New elk hunter help

Joined
Jan 10, 2021
Messages
2
Location
New York, NY
So I’ve been out for one OTC 2nd rifle season 2019, and one OTC archery elk season 2020, and no encounters with elk yet. I want to go into 2021 CO draw with a better strategy. My main question is, how do you select a GMU?

Here is my scenario for this past September. I did some weekend hunts in GMU 14, it has a low success rate but also closer to my home in Denver, so I could do more 2-3 day hunts there since it’s only about 3 hour drive. I also did a 6 day hunt in GMU 65, has decent success rates and lots of public land, but also A LOT of pressure. In both locations I couldn’t get a single return vocalization from actual elk, but called in 3 different hunters at GMU 65. I spent 15 days in the field and didn’t get any encounters other than seeing herds of elk on private land in GMU 65.

How much stock do you put in recent harvest reports for your hunt planning? I’m tempted to rove to higher success rate GMUs, but not sure if private land is inflating those stats. I talk to a lot of hunters in 65 and 14 and they frequently said thing like “I’ve hunted this are for 20, 30, 40 years ect”. They don’t seem to care about elk numbers or harvest rates and they hunt “their” GMU every year. Should I pick a spot and learn the area really well and not factor harvest reports?

Summer scouting isn’t realistic for me either. I only have so much PTO and have a baby on the way, so if I have time off I want to save it for time in the field during the season.

I’m a little bummed because I spent all year working on my calling and in GMU 14 it seems like I didn’t get and answers from low elk population and none in GMU 65 because there was so much pressure. Both spots I was going deep, average of 12-14 mile days according to my OnX, so felt like I was putting in the work to get away from pressure and roads.

I know I’m probably not the only one out there trying to find a balance to the issue, I just want to be smarter in planning a hunt with a relatively higher success rate.

Thanks for any advice on what’s worked for you.
 

dingleberns

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 3, 2017
Messages
135
Location
Colorado
Pick an area and stick with it. I don’t know the success rates in my areas, I just know they hold elk. I also know that my area was flooded with hunters but everyone was in the first two drainages and not beyond that. I bet you know who was in bulls everyday. Hunt the same area every year so you know everything about it and can pattern the elk. This will help you know what the elk do in most every circumstance from weather, hunting pressure, to predators. Colby, Kansas can be a rough hunt though 😉
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2021
Messages
66
Agreed - I'd pick and area and stick with it. You learned a lot in the places you hunted already, such as what other hunters do and what the terrain is like. You also learned where the elk aren't, it sounds like. If guys have been in there consistently for 20, 30, 40 years, etc, then I guarantee you they've had their fair share of success during that time. They have a game plan that has taken them years to develop that gives them hope every time they go into the woods, in the same place you went.

I'd spend some more time learning the areas you already know and how the elk behave there. You see a lot of hunting celebrities hunting elk in a single way (calling in bulls only, for example). If hunting OTC Colorado, you will have the most success by hunting elk in the way they need to be hunted in that spot. That may mean you need to not make a single peep of noise. Or maybe you're just making cow calls. Or maybe you need to set up an ambush for quiet elk. Or maybe you need to find a glassing area where you can spot and stalk them. I'm willing to guess that with the amount of miles you've walked, you've walked past a handful of elk that know better than to respond to your calls. It will be super rewarding for you to find out how to kill those elk. Get creative and you will find yourself using calls less and less.

Of course, if you're wanting to call, that's super fun. In that case, keep trucking those miles and calling, and with time you'll find one that's willing to play.

Good luck!
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2017
Messages
1,711
Location
San Antonio
I think if you have a unit close to home that you can gain a lot of knowledge in then you'll have a gold mine on your hands once you start figuring it out.
edit: Wanted to add, be careful how much stock you put into these other hunters. I talked to a Colorado local year before last that'd been hunting my unit for 21 years. I ran into him daily (we were truck camped) on the roads. He'd killed 3 Elk and bragged that an Elk every 7 years is beating the average stats.
 

Gerbdog

WKR
Joined
Jun 8, 2020
Messages
816
Location
CO Springs
I'll add to this and agree with the above that you should learn a single unit, or two, or three, or whatever your comfortable with or manage to get experience with but... make sure you are hunting where there are elk. Quiet hunting, setting up an ambush, bugling like a world champion, etc. etc. wont do anything if there arent any elk around to hear it. You need to keep moving within that unit, or units, until you find elk, that doesnt mean you have to hear them, doenst mean you have to see them, but if your looking for bulls during archery i'd be looking for fresh rubs and shit not more then a couple days old, fresh game trails, something that says "well, there WERE elk here, maybe theyll be back through, atleast they are within the area".
 

Wapiti1

WKR
Joined
Sep 18, 2017
Messages
3,569
Location
Indiana
Well. You know where not to go. As others have stated, you have to keep looking.

As to your stats on the unit question, I would pick a mid-range unit in a high elk population area. Everyone sees those stats.

After picking a unit, apply elk knowledge and human knowledge. What elevation will the elk be at when you are there? Where are the trailheads? Campgrounds? Look at the maps to come up with a game plan that avoids high human areas, and gets you into the elevation where the elk should be.

Jeremy
 
Joined
Apr 26, 2019
Messages
710
Location
Pacific North West
Should I pick a spot and learn the area really well and not factor harvest reports
^^^thats exactly what I’d do. You live in the highest elk population state in the country. Every unit west of the divide has hunt-able elk population. Put in the time in September with boots on the ground and bugle tube in hand. You’ll find elk. Just be mobile and keep moving around until you find the elk that want to talk. In the summer hike all you can and mark all the rubs you can find that are from last year and then just visit all those way points in September.
 

Eli80

FNG
Joined
Mar 3, 2021
Messages
56
I know it’s not your original question but have you been on any elk hunts with anyone else ? I was in the same boat you were. Struggling to find animals and putting in miles. I was able to tag along on a few other hunts when I didn’t have a tag and it really helped me learn and up my game. I know this isn’t a possibility for everyone but true offers to help glass and pack are usually taken. Opened my eyes to a lot of things that helped.

I agree on learning a specific unit. I know scouting time is hard to come by but sometimes a year spent scouting during the true rut when elk are bugling (if it’s outside of the hunt) will pay off in subsequent years.

Another option is spring turkey or shed hunting in that unit. Spend time in the unit regardless of the time of year and it will pay off.
Good luck!
 

Deadfall

WKR
Joined
Oct 18, 2019
Messages
1,526
Location
Montana
Just pick a place and go. If you are calling at elk, then most likely you won't get any responses or anything to come when they do respond. DO NOT call at elk. Don't worry about pressure. Guarantee guys are rolling right on by elk, because they are run and run hunting. Bugle, 2 cow calls and rock on is the standard strategy.

SLOW YOUR ROLL!!!!

I don't know the elknut guy, but he really puts out great, real information for new folks like you. I would suggest checking him out. I don't know anything about the app deal he has, but I'm sure you can research him on youtube and see if his stuff seems helpful to you. youtube is free. I don't think his app costs very much but no idea on that either.
 
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Messages
10
I did my first archery elk hunt in Colorado this year as well and drove out for 9 days from the Midwest. My hunting partner is from Denver. With all the information out there we still made some mistakes when it came to finding elk. We bounced around to 3 different units and were “close” to elk in each unit but not necessarily in the game. In hindsight, we should have stayed in the first unit and gotten off the trail further. I was hyper focused on where others have said they routinely find elk i.e 10,000 feet and dark timber. I think this clouded my ability to really look for sign and try different areas to find elk. If I was able to go back this year I would bounce around the same unit before jumping ship and driving 6 hrs to a different part of the state. We wasted a lot of time bouncing around rather than hunting.
 

KaBoilers

FNG
Joined
May 8, 2021
Messages
15
I’m sizing up an OTC high pressure hunt strategy this October so thanks for all the good advice in this thread!
 

wa_archer

FNG
Joined
Jan 23, 2018
Messages
28
Location
Wenatchee WA
Pick an area and stick with it. I don’t know the success rates in my areas, I just know they hold elk. I also know that my area was flooded with hunters but everyone was in the first two drainages and not beyond that. I bet you know who was in bulls everyday. Hunt the same area every year so you know everything about it and can pattern the elk. This will help you know what the elk do in most every circumstance from weather, hunting pressure, to predators. Colby, Kansas can be a rough hunt though 😉
same advice i normally give people. learn the elk in one area dont keep jumping around.
 

Yooper

WKR
Joined
Jul 18, 2016
Messages
354
Location
Upper Michigan
I agree with everything above. Me and my hunting partner did CO OTC archery elk the middle of September last year, too. We found a lot of areas that held elk in years past but were very empty last fall. I called the local biologist this winter to talk more about what we found and he said that due to the extreme dry conditions last year a lot of the elk had moved to lower areas to find feed/water (farms) and were already on private land much earlier than normal. I guess what I'm saying is that 2020 may have been an abnormal year and I wouldn't write those areas off from last year just yet. Just something to think about.
 
Top