What would you do?

[Brad1974]

You asked so.. I can’t remember how many points it’s taking you to draw this tag. But my honest answer is I would push the hunt back one year. I would go there this year just as planned only with no license and come back next year and do it right.

If you hunted in the adjacent unit, you should know a little bit about the habits of the deer in elk there I would think. Were you seeing deer over there? If so, when where? I’m going to agree with scoot. You can ask all the questions you want here, but you’re setting yourself up for low odds of success. Mule deer are way tougher than elk. Shooter bucks anyway.

I appreciate your input, and I know you're right that pushing it back would up my odds. However, I'm still probably not going to push it back. I was fairly set on doing an early rifle season (sept 6th) this year because I felt it would help up my odds compared to an archery hunt. It would take at least 3 or 4 more points to draw the other early rifle tags I was looking at. My brother and I alternate tags. He hunted muzzleloader season last year and I assisted. This is my year to hunt, and he will assist. We did hunt the adjacent unit for the past 2 years, and we did see some bucks. Last year our trip got cut a little short, but I was able to spot 3 different shooter bucks, and I planned a stalk for my brother and had he followed my instructions, I am quite certain he would have tagged the buck. He instead got near where I told him to go and he decided to continue on and eventually blew the buck out of his bed from 20 yards away, right where I told him the buck was bedded. I know I have alot to learn... and I mean alot... but the experience we've had in the past couple years makes me believe there is hope to fill a tag. My hope is that I can have a great experience during the early rifle season this year, and hopefully fill a tag on a decent buck that I can get within a couple hundred yards from, and then soon progress to bow hunting bucks during the early season. Then I will be focusing on a unit I can draw with only a point or two, so I can hunt them nearly every year I wish to.

 

[Scoot]

If it were you, what would you do? I assume you'd at least look at the maps, but if so, what specifically would you look for? Then once you get there, what would you do? boots on the ground looking for sign? if so, what sign & where would you look? get to a high glassing point and try to spot & stalk? but what areas would YOU focus on & why?

You've gotten a bunch of great advice in here. In the end, you have the amount of time you have based on your actual time and priorities.

Getting there 3 days early will help a lot. I'd suggest you use that time- it will be a time to get really valuable info. Unfortunately, you'll have to figure out all the stuff you're asking about, but you'll have to do your best to predict pressure too. The 3 days will help a ton with that. Also, not sure on number of tags, but if it's somewhat limited that'll help a lot too.

Get up high and glass. Locate spots that'll give you a view of a lot of country. Find spots like that devoid of other hunters. Locate and shoot a nice buck. Good luck.

 

[manitou1]

If you're coming in from out of state, only have a week to hunt, I'd start by driving into the unit and looking at trailheads and parking spots. You simply do not have time to learn the area. It may sound odd, but you might want to hunt where other people are. If there are other people there, there are likely deer there. Going in cold with a week to hunt, I would not blindly strike out up a ridge where no one was. You could be wasting two or three days to find out there aren't any deer there. Again, you do not have the time. I hate crowded hunting, but crowded trailheads don't lie. Your situation isn't ideal, so your answer isn't going to be ideal. Good luck!

I despise chronies that look for local license plates and then come piling in an hour after daylight.
That is the lowest, laziest way to “hunt”.

 

[Lionheart]

I found myself in your situation once, about 20 years ago. I will tell you my story…perhaps it will benefit you in some way.
I had a landowner elk tag, a wall tent and a sleeping bag lol. Good ol boy (48 yrs old) from Georgia and I was camping at 10,000 feet. Long story about how I came into that tag but suffice it say I had almost zero time to scout, plan and prepare.
One other hunter was sharing my camp along with his buddy who was filming his mule deer hunt.
The hunt was on public ground in Colorado…it was a muzzleloader hunt the first week of September.
When I learned I was getting the tag I did not own a muzzleloader. (This was a few weeks before the season)
I did what I could to prepare. Starting walking hilly ground with my backpack and brand new rifle..,studied topo maps, read everything I could find, and looked up all the regs. Good thing too because I learned I would have to use irons, loose powder and find a good conical bullet.
Sourced the bullets and started shooting…( and cleaning lol).
Found some plastic test tubes and used them to store reloads.
When I got to camp a couple of days before the season started it was sunshine and 75 degrees…I hiked up high to glass and found a herd of elk and studied when they came from and where they were going. I also noted where the hikers liked to walk their dogs.
I set up around the continental divide early on opening day near where I had seen the herd migrate across the hillside when scouting.
Almost had a heart attack getting there lol. Temperature had dropped below freezing and 8 inches of new snow on the ground.
I brought lunch and stayed all day, no elk.
Late that afternoon I looked over my shoulder and what did I see but a nice 6x6 a few hundred yards away but angling across the mountain to cross in range above me. Luck? Yep. But also because I put myself there and stayed.
I knocked him down with my first shot at 125 yds. Then I knocked him down again when he stood back up lol. I don’t even remember reloading lol…talk about adrenaline!
My first and only elk hunt, ever.
I tell you this story OP, not to hold up my hunt as an example or suggest you don’t prepare as much as possible. But rather just to give you hope and suggest you relax and enjoy the hunt. Sure, prepare and do what you can, but then leave the results in the hands of the one who made you!
And guys, I know a mule is tougher and I’m not minimizing pre hunt planning or scouting in any way…on the contrary. I’m just saying sometimes we play the cards we are dealt and make the best of it.

 

[Brad1974]

I found myself in your situation once, about 20 years ago. I will tell you my story…perhaps it will benefit you in some way.
I had a landowner elk tag, a wall tent and a sleeping bag lol. Good ol boy (48 yrs old) from Georgia and I was camping at 10,000 feet. Long story about how I came into that tag but suffice it say I had almost zero time to scout, plan and prepare.
One other hunter was sharing my camp along with his buddy who was filming his mule deer hunt.
The hunt was on public ground in Colorado…it was a muzzleloader hunt the first week of September.
When I learned I was getting the tag I did not own a muzzleloader. (This was a few weeks before the season)
I did what I could to prepare. Starting walking hilly ground with my backpack and brand new rifle..,studied topo maps, read everything I could find, and looked up all the regs. Good thing too because I learned I would have to use irons, loose powder and find a good conical bullet.
Sourced the bullets and started shooting…( and cleaning lol).
Found some plastic test tubes and used them to store reloads.
When I got to camp a couple of days before the season started it was sunshine and 75 degrees…I hiked up high to glass and found a herd of elk and studied when they came from and where they were going. I also noted where the hikers liked to walk their dogs.
I set up around the continental divide early on opening day near where I had seen the herd migrate across the hillside when scouting.
Almost had a heart attack getting there lol. Temperature had dropped below freezing and 8 inches of new snow on the ground.
I brought lunch and stayed all day, no elk.
Late that afternoon I looked over my shoulder and what did I see but a nice 6x6 a few hundred yards away but angling across the mountain to cross in range above me. Luck? Yep. But also because I put myself there and stayed.
I knocked him down with my first shot at 125 yds. Then I knocked him down again when he stood back up lol. I don’t even remember reloading lol…talk about adrenaline!
My first and only elk hunt, ever.
I tell you this story OP, not to hold up my hunt as an example or suggest you don’t prepare as much as possible. But rather just to give you hope and suggest you relax and enjoy the hunt. Sure, prepare and do what you can, but then leave the results in the hands of the one who made you!
And guys, I know a mule is tougher and I’m not minimizing pre hunt planning or scouting in any way…on the contrary. I’m just saying sometimes we play the cards we are dealt and make the best of it.

Man, that's a great story, and I appreciate you sharing it. I will tell you one thing... relaxing is NOT in my nature. I am going to try to prepare as much as I possibly can from across the country. That way if luck is needed, I will up my odds of finding it.

 

[fngTony]

I would do my best to consider where they would eat, sleep, drink. Then roll that together with the terrain, my ability to traverse it and road access. Study historical water and snowpack while keeping up with the year of.