Hard to believe I will be turning 50 this year. Never would have dreamed that I would have been building points for this long for elk, but here I am. Basically, being in this position is a "Once-in-a-Lifetime" type of opportunity and I would like to have a really fun hunt.
Will hunt my ass off to try and get a monster bull if one is there and will hunt hard for the biggest bull I can get, but killing a high scoring bull is not my main driver and I really just want to have a good time. Unfortunately, none of the guys I hunt with have the points to be able to draw with me so this looks like it will be a solo hunt. I am living pretty close to 1/2/10/201 and will likely pull the trigger on one of those. Just seems like a lot of guys have not had that great of hunts in those units and it is definitely different country for elk hunting.
Any suggestions?
Who else out there has a pile of points for Colorado and looking to draw this year?
50 is just entering your peak hunting years. Good luck! C
Oh and BTW, I turned 50 the last time I visited you in your neck of the woods...
I kind of think I should have been focusing on drawing tags in units that don't take many points and hunting them more often to really get to know them! Especially all those years I was living in Leadville with all that country in my backyard. Would probably have more bulls on the wall...
Charlie, I hope so! Although I have noticed a lot more aches and pains these days... Hope to have at least another 30 years of bowhunting in me:)
I'm still perplexed by the folks who have never bowhunted elk, or maybe only a couple times, who burn their points and find themselves overwhelmed. It's not easy hunting, even though there are plenty of bulls.
FYI, after scouting and camming all summer and seeing around 60 different bulls, my hunting partner and I had a realistic goal of something grossing over 330 with our stickbows. We killed two bulls grossing over 350 in the first week. They were the two biggest bulls we saw, and had never seen either before. But we'd been bowhunting elk for nearly 40 years at that time. Since then (2013) I've mentored inexperienced hunters in Unit 2, and one killed a nice 330 bull on a waterhole right away, his first ever with a bow, but several others struck out. It isn't flock shooting, but with your experience and abilities you'll have a blast!
One real nice thing about that country is it is a lot lower and flatter than where I usually hunt so I could probably cover the ground a lot faster. Noticed that in AZ several years ago that it was much easier to get an angle on the elk and get in the middle of the action than at 11,000' with a 2,500' canyon between you and the critters...
Just a lot hotter, dryer, sageier, and dustier than I am used to for an elk hunt...
You might have missed out on getting to know some of the easier draw units and some good hunting but you now have the opportunity for a once in a lifetime hunt that many if not most of us will never get to experience. I'm envious!
Hope everything goes well with a speedy recovery and you don't have the problems that Lou had (YIKES!)
Headed into the 'boat for some building supplies and a water board meeting this afternoon.
Give me a shout when you feel up to it.
You think 61 would be more fun?
Hear that it gets really crowded. Lots of rifle bear hunters. Probably could expect about the same for trophy quality as in the NW units.
One positive down there, at least for me, would be that I might have a chance to get a bear - have probably had 30 tags for bears and never got a shot at one in Colorado. Need to get a bear and a bighorn with my longbow for the 8.
Wish I had more time this fall, I'd come down and camp/scout while you hunt, however Dall sheep, caribou and moose plus a potential grizzly tag have me booked solid in August through a lot of September. They need to extend those two months to 60 days each so we can pack it all in.
A NW CO hunt is as much fun as I've ever had elk hunting. I love the wide open spaces and lack of people. Its a good place to learn herd bull behavior, how they use thermals, etc as they are often visible for a while early and late, but you already know those things. And it is great country to camp in......take a freezer and generator with pre-prepared meals and you can live like a king. Also plenty of gas and a quad as the roads beat your truck's suspension. If you want I can spam you with photos from '09.
You have a busy fall lined up and hope you close the deal on a great Dall for your Grand Slam! Not sure I would want to spend time in the NW corner of Colorado even if I had nothing at all going on, but with what you have lined out it's a no-brainer!
Have held off on pulling the trigger for elk for a number of years due to work and other constraints and I guess that NW corner has just never really excited me too much. Just feels like I am obligated to draw an elk hunt up there now after all the years I have waited. Lots of sagebrush country just doesn't feel all that elky and it seems like most guys that draw bite the bullet and pay for access to the Walker Ranch then kill a bull over a water hole. The concept of sitting over a waterhole is not appealing at all and I have a hell of a time sitting water for antelope or sitting for whitetails for more than an hour or two.
My dentist had a Unit 2 tag last year and had hell with rifle cow hunters chasing a herd into Wyoming and dragging the bull he was after with them. Never saw that bull again thru the rest of his hunt. That really sucks to have a rifle cow hunt that starts before archery and then runs right over the top of the bow and muzzle loader hunt that is supposed be a quality hunt and takes over 20 years to draw.
Are there actually any bigger bulls up there than in any other units?
Can you actually get out and hunt them or do you really have to sit water holes to kill one?
Is it possible to actually hunt the elk without paying an extra fee for private land access?
We killed ours on BLM and didn't pay to hunt Horton-Walker. Jimmie Horton has acquired most of the best elk habitat, but paying gets access to both. Jimmie offered us a great deal a couple weeks before the season but we declined. Hortons gives access to some great rutting stuff behind and around Ant Hills, which isn't realistically accessed from elsewhere.
But there are big bulls scattered all over on the public and you can sometimes get access through private with a door knock. For a good hunter a 350 gross is a realistic goal. There are 380+ killed every year, mostly by gun guys but some by archers now and then. If you get "big bull fever" (hello Scott!) you may get wrapped around a whopper and not shoot a great bull. Guys strike out every year.
We saw and cammed over 60 different bulls in the relatively small area where we focused, most ranging from 290-340 gross. Plenty of 320-class but each graduated size above that becomes fewer, of course. Might have gotten a bigger one but I couldn't pass up an honest 350+ bull at 25 yards with a recurve, even on only day 6.
PM your email addy and I'll send you a copy of my article on our hunt from Bow&Arrow Hunting mag.
andyschaef's Link
I agree with you about wanting to do more spot and stalk style hunting as opposed to sitting on a water hole. Both of the bulls we killed were spot and talk/calling and a lot of fun. We did sit a few water holes but only small bulls were showing up there (that we saw.) The terrain is VERY different from what I was used to but I really enjoyed the change of pace. Hunting the Pinon Juniper (mostly) was a different and enjoyable challenge.
Overall we had a great hunt and I wish I could hunt there one more season because I feel like now I have it "figured out." We saw a lot of elk especially in that 280-320 class. The one I killed was on the second to last day and was somewhere in the 280-300 range. My dad killed a bigger bull, probably close to 330. I saw a lot of big bulls and a handful of true "monsters."The big bulls are definitely in that unit and they don't get much pressure. I will say that I didn't see as many giants as I was expecting. The last 4 days of the season was some of the most exciting elk hunting I've ever had. If I could only hunt one week it would be the last 7 days of the season (based on what I saw.)
Like Jaquomo said it's still hunting and it's certainly not easy. But I guess that's what hunting is all about!
Any issues with the early cow hunters, Andy?
It is kind of a weird feeling being where I am with points. Could have drawn Unit 2 or 201 for a while now and just can't really say I am excited about hunting up in that part of the world. Guess it is probably the best bet for a good bull in Colorado, tho.
