A First, Solo, DIY, OTC Colorado Elk Hunt

arwhntr

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arwhntr

arwhntr

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Congrats. A successful hunt with a bull to top it off.

Much appreciated, Tick. Hunting is such a sweet hobby/lifestyle. These awesome animals bring us to some of the most gorgeous places and provide extremely memorable experiences. Then if you're lucky and harvest an animal you get to bring home a bunch of delicious meat. It's a total cherry on the top!
 
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Awesome vids, looks like an awesome experience. A buddy and I are looking at doing the same sort of hunt. Inspirational dude. Thx for sharing!
 

mrgreen

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Jul 23, 2013
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Ha! That's awesome, thanks for sharing.

Any tips for someone hoping to do that in '18?
 
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arwhntr

arwhntr

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Awesome vids, looks like an awesome experience. A buddy and I are looking at doing the same sort of hunt. Inspirational dude. Thx for sharing!

Good luck to you and your buddy! I'm 100% certain you guys are going to have a blast. Tagging out is the cherry on top, just running around the mountains is so cool and a rewarding experience in-and-of itself.

Be careful, its SUPER addicting. ;)
 
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arwhntr

arwhntr

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Ha! That's awesome, thanks for sharing.

Any tips for someone hoping to do that in '18?

Here's what I would say in terms of "tips". You can never start planning too soon. Once you figure out what Unit you'll be hunting starting reading threads online, call the game warden and wildlife biologist in the area and do tons of e-scouting. OnXmaps is an awesome tool as is Google Earth Pro. Make tons of notes (possible bedding areas, water sources, glassing spots, recent burns, etc) and plan routes you want to take. I would say try and get away from easy access areas and look into hunting spots that do not have a trail leading right into them and require more than a two mile hike to get to. That said make sure you start working out and training for the hunt asap or at least 4 months in advance. I found spin classes, squats, lunges, and most importantly 45-55 lbs packs for an hour on the stair-stepper most valuable to get me into "mountain shape". Start listening to podcasts about western hunting. I found Brian Barney's Eastman's Elevated and Exo's The Hunt Backcountry to be awesome sources of information and inspiration. I listen to episodes every time I'm at the gym. As for the actual hunt, I'm really a firm believer in ultralight gear and carrying camp on back. Probably a no-go option for a lot of hunters but NOT having to depart/return to base or spike camp every morning/evening and allowing yourself the ability to be as mobile as possible is a huge advantage in my eyes. You'll be able to cover a lot more ground and hopefully in the morning when you wake be that much closer to the action.

If you have any other questions or want to pick my brain further just let me know. I love to share my experiences and everything I've learned!
 

Bones

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Congrats. The country looks more open than where we hunted in CO this year. What elevation were you at?


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arwhntr

arwhntr

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Congrats. The country looks more open than where we hunted in CO this year. What elevation were you at?


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Thank you Bones! How was your CO hunt?
The lowest elevation I hunted was 6600 feet up to 8400. I saw VERY little sign at the lower elevations. There was significantly more sign higher up and the one and only elk I did find and fortunately harvest was right at 8000 feet. The unit doesn't have a lot of high elevation terrain to hunt. It definitely operates more as wintering grounds but that said I believe there is always elk living in the area throughout summer and into season.
 
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