bugled up 2 different groups of hunters and knew that they were hunters from their bugle (one group i noticed setting up for a kill shot before i could even see them)

then on the way back down the mountain back to our truck, I heard my first Elk bugle down the mountain from where we were at. We took off and ended up downhill and downwind from a small harem. I saw his rack and got giddy. I caught him off track with a bugle and he turned down towards me and we did a little dance of getting closer together. then at some point, the cows ended up getting down wind of me and it was over. but I learned a lot about that hunt.

I went last year and it was not as good of a hunt. This year, I will be doing my due diligence and scouting for months ahead of the archery season and looking at a couple different locations.

but if I were to give advice to any new hunters, locals or not, it would be to just go out and do it. There is absolutely no substitute for going out and putting boots on the ground and learning by yourself. Other than a guided hunt where you have one on one experience with someone who lives for hunting.

Other than that, I will try to post a bit of info on here as I come across it. I will not give away locations, only info and maybe some pictures and some stories along the way. I am looking for someone or a few people who potentially want to go scouting or hunting with me. Just to have some company and some helpers with tracking and packing out meat. So if you want to get in contact, let me know. I have a few more posts i have to make until im elligible to PM but Ill get there eventually.

Happy Hunting!

 

[snowymtnwolf]

^^^ what he said. Get out and scout.

Too many people wondering specifics and I kno it’s hard, but maybe forgo a hunt to scout for upcoming years.

Nothing worse then showing up for a hunt and saying “wow didn’t kno the layout of the land was like this”. (I’ve never done that but I could see how that could happen).

I’ve driven around Colorado and Wyoming quite a bit and said “that looks good and that looks crappy”. And I noted those locations for future endeavors.


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[Coveyleader]

Yeap, too many people don't want to put the keys in their truck and waste a weekend away from their kids, their wives, their kids in sports, their family. We call those guys tag buyers, and not tag punchers. They are the 90%, be the 10%.

Good for you! You're young no reason to not get out there and find your spots.

 

[Indian Summer]

Very good post. I’ll add that if people think they can count on e scouting to find elk and figure out what they’re doing they are going to learn a hard lesson. Things change based on weather and pressure and you can’t see that on Onx Maps. Plus elk just prefer certain places and for reasons sometimes unknown they barely use other areas. Boots on the ground is the only way.

 

[Jaquomo]

Another vote for a good post by the OP. Spend your time learning the terrain, learning how the thermals shift, and how to quickly get from point A to B without blowing up elk in all of your spots - Plans A,B, C, and D. Try to anticipate where the elk will go as soon as the onslaught begins, and learn about that. Be mobile. Don't rathole yourself into someplace where you found elk in July, because they may not be anywhere near there on September 2.

 

[ElkScouter]

Thank you for the replies so far.

I've got so bad of an elk itch this year i've already dreamed of a full fledged hunt the other day lol. I don't even know if my hunt is going to be long this year but i don't care. I love the experience either way and I'm ready to learn a lot this year.

and if I become popular enough on here, I'd like to make some friends that want to go out and do some scouting with me and possibly some hunts here in the next few years.

 

[ElkScouter]

Im getting pumped. This year Im able to go on a hunt again. I changed careers and had to budget all last year and wasnt able to get out and scout like i wanted to. this year im able to scout and buy some gear for my hunting trip. I also got a new buddy that just got his hunting license so it looks like this year is going to be a good one.

I killed my first mule deer last year! WITH MY SEMI TRUCK! Never expected to harvest anything with a big rig but i am truly blessed that on the year that i cant get out and hunt, let alone scout, the universe puts a small buck literally right in my path. So i got some experience there with gutting and harvesting and I am very grateful for that. it is such a good deer too. plan to do something with the hide at some point.

but i am going to make this year a good one. i plan to scout at least once a month from May-August and actually get out in the woods before opening day. i got a lot of practicing to do. wish me luck!