OTC tag Colorado Elk Hunts

[7sdad]

Curious to see how many people post maps to their secret honey holes...

Where did I put my GPS.

[Gclyde28]

Made my first trip out west this year. 0/2 for us. We were on them for 3 days but just couldn't seal the deal and then they disappeared on us. Got busted at 70 yards and had another chance at 83 but couldn't close the gap anymore before he herded up his couple of cows and took off. Cant wait to go back though. Lots of lessons learned but feel confident since we were able to actually find elk to hunt.

[Killer]

Buddy, I crushed that stastc, until 1 day at the ripe ole age of 18, I watched a pair of Colorado game wardens turn into my driveway. I lived in Ar . They had us dead to rights. My mother is the one who turned me in. It wasn't pretty, but lesson learned. Back then it wasn't a big deal, to shoot a cow if you saw one, and there were 3 old men back at camp with cow tags. Or gets down to the last few days and there are still all tags but mine(I was always the youngest) unfilled, well I kinda thought it was my duty to go fill tags, and they did too. In the end they got us all. They offered us a plea, or they would go after the Lacy Law, for taking them back to Texas, therefore crossing state lines. We plead guilty. Quite the ordeal, but I ain't saying I was innocent by any means.

Madhat you got to tell the full version of this story! I bet that got expensive!

[LWC]

We have almost 100% success rate every yr. This yr, me and my father have 4 elk tags, and a mule deer. I fully expect to pack 5 animals out, while he keeps the coffee warm.
Only been 2 times in almost 25 yrs I haven't filled a tag, and that was due to snow. If you're hunting a specific animal, or looking for trophy class, it might be different, but to just punch a tag, I've never found it difficult at all.

Edit- Forgot the where. The last 10 yrs or so, we have hunted unit 41 & 411 exclusively.

Wow, almost 100% on mulitple tags for a 1/4 century. That is better than anyone I've ever heard of....except maybe elknut and he lives there and pretty much does it for a living. Truly a great feat. What season do y'all generally poach?...I mean hunt

[Texans42]

How are you and your father getting more than 1 Elk tag in CO? I'm fairly certain that's not possible or legal in any one unit.

You can get a list B cow tag in most OTC units, especially Archery. You can also get two bull tags in Idaho otc areas.

I have a friend that takes two elk a year in CO. Some years two cows, some years bull and a cow. It’s easy to do if you have more then 5-7 days to hunt.
If you hunt OTC a bunch, and talk with some of the hunters you come across you get real quick why success rates is what it is. This year I counted 4 muzzle loader hunters hunting less then a mile from trail head, and with in 100 yards of the trail... Hell one of them didn’t go 200 yards from trail head

I’m 80% shot opportunity over last 10 hunts in CO. Missed l/nicked on two big(low to mid 3’s) bulls and passed up a bunch of cows and rags. I also spent most my summers in Southern CO, my family had a place there. If I didn’t hold out or pass on a legal elk, I’d probably be 60%.

I will say this year I met more OTC newbies then ever. I called in a first time elk hunter from Austin. Kid followed me for almost a 3/4 mile and 1500 plus in elevation before I decided, I better stop and let him caught up to me, he wasn’t going to quit, this was 5 Miles back in wilderness. If he keeps at it kids going to be packing a lot of elk out in his future.

[slicktricker]

Easy Cowgirl, don't get your panties in a wad. I have hunted CO OTC 5 out of the last 6 years. I've read the Big Game brochure several times, and as confusing as CO makes it, haven't seen a possibility of multiple tags in one unit. Why use Google when you've got TBH at your fingertips

You can purchase an either sex and a cow tag otc but can only harvest one bull in colorado.
Obviously he's hunting with a rifle because his success rate would never be that high if they were archery hunting.

[basschump]

I wasn’t stirring the pot.
I study the draw and harvest statistics for Colorado (and NM) every year. The success rates at are very low every year for OTC rifle tags.

Having some local knowledge or experience in an area really helps.

I hunt with a friend in NM - it’s never easy, but I’ve successfully filled my tags in my deer and cow elk hunts with him. My success rate would have been very low on my own.

I have buddies that have hunted pagosa for many years and average around 50%.


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[slicktricker]

Wow, almost 100% on mulitple tags for a 1/4 century. That is better than anyone I've ever heard of....except maybe elknut and he lives there and pretty much does it for a living. Truly a great feat. What season do y'all generally poach?...I mean hunt

At least Mom was the moral compass in his case.

[88 Bound]

1 for 3 in my 3 years of elk hunting. Got an archery 3x4 bull this year on the last day. Had some encounters with some giants that were right under some hunter's noses and they didn't even know it. Also 2 for 2 on mulies, although not giants. What many people don't realize is that it's not about how far back you go in. I am in no way an expert but I learn as much as I can in the time that I have to hunt and research is extremely critical. Put in for a tag, grab a buddy and go learn the mountains. Each encounter gets you closer to a kill if you're paying attention.

[MadHatter]

Madhat you got to tell the full version of this story! I bet that got expensive!

Very! We were up in the 10,000,s.
I just came home one yr, and had 2 bull racks, a lot meat, etc..mom asked me how many I killed, I told her. She nonchalantly said, Bubba, are you allowed to do that? I said no, and then gave her all the reasons why it wasn't a big deal. She never mentioned a word to me. Game Wardens showed up and it was pretty much game over. Dad got lawyers in CO, TX, and AR. Once we realized who their star witness was, we quit trying to fight it. You weren't sinning in mom's house lol.

[tradtiger]

1 for 3 in my 3 years of elk hunting. Got an archery 3x4 bull this year on the last day. Had some encounters with some giants that were right under some hunter's noses and they didn't even know it. Also 2 for 2 on mulies, although not giants. What many people don't realize is that it's not about how far back you go in. I am in no way an expert but I learn as much as I can in the time that I have to hunt and research is extremely critical. Put in for a tag, grab a buddy and go learn the mountains. Each encounter gets you closer to a kill if you're paying attention.

Congrats on your bull.

"Not about how far you go in." Would you mind elaborating. Thanks.

[Patton]

Went for the first time this year with 3 friends, 9 Days DIY and OTC. Myself and one of my friends did most of the leg work by listening to religiously listening to elk podcasts, reading forums, practicing calling, training/working out, and e-scouting. We found and talked to bulls in each of the 3 canyons we ended up going into, and really should have killed the 3rd bull. (Got impatient and moved when he shut up, should have known he was coming in-he was at 60 yards when we stood up, yada yada yada). We all knew the hiking would be hard going into it, 48 miles total usually climbing 2k' each morning and going back down for water at night or visa versa. Just start your researching.

[MadHatter]

Wow, almost 100% on mulitple tags for a 1/4 century. That is better than anyone I've ever heard of....except maybe elknut and he lives there and pretty much does it for a living. Truly a great feat. What season do y'all generally poach?...I mean hunt

It's really not that hard at all, or impressive imo. You're looking for a animal the size of a horse. Flatlanders make elk hunting out to be way more than what it is. Especially people from Texas, they turn a mole hill into a mountain.
Also, statistics, as mentioned are made up in large by people sitting/walking around within a mile of the road. I know several people, who tag out every yr, but not by the road.
Long time ago, before Dad and father time started getting along we bowhunted, first season. As Dad got older, that faded, and we muzzleloaded when we could get drawn, 3rd rifle if we didn't. Now the last 10 yrs or so, has been strictly rifle.

[phames817]

Nice pics

[Neano]

I’m 0 for 2 so far. Last year I went by myself and only had 1-2 opportunities and couldn’t get it done. This year I had a bow malfunction on 1 shot opportunity and a few days later rushed a shot, hit bone and got no penetration. Was in elk almost every day for 9 days. In my experience you don’t have to get far back or terribly far from the road. What you do have to do is be willing to go into the steepest nastiest area that everybody else is either driving by or just doesn’t want to go into. Be in great shape, triple check your equipment, take your time with your shot, stay positive, be patient. Both shots I had sat down as the bull I was after had shut up and we thought walked away. Both came in 10-15 min later as I was sitting down taking a water break. Like I said, I’m 0 for 2 though so take it for what it’s worth.