Would you recommend a Colorado drop camp?

[Where's Bruce?]

Drop camps are surprisingly pricey. Often a nice big tent with cots, wood stove, propane cooking stove (2 burner), all the gear to cut wood, packing you and out (including your game meat) runs about $2K per person. Price can vary depending the terrain, distance and degree of difficulty. The house cost less.

Now if a hunt requires lots of ground pounding then I will ether use a tarptent or a hammock and simply set up a temp campsite in the afternoon each day. An ultralite shelter/sleep system are necessary so you can spend $2K on that. I prefer a hammock if there's gonna be snow.

 

[PaBone]

I did a drop camp this year in CO in a OTC unit. Will not share unit or outfitter as I plan to go back every year.

What I would do differently:

I would not go with people who have no elk or western hunting experience.
Get an OnX chip for my GPS.
Take more butt wipes.
Take spotting scope and tripod.

I second the more butt wipes, I ran a little short on my 10 day hunt.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Do you mind saying what that drop camp costed? I've often thought about doing a drop camp.

$2k per man. Bring a couple hundred to tip the packers

 

[PaBone]

This year was supposed to be my first drop camp and I found an outfitter to pack us in and out and use his well furnished camp for a 1000 dollars a person. Long story short the outfitter took our down payment of 500 a person and left the state. Other then the fact I lost 1500 for my two son's and I, it was probably the best thing that could have happened. We went on our own and packed in to the area the outfitter was going to pack us into. We didn't see much fresh elk sign in the area so we were able to move on to a different area and really got onto the elk. Ended up having a great hunt and my son killed a nice bull and the other had two shoots at nice bulls and couldn't connect with the bow. Yes it's a lot more work on your own, but we got to hunt longer and could pack up and move at any time. Probably never attempt to use another outfitter.

 

[md126]

I would only do a drop camp on private property.

Even then you have to be careful. These camps are in the same spots every year for the most part and elk quickly adapt in my opinion

 

[MallardSX2]

$2750/hunter for a drop camp? Is that 2024 prices?

 

[MallardSX2]

Awesome. Thanks