Unit suggestions?

A friend and I have been putting in for points for elk and have 11 points now. We put in for Unit 76 archery but it's creeping and I don't think we can catch it. Also thought about Unit 49 MZ (drop camp) but now that creeped up 1 point. My friend doesn't want to pack out an animal so that is limiting us. May look at a drop camp for Unit 20 MZ but just wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions. I've shot 3 bulls with bow and 3 with rifle but really big so a 300 class bull would be big in my experience. Just wanted to see if my choices are the best for the points we have. We'd prefer archery or muzzleloader...

Your friend "doesnt want to pack out an animal" ???!!!
Hope he doesnt want to shoot one, i guess. Yes that is a very limiting factor.
Find another hunting partner if YOU want to kill one, which includes packing one out.

Maybe he has health issues preventing him from packing heavy loads, thus the drop camp or using a pack service. No problem with wanting to enjoy a elk hunt regardless how you get the elk out.

Suggestions??

Both of you should not burn your points in the same year. If one of you is not into packing elk he might "quit" after the first bull is taken care of. Getting one bull with a bow is tough, getting two within the average available vacation time and getting them out of the woods can be an ordeal. Most people that burn 10 or 12 points on a hunt feel tremendous pressure to be successful. It would be nice to not have double the pressure to get two bulls down.

Let your buddy draw the tag while you fall back and do the calling. Use that first year to "pre-scout" for your hunt. Who knows, you might pick the wrong unit the first year and you will have benefited by not burning your points.

>Suggestions??
>
>Both of you should not burn
>your points in the same
>year. If one of you
>is not into packing elk
>he might "quit" after the
>first bull is taken care
>of. Getting one bull with
>a bow is tough, getting
>two within the average available
>vacation time and getting them
>out of the woods can
>be an ordeal. Most people
>that burn 10 or 12
>points on a hunt feel
>tremendous pressure to be successful.
>It would be nice to
>not have double the pressure
>to get two bulls down.
>
>
>Let your buddy draw the tag
>while you fall back and
>do the calling. Use that
>first year to "pre-scout" for
>your hunt. Who knows, you
>might pick the wrong unit
>the first year and you
>will have benefited by not
>burning your points.


I like this. Good post.

Plus they get 2 fun hunts instead of one!

And you might be able to pick up a deer tag as a bonus?

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

Before I run my mouth it would help to have some clarification on why your friend doesn't want to pack out an animal? If it's a matter of handicap or disability, props to your friend for still even being up for hunting. If he is able bodied and simply doesn't want to put the work in to pack something out, the unit I would suggest for him is the couch.

The pack out is every bit as much of hunting as the shot. And to each their own but driving roads in hopes of shooting something that you don't have to pack out isn't hunting in my book. I can't speak for other states but Colorado certainly doesn't need any more road hunters.

I don't intend any animosity by this post and I still wish you and your friend luck, but reading that your friend "doesn't want to pack out an animal" struck a bit of a chord. In my opinion someone who is able but doesn't want to pack an animal out shouldn't be hunting.

Again, my thoughts only apply to someone who is able bodied but unwilling. If it's a matter of disability I respect the effort to even get out in the field at all and would happily help them with a pack out if I came across them in the field.

>Before I run my mouth it
>would help to have some
>clarification on why your friend
>doesn't want to pack out
>an animal? If it's a
>matter of handicap or disability,
>props to your friend for
>still even being up for
>hunting. If he is able
>bodied and simply doesn't want
>to put the work in
>to pack something out, the
>unit I would suggest for
>him is the couch.
>
>The pack out is every bit
>as much of hunting as
>the shot. And to each
>their own but driving roads
>in hopes of shooting something
>that you don't have to
>pack out isn't hunting in
>my book. I can't speak
>for other states but Colorado
>certainly doesn't need any more
>road hunters.
>
>I don't intend any animosity by
>this post and I still
>wish you and your friend
>luck, but reading that your
>friend "doesn't want to pack
>out an animal" struck a
>bit of a chord. In
>my opinion someone who is
>able but doesn't want to
>pack an animal out shouldn't
>be hunting.
>
>Again, my thoughts only apply to
>someone who is able bodied
>but unwilling. If it's a
>matter of disability I respect
>the effort to even get
>out in the field at
>all and would happily help
>them with a pack out
>if I came across them
>in the field.
I'd agree w this! There isn't much out there in the western hunting that u r going to be able pull up to your bull in a pickup truck and drive off! lol so if he has a legitimate health problem that's one thing. If he just doesn't want to, u r prolly not gonna get much help on here. Sounds like u have had some success elk hunting so I'm sure u know first hand how much work it is

Sounds like he just wants a drop camp for the packer to pack an elk out 5+ miles....probably pretty smart vs. not able. 1 mile is one thing, 5+ is a totally different animal especially at 12-13K.

Yes, my friend has always hit the gym very hard and trained in the hills as much as possible being a 60 year old flatlander but he had some bad injuries over the years. His stomach twisted on him about 6 years ago and they had to cut him wide open to fix that. Could've killed him. Then he had two different injuries to bicep/shoulders where things had to be re-attached. Yes, we may be looking at drop camps or packers as the option. So that is a very limiting factor. Kind of going year to year so we will see what next year brings. I may decide to split up and just draw on our own but we'll figure it out.