Suggestions for Colorado OTC ELK

N

NMHunter51

New member
Hello Everyone,

After my 12th straight year not drawing an elk tag in NM I am looking into a OTC elk tag in another state. I was looking into CO because it seems like the best opportunity for a otc elk tag. The archery hunt is what im most interested in but am open to rifle. Does anybody have any suggestions on a good unit? We are not looking for a monster bull, just looking for something with horns! Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated! I can trade alot of information for a bunch of NM hunts!
 
For numbers look into the Bear's Ear area unit 4. Near Hayden, Colorado. If you do your research and get off the roads you will find elk. If you put effort into hunting hard, and getting 3 miles in - you will be into plenty of elk. However, it is rare to find "easy" elk anywhere on public land.

As with most things general info is all I willingly offer. My research was earned the hard way with a decade of figuring it out. But plenty of elk are harvested. Also stay far far away from Smith Rancho - that guy's serious about his operation- and there are plenty of stories where his operators will pull a gun on anyone - whether you are on the right side of the fence or not. Best to avoid even being near his property boundary.

Good luck, start researching now.
 
western colorado is teeming with elk. the farther in you go the fewer people you will likely see, but i have killed a couple 300"+ bulls on public land within 1 mile of the road. archery is very popular these days and hunting pressure can be high. if looking for anything legal, should not be hard to do. most any unit that is OTC for archery elk has high elk numbers. there are lots of statistics available on the DOW website.

the feed will be good late up high this year so archery season at or around treeline should be good.
 
The 2 biggest elk herds in the world are in Colorado. The White River herd is in NW Colorado and the Trinchera Herd is in Southern Colorado, roughly 25,000 animals in each herd.

Each area has OTC tags. The NW has more public land. The Trinchera Herd has a better bull/cow ration and bigger bulls.

Get some maps from the USFS, BLM, and Colorado DOW to help you narrow an area down.

Good luck.
 
I always tell people to worry less about units and just put in your time. I hunt what everyone around here considers a poor elk unit but have been in the unit for years and know it inside and out. It is a poor unit in terms of numbers and quality but if I hunt hard every year I can find elk and usually 1 to 2 good bulls.

I would look close to home and find a unit with ample public access and start scouting the unit. No matter what nothing puts the odds in your favor better than boots on the ground and maps in hand. If you can stay close to home, then your more likely to have extra time to not only scout but hunt. Every hour spent driving is hour less sleep or and less time in the woods.

Work and learn unit and expect it to take 5 or more years to really figure things out.

The other big mistake people make is focusing way too much on where, how far, etc. by this I mean people focus too much on finding the perfect habitat, water hole, etc. lots of time people will walk past elk in the dark and hunt all day never seeing an elk. Watch hunters, watch for human tracks, watch where trucks are parked and are not parked, if you find an area where no one is going then go there... I used this method to kill several elk in the crowded front range units around ft Collins. I actually killed 2 bulls less than a half mile off the major highway.

In my home unit my biggest typical bull went 338 and was shot only 500 yards off the main road. Again a spot where every other hunter in the unit flew by with out even looking....

If you decide to try a unit around Rifle, Meeker, or Craig look me up with a pm, I will help you out a bunch.
 
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