Do These Places Exist?
Elk
My hunting partner and I were discussing our 2016 elk hunt plans and somehow got on the subject of more remote hunts. I have hunted Colorado several times but always with a group who truck camped. Next year it will just be 3 of us and we are planning on packing into one of the areas we've hunted in the past. As we were discussing the area and how we wanted to access it we realized as soon as we got "far enough" from the road, we would be just as close to another. This brings me to my question. Are there places in Co OTC units where one can get several miles (5+ maybe) from a road/atv trail in any direction? I realize this does not guarantee the hunting will be better, but just something I would like to do in the future. Not looking for an area, I just want to know if these places exist or if I have to start looking into other states.
Yep, plenty of them. Just need to do some research.
Look at some of the wilderness areas. Those are roadless & you can get a long way from roads. It doesn't mean you will be away from other hunters as a lot of guys pack into those areas.
Thanks. I was planning on starting with wilderness areas.
The books and Cam Hanes type stuff has really put the get packed in and remote idea out there. So many do just that, if you are after the experience of hunting that way, great. If your mission is to get into remote u disturbed elk good luck. Many areas like that get outfitters and DIY types with horses all going "back in" so to speak. Many of those type areas the elk can be closer to the main roads along sections not near parking areas or trail heads.
Truck camping and not carrying camp is probably more effective, just not the image in hunters heads. I've had big Bulls within bow range of my truck . The key is be where the elk are at not way back in where guys think they should be to find them.
these places are overrated unless they are also very difficult to get to on foot.
I like the way MatthewsMan thinks! That's how I hunt whitetails. You have to hunt where they are....
It's a nostalgic notion but in this day and age you have a good chance of an outfitter or some other DIY hunter competing with you in a "remote" area. Remember, if you've done all that work to pack into an area and the elk aren't there.............you've wasted a lot of time and your eggs are all in one basket. If you camp out of your truck, you can cover a lot of ground and quickly change or check another area. I really believe a key to elk hunting is covering a lot of country and staying mobile until you find elk. People who haven't done much elk hunting cannot appreciate how much habitat they have to roam around in. If you're bow hunting in an early season before the elk have really been bumped around and pushed back in from the roads, there's no need. They are BIG animals to pack out. The closer to the road, the better. It's not a badge of honor to see how far from the road you can shoot an elk.
If you Google "Most Remote Spot in USA" you might be surprised that the farthest one can get from a road in the Lower 48 is 18-miles. The farthest listed in CO is 7-miles.
But those are "as the crow flies"; you're going to hike farther than that to reach those remote points.
The terrain dictates the difficulty, but 3-5 miles is about the farthest my partner and I can lug a bull out on our backs. Even 2-3 is painful, so use judgement when trying to get as far back as possible...
A Bowsite sponsor Mike at StartMyHunt is great to talk to. Go to his website and see what cool features he has for hunting CO.
He has a great smoothie recipe too!
You should look at Idaho. Huge tracts of wilderness where you can go for 100 miles without a road. Easy to get elk tags as well.
The only draw back is dealing with wolves and grizzly bears, but that's part of the experience
They exist, all over the place actually. To get 5+ miles away from any road or atv trail you will more than likely need to get into a unit that has high country, by that i mean above timberline. There is a ton of OTC areas that fill the bill for this, and you will likely not see many other hunters because it is just too tough to get up there on your back, and an elk out on your back. But, by all means go for it.
I can tell you an OTC spot that has just this.
Everyone should pack in at least once. It's just plain fun to backpack in and sleep where you can hear them. - You are definitely mobile, I move my camp many times as it is so small and light, it's very easy to relocate one drainage over. If you are truly packed in a few miles, you can easily move a mile in any direction and be hunting a new place. Plus by sleeping in the area you hunt, you can quickly determine if it's a good area. I pack in, hunt the evening, listen for bugles during the night, and hunt the morning. IF there's nothing, I pack up and move. Again, I carry everything in, so my camp is small and very mobile. If on horses with a big camp, that's a more difficult move.
Thanks Brian. Jeremy, feel free to give me a call (evenings work best when I am home) and we can discuss. I can pretty easily tell you which GMUs meet your criteria.
720-224-3822
Mike
Thanks guys. Some very good points made about the ins and outs. I guess I just want to do it for the experience one year at least.
Do it once so you'll have the experience. Everybody needs to do it once. Just know that the wilderness areas are full of Sitka Warrior-Cam Hanes wannabes, so the further you go, the closer you may get to a bunch of others doing just what you're doing.
Be mobile and don't be afraid to move - a lot. Also remember that elk rarely die in easy places. If a couple of you get elk on the ground at the same time, that's a lot of packing on your back.
I live I elk country and hunt the edges of four different wilderness areas. Furthest in I go anymore is about a mile and a half so I stay away from the crowds.
I've done it both ways and have been successful both ways. There's a certain sense of adventure that comes from packing in and living off what you carried on your pack and then packing out the animal on your back.
I have had hunts where I feel like I spent too much time close to the truck and didn't get in after them enough. I've also had hunts where I packed way in only to have better luck when I returned and hunted closer to the truck. There are advantages and disadvantages to both scenarios.
Try the South San Juan Wilderness approached from the Chama River. The hardest ball buster I ever did.
Packing in sure makes packing out harder. Especially if you kill one.
I've been far enough in to where I had that feeling like I was worried I might kill one and kind of hoped I didn't! haha. It's not a good feeling.
Plus packing in eats up precious time. If you do your homework you can easily find elk close enough to the truck to have a nice camp that takes minimal time or effort to set up and live in comfort.
But I get the desire just to be camped miles from a road. THAT is a good feeling right!
One of my favorite elk spots that I've ever hunted is actually just OUTSIDE of a wilderness area. It seems like most guys followed the script of packing in to the wilderness. I found great spots just outside of it (but still public land) with plenty of elk and far fewer hunters than I encountered in the wilderness areas. All of my hunting there was within 1 1/2 mile or less of a road.
Lots of great advice. I'm a remoteness romanticist. LOL On most hunts, I would rather see no other hunters and few elk compared to a bunch of hunters and a bunch of elk. As others have mentioned, your distance into the wilderness does not necessarily dictate "your remoteness" if you define remoteness by your distance from other people like I do.
and oddly enough, some of the places least hunted are withing 1/2 mile of roads .... go figure huh ?
If you want to 'experience' a pack in trip, go somewhere in July. You won't see ANY hunters, probably see some elk, and weather will be good.
Then go someplace else in September within a mile from your truck and shoot elk.
Finding a remote spot isnt all that difficult but finding one with elk and no other hunters is a trick in Co OTC. It usually involves covering a lot of ground with some off trail work and going into spots most wouldnt want to pack one out of.
I appreciate everyone's feedback. I'm going to do it one day. I've always wanted to do a high country mulie hunt so that may be the perfect way to kill 2 birds with one stone.
Me and a friend did a 6 mile hike into the weminuche wilderness.It was the tuffest hike my friend from there said he ever did. I am glad to have done it because I will never forget it. There were animals in where we were but we would of killed ourselves getting one out of there. As one guy we ran into said it was even tough on his horses. I called a bull in 100 yds. from a forest rd. in the Yampa valley one time. Like jaqoumo said you shold try it at least once.
