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A drop camp sounds like it could be a good option. It seems ideal to have a horseback ride to a well setup camp. It especially sounds ideal if that camp is in a good area.
But... and it's a big but... It seems way to easy for an outfitter to take advantage of you and stick you in an overused camp.
Are drop camps a good idea?
How do you pick a reputable outfitter and get a good drop camp?
If I were going to use a method like this I'd like to do my own homework , pick my own spot , and then hire someone to drop me off/pick me up. Is that possible?
It is possible, I did that in NM one year. Called the outfitter and told him here I wanted to hunt.
Bill, there are packers who do that. I know one - you bring your own gear, food, etc.. and he packs you into wherever you want to hunt. Problem is that then you're stuck in there.
Last season I met up with him as he was getting ready to pack four guys into a wilderness area they'd carefully researched from afar. This was just part of the trailhead parking area. I couldn't get the rest of it into the frame because the parking overflowed out of the lot. He and I were joking about how these guys were hoping for "wilderness solitude". And this part of the wilderness had already been hunted hard for two weeks prior.
I used to do my own horse packing for archery elk hunting. Honestly, you'll find more elk and fewer hunters if you stay mobile and get in shape to hunt a couple miles from the road, then be prepared to spike camp if you need to get closer to your elk. Otherwise you may have a nice camping trip, or you may have a great drop camp hunt, but you're risking your time and money to find out.
We usually spike camp and one year ran into a couple guys hunting out of a drop camp. They said they were on day 6 and had yet to hear or see an elk. They asked how we got in to where they were and we said we hiked. The guys were almost incredulous. One guy got a little testy with the other and said I can't believe we paid $1800 each and these guys just walked in. We hadn't seen any fresh sign on our hike in so we decided to head to another area. I am guessing those guys wished they could do the same. This was wilderness an OTC unit in CO.
My uncle has done a couple drop camps and he and his crew had a great experience. For 3-years straight they went 4-4 on ok bulls. They were hunting National Forrest that didn't have much public access on the side of the range they were hunting. Part of their package included a sat phone so when they killed an elk they would call back to the outfitter and he would send in a packer. This was also an OTC unit in CO.
I guess it just comes down to the type of drop camp and how the outfitter runs it. Sometimes I think it would be nice to come back to a comfortable camp with a nice canvas tent rather than a backpacking tent. Then again it sure is nice to have the flexibility to move if the elk aren't there.
I love drop camps. They create halos of elk.
Find the nastiest wooded cliff 1-2 miles as the crow flies from established drop camps and there's an above average chance it'll have elk. Find the nearest ridge from drop camps and go over one more ridge: boom, elk.
Even better is the Jaquomo Effect, where drop camps and base camp hunters from drivable roads/camp grounds sandwich elk between them.
Find a cliff with trees on it where no one is parking or camping and odds are, it'll have better chances of having elk than the meadows around your drop camp. Pressured elk prefer not getting shot to picturesque wilderness elk country.
I've been on two drop camp hunts (both rifle). In fact, the first ever elk hunt I was on was a drop camp hunt. Of all the elk hunts I've been on, in many ways it's my favorite way to experience elk country. Nothing beats a wall tent in the wilderness in my opinion. You can be at the mercy of the location you're dropped off in but I've killed elk on both trips. In fact, we've been greater than 60% success rate for the folks in camp hunting in the Flattops in Colorado. Last hunt was with Rivers Bend Outfitting and they were fantastic!
Another thought: an important thing to remember about the wilderness, is that most of it actually has pretty low elk:mile2 ratios. The reason for this, is that elk numbers are limited by winter range and human tolerance of their winter presence.
An elk can have thousands of square miles of summer range, but that doesn't mean a thing if it doesn't have a place to live between Nov 15 and May 1.
Much of our vast tracks of pristine mountain wilderness, while able to hold hundreds times more elk than they currently do in the summer, are devoid of elk because they only get to use a small ring of low country around the mountains during the winter due to development, whereas they used to be able to wander far and wide over the planes below the mountains all winter. This limits the amount of elk that will be in the wilderness when we hunt them in September and the result is large pockets of wilderness that won't have elk in it. Now, they might be there today, but with any pressure, they can pick any other area in the surrounding 100 square miles to go hang out in. Or, they might just not be there because the grass is greener 5 miles from that drop camp.
I prefer a base camp on the road with all its comforts and the ability to drive to a different spot everyday if I don't find elk or fresh sign. My 2015 elk, I killed in an area that I'd hunted 3 or 4 days earlier and didn't see anything so left. My 2011 elk I killed in an area I'd hunted 3 weeks earlier that didn't have elk.
Drop camps tie you to an area unless you're willing to spike out from them. But you don't have to pay someone to be able to spike. You can do that from your truck.
EDIT: One distinct advantage of drop camps, is if the outfitter knows what he's doing, he's put the camps there for a reason, not just haphazardly throughout the wilderness. Elk are creatures of habit and will go back to the same summering grounds year after year so sometimes you're put in an area that will at least have elk in it reliably till they get pushed out.
Did a drop camp mule deer ($1600) in Wy. 2 yrs ago. After the guide left, we saw more hunters then deer. I walked a ton, but if you aren't put on animals, its almost impossible to have a quality hunt. We were told we could expect to see about 12 bucks a day. We saw 7 for the whole hunt. I did a lot of homework and thought we were going with one of the best. One of the locals i met on the mountain, told me i was dropped on "the cowboy highway". Frequently traveled valley by many people. I would only do it again if i was left with a horse so i could venture further .
The Non-resident hunter drop camp has got to be the easiest buck to make in the industry.
Some of you guys crack me up. That's like asking... can someone tell me about marrying a woman.
"I know a guy who tried it and he said it was terrible"
"I tried it a couple times but it just wasn't for me. I'm more of a DIY guy" (lol)
Maybe a good one answer to both would be.... like lots of things there are good ones and bad ones. They can be great. Just do your homework and talk to people who know her (references) and take your time choosing.
Actually lining up an outfitter is way easier because A) If you aren't lazy you can do general research on the area and harvest stats etc. Actually that is where you should begin. And B) You have Bowsiters to ask for advice. Believe it or not there are guys enjoying good drop camp elk hunting..... and some fairly hospitable wives! It's true.
Good luck to you!
Doh
I have done 4 drop camps-all 1st rifle Colorado. Im a NR forking over 2000 for a solo camp. I killed three bulls including this 320. I have seen other hunters, it doesn't matter to me. Its public land. I have a short walk to my spots, they have to climb up 2000 feet and leave at 4am, I have a guy come and pack my bull. I couldn't do it on my own. Its well worth it to me. In Colorado, the bow season ends Sept 25th- then Oct 15 or so is 1st season Rifle. The 3 weeks of no hunting is huge, all you have to do is make sure your talking to the hunters who had the camp in prevouse years-if you cant get that info-move to another drop operator-and yes-Riversbend is a top outfit. here is my last two drop camp bulls in a draw area that requires no points. Most camps have elk around them, but if there busted and your a second week bow hunter- it could be very tough. I had a camp with 4 bow hunters before I got there this [past fall-but 3 weeks apart. They told the outfitter there were no elk in the country. I saw 6 the first day, all cows -had a EE tag- and 5 the next-including a nice 5-6 maybe the elk moved back in?That's why I save drops for my rifle hunts. I know its bow site but I do both.
I have done 4 drop camps-all 1st rifle Colorado. Im a NR forking over 2000 for a solo camp. I killed three bulls including this 320. I have seen other hunters, it doesn't matter to me. Its public land. I have a short walk to my spots, they have to climb up 2000 feet and leave at 4am, I have a guy come and pack my bull. I couldn't do it on my own. Its well worth it to me. In Colorado, the bow season ends Sept 25th- then Oct 15 or so is 1st season Rifle. The 3 weeks of no hunting is huge, all you have to do is make sure your talking to the hunters who had the camp in prevouse years-if you cant get that info-move to another drop operator-and yes-Riversbend is a top outfit. here is my last two drop camp bulls in a draw area that requires no points. Most camps have elk around them, but if there busted and your a second week bow hunter- it could be very tough. I had a camp with 4 bow hunters before I got there this [past fall-but 3 weeks apart. They told the outfitter there were no elk in the country. I saw 6 the first day, all cows -had a EE tag- and 5 the next-including a nice 5-6 maybe the elk moved back in?That's why I save drops for my rifle hunts. I know its bow site but I do both.
here is the 320 from 2010-drop camps are great- for me. I look forward to a Colorado drop each year and will as long as I can.
Outfitters that put you in bad locations or which provide you with crappy gear won't stay in business very long. Looks for established outfitters who have been providing drop camps for more than a year or two. Ask for a reference list for clients that have used their services in the last 3 years and call and ask questions about amount of game, other hunters in area, quality of gear, etc. Drop camps are a great option for guys that want to hunt on their own but need some to provide camp gear and hunt location with game.
Not sure if you're interested but another option could be to find an area that looks good and rent llamas. I'm not sure what that would cost but I imagine it would be a lot cheaper than doing a drop camp. Then if its not a good area you can always pack up the llamas and move somewhere else.
One thing to consider is when I see a guide who offers both guided hunts and unguided drop camps, they are going to put the guided hunters in a better spot because they pay more and are more likely the clients that give them return business. My opinion is , based on the two guided hunts I have been on (one for elk and one for caribou) but mostly based on the numerous hunters and camps I have run into on my 11 DIY hunts elk hunts. That is not to say you cannot have a good drop camp hunt but in general I would say the most successful groups I have seen are either the fully guided camps that take up the best spots on the trail or the guys that hike in themselves and avoid the heavily used trailheads.
