Co 1st rifle

[Elktaco]

How did everyone do 1st rifle in Colorado? No tag for me this year just wondering how others did.

 

[ChrisAU]

I didn’t have a tag but went with my buddy who did and another friend. Tagged out first morning after waiting for him to come out after 25+ bugles. Nice 5x5. Of 7 other bull tag holders we talked to during our pack out 6 had killed bulls Sat/Sun all exhibiting rut action. It was spectacular, wish it hadn’t ended so quickly.

And no I won’t say what unit

 

[Thedeerfarmer]

Burned my points on a unit 61 tag. Saturday morning was full on rut. Sunday was so windy not much moved. Found elk and made a game plan. Monday/Tuesday had a real bad experience with people on public. Sad to not have a freezer full of elk but fun to get out.

 

[300-win-mag]

It was horrible in the Flat Tops. Too hot and there was no fresh sign or any shots from 4-5 camps.

 

[Ucsdryder]

My buddy was in the flat tops. Said it was horrible. Zero bugles. Super hot and dry. He didn’t even see an elk!!! He heard one shot far off but wasn’t sure if it was a hunter I’m 3 days. They left early out of frustration/disgust. Oh, he said he’d never seen so many people in his life. People were camping on turn outs due to no camping spots left.

 

[backcountrymuzzy]

They were in some weird spots this year, the lowest I put eyes on elk was 11,300 and most sign was up closer to 11,800. Bumped a couple yesterday at first light walking in some crunchy snow but could never catch up to them

 

[Mturney]

Killed my bull on Sat night at 9500' with no sign any lower. I heard zero bugles but he was with 3 cows. Im glad I killed early and didn't have to battle the heat and dust.

 

[cnelk]

Doesn’t season end this evening?

And people have already given up?

 

[5MilesBack]

Since I didn't use an elk tag during archery this year, I would have been out there 1st rifle if I didn't have another hunt starting this week. I haven't hunted 1st rifle since 2003 but every year I did that was hot and dry was a great season.

 

[WTFJohn]

Saw a few hundred elk, helped my dad fill both his bull & cow tag. Bugling was non-stop Monday morning for 2+ hours. In our camp almost everyone had a shot opportunity, and I believe 5 of 8 tags were filled. Not a shabby rifle opener.

 

[ahlgringo]

Burned my points on a unit 61 tag. Saturday morning was full on rut. Sunday was so windy not much moved. Found elk and made a game plan. Monday/Tuesday had a real bad experience with people on public. Sad to not have a freezer full of elk but fun to get out.

Interested in more of this story. What does real bad experience with people on public mean? Feel free to pm if you would rather. I am always interested in stories about 61


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[Doc Holliday]

I didn’t have a tag but went with my buddy who did and another friend. Tagged out first morning after waiting for him to come out after 25+ bugles. Nice 5x5. Of 7 other bull tag holders we talked to during our pack out 6 had killed bulls Sat/Sun all exhibiting rut action. It was spectacular, wish it hadn’t ended so quickly.

And no I won’t say what unit

I remember your story last year and how you wanted to help them all tag out (return the favor). Good stuff

 

[CJohnson]

May or may not have been in one of the units mentioned above that was “super hot and crowded” and helped my buddy (a first time elk hunter) tag out on a nice 5x5 less than an hour into opening day. Heard bugles, saw bulls chasing cows - it was awesome.

There were other people there, but I feel like that’s public land. It seemed like most people had given up or tagged out by Sunday as the trailheads and turnouts were mostly empty.

I’ll do a more detailed write up later because I’m a beginner to all of this and the community here was a huge part of my success for the past two years.

 

[timekiller13]

No kill for me, but saw 60+ elk. Mostly cows and of course no,cow tag. Had a 6x6 bull,in my crosshairs opening morning at 450 yds. But he was moving and thats not a shot I will take.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

We were almost 3 miles into the wilderness and counted 16 orange vests on opening morning. We saw 4 cows, and watched all day for a bull. Then we got snow, and wind, wind, wind. No elk for the next 3 days, just bumped into orange vest after orange vest. Scouted this spot for 2 years before applying here. Back to the drawing board for next year.

 

[Next Ridge]

May or may not have been in one of the units mentioned above that was “super hot and crowded” and helped my buddy (a first time elk hunter) tag out on a nice 5x5 less than an hour into opening day. Heard bugles, saw bulls chasing cows - it was awesome.

There were other people there, but I feel like that’s public land. It seemed like most people had given up or tagged out by Sunday as the trailheads and turnouts were mostly empty.

I’ll do a more detailed write up later because I’m a beginner to all of this and the community here was a huge part of my success for the past two years.

You say you’re a beginner but you have noticed a key point already. It only takes a couple days for a lot of people to get discouraged and have level of effort decline sharply. That’s not a trait year on year successful elk hunters can have.

 

[Titan_Bow]

I took my neighbor, who had never been hunting. Opening morning we hiked up to this ridge where I was pretty sure we’d be able to see them funneling up off the private hay fields below, but so did about 10 other guys LOL. We hit plan B and headed into the dark timber. Had bulls bugling all around us, and tried moving in on the closest one. We got within 50 to 100 yards of him. My neighbor was astonished by the intense smell of them. I knew we were close and I was scanning every blowdown and thick brush to see antlers. Then the notorious swirling wind at the back of the neck, seconds later he goes crashing down the mountain. Our closest opportunity was on the second day, again had screaming bulls all around us. We got set up between 2 of them and decided to see what they were going to do. I could tell this aggressive sounding bugle was getting closer. Ten minutes later and we hear limbs snapping and know he is coming. It was so thick in this spot it was hard to see more than 50 yards. Through a small opening I see an elk, but it was a cow. The bull screams and is within 50 yards but I couldn’t see him. I put the rifle up on the cow and follow her through an opening, waiting for the bull to be right behind her. He hangs up in the thickest stuff on the mountain but he is bugling like crazy. I keep waiting and waiting but he never moves. Then suddenly he crashes forward and I finally see him, at a full run crashing down the mountain. He was a BIG 6x6. Not sure if he just barely caught our scent, or another hunter above that heard them too? The next several days, the elk shut up and I didn’t really hear much bugling after that cold front and snow pushed through. I did jump a nice bull in the dark timber that a hunter above me shot 30 seconds after I jumped him LOL. It was a fun hunt, but hindsight, I would hunt the pressure and not the elk.


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[gobears870]

Our first attempt was this year for 1st rifle. No tags filled but we had a lot of fun and gained a great learning experience. We ran into a lot of hunters camped nearby or at trailheads but never while hunting. Story was the same with all of them - it’s too hot, they’re not moving, and they’re still up high. We moved camp 30 miles on Sunday to get into higher ground, but the peaks on that side were still 6+ miles into Wilderness and we just couldn’t make it back there this time. Even the guys who were in deep weren’t having success. A lot of folks headed home Tuesday.

We felt lucky to have seen a great 5x5 Sunday evening - the only elk we saw all week. He came in behind a row of trees, turned, and trotted off with his butt towards us in a clearing. He stopped broadside at 300 yards right as a 30 mph gust kicked up. I had him in my crosshairs for 3 seconds praying the wind would lay down, but he darted into cover.

Can’t wait to do it next year.


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[brsnow]

I only saw 3 hunters all season. CPW officers mentioned many turned in tags due to fire. First time I saw more elk than hunters for me.

 

[Mustang06]

I didn’t have a tag but went with my buddy who did and another friend. Tagged out first morning after waiting for him to come out after 25+ bugles. Nice 5x5. Of 7 other bull tag holders we talked to during our pack out 6 had killed bulls Sat/Sun all exhibiting rut action. It was spectacular, wish it hadn’t ended so quickly.

And no I won’t say what unit

It was nice meeting you and your crew. Congrats on your nice bull. We finally made it out with ours late Wednesday night.