Colorado opening day countdown

[timberghost51]

It's all I think about...this is my first year as a resident here in colorado and couldn't be happier...I wanted to hunt elk every year so I moved out here from PA....can't wait to start scouting

168 days

[6.5City]

Looking forward to September myself. Year number 3. Third time is a charm.

[cnelk]

With the snowpack such as it is, you should be able to get up and scout by the end of May this year.
Thats only about 60 days away!
About the same time the draw results come out!

[Herb]

They say it helps, but 22 years, never scouted, wish I was closer to make it a possibility.

[timberghost51]

With the snowpack such as it is, you should be able to get up and scout by the end of May this year.
Thats only about 60 days away!
About the same time the draw results come out!

I will be out as soon as I can...

[BowKill]

What part of the state do you live?

[timberghost51]

i am in summit county....silverthorne/dillon area

[buglmin]

Scout for what? What are you looking for? Where you see elk in April and May, you wont see them there in Juna and July. And where you see elk in June and July. they wont be there in September and October...case to make my point, Utah, 2009, late August, we were riding horses to hunt the bulls way above treeline, above 12,000...two weeks later, the bulls had started to move down looking for cows and moving into their rutting areas. You didnt see one elk up high on the peaks then. Several of the places we hunt here in sw Colorado, you dont go in there hunting elk unless you just want to walk around, but by the third week of the season, the bulls have moved into the area and then its time to hunt them. In NM, where you see the bulls in early Septmber wont be where they are at by the third week of september. Areas and flats where you saw them two weeks earlier will be void of elk...never could understand guys starting to scout for elk in the spring and summer...

[mongopino915]

Buglmin, you right about elk moving around but perhaps not so much as looking for elk but more to do with learning the terrains and there are lots of them. Plus hiking/exploring elk country is fun and relaxing.

[buglmin]

Aww...yessir, but thats called cleansing the soul, gone thinkin...

[eltaco]

There's lots to accomplish by preseason scouting. Find areas with rubs and old water holes and wallows and it will most definitely pay off come September. If you find these areas in may or June, you can bet you'll find elk near them in September. Most of my honey holes were located before I ever saw elk in the area

[timberghost51]

167...

[timberghost51]

As far as scouting goes for me...I consider every trip into the woods a scouting excursion...maybe not necessarily looking for elk in particular but every time I go in I learn new things and see new things that can aid me in some shape or form in one of the upcoming seasons.,,worst case scenario is you just end up going for a relaxing walk and exercising the legs and maybe coming across a few sheds...sure as hell beats sittin on the couch

[>>>---WW---->]

Save yourself a bunch of time when scouting during late summer. Find the cows! That's where the bulls will be in September. I think too many guys get lucky and stumble on to a bachelor group of bulls while doing their scouting trips and think, "Oh boy! I've hit the jackpot"!

But remember, those bachelor groups break up as the rut nears. Then they start moving closer to where the cows are. As for the cows, they will hang in their summer pastures as long as there is plenty of food, water, and cover and they don't get pushed out by predators and hippys!

Another thing to think about is the rotation of grazing livestock movement in your hunting area and how it effects the elk movement.

[WapitiTalk1]

Yes sir, find where the girls are hanging in late summer and the boys will be there soon enough, looking for dates

[JJ Overkill]

167...

??? ive got it counting down on my calander and its the 15th and it says 169 till opening day. unless i messed up a number somewhere.

[timberghost51]

You are prob right I tried doing it on phone my numbers are probably wrong

[bnsafe]

lol, i was just getting ready to type the same thread, is it to early for a countdown. im new out here to and learning a ton almost daily. unfortanately iv got a new job and not alot of vacation, so i will be trying to find short hunts within an hour or two of my house. im hopin thats possible. good luck, everybody get to shootin.