Rand, Granby,Kremmling areas for elk?
Elk
Looking for some feedback on the above areas. Been to other parts of Colorado for OTC elk before, and am heading west again in early September. I am not looking for anyones secret places, just some insight on the elk herd, bowhunting pressure, accessibility, and places to possibly make camp.
Lots of beetle kill, so that can effect those areas. Also be careful where you camp, watch for dead trees.
It is a high pressure due to closeness to major populations.There are definitely elk in the units - just like all OTC areas. I've hunted the area for 3 years and it's been a process to find where I can be alone.
You may want to drive farther off the highway to camp. I think there are city hunters who drive up for one day hunts and stick fairly close to major highways. Plus I see the big 5th wheel campers with multiple hunters closer to the highway. Otherwise, it's like any OTC area, research/hunt it like you would any other.
If you read other threads, the best advise is don't start at a trailhead, stop before the trailhead and hunt from there.
Lots of hunters, lots of deadfall and beetle kill, big ranches down low for the elk to flee onto when the pressure hits.
There are elk, for sure. But the private land stats really skew the success rates and keep the overall elk population counts (on their ranches) artificially high compared to what is available for the public land hunter.
It's also a very popular motorcycle, ATV and camping area. Be sure to check the MVUM
pic; the type country you want- grin
I haven't spent a lot of time in there lately but used to hunt a couple of spots in that gen area. The beetle kill issue is everywhere in Co. Its worth asking the FS which trails they maintain and which have gone to heck- hint- some of the ones they don't maintain might be the best hunting.
Thats a big area you are talking about and its as good as any other area in Co. You are looking for pockets of less pressure. The Granby area has some issues with locked gates [the FS can fill you in]as its been 20 years since I hunted the country s out of Granby.
West out of Kremmling running N&S you have the Gore range which will have pockets of good elk hunting- but you typically have to cover a lot of ground to find the pockets they are in. Many hunt a small section and never see an elk.
Be sure to check a unit map as some of those areas are draw in the Routt and Flat tops in the White River.
I would look for areas of broken country vs solid forest and just get in there are cover ground- you will get into them if you do.
No secret sauce in Co. We used to hunt a spot in the EN wilderness in the general area you mentioned and it was great...until one guy told a few guys and they told a few....suddenly areas with little pressure 8 miles in had 15 camps 100yds apart. My best advice for Co; if you see a nasty hole and say to yourself, "No way I'm going in there" then it holds elk.
Cnelk, Beendare, great info so far, thanks for the input!
Heres a little piece of that Gore range- it gets pretty rough but don't let that sway you.... we had elk up in some of those pockets- probably one of the best bulls I've ever seen in OTC in there with 25 cows...couldn't get him though
One only has to look at the hunting stats to be discouraged.
Unit 18 and 181, Granby/Kremmlling area, over 1000 bow hunters in 2014, and the success rate is , Yes, 3% the lowest in the state. In the early 1990s, the success was 15%, with fewer bow hunters and a lot less knowledge about the good areas but social media, word of mouth, etc, has changed most of that.
The Dow started to reduce the elk population in the late 1990s ( when Colorado's elk herd was over 300,000---now 264,000) and in this area, from nearly 6000 to now less than 4000, around 3500 elk as their long term objective.
In 1988 were were only 14,600 bow hunters in Colorado, now 44,000 statewide.
The areas you are asking about has been hit just as hard by all hunters, and maybe even harder because of the easy access to National Forests, close proximity to Denver, and the goal to reduce the herd.
Good luck where ever you go.
My best, Pau
I am heading to the same area this September. It will be my first elk hunt ever let alone with a bow. Can I get any updates or guidance from y'all? I've been doing my homework it's just hard to scout Colorado from Pennsylvania. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I am heading to the same area this September. It will be my first elk hunt ever let alone with a bow. Can I get any updates or guidance from y'all? I've been doing my homework it's just hard to scout Colorado from Pennsylvania. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I am heading to the same area this September. It will be my first elk hunt ever let alone with a bow. Can I get any updates or guidance from y'all? I've been doing my homework it's just hard to scout Colorado from Pennsylvania. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
As posted above, lots of hunters, lots of beetle kill deadfall trees to negotiate, lots of elk if you can find them off of the big private ranches down in the low country.
Best advice I can offer is to be mobile and keep hitting different spots away from other where other hunters are parked until you find elk. Get in the best shape possible so you can cover a lot of ground, but not so far back in that you can't get an elk out by yourself. They are big, it can be very warm in September, and it will require at least five trips in and out with a heavy pack. There are no real secrets if you are hunting public land in those units.
Everything said above 5 years ago is still true and the number of hunters is close to 10x worse.
I have a condo in Winter Park, and I've elk hunted unit 18 a lot, mostly out of convenience. I killed 3 bulls in 12 years up there, before I got sick of the crowds, beetle kill, and lack of animals on public. I found a new spot to elk hunt.
Matt
Picture 10 years ago, Pine Bark dead trees in the back ground, 30% are now on the ground making cross country trips a hard ship.
Picture 10 years ago, Pine Bark dead trees in the back ground, 30% are now on the ground making cross country trips a hard ship.
The crowding of bowhunters and ML hunters and the reduction of the elk herd has me looking and hunting for different places. I hunted it in the 1990 with good success but then the elk herds were reduced and the hunting pressure increase 10 X.
In reflection; Beetle kill was horrendous in certain areas. Extremely difficult terrain to navigate, let alone find an elk in. Forest Fires hit areas hard, SW of Kremmling last fall, that lodgepole is perfect tinder for fires. Overall, there are some elkier spots to the NW, which is where I will be this September.
I hunted that area last year and it was extremely tough. Lots of beetle kill and we didn't see any elk, but it is a gorgeous area. We bounced around on NF and BLM land covering ground but we could not get into any elk. Started up at the Monarch Lake trailhead and took a lot of hiking to get away from the crowd there.
Best thing for elk would be for lightning storms to torch all that beetle kill on a large scale across the state, and begin anew like YS in '88. Mosiacs of burns would really help that situation.
Scott, have a great time scouting and hunting elk this fall. I can give you tips on elk hunting, but not much on CO itself. TK
You'll find elk in the steepest, Thickest and nastiest areas or near private land in the low country. 18, 28 etc are too close to the metro area and the hunting pressure is extreme. It is possible to have success but can be a less than relaxing week in the woods.
We hunted just north of Kremmling on public, found alot of taller grass in the quakies that the elk loved to bed in. We found elk most days but were surprised when we took a bull into Kremmling to the meat processor we were told to go to. He was swamped with beef & reluctantly took our boned elk, had to have it out by Sat and don't even think about bringing in another one. Worst fly area I ever saw, couldn't bone the bull fast enough, carcass was completely covered as we boned it out. Only encountered 1 other hunter while we were there.
You can try and pull some off the golf course in Grand Lake but I doubt you ll have much luck! They know where their safe.
Backpack in deep, waaay deep! And make sure to bring at least a 12 pack of the latest, greatest local microbrew for you to share with all your new buddies whom will also be packed in waaay deep awaiting your arrival while playing pine cone baseball with their brand new Phelps bugle tube.
