From Georgia to Colorado budget. Mainly for gas

fatlander

WKR
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
1,883
I will be doing this actually. I may make another post so people can post some examples of what an elk sign looks like both fresh and historical.

When you get there, and you find sign, and then you find elk you’ll understand what I meant by my original statement.

There’s old sign.

There’s elk sign.

And then there’s elk sign that’s truly fresh. I.e. you can smell elk.

That’s what you’ve gotta learn and the only way you learn it is from being there.


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specneeds

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 8, 2021
Messages
114
When you kick out a noisy crashing animal that you never see & walk up to a warm bed in the snow that reeks of elk piss you will know what fresh is like & your imagination will fill in the size of the bull that got away. Always hunt the wind if you are able sometimes you smell them before you see them.
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
2,191
If your worried about the cost of gas then you should probably stay home. I mean that in the most non-negative way possible. Its just the hard truth.
 

grfox92

WKR
Joined
Mar 14, 2017
Messages
2,397
Location
NW WY
It cost me around $650 to drive from NY to WY pulling a 4k lb trailer in a V10 excursion.

You should be fine with 2k for fuel in a Mercedes.

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Stevesc

FNG
Joined
Aug 27, 2021
Messages
2
Hello, I'm new here. 2022 will be my first elk hunting season and my second hunting season overall. I currently live in Georgia and I'm trying to come up with a travel budget for going to Montrose. getting few moments of rest and to stretch my legs and then going out to the unit. I'll have a tag with me for archery but I'm just going there to look around with some of the areas that I looked at on OnX. I'll be there around the last full week of the season.

As for my budget, I have $2000 set for gas and bringing my own food for the most part. Is this an over estimate or is this a good amount for a round trip? I'm accounting for gas prices going up between now and the time I'll be heading out. The first $1000 would be me getting there and back. The other thousand would be for when I change locations if I don't see anything which hopefully won't happen too much. I may increase it by another $200-$500.

Thanks for your time to read through this! :)

P.S. I forgot to mention this, if I don't go the DIY route, would the money be better spent on a guided hunt since I have next to no experience with elk hunting and then I can just learn from the guide?
Two of us go from Charleston every to years and it costs roughly 360-400 per person, we split gas and a hotel for the way back, I think your right on par, but if you shy away from guuchi meals and make your own you could save money. Then the tag is obviously around 780 in CO. Hope this helps, also we’re in a f150
 
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Kwa_bena

FNG
Joined
Aug 14, 2021
Messages
65

WHI13tan

FNG
Joined
Sep 23, 2017
Messages
16
For $2k, I'd rent something more comfortable, and fuel efficient, and drive that. Some of these SUVs these days will get upwards of 30mpg. It would almost pay for itself.

1900miles 11-12mpg pulling a trailer from San Diego to Oregon and back plus 400 miles of up there driving and it was about $850 with California gas prices


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Kwa_bena

FNG
Joined
Aug 14, 2021
Messages
65
So looking at the area more closely, there are roads all over this place. I might move on to a different area or just accept the fact that there are roads all over the place. And there is this one spot there that has next to no road access but it seems like it get a lot of pressure. With that aside I might just do a scouting trip there instead to have a starting point for the next year. Any plants that I should be on the look out for that the elk eat? I might be looking around Routt county if I change plans.
 
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