Which do you think is hunted harder OTC archery or Rifle in CO

[brushape]

This data is published.

But Colorado doesn’t take any hunter surveys so it’s all estimates at best


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[huntnful]

I think the pressure is probably greater during archery season. IMO archery hunters tend to get after it a little more. There's already a high level of commitment by wanting to use a bow. You can't really not put in effort and get lucky.

Rifle may even have more people in the field, but the actual physical pressure on the elk is probably less. I glassed up a bull that was about a 1500' climb. When I went around to kill him there was two other dudes just watching him from the bottom. I went up and killed him just before shoot time ended that night. It was a mission.

I ran into them in the morning when I was making another trip to pack the bull out. Their plan was to just work their way up in there in the morning and try to relocate him. He was dead by then lol.

 

[Felix40]

Sept has archery deer, elk, and bear, rifle deer and bear, and muzzleloader deer and elk……plus the weather is nice enough for a million backpackers to be out there.

I cant see how it could get much more busy.

 

[5MilesBack]

But Colorado doesn’t take any hunter surveys so it’s all estimates at best

I get a survey request on every tag I have every year from CPW, and have for at least the past 10 years.

 

[WyoKid]

Depends on whether you are talking about 2nd, 3rd or 4th season rifle. Early seasons have more hunters but the later seasons tend to be less because of weather, which presents a different set of challenges when hunting Elk.

 

[Dos Perros]

But Colorado doesn’t take any hunter surveys so it’s all estimates at best


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Better than random dudes posting their anecdotal perceptions, IMO.

(I thought they did take some surveys, just not everyone. It’s a sample and extrapolate.)

 

[LongWayAround]

Depends on whether you are talking about 2nd, 3rd or 4th season rifle. Early seasons have more hunters but the later seasons tend to be less because of weather, which presents a different set of challenges when hunting Elk.

If you're responding to the OP, he specified first rifle season.

 

[WyoKid]

Not doubt but 1st rifle season draw only with 2nd and 3rd rifle season having a bunch of OTC units. On the other hand, there is a lot of OTC archery units and some of the draw units don't take a bunch of points, so it is not a parallel comparison between Archery and 1st rifle season. I took the question to mean what season would likely have the fewest hunters.

 

[camelcluch]

Archery has less hunters by numbers and less units to hunt. OTC archery hunters have been pushed together adding to the pressures feeling. BUT, both are crowded.

 

[Clayt]

Rifle has more activity in the units I have hunted.

 

[Mcribs]

Rifle where I’ve been

 

[Nickofthewoods]

If the goal is to not see many other hunters then archery is your best bet. Not that they aren't there, they just wont be wearing bright orange.

 

[Elktaco]

Never been rifle hunting for elk.

I mean, you're hunting with a rifle. If you see them under 500 yards (or in some people's cases much further than that), you can pretty much kill them. Which is why I have never rifle hunted elk. I don't want that experience. I want bugling and I want the interaction. I would put rifle hunting elk on par with shooting a turkey with a 22-250....it boils down to personal preference.

Nothing against anyone who hunts elk with a rifle. I just don't know if I will ever do it.

Watch out we got a tough guy here. (I would never do it because it's to easy, but if you want to that's ok)

 

[OkiechasingElk]

First CO elk hunt was an OTC 2nd Rifle hunt in '22. It was amazing how many hunters were in the field. We made a 2 hour drive on a SxS from a buddy's cabin to a hunting area one morning, and passed no less than 20 hunters in the last 30 minutes of the drive. Many were setup, visible from the mountain road we were on. We went as far back as possible to the end of the road and set up. Saw quite a few deer the first day, the 2nd day we saw a small heard of cow elk on the opposite hillside, they looked like they were running for their lives from all the orange in the field.

Went back for 0PP draw Archery in same unit last season, during Muzzy week. Far less hunters in the woods. Still plenty of people, but nothing like OTC 2nd Rifle. Other negative to Sept. there are tons of recreational ATVs etc. running the mountain roads.