Elk tips and tricks for rookies

[drop dead fred]

I would take your first OTC elk hunt as just a learning experience for the next one.

1000% my approach I even picked later to try and allow time for the more experienced guys a go, so I’m not messing anyone up. If I see an elk that will be a bonus! I want to successfully navigate and stay on the mountain the whole time that’s my main goal. What to learn how to work a mountain so when I get a real good opportunity I’m not fooling with basic stuff I should have had experienced already.

[drop dead fred]

Thanks brother

[tminc]

Hunt where the elk are,shoot alot 50-70 yds,my last guide had a 100 yd.pin,good luck and happy hunting, Acclimate,the mountains/altitude kicked my butt for the first couple of days

[drop dead fred]

My plan is to start after my Mexico season prepping for elk season physically… I work for ups and avg 10-13 miles a day and 20-40 flights of stairs, my thoughts are buy a weighted vest and work my way up to atleast 45 lbs by September, and do cardio in the mornings before work to get my BPM to a therapeutic level

[drop dead fred]

..

[jaker_cc]

Seems like you already have a good mindset going into the first season. Hunting Colorado OTC is elk hunting, but just barely. When you draw a good tag it’s good to have some experience under your belt. Learn your gear, your body, and to understand what it takes to get to places that your eyes think are “just right there” on this first trip. If you see elk that’s a HUGE plus. My first three trips to Colorado I saw 4 elk and only two of those were on public.

Another thing is elk are where you find them, not where you think they should be necessarily. I’ve always had good luck glassing from afar and making one well planned well executed stalk. Don’t watch YouTube elk hunts!!!!! It’s never that easy and those are the highlights. Pack enough gear to be comfortable, and safe. But you don’t need about 1/4 of what you pack the first trip. It’s ok to hunt deep, but have a plan to get elk out of you happen to kill one. If the weather is hot, keep it within 2 miles or so of the trailhead is my rule.

Don’t worry about staying out of other people’s way, most of them are just happy to be out there as well. Go have fun, be safe, and enjoy your time in the mountains.

reach out if you have anything specific, I’m always happy to help

[drop dead fred]

You will do fine. I feel sorry for the elk

Thanks amigo

[solocam_aggie]

Start building your gear list now and slowly start buying items so it doesn’t hit so hard this summer. I spent years buying thousands of dollars of gear before I ever went hunting.

[drop dead fred]

Seems like you already have a good mindset going into the first season. Hunting Colorado OTC is elk hunting, but just barely. When you draw a good tag it’s good to have some experience under your belt. Learn your gear, your body, and to understand what it takes to get to places that your eyes think are “just right there” on this first trip. If you see elk that’s a HUGE plus. My first three trips to Colorado I saw 4 elk and only two of those were on public.

Another thing is elk are where you find them, not where you think they should be necessarily. I’ve always had good luck glassing from afar and making one well planned well executed stalk. Don’t watch YouTube elk hunts!!!!! It’s never that easy and those are the highlights. Pack enough gear to be comfortable, and safe. But you don’t need about 1/4 of what you pack the first trip. It’s ok to hunt deep, but have a plan to get elk out of you happen to kill one. If the weather is hot, keep it within 2 miles or so of the trailhead is my rule.

Don’t worry about staying out of other people’s way, most of them are just happy to be out there as well. Go have fun, be safe, and enjoy your time in the mountains.

reach out if you have anything specific, I’m always happy to help

Thanks brother!

[drop dead fred]

Start building your gear list now and slowly start buying items so it doesn’t hit so hard this summer. I spent years buying thousands of dollars of gear before I ever went hunting.

Any recommendations on “must haves” for the list?

[7sdad]

Cory,
Do you plan on truck camping or back country camping, knowing that will help us to recommend the gear you may need?

[piercebronkite]

Any recommendations on “must haves” for the list?

In my opinion the two most important gear factors are boots and a frame pack. Those two pieces of gear will always have the most impact on your body so its imperative for it to fit right for many miles.The other is warmth and being waterproof. If you dont have either of those you will second guess why you're out there.

Theres a lot more to that gear list but that is the core foundation.

[solocam_aggie]

Any recommendations on “must haves” for the list?

7sdad's question will dictate a lot. Truck camping you can get by with a much cheaper arsenal. Get into spike camping and you're dumping money into lightweight gear.

I would definitely spend up on good boots and a good pack. Im running an exo pack and they're great. They just released the K4 this year, so you can find great deals on used K3s every where to help save some money. For boots I went with Crispi, and they have been money. Gotta keep those feet happy or your hunt can end quick.

I did a buy once cry once deal and loaded up on Kuiu clothing, but there are certainly cheaper options out there.

[Drew51]

Any recommendations on “must haves” for the list?

Overall, my top recommendation would be to go with the best gear you can afford for the important pieces (pack, sleeping bag, puffy layers, etc). For a specific piece of gear, I would highly recommend a Stone Glacier Chillkoot sleeping bag in either 0 or 15 degrees. They aren't cheap, but they are comfortable down to their temperature rating and very light. Paired with a pad that has an appropriate R value, and I'm not sure you can find a better sleeping system.

The first year I went during 3rd rifle season and thought I was prepared. We were hunting from a base camp, so I bought a cheaper sleeping bag and was running a layering system that I had never tested. Several days into the hunt we got 2 feet of snow and temps hovering around 0 for the rest of the trip, and I never got warm again. After that I invested in my Stone Glacier sleeping bag and the Stone Glacier puffy pants and jacket, as well as upgrading my base layers. I vowed to never be that cold again, and I have been warm ever since. GoHunt posts a ton of gear videos on their YouTube to show what they are carrying for their various hunts, and I have found these super helpful. As some others have said, buy once cry once is a great way to look at western hunting gear, especially if you plan to pack in.

For preparation, I would strongly suggest adding rucking into your training. It's one thing to be in shape for the hunt, but it is a completely different proposition to be in shape for the packout. Packing out my elk last year was hands down one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done. Just getting used to operating under that load can make a huge difference. The second thing I would recommend is the Treeline Academy. Mark Livesay is an e-scouting guru, and I have learned so much from this course. All of the other courses (Outdoor Class, Elk 101, Elk Collective) have an e-scouting section, but Treeline Academy is a very detailed deep dive into the process. Since I'm not able to physically scout before my hunt, e-scouting is absolutely critical. For general learning, I would recommend the Elk Hunting Institute from Roe Hunting Resources. I have tried all of them. Most are somewhat high level overviews, but EHI has information that I didn't get in any of the other ones.

Lastly, be prepared to get hooked haha! I went on my first trip in 2020 and have since lost interest in almost everything else.

[drop dead fred]

Cory,
Do you plan on truck camping or back country camping, knowing that will help us to recommend the gear you may need?

i would like to get on the mountain and stay on the mountain. Mentally I’m just trying to work on the basics, and want to be proficient at camping in the backcountry. I’ve heard over the years if you can’t stay on the mountain, you can’t stay on elk. No idea if there’s merit in that, but I can understand the logic.