Photo credit to creekbedphotography
Do you hunt elk every year? Or maybe you are looking to complete your first hunt out west?
Colorado seems to be either the annual spot for many hunters to go to their same camps as well as being one of the most sought after states for first timers! Heck, my first elk hunt and big game hunt out west was in Colorado so even I can say I’ve been a product of it. I did get an OTC tag but I did hire a guide for my first time so I could absorb some knowledge of what it is like to hunt the mountains. It certainly is way different than the Midwest, whitetail woods.
So how can you get a tag and when do you need to head out there? Well, today, as of 9am MST is your opportunity to purchase leftover tags that are available. You can do this in person if you are in the state or you can do it online. You will need to have identification info if you have hunted there before, including your Colorado Identification Number. If you have not hunted in the state, you will receive this number once you receive your tag, purchase your habitat stamp and show your hunter education information. Remember that your social security number will be needed!
Attached is the leftover tag list if you would like to take a look and see if any of these hunts are a good opportunity for you.
When should you head out there?
Well, that will depend on your hunting season dates. Below is an idea of all the hunt dates off the Colorado Parks and Wildlife site. Here would be my recommendations for each hunt.
Archery
If you will be doing the archery hunt, I would recommend getting there 24-48 hours prior to your hunt dates. It is always nice to get settled in with camp and have some time to glass before you have a full go. I know many hunters will get out on the first day of season but that makes no sense to me in a 1 month season like the archery season in Colorado. I would recommend searching out the best moon periods and also when the rut will be rolling in Colorado. If history shows itself through my experience, I would recommend that last week of the month for archery or at least the Sept 20-30th dates so you can see the rut beginning to happen. You will hear the bugles all night long and you will know it is going on!
Muzzleloader
If you were lucky enough to draw a muzzy tag, you might get lucky and experience a little bit of rutting action but I would say it isn't likely that you will be seeing the full rut experience. Now, I do not control nature and I know there have been hunters out there that have witnessed rutting activity in earlier September dates but one thing to notice is that the main rut dates I mention are only available during archery season. There is a reason for that and it is because you will need to get really up close and personal in order to take a bull in the rut in Colorado. If it wasn't this way, the game management would be bad and the elk herds would be going below population objectives too quickly. Therefore, less future hunting opportunities.
Rifle
Oh the rifle seasons, especially 2nd and 3rd season. These are tough seasons! After the rut, bulls will lose lots of weight and strength and they go into conservation mode. They need to eat and they need to rest. They will get into the gnarliest deep pockets and hide out with very little movement. You will need to hoof it more into the deep nasty stuff compared to the earlier seasons where you would be glassing more. Since their movement is so low, you will see less elk unless you are still hunting and getting into their bedding areas. The last 2nd season hunt I was on, we harvested an elk by still hiking for hours and getting into a major herd bedding area. The entire area erupted when a stick snapped from one of the hunters in our group and it was madness. It sounded like a stampede and the elk were going all over the place. We had elk running straight to us and when they ran into us, we simply were waiting and took a shot. What a rush if I didn't say so myself!
Now, onto the leftover tags. Elk hunting is the cream of the crop in Colorado. As I wrote previously about leftover options, Colorado has the largest elk herd in the country. This means, there is a ton of opportunity out there to hunt Elk in many different units. I have attached a picture of the units that are available for 2nd and 3rd season rifle hunts since this is the most popular option. However, in total, there are two OTC-(Over the counter) archery hunts, an Either-Sex and an Antlerless hunt (same dates) and three OTC rifle seasons; 2nd Rifle Season, 3rd Rifle Season and a Plains Rifle Season in the eastern part of the state. If you hear "east of I-25, that is the eastern part of the state. Hunters with OTC Either-sex Archery tags can hunt in a vast amount of the states 184 elk units. These are otherwise known as(Game Management Units – GMU's)
As you can see, most of the GMU opportunities are in the western part of the state due to the amount of public land. Areas that you will want to look for when searching hunt areas will be national forests, wilderness areas, State Trust lands and there are some state parks that you could look into. Nonetheless, there are awesome opportunities in the state to get out and enjoy yourself.
Quick Tip
Your hunting styles will need to evolve between seasons. What works in one season will not work in another so be ready to pivot, try new things and get uncomfortable with yourself and your hunting style. Archery seasons will give you the ability to see more elk movement so staying still can play into your favor. Glassing and using some calls will work well here. Once you get into the later hunts, you will need to be nimble and move around more. I will contradict myself when I say this... Do not move a ton if you have crunchy snow on the ground. There is no way to still hunt well with "crunch, crunch, crunch" at every step. If the snow is there, I would hike into an area and then hang out there for a couple hours before moving again because you might see something moving around you and you also can use your ears to hear what is going on. The crunching will significantly cripple your hearing and that is not good when you already are in someone else's backyard and the odds are against you as it is.
If you have any questions or would like to get more help into a specific area, please don't hesitate to reach out and look into our hunt planning service. This is a great way to have a more successful hunt with a game plan of what you are going to be doing in your unit when you get there!
Scout, Hunt, Repeat
Alex~