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Post by steiny on Dec 27, 2017 11:07:54 GMT -5
No matter where you go DIY elk for a first timer will be a very low odds, low success hunt, particularly with a very limited amount of time to hunt. I'd suggest saving your money them booking a hunt with a reputable outfitter. Cow hunts will run in the $2,000 range and a decent bull elk hunt will run $6,500+.
For western DIY, you can have much better odds of success and still a great hunt, I'd suggest chasing whitetails, muleys or pronghorn on your first trip.
I've elk hunted five times and killed three bulls. You will have a huge advantage over the DIY guy if you get on a private ranch with a good outfitter. If I was going DIY, I'd probably opt for archery season to avoid heavy snowfall and to catch rutting activity.
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Post by throbak on Dec 27, 2017 12:13:17 GMT -5
I did ,It turns out was my Hunt of a lifetime elk hunt as a DIY .. I had fun but if not for my other interest it would have been a bust I stopped first thing in Golden , Colorado and bought a flowers west of the Mississippi “mountains “ and Sibleys Birds Of western states. That made my hunt I see a plant or Bird I don’t recognize I have a insane curiosity as to what it is No Elk but I now know more about birds and plants out west than I did But now to the point,, I don’t know how many times I wished I had hired a Outfitter/Guide for that hunt Even today you bringing it up I again WISHED I HAD HIRED A GUIDE , So Hire a Guide you won’t regret it , but you Will regret not doing a guided hunt when it’s all said and done
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Post by js2397 on Dec 27, 2017 12:44:43 GMT -5
Thanks for the input, I did hunt antelope this year and had a great time. I really want to kill an elk or mule deer by doing it myself. I feel confident enough in my hunting skill that if I can get to an area with animals I can kill one. I have a local Lawrence County has offered to point me in the right direction, the rest will be up to me.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Dec 27, 2017 12:45:53 GMT -5
I guess an important detail is whether a feller just wants to go on one hunt and be done with it, or plans on doing it year after year. If only going once, then an outfitter, though far from a guarantee, is probably the best bet. If you want to do it annually, go DIY and learn how to do it on your own.
Personally, I go on 2-3 out of state hunts per year, and while I know that some could afford to go guided, I cannot. My choice is to hunt more often, but accept that I'll likely have a lower success rate than if I did one guided hunt every 3-4 years.
The one and only time I've hunted elk so far was in 2014, I shot a cow elk and a young whitetail buck solo. I was within easy range of bulls on several occasions but had a cow only tag. Door to door cost was around $1400. It's not impossible to do on your own, but it does take planning and effort.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Dec 27, 2017 12:54:04 GMT -5
js2397 I'm applying this year also, if drawn I'll be there the first week of October. Just keep in mind I've only hunted it once, things can change drastically from year to year..
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Post by SFC (R) B on Dec 27, 2017 13:02:38 GMT -5
I am on the other side of the guide debate here.....mainly for costs sake. Now, granted I live in CO and an elk hunt is a yearly thing for me instead of a "once in a lifetime" thing for some. That being said, I can hunt for 10-15 YEARS for what one middle-of-the-road (not a big money trophy hunt) outfitted hunt costs. Spend a couple of hundred dollars on a GoHunt membership, OnX maps chip/subscription and pour through Hunttalk( and Randy's instructional videos) that I mentioned previously and you will have a fair shot at an elk. Add to that the sense of accomplishment. I have hunted public land DIY here in CO now for 5 years and have 2 elk, a muley buck, a black bear and a pronghorn doe to show for it. My 2 cents
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Post by esshup on Dec 27, 2017 22:58:53 GMT -5
One thing that hasn't been mentioned. Elk are usually hunted at altitude, and for us flatlanders here, it takes a few days just being there to get used to the altitude.... Be in better shape than you think you need to be and it won't be THAT bad. BUT, if you are hunting high up there, be prepared to feel like you just ran a marathon.
When I was out on the West side of WY hunting mulies, we camped at 7,000 feet, ATV'd to 8,000 and hiked to 9,000 feet elevation before sunup every day. Plan on drinking extra water - 1 to 1.5 gallons per person per day.
We had temp swings from mid 20's at night to 90°F during the day.
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Post by js2397 on Dec 28, 2017 9:23:42 GMT -5
One thing that hasn't been mentioned. Elk are usually hunted at altitude, and for us flatlanders here, it takes a few days just being there to get used to the altitude.... Be in better shape than you think you need to be and it won't be THAT bad. BUT, if you are hunting high up there, be prepared to feel like you just ran a marathon. When I was out on the West side of WY hunting mulies, we camped at 7,000 feet, ATV'd to 8,000 and hiked to 9,000 feet elevation before sunup every day. Plan on drinking extra water - 1 to 1.5 gallons per person per day. We had temp swings from mid 20's at night to 90°F during the day. That's great advice. I'm not overweight, but I definitely need to work on some cardio endurance.
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Post by SFC (R) B on Dec 28, 2017 9:28:57 GMT -5
Here in the Springs I live at 6600 feet and I hunt from 8800 to 10500 usually and it is even something for me to take into account. Being in shape and drinking LOTS of water is great advice. Also, if you start feeling like crap, nauseous etc.....get to lower elevation and don't mess around. A few people die every year from altitude sickness and it is NOT something you can just "ride out" at altitude.
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Post by hornzilla on Dec 28, 2017 13:14:31 GMT -5
Sfc since you live in the area. Would you be able to point me in a direction to come hunt out there. I was on a archery hunt several years ago in Montrose. But have all the camping gear and my own horses and would love to horse back in and give it another try. But this time it would definitely be a muzzleloader or rifle hunt.
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Post by SFC (R) B on Dec 28, 2017 13:26:00 GMT -5
I hunt the edge of the Flat Top wilderness. We take the jeep trail to it's end and camp right on the wilderness boundary. There is a bunch of area that would be available to you if you are going in on horseback several miles past that. Where I hunt isn't a "trophy unit" but does have animals. PM me if you want to talk more details.
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Post by esshup on Dec 28, 2017 16:25:03 GMT -5
Sfc since you live in the area. Would you be able to point me in a direction to come hunt out there. I was on a archery hunt several years ago in Montrose. But have all the camping gear and my own horses and would love to horse back in and give it another try. But this time it would definitely be a muzzleloader or rifle hunt. I have a client that has a place near Montrose. He keeps bugging me to come out there and archery hunt. That picture is taken there, right next to his pond. He also has pictures of Mt. Lions and some pretty good sized Black bears. He said the rut there is getting later and later in the year, now it's overlapping into rifle season and it's like shooting fish in a barrel. I told him that I liked shooting fish in a barrel! LOL
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Post by js2397 on Dec 28, 2017 17:02:01 GMT -5
That is awesome, I'd be packing my things and heading west if I were you.
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