Not entirely. I have specific areas I have researched, iv called park rangers, iv studied contour lines til I can't see straight, iv read books, watched videos, obviously am on blogs, I actually spent 2 weeks just reading about cubic inches of packs (Eberlestock J34 I ended up with), already started using some of my gear to familiarize myself with my equipment months in advance that I wouldn't use around here for typical whitetail hunting close to home, iv researched where to buy dry ice in bulk and did a cost analysis of shipping thru the post office, paying for meat shipping services through a meat processor in the event I'm lucky to harvest (Carnivores Custom Meat Processing Chama NM), or buying dry ice and loading it under a plane I'm on, iv revised my usual workouts at the gym and added stuff like a stairmaster just because my state is so flat and I wanted to add that to mimic hiking uphill...lol you have no idea how much work iv put in and still feel butt ass naked and like it's still a crapshoot..im that guy that overprepares and organizes almost on an OCD level.....So, because I'm paying way wayyy more to hunt land, which in turn means contributing wayyy more, to land conservation than in state residents (from the standpoint of purchasing tags) you should love and welcome all out of state hunters that want to contribute to conserving your beautiful homeland..and in turn open to helping them out.... I have 1 week after all my research and no boots on the ground exposure to try to get myself anywhere close to elk or deer (getting 2 tags). It's not like I'm coming from out of state from a manageable drive. I'm flying from Delaware to New Mexico and driving up to 81 from Albuquerque. I won't get to do this hunt too often (I hope I can). Now....what Iv learned with rokslide, is that you can't openly talk about the specific research you have done pertinent to specific areas...cause then there will be a guy saying..."well you're sure to see plenty of hunters since you've shared specific locations and drainages on the forum" etc.... So the only way to get actual relevant feedback, is to ask somebody if they are willing to talk privately. Now when I ask if somebody is willing to discuss specific areas in a game management unit, it's not to discuss specific areas where they have found elk. It is to discuss specific areas that I thought looked good based on research, but in reality could be complete shit and I have no idea unless I speak to somebody who's familiar with the area. I want feedback on areas I have researched, not coordinates to a honey hole where I can just park and hike to. You want to talk privately about the places I'm considering?
Be happy to let you know my experiences. I go first week of September. Got a plan A, a Plan B and the mindset to improvise. I can let you know results based on what I did when we come back. One map you may want to check out that I think is underrated, (I want to make sure I'm by running water aside from hunting drainages. I have a huge priority to hydrate), open the PDF for the Colorado fishing brochure. In there are maps of all drainages per area.
I thought you were doing Archery? You drew muzzy tags? You weren't just going to get OTC remnant non resident archery tags?Hello all,
I am new to the forum and looking for some advice on areas of the state of Colorado to look at for a hunt Aug. 30 - Sep. 8 (2020) for Archery Elk. The season starts Sep. 2nd - we plan to scout three days, hunt six days, and go home.
I have been looking at GMUs 31/21/22, 62/65, 81/80 and I can't make my mind up. The statistics on all these GMUs seem decent.
I do not expect you to send me coordinates to your favorite spot, but I do have some information in Idaho I could offer in trade, or maybe even a whitetail hunt on our ranch for the right information.
I have no boots-on-the-ground elk hunting experience in Colorado, so even a vague report on the quality of these areas would be a big help.
Which GMU would you hunt out of 31, 21, 22, 62, 65, 81, and 80?
Thank You and Happy Hunting,
hikeswithbow
Yeah, archery elk was the original plan. We decided to put in for the muzzleloader draws for elk and deer, and unexpectedly drew a mule deer muzzy tag.
It's funny that you mentioned that it is hard to find anything that has yet to be traveled, but also say that you found elk 4 Miles in. I find that interesting because when I comb through onX it's pretty hard to go in One direction for four miles before hitting another Trail (sure some trails are 4 miles long) but I have read a lot of guys say that you need to go at least a few miles away from a trail to find elk, but you can't leave one Trail for three or four miles without hitting another Trail in many places it seems.
One thing you need to learn fully about OnX.. it’s a great tool, but just because it says there’s a trail, doesn’t mean there’s a trail. Lots of trails that aren’t on there also. Yes, almost all of the main, well used trails are, but we’ve found and know of several that aren’t. And not found some that were marked. Nothing beats boots on the ground to scout/learn an area.
