Flat Tops Archery

[OkieElk]

Hello All,

Looks like I’m headed to the flat tops mid September this fall and I have never hunted this area or this low in elevation this early. It looks like the actual top of the flats is anywhere between 10,500-11,600 roughly speaking and there’s not a lot of cover(trees) at the top of the flats. My question is about hunting that type of structure with a limited elevation like that. You can drop down another 500-1000ft and get into lots of nice cover and parks. But I’m curious if the elk are up in the flats grazing or down lower in elevation or hanging out around tree line at the transitions. I’m assuming there are going to be in cover most of the time. Places I normally hunt in SW CO they are often at 11,600-13,00. Any the elk are always spooky.

Anyhow, if you are experienced hunting this type of terrain and would like to share what you know, I’d appreciate the feedback. Please feel free to PM me if you wish. Thanks and happy hunting!


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[KHNC]

Elk are everywhere in the flat tops. Very few hunters too due to the difficulty of the draw. You should be good most anywhere up there. Just pick a spot and go!

 

[marktole]

Are you headed to 24 or 25? 231?

 

[Elktaco]

Cant hardly swing a dead cat without hitting a grizzly in that country. Follow safe big bear precautions.

 

[md126]

Grizzly in the FT?

 

[OkieElk]

I think Elktaco was referring to some period dating pre 1970s!


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[stonewall]

Cant hardly swing a dead cat without hitting a grizzly in that country. Follow safe big bear precautions.

 

[KHNC]

There actually are some damn big elk eating black bears in the flat tops. That is a fact!

 

[simpsonhntr]

I hunt the flat tops every year. It is a great area and the elk are spread throughout all different elevations. I do tend to find elk either high or very low bordering the private ranches. Good luck.

 

[robtattoo]

The only flat bits of the Flat Tops, are freaking vertical. I've been exactly once & saw more sheep than elk. I saw a sheep....

 

[Westward]

So how was the hunting up there this fall? (Archery) My wife has a point she wants to burn. Trying to plan some units for her to go to. I've looked it over quite a bit. I called for a guy up there a few years back, just havent been there since. We have been hitting some different states the past few years and I'm out of the Colorado loop lol!.....P.S. I'm not asking for a spot. Just more or less beetle blow downs, fires, elk were quiet. General stuff like that. I wouldnt expect you to tell me your secret spot cause I'm not tell you mine haha!

 

[fishslap]

Elk were quite, lots of blowdowns, there were some fires nearby

 

[Westward]

Elk were quite, lots of blowdowns, there were some fires nearby

Haha! Perfect. Thanks!

 

[Kbhillhunter]

So how was the hunting up there this fall? (Archery) My wife has a point she wants to burn. Trying to plan some units for her to go to. I've looked it over quite a bit. I called for a guy up there a few years back, just havent been there since. We have been hitting some different states the past few years and I'm out of the Colorado loop lol!.....P.S. I'm not asking for a spot. Just more or less beetle blow downs, fires, elk were quiet. General stuff like that. I wouldnt expect you to tell me your secret spot cause I'm not tell you mine haha!

We didn't see any sign or activity going 5-6 miles back at 9000-10500 feet. Got into some action 100 yards from the road at ~8000 feet, but it took that freak snow storm in Sept to stir them up. Only elk we got into and they were talking.

 

[Westward]

We didn't see any sign or activity going 5-6 miles back at 9000-10500 feet. Got into some action 100 yards from the road at ~8000 feet, but it took that freak snow storm in Sept to stir them up. Only elk we got into and they were talking.

That snow storm last year really changed a lot of things.

 

[Beendare]

My buddy that’s a Colorado resident who kills an elk every year in archery season Hunted the flat tops. He said it was extremely slow saw a lot of hunters and never killed anything

 

[Newtosavage]

I've hunted around the flat tops (not up on top) for the past 4 seasons. Personally I wouldn't go up top in Sept. just due to the number of people up there. Not just elk hunters but fishermen, campers, hikers, etc.

I've seen plenty of elk on the lower slopes - all bulls though - in Sept. during 2 muzzleloader seasons in Sept. One was a massive 7x7 that could have scratched his own rear if he wanted to. Spotted him at about 1.5 miles in a clearing at around 9K. I walked up on two 6x6's at just under 10K in side-slope clearings. All the while, I was carrying cow tags. Figures.

 

[Huntsman21]

I've never hunted the flat tops, but I have heard they drop to private the second they get bumped by hunters.

 

[bradr3367]

We hunted the flat tops in Sept. and there was a metric sh!t ton of recreational hikers/campers.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

So how was the hunting up there this fall? (Archery) My wife has a point she wants to burn. Trying to plan some units for her to go to. I've looked it over quite a bit. I called for a guy up there a few years back, just havent been there since. We have been hitting some different states the past few years and I'm out of the Colorado loop lol!.....P.S. I'm not asking for a spot. Just more or less beetle blow downs, fires, elk were quiet. General stuff like that. I wouldnt expect you to tell me your secret spot cause I'm not tell you mine haha!

I've hunted the Flat Tops roughly every other year since 2003, mostly during the 1st or 2nd week of archery season. Last year I bowhunted during the week of muzzleloader season hoping to catch peak bugling. The bulls talked some but not as much as I hoped, and I definitely encountered more hunters (muzzleloader and archery) than when hunting earlier in the season. I won't be bowhunting during muzzleloader season again; I'd rather hunt earlier with lower likelihood of bugling than a little later with more hunters.

I've found elk high up on the flats and down in the drainages/slopes below the flats. Some years the bugling has been hot and heavy, other years I've gone a week and heard little to nothing. There are patches of fire-killed timber, beetle-killed timber, and virgin timber. If you want to PM me, I might be willing to share more specific info.