colorado elk newbie unit 14, 32 or 52 info

[wiredneck1]

I am starting to try to narrow down on where to elk hunt in colorado in 2017, it will be an otc either sex archery tag/unit. Ive been trying to narrow the units down for 3 months by watching as many forums as i can and going by the kill odds from the past on the colorado website but my head is still spinning. I realize there is a chance i could kill an elk in any of the otc units but i want to try to get more of a game plan instead of hanging a map and throwing a dart. Im kind of leaning toward unit 14 but am open to suggestions. I will be hunting with 1 but possibly 2 good friends. we all have the same expectations and that is to at least all see an elk the first year. I will shoot the first legal elk that i have the chance at (cow/calf/legal bull) my buddies have the same expectations. We plan on hunting from a base camp at the truck and hiking in on day hunts. We are all 28-30 years old and all are in excellent shape as far as wisconsin goes. I plan on doing a fair amount of cardio training once the weather starts to get a little nicer around here. I have hunted wyoming for mullies for 5 years around the big horns hiking in mainly 8-11 miles daily according to my gps. We will be hunting sept9th-16th, i realize that we will be archery hunting during the muzzleloader season but am hoping that we are willing to hunt harder/smarter than most of those guys. I am looking for suggestions to persuade me to one unit or the other, like i said i have been looking at unit 14 mainly because of what I've read about the unit but am open to any information about any of the otc archery units. I realize that it seems like I'm "that guy" thats asking for peoples help on a unit, and thats exactly what i didn't wanna do but my heads spinning reading all this information so i need someone to tell me where to focus my attention instead of me reading about one unit and find something good about another so i keep switching which unit to focus on. Ive also considered unit 32 but that looks like its somewhat overrun with natural gas or oil wells?, or unit 52 based upon the statistics I've read about the unit. If anyone could either give me a little insight to these units or flat out tell me those units suck and what i should really be looking for i would much appreciate it.

 

[gauge]

Well nobody ever wants to be "that guy" but let me assure you, you are now that guy.
It will be very difficult to get info from these guys asking a question like that, especially being your first post. That doesn't mean your intentions are bad. Everyone knows how difficult it can be to pick an area to hunt. That being said, if I told you I killed an elk in unit 32 two years ago and we had a good hunt, does that really put you that far ahead of where you were in killing an elk there? You may go and not see an elk, but a guy on Rokslide that you have never met, told you it is a great hunt. Do you really want to base your hunt off that?
Your unit choices are very spread out. I would suggest looking at maps and even google street view and find an area with terrain you would like to hunt. From there, get on Colorado's Hunt Atlas and start dissecting the unit. Look at public land options, wilderness access, and trail availability.
You are correct that you can kill an elk in any of those units, but forums are not really the place to make your decision on which OTC unit to hunt. Forums can be searched for years. If I tell you that 52 is the place to hunt, how many other guys like you are reading this that make their decision to hunt that unit too. (you get the point)
Just pick a unit and don't overthink it. This is not the point in your planned hunt that will make you successful or not. Good Luck!

 

[wiredneck1]

Thanks for the reply.

 

[tyeager2964]

what I found from doing all of this research last year was that all otc units are basically the same. NW Colorado has lots of elk and lots of hunters. The Gunnison basin has less elk maybe less hunters but can be more rugged and difficult. definitely higher altitude if this matters.

SW Colorado seemed to be the cool location the last 5 or 10 years from posts searched but now mostposts mention it is over run.

we hunted 1st rifle in 24 and only saw 3 or 4 other people.while actually hunting. we passedo probably 25 or 30 in the way in though. this was our second choice to guarantee a tag drawn

pick the terrain you want to hunt. the style you want to hunt and then use that information to help narrow down the units. if you want above treeline high altitude look at the Gunnison basin. definitely want to see elk and don't mind others then the flat tops may be fine for you.

like said above don't worry to much about the unit. pick your experience first then find a unit to match