My first hunt

Hey everyone,

I am new to hunting and I am going on my first elk hunt in the second rifle season 2019. I am not, however, new to shooting. I am a great shot and I do it for a living.

I just wanted to jump on a forum and possibly get some advice. I do far have come up with a nice long gear list, figured out where I want to hunt, and watched about a million different videos.

Question 1.
What do you think of unit 65 for a new hunter.

Question 2.
How does navigation work in these types of areas, and how do I know what is private land?

Question 3.
I've only seen videos on getting the cape, and they do not say what to do with the antlers. That might be a stupid question, but whatever. (Gotta have a trophy if I get my first ever kill, right?)

Question 4.
Taxidermist? Anyone have good suggestions? I live in Colorado Springs, but I'll drive to one that is closer to the unit if I have to in order to preserve it better.

Question 5.
Actually hunting? I've seen all the tips that the internet has to offer, and yet, I cannot picture myself knowing what to do when I get out there. I will be taking some friends that know what to do, but I would like to be able to do it on my own if need be (with my gf of course).

Question 6.
Camping? Do they usually have specific camping areas in the units and you just drive around the unit to hunt?

Question 7.
Do I need to hang my elk pieces after quartering it and getting all the meat off and the cape? Or should I just put it in the shade on the ground and make trips back to the truck?

This is probably a lot, but that's why I tried to find a dedicated forum where I might find experienced hunters to answer my questions. I want to have the best experience possible, and more than anything, I'd like to bag an elk!

Good for you for wanting to get out there and give it a go! I would highly recommend finding a friend to hunt with the first few times and learn the ropes. Here are my thoughts:

Question 1.
What do you think of unit 65 for a new hunter.

Easy to draw unit, so a good choice if you don't have any points. You are likely to get into some deer, but a large buck would be difficult to find without some intel or private ground or a bit of luck. I bet if you hunt hard you can get a shot at a some sort of buck.

Question 2.
How does navigation work in these types of areas, and how do I know what is private land?

You need maps of the unit.

I would buy this one for sure:
https://diyhuntingmaps.com/huntinfo/colorado-big-game/elk-hunting/unit-65/

Then if you are going to be hunting near a private/public border you need either a handheld GPS with the borders marked through a chip inserted into the GPS or you need an App for your smart phone where you can download maps a head of time in the area you are hunting. In order of popularity and I think price:

1. OnX Maps
2. BaseMaps
3. Backcountry Navigator

All 3 has the ability to purchase private/public overlays by state. There are some other cheaper options, but these seem to be the best.


Question 3.
I've only seen videos on getting the cape, and they do not say what to do with the antlers. That might be a stupid question, but whatever. (Gotta have a trophy if I get my first ever kill, right?)

If you want to mount the animal, you can skin it from the center of the animal up to the back of the head and then cut through the vertebrae right behind the neck and then take the horns, head and cape to a taxidermist or someone to cape around the eyes and nose and ears rather quickly (especially if it is warm).

The other option is to do a European Mount (either DIY or with a taxidermist), you just need the head and not much of the cape.

There are youtube videos on all of these processes.

Question 4.
Taxidermist? Anyone have good suggestions? I live in Colorado Springs, but I'll drive to one that is closer to the unit if I have to in order to preserve it better.

Lots of good taxidermists near 65, you can find their websites/facebook pages pretty easily around Montrose and Delta.

Question 5.
Actually hunting? I've seen all the tips that the internet has to offer, and yet, I cannot picture myself knowing what to do when I get out there. I will be taking some friends that know what to do, but I would like to be able to do it on my own if need be (with my gf of course).

You need to be on a knob/ridge with a good view at 1st and last light and you need a decent pair of binoculars. You glass the deer and if you want to shoot it and you are close enough, shoot it. If not close enough, you need to plan a stalk to either where the deer is or where it is heading. You need a dead rest and know your shooting limitations. A rangefinder is very handy so you don't wound a deer and shoot him in the leg.

Question 6.
Camping? Do they usually have specific camping areas in the units and you just drive around the unit to hunt?

There are some designated campground, but for the most part you can camp anywhere you want to.

Question 7.
Do I need to hang my elk pieces after quartering it and getting all the meat off and the cape? Or should I just put it in the shade on the ground and make trips back to the truck?

It is better to hang in the shade if they are going to be there for a while to cool down. Most people would do that unless you are only talking about being on the ground for an hour or less.

I'm going to try to help you out. I'm sure there are many more that have more knowledge than me but I have hunted elk in GMU 65 a few years. There is a lot of private land but there is plenty of public land ( BLM, Natl Forest and State Wildlife Area)you can hunt. I would recommend you buy a topo map of the unit or you can do plenty of research on the Colorado Hunting Atlas. We hunted public land several years. The elevation can vary from 9,000 to 11,000 ft. We only stopped hunting the unit because my cousin couldn't hunt the elevation any longer due to illness. I would go back in a heart beat myself and I'm 71 years old.

Some of the areas to check out;

1) South of Highway 50 on Little Cimarron River Rd that goes to Cimarron SWA ( no camping only day hunts), to Alpine Pack Trail or to High Mesa.

2) South of Hwy 50 on Big Cimarron River Rd that goes to Silver Jack Lake and Owl Creek Pass.

I'm sure there are other areas but these are some we hunted and had success.

I hope this helps you a little. Good luck! Would appreciate feed back if you hunt the areas of how your hunt was.