perceptions

[ST52V]

I am new at this and have learned lots from my two trips to Colorado. Last year, we went in archery season with the idea of hearing elk bugle. It was just me and my father in law. We took 2 quads to travel the rough roads and reach some of our hunting areas (responsible) . Before the trip, my father in law spent $600 on each quad to fix some brake issues and have them checked out. We didn't check them out before we left and quickly found out they were not fixed. I did see 1 bull and a few cows, but we never heard any bugles. A cow in the camp ground also ripped the pole and rope out of the tent we rented. After all of this frustration,some tension betwen him and I and the perception of the area from other hunters we pulled the plug and came home. Looking back we should have stayed a few more days and did some things differently. I think it is very important to get a very clear understanding of what other hunters have to say and why they say it. Most of the people we ran into said there are no elk in here and its way to dry. It's the drought!! I talked to a Colorado resident who I percieved to know what he was doing. He in his brother in law were muzzy hunting. He had his own horses and 20 year old davis tent. He had that cowboy, outfitter look to him. They were very nice and talked to me for a while. When I mentioned pressure, he laughed and said theres no pressure in here. He had been in there scouting prior to season and placed light fishing line across many of the trails. He said they were there when he returned to hunt. They pulled out on wednesday after hunting 4 days. My thought was wow those guys had horses and muzzys and could find or kill an elk. How am I going to do it with a bow on my 2 feet? I should have asked questions about there hunting style to better understand why they were not seeing elk. Maybe they never set up and cold called. Were they just running a gunning too fast? Maybe they knew less about calling elk than I did and were just hoping to see one and stalk it? The evening they pulled out I spotted a bull with about 5 cows at 5pm as it started to rain a half mile before I came to their camping spot along the trail. They were up on a brushy point feeding. The wind was wrong to swing to the left and go down over and then up over to them. The right side was a cliff for the next half mile. I think they hunted a half mile and beyond these elk every day. I now know why the elk were there. Most people past up this area to go deeper in on the trail and to get the wind right you would have to circle in making it a 2-3 mile hike. You cant see what's back there from any part of the trail either. Be careful about how you perceive others and your area it can be tricky.
Robin

[mtnmutt]

Your post caught my eye because I hear the same thing at the trailhead every year: There are no elk.

That statement even comes from Colorado hunters, but not the locals. It doesn't matter if it is a record breaking year for snow and rain or a drought year.

I used to be a local near my primary hunting grounds, so I knew the elk were there.

After 3 years of not seeing the elk or only glimpses while calling for a friend (I was not the hunter yet), it was discouraging.

Once I started hunting by myself 3 years ago, I found the elk. My style of hunting did not mix with my friend's style who lacked patience.

The area I hunt is overrun with hunters, but they concentrate up on a 12,000 ft ridge. I go elsewhere about 1000 feet below them and find the elk. Those hunters sometimes wander down into my area around 8:30 am when they get tired of the ridge.

As you implied, don't believe everything you hear about the area you hunt. You obviously know the truth: the elk are there. They just may not always be there. Adapt and move if they aren't there. People like to blame the weather for everything: drought=no elk. Elk don't disappear in drought years.

As the veterans have stated on the other threads: patience and perseverance

I hope you make it back to Colorado again for elk season.

[mongopino915]

Elk can be out of sight and sound but can never hide their tracks. If you are looking to see and/or hear elk to find elk, you will have a hard time, in particular, on pressured OTC public land.

Yes, I have met folks along trials/clear cuts/ATV roads during the muzzle loading that hunted for 8 straight days without hearing one bugle or seeing one elk.

Know where not to waste your time and where to waste your time in elk country can only come with experience and time spent in the wood.

Yes, elk can pretty much live and hide anywhere but will always prefer some areas more than others.

Spend enough time in elk country looking for elk and you will develop a sixth sense of knowing where to find elk, whether in familiar or unfamiliar country.

Also, be prepared to put lots of miles on the boot. Sometimes, it is the only way to know.

Just my 2 cents.

[cnelk]

Some may not believe this, but I have a spot that we have killed 5 elk, in the past 2 years. about 1/3 mile from where we park the truck...

Pocket elk...

[mongopino915]

Totally believe you Cnelk. Showed my nephew this little drainage that elk just like to funnel through and he has filled his either sex rifle tag 8 years in a row now. Is he a good hunter? I would say he has a lot to learn but it is a nice harvest statistic.

Sometimes, where you hunt is key.

[msd1228]

Also, not to be the debbie downer of the group, but keep in mind that a lot of people will tell non locals that the elk just aren't in there even if the area is overrun with them as a means of either keeping outsiders out, or just simply keeping pressure down. Certainly not everybody is going to be like this, but its something you should keep in the back of your mind.

I'll never forget 2 seasons ago when I was hunting a hugely pressured area that always holds a ton of elk, but they concentrate on 1 particular elevation and they travel the length of it back and forth for miles. Well, a cat or something must have got into the herd and blew them down the hill and across the road, as when I pulled up to where I would usually start to walk the road was literally ripped to shreds from what must have been 100+ elk stampeding across it. On the side the crossed into I saw 2 guys trying to muscle a cow down the hill so my old man and I offered them help getting it to the truck. Once we got it loaded I asked them how many elk crossed over, they then told me that about 5-10 elk ran across the road. We were literally standing 20 yards from an absolute cattle trail of elk tracks across the road. Then I asked them if there was any bulls with the group. Just 1 spiker they said. I smiled and carried on, the one guy was giving his buddy the evil eye for spilling the beans (I guess I was too stupid to see the tracks right in front of my face). I went in the next day and saw the tracks coming back across the road and into the original location - I went up the hill and had more bulls than I could differentiate bugling at me from every direction, and groups of cows with every bull that I came across. Multiple 6x and 5x bulls hanging around, just like there always is (and just like I knew would be there).

Anyways, the point of my long winded story is to not take everything you are told at face value, and really keep an eye on that body language. I'm done being a negative nancy now, just wanted to share a different perspective!

[Willie makit]

Lol msd, that is a fine definition of the facts of hunting public property!