MIKEK said:I've been elk hunting one time. Couple of us camped out in national forest in Colorado. Never saw an elk. So, I'm starting to save up for next year. Where do I start? I don't want to pay all that money and get ripped off. Looking for help for a guy who has never been on a paid hunt before
ID start by reading thru these related threads
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viewtopic.php?f=92&t=1133&p=8577#p8577
OK a few basics ID sure recommend getting the state you want to hunt in license dates and license fees sorted out and ask for that stated licensing requirements, Id strongly suggest sending for at least 5-6 copies of the license applications for next year and have your hunter safety card valid if its required (most stated now require one)and no mater how good of physical shape your in start a strenuous exercise program, and stick with it starting at least 4-5 months prior to the hunt and get your doctors input, and be well aware of altitude sickness and hypothermia, if you can,t walk a fairly brisk pace , with a 45 -60 lb back pack on fairly level ground for at least 1/3 mile and repeat it several times a day as a basic test of your condition,with out your obviously needing to stop constantly , your not out of shape, too badly, but if you can,t do at least that you'll need to work hard until you can, or you'll find at higher altitudes you'll have trouble just walking for long periods. you'll want to think thru your equipment, and choice of friends carefully, and try to stay warm and dry with the least weight and bulk you can afford. a decent wide brim hat,comfortable boots a decent back pack,a water proof poncho, good down vest and thick sweater can be huge factors in your comfort and success
you don,t need a super, top of the line and expensive rifle , what you need is an average deer rifle in a caliber of about .270 or larger and one you've practiced extensively with, so you can hit with it accurately from quickly acquired field position to at least 250-300 yards, because Id bet 90% of big game is killed at under that distance.
lets assume Colorado
http://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/BigGame.aspx
http://vimeo.com/57712241
you'll need a map of the areas open to hunting and the quotas ,in most cases you'll want too apply for several areas and be aware your HIGHLY unlikely to get the better areas on the first try so they award preference points , for years you fail to get the prime areas, thus your more likely to get an area you want the more often you apply but that obviously can take several years to accumulate point values that you might need, you'll also want to make arrangements with your friends so you all SEND IN IDENTICAL FORMS SELECTING THE SAME AREAS IN THE SAME ORDER OF PREFERENCE, SO YOU ALL GET LICENSES FOR THE SAME AREA ON THE SAME DATES. youll also want to order topo maps for ALL the areas where you may pull a license, and time spent on the GOOGLE EARTH WEB SITE getting to know the areas helps and be aware that you ALL may be assigned a license in an area you did not even select! ID point out you need to have friends that really want to hunt and share the experience and costs, because if you have the hunt set up as a 2-to-4 man group and one or two guys drop out it may make the hunt financially impossible for the remaining members and can result in a great deal of wasted money, this often results in a huge strain on friendships, if you plan all year and at the last few weeks some guy decides he won,t go and share expenses.
ok assuming you have serious friends and you all pay the license fees and draw an area and your ready and willing to go, youll need to pack a minimum of equipment in airline approve luggage if your flying or suitable duffel bags and top quality very durable gun cases etc. theres a huge tendency to over pack, as a general rule anything over a single duffel bag and one sturdy gun case will cause problems when flying and you'll generally want a decent back pack that you fit inside the duffel bag along with a decent high quality sleeping bag. if you are hiring a guide or outfitter obviously ask for detailed advice and several verifiable references from several years previous hunts and call the local Better Business Bureau, and local police station , and contact previous clients for references.DO your homework well theres ALWAYS scam artist willing to take your deposit and disappear with your money or equipment if its shipped ahead to the outfitter, or guys who provide little value for the money.
Call the local game department biologist and have a short list of well thought out questions to ask, hes busy and stupid vague questions like
(wheres the best place too hunt in area # XYZ " ) are not likely to get you honest answers,
honest questions like ."the 2nd hunt season hunt dates next year are oct XYZ-thru ABC, the average temps in that area at that elevation have historically been??, and I was wondering what the chances of being snowed in are?
or "my topo map shows CREEK #123 from camp site ,ZX drops into a 12 mile long canyon,is that canyon generally navigable on foot during that part of the year? and whats the predominant vegetation"
or on that area , what is the general population density and prime food source at that time of year?"
)
this is one reason I tend to prefer driving to the location, as I then have my equipment and transportation under my control.
BE realistic in your understanding of your chances of success, you can be the world best shot and a fantastically skilled hunter and you still will have an extremely low chance of bagging a decent trophy in many areas simply because MOST AREAS have low population density of TROPHY quality animals, so if shooting a trophy mule deer or elk is your main goal on a bargain priced hunt especially on open public land your chance are realistically UNDER 20% in most areas ,if you hunt on public land, it could easily take 10-15 YEARS in most areas to even see a single 7 point elk or 30" mule deer ONCE, that does not mean you'll get the opportunity at a shot EITHER
25%-40% success in camp,would be rather realistic most years,that means 2-or 3 guys out of 6-7 may tag an elk, not because we don,t have an opportunity, but because something worth shooting on public land never showed up!
and Id bet my group easily beats the local average success rates.
some of us are a bit reluctant to shoot "ANY DEER" because with years of experience you tend to be a good deal less impressed with "GETTING A DEER" and more concerned with
"getting an impressive deer or ELK," or shooting one "REASONABLY CLOSE TO A ROAD WE CAN ACCESS" rather than dragging or packing out a deer over long distance in difficult terrain,simply so you can say you scored.
yeah I was young once! but over the last 20 years, I wised up,Ive passed on far more deer and elk than Ive shot simply because I,m only too well aware of the effort required to get one out of the canyons I hunt, thus its going to be something worth shooting or it won,t get shot. As most of the older guys in cam skills improved they see more deer and elk but they also tend to get far more selective in what they shoot and reluctant to shot and then drag out less than impressive trophy's.
actual picture of the area we hunted most years
LOWER CANYON
upper canyon