Colorado Elk Hunting Trip

[Deadeye]

Fella's,

I am leaving on Oct 15 for my first ever elk hunt in northern Colorado. Will be packing in via horses into the back country. Really looking forward to getting away for a week.

If any of you have ever been, I would appreicate your suggestions, tips, recommendations, comments, etc. I have hunted mule deer in Colorado so I know what to expect weather wise.

All tips are more than welcome.
Deadeye

[Bustin' Ducks]

never been Elk huntin'...my bud's dad is the prez of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation...couldn't tell the first thing to take...but I'd have some bourbon on hand, and a damned sharp knife.......

[gator]

DE, you prolly know this since you hunted some of dem hoppers...but, be in shape...ain't nothing like altitude to ruin a great memory...on those same lines, stay hydrated, it'll help if the altitude starts to get to you...gator

[landscaper]

Been during early archery season twice. Pre to early rut. You'll be getting there really late or post rut. The bulls won't be bugling much, if any and will probably be at lower altitudes sticking to dark timber, water sources, and venturing out in to fields occasionally to graze.

From my limited experience this is what I can tell:
- hunt them just like you would hunt a turkey. Locate by calling then only call as much as you hear them calling. Less is more.
- get in close. be real still and quiet. They see and hear like turkey.
- at all costs, don't spook them. They can vanish like a whitetail, but unlike a white tail, when spooked they don't run 50 yards and trun around and look back. THey run 5 miles (serieously) then just maybe they'll stop and look back.
- if at all possible, shoot them uphill from the truck! Ain't no dragging one up from a hollow.
- figure out most of what to do after you get home. (hind sight)

Good luck. You'll go back every chance you get, I guarantee

[Delta Duck]

Learn how to ride a horse, and shoot!

[blackdux]

I lived in Colorado for 10 years, did some guiding. Always hunted the october season. DARK TIMBER, DARK TIMBER, DARK TIMBER. The weather determines when they stop bugling, if they are bugling when you get there, great. If you get one worked up real good, Get a tree between you and him, it's not just for hidin. If you can see without a flashlight, you have waited too late to walk in, better to wait till you can see enough to stalk hunt and then stalk hunt into your area. Go in EARLY. You can smell elk when they are close, an ole bull smells like ammonia and creosote. Get yourself a "cow talk" call, works wonders and can also cover for you if you walk up on a herd and make some noise. Easy to use, make it sound like a kitten mewing. Where there are cows, there are bulls. Watch out for those satelite bulls, they are lurking on the edge of the herd waiting to cut a cow or two, they will spot ya and blow your cover as quick as the herd bull or a cow. Some of those satelite bulls are good bulls. When you get a shot at a good bull, dont make the mistake of waiting for a better bull. Alot of foks ruin their trip doing that. A decent bull can be a once in a lifetime chance. Deer browse, elk graze. Watch those rimrock saddles, especially if it snows up high. 1)Alot of good bulls killed while sleeping in the dark timber, by locals with pistols 2)Alot of good bulls killed by the camp cook, he never leaves the camp. Elk are notorious for walking through camps, while everyone is hunting "out" from the camp. If they are bugling, listen in the afternoon to locate 'em, if you can bugle, see what you can stir up at dusk. But bugle like a spike, not like an old herd bull, dont want to run any satelites off down the mountain, or scare a younger herd bull away with his herd. If you kill a bull, dont let anyone skin you out of your ivories. Their as big as a horse, consider where they will fall when you pull the trigger. If you have a good clear shot, take it, they are ghost in the dark timber. If you cut herd sign, get below em in the afternoon, in the morning, get above them. Elk aren't particullarly complicated, they are creatures of habit. Learn the basics and the rest will fall into place.

[gator]

aaaaahhhhhhhhh, yeah, what he said...gator

[injun_23]

Hard to improve on the comments above Deadeye. I will add that you should have the best boots that you can find. Always have light weight rain gear, take an emergency kit that includes food/snacks/drink, first aid kit, fire starter, compass w/map (GPS doesn't always work well in the Mountains). Camera! Trout fishing outfit is a MUST, including hip boots. Also, we packed our clothes in plastic bags to reduce scent contamination.

I have never seen more beautiful country or eaten any game that tasted better than Elk! Explore the Dark Timber....it is awesome. Have a great time. We expect big things out of a person with the name of "DEADEYE"!
INJ

[chance]

Went on a guided pack-in trip to Idaho several years ago. Bow hunting during the rut in September.
First thing---get to riding! You can expect to experience some very tough riding in some serious mountainous terrain. We spent 75% of our time on horseback riding and bugling, searching for rutting bulls. Since it is a pack-in, you will find the guide "weighing" luggage. You can only cary in as much as you have pack horses. Unnecessary stuff will be left behind. Do take a couple of those waterproof, disposable cameras. They do a good job and if you lose one it will be no great loss. Carry some of those oil saturated cloths to clean the outside of your rifle. You can expect snow even though it may not happen.
Good boots and a good rain suit. No need for several change of clothes. Where ya gonna bathe? In a fifty degree stream? Heat source?A campfire. A bow was difficult to carry on horseback but a rifle should not be as complicated.
I began preparing for my trip nine months in advance. Had to get license that far in advance. I worked out a bunch to gain stamina and wind. Already riding horses nearly every day since I was showing quarterhorses in AQHA shows. Spoke with guide several times and got a list from him as to what to bring and what to expect. He was very adamant as to improving my shooting prowness. Wanted an arrowed elk to go down and stay down.
I was fortunate to harvest a six by six. He came in bugling, mad as heck at fifteen yards. He ran probably 200 yards and piled up. He was HUGE and it took great effort to get the meat out to civilization before it spoiled. It was thirty six hours later before we could get it to a meat locker. Had it cut and wrapped out there and flown back to Memphis. A freezer full and great eating.
The vistas from atop tall mountains were awe inspiring. Trees clawed by bears as high as a man on horseback were sobering. Pulling half an elk carcass up into a tree to keep away from bears while we slept under a tarp was sobering.
Enjoy your trip. Soak up all the gusto it has to offer. You get an elk, it is merely icing on an already sweet cake.

[dedux]

I've been on 13 hunting trips out west; some successful and some not. But, all were unforgetable!!! Everything stated so far is fairly accurate, and the only thing I can add is take plenty of ROLAIDS!!! They're not just for indigestion, either. It is a FACT that the chemicals in Rolaids are a tremendous catalyst in helping the body adjust to the altitudes out there. Just ask some of the local guides and residents, when you get there, and I think they will back me up on this.
Remember, that is wilderness out there; nothing at all like Mississippi. The weather is totally unpredictable, and the terrain is unforgiving, especially when you're hunting above 9,500 feet in the dark timber.
Be careful and don't take chances!!! Let someone know where you're hunting, at all times. Those little 2-way radios can be a lifesaver, sometimes, too. DRINK WATER, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE NOT THIRSTY, AND TAKE THE ROLAIDS!!!
You will NEVER forget your first trip out there, whether you pull the trigger, or not. It's awesome!!!
GOOD LUCK, buddy, and have a safe and successful hunt!!!

[chance]

When we arrived in camp on the first day, one of the hunters observed some birds sitting under a spruce tree. He asked the guide about them and he said they were grouse. He said we could kill them with rocks. Well, we quietly eased up to them with a handful of rocks and killed two. We then searched the rest of the spruce trees in the meadow and killed three more. All of these grouse were put in a big pot of spaghetti the next day. What an experience!

[Wingman]

Tell me please what y'all mean by "dark timber".

I'd love to go out there someday.

Wingman

[dedux]

Wing, "dark timber" is the term used to describe the very, very, VERY, dense timber, which grows at the upper elevations around 8,000 to 10,000 feet. It is mostly very lush, healthy evergreen timber, which usually has never, or seldom been thinned or logged, due to the severity of the terrain. When hunting dark timber, very little sunlight can penetrate the thick canopy of the trees. Even in daylight hours, you are hunting in very dark, very thick conditions. An elk, a bear, a cougar, or any other wild animal can be 5 feet from you, before you realize it. Usually, elk in dark timber have never seen a human, so if you remain relatively motionless and odorless, they will offer a good up-close shot with a bow. Most hunters out there seldom venture more than a half mile from their camp or vehicle to hunt, so if you want to bag the really big elk, you must be willing and able to go up there to the upper elevations, where the dark timber grows. That will require packing into very remote areas, sometimes 10 to 20 miles, or more, from even the nearest trail. Those type areas are NOT for the weak in body, mind, or spirit!!! You can easily die or be killed in there, and never be found or heard from, again!!! And, a sudden, unexpected snowstorm can dump 10 inches of snow on your corpse in about 45 minutes!!!
Two bad experiences:
In 1985, a hunting buddy died overnight in his sleeping bag from the altitude. His body just couldn't manufacture enough oxygen. BTW, he was a jogger, and got plenty of exercise. Some people can just cope with the altitude better than others, even if they might be a bit overweight or do not exercise regularly. It's sort of like "not all fat people have high cholesterol". There are lots of skinny people who have high cholesterol, too. It's still a good idea to be in relatively good hiking shape before going dark timber hunting out there, however.
Then, in 1989, my hunting buddy's dad died back home here in MS. It was two days before the forest rangers found us to deliver the news because we had failed to leave the exact location of our camp with anyone. That was real dumb, and never happened, again.

[Wingman]

Man, that's wilderness for sure. Relating to aviation, you are supposed to wear oxygen when over 10,000 for 30 minutes, in an unpressurized cabin. I used to take skydivers up to 10 or 11 thousand, and breathing was okay, but we only stayed there long enough for me to line up and them to jump, then it was back down again. I can certainly see how hiking at that level and staying there for extended periods of time would be a blow to your body.

I can't imagine being somewhere that is 10-20 miles from the nearest trail. Wow!

Wingman

[chance]

We hunted above 8000 feet. The big spruce trees were so thick that it was actually dark in the forest underneath them. Very serene but erie. Even at 6000 feet the timber was moved out of the mountains by helicopter. For nine days into the wilderness I never saw nor heard an airplane.
Experienced my first whiteout up there. Snowed so hard that visibility was limited to less than 100 yards. Snow would quit, out would come the blue sky and you could see for miles. Elk really moved after the snow. Dedux could probably explain burrow wood better than I. Burned areas that were literally black. Timber down for years but did not rot as it would here. I went back with this same outfitter three more times. Twice after elk. Able to harvest the second elk with a bow. One time was unsucessful as far as a harvest was concerned. Another time after a mule deer, but hunted mostly alfalfa fields.
I am born and raised Mississippi delta. If I were ever to relocate, it would be in the most remote of the Rocky Mountains.