For western hunting - not sitting in a tree - i love the longer AtoA (use a 33" myself). For me they just shoot better at longer distances, and the weight seems to hold them steady for me in the wind. They also seem to be more forgiving to me. I switched from a 28" AtoA and wont be looking...
Some good advice here, things are changing in CO after this year and will be hard to predict what direction they will go. Hold them... spend them... its hard to say. Your definitely in no mans land as far CO points go though.... the super quality hunts are gonna be out of reach probably for...
I'll get you the weather conditions:
Could be anything.
Come prepared to wear t-shirts some days or be under a foot of snow the next day. Everything in between is just as likely. Rain - wind - cold - heat.
2nd Rifle weather in CO varies so much year to year and will change day to day.
I mean... just so you dont hunt any locations i hunt... *cough* Go deep.
If i were a better man i'd tell you truck hunting is a very valid elk hunting method. Bring your hiking boots, but truck camping is luxury compared to backpack camping
Shot all of my elk with my pack on.... and i really only train with the bino harness on..... doesnt seem to be something i notice in the moment and no effect on my shot..... and as i mentioned.... i like to think it breaks up my outline / form
Hey Wapiti,
yup... thats the crux of it.... you could scout out fresh elk sign with bulls humping every tree in the area 2 days before season starts...
and then on the opener the area will be a ghost town... thats just elk hunting.
I did mention some terrain i like to focus on... and then i...
Pretty broad question and everyone's got their own techniques for this. I think you basically already hit all the techniques though:
If its thick without glassing opportunity its good to be calling or ambushing .... brings those binos anyway, you'd be surprised how helpful they still are in...
oh... and then followed by their suggested course of action for OTC rifle hunts:
Status Quo : "No Changes"......... unlimited licenses available for antlered elk in OTC units........
How can you be worried for elk herd health in OTC units in one breath... and then the next decide in those...
Yea, funny its mentioned immediately in their reasoning:
"While we acknowledge that a full limitation of both resident and nonresident OTC licenses is one of the least favored options for OTC limitation based on the results of the public OTC survey,"
.......... comon man...... why'd you bother...
mmm... its a state resource i'd assume (elk animals).... ranchers who let their cattle graze and reside federal land doesnt suddenly mean the cattle belong to the feds (can you imagine the meltdown if it did?). Same theory goes for elk on private land as mentioned above, just cause the elk...
Thats truth. Hard to believe it but elk in the united states were down to the last 20K head or so just over a 100 years ago in this country. There were estimated only 500-1000 elk left in Colorado in 1910. Thank goodness they set aside land and put in regulations.
I been using first lite obsidian foundry pants for 4 seasons now and couldnt be happier. Theyve been put through just about every kind of crap you can imagine from absolute soaking wet, 80 degree days hiking, down to freezing cold and then into thorns and briar underbrush and i gotta say...
Agreed with others in here about wallows. Theyre hit or miss and elk arent the only thing that will lay down and roll in those mud holes .... seen bear do it too.... i'd keep moving and hunting those elk cause its hard to say what made that water muddy.
that said, if you take an afternoon...
I've done 8 miles from the truck and set up a camp near water back in there. Great mule deer hunt. No chance i'd try that with an elk. That's just straight back in on a trail.
Wandering around the woods elk hunting is usually 6 miles a day of active hunting. As pointed out, this is not linear.