Help for 1st DIY Trinidad Colorado Elk Hunt

[Outback]

Well, through some unforeseen circumstances, my 3 day north Texas pronghorn rifle hunt has turned into a 3 day Trinidad area Colorado pronghorn bow hunt (private land) with the opportunity to hunt elk with my bow on an OTC either sex elk tag on public land. I will have my non-hunting wife with me as we sit over water holes.

Questions, is it worth buying a $675 elk tag to hunt only 3 days? If I tag out on pronghorn early, it could be 4-5 days. In this area, will I have to hike over hill and dale to find elk or can we trek in and find waterholes to hunt over with reasonable fitness and conditions, say 2-3 miles? I'm trying to decide if I want to bother with such a short elk hunt. The dates of the hunt are Monday September 9 - Sat September 14.

If we decide to pursue elk, I will have many questions for the Green Screen brain trust!

[Outback]

ttt

[friscopaint]

Largest elk herd in the state and almost all private ground. Depends on if elk are hanging on the spot you have to hunt. Trinchera herd if I remember.

[friscopaint]

Oh wait, saw elk is public. I wouldn't there for 3 days. Basically cuchara and Spanish peaks is only public, definitely elk there but also people

[friscopaint]

There will be some blm and school land around too but I wouldn't

[DapperDan]

Help for 1st DIY Trinidad Colorado Elk Hunt

If it’s unit 85, I spent 7 days on public last year in the San Isabel national Forrest. I covered 50 miles and saw plenty of sign but no elk. They moved out about 2 weeks before season Bc it was so dry. I found 5 wallows and they were all torn up but were dry and had been for about a week. But they were getting hammered before they went drug. The elk there don’t have far to go in any direction and they are on private land if they get pressure. Some good bulls in that unit for sure. As far as sitting water holes for elk, it will be hard to narrow down which one to sit because they have had a ton of snow this year so there is going to be a lot of water. If I were going to go spend time in that unit on public, I’d consider the norther part of the National forest that was burned in a fire last year.

Maybe consider doing research and having a game plan on elk hunting but wait and see how long you have before you buy your tag. You can get an otc archery tag at Walmart in Trinidad. Just buy it after you tag out on prongorn. I’ll be up there the 8-22 on some private land. I will say that in the 7 days I spent on public last year with a spike camp 3 miles in, I never saw another hunter in any of the 4 canyons I hunted. So it wasn’t very crowded. Shoot me a text or give me a call if you have any further questions. 979-224-2646


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[Outback]

Thanks for the info. It may be a game time decision. If we don't elk hunt, we plan to come back to Houston through New Mexico and just sightsee and fish and stuff.