New to the game.....

Wiszard

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I am a new elk hunter. My son has been on 2 cow elk hunts which I went on with him. I went on my first elk hunt last season and was successful killing a bull elk. I am definitely hooked. I am asking for some simple knowledge to help me with draws and such. Lots of guys prefer early (archery) hunts and they are harder to draw from what I gather. This is because the elk are vocal earlier correct? Easier to locate, call in, etc? It seems the later hunts are rifle because the elk are responding to bugles, cow calls less. I hear that the late elk hunts are harder hunts. Do you think this is true? Harder to locate elk but it seems weapon-wise, much easier to kill a bull....higher success rates. I would LOVE to hunt elk with archery equipment. I have been watching a ton of youtube vids(Born and Raised, HUSHIN, etc) and a goal of mine will be to kill a bull, any bull, with archery gear. I have 4 NR elk points for CO. I would look to burn those early season next year if possible. Can anyone point me in the right direction as to the questions I have asked and any insight on elk hunts in general? I am 49 and I am so late to the game. Elk hunting was never my passion like deer were. Since last years hunt, I think about elk hunting more than deer hunting. I still buy points for the simple fact that I knew at some point I would draw elk tags. Thanks in advance.

Steve
 
Steve head over to Bowsite.com and ask the same question. Lots of good help over there as well as here. Typically archery hunts run through the peak of the rut and in most states the whole month of September. Utah is the only state that puts the rifle hunt in the middle of the rut. Lots of options in CO with 4 pts. You are correct on the rifle hunts being later, but 1st rifle you can catch the tail end of the rut. Some years it starts earlier in Oct than others. If you want good rut action archery or muzzy would be my choice. Nothing like bringing in a screaming bull and putting an arrow in him. Good luck!
 
+1 for bowsite.com

Archery is generally easier to draw in Colorado, in fact many areas are OTC (no drawing).

I personally like muzzleloading season and have hunted that 90% of the time for the last 25 years. Generally starts the second Saturday in September and is also during the rut. All Muzzy seasons are draw only and you should have some options with 4 points. Sending you a PM
 
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Elkaholism is a serious issue with me. I started out hunting deer with the bow in 1981 and ever since I heard my first bugles up close and personal way back then, it takes a back seat to chasin the ole wapiti.

Sorry I'm wasting your time on the Colorado issue, but make sure you starting putting in for points in Wyoming so you can hunt general season the whole month of Sept with a bow every three years or less.

Hopefully your life and work start going your way at this stage and you'll start having more time to put into it away from the clan without letting anyone down. More importantly, maybe some of them will want to go do it with you.

Once chasin the ole bugle takes hold, it's a tough road not wondering if it's sept yet... every year :)

Cheers, Pete
 
Hey Wisz?

How Many years You Been Hunting with/Shooting Archery?
I haven't hunted archery for roughly 15 years. I did for about 8 seasons and was lucky to harvest one deer locally. I would like to get back into it to kill an elk. Hoping to draw that Monroe early once I get back in the draw. :)
 
I haven't hunted archery for roughly 15 years. I did for about 8 seasons and was lucky to harvest one deer locally. I would like to get back into it to kill an elk. Hoping to draw that Monroe early once I get back in the draw. :)
Did you visit with Scott or Joel recently in SLO to get set up or get your old bow tuned?
 
Did you visit with Scott or Joel recently in SLO to get set up or get your old bow tuned?
Planning on getting a whole new set up. I've got an old PSE that is about 20 years old and I want something new that I can use for a good amount of years. I'll head to Farm Supply in Arroyo Grande and have those guys set me up. Do you suggest going up to SLO?
 
Planning on getting a whole new set up. I've got an old PSE that is about 20 years old and I want something new that I can use for a good amount of years. I'll head to Farm Supply in Arroyo Grande and have those guys set me up. Do you suggest going up to SLO?
Scott ran the pro-shop in AG at FS. He hasn't been there for years and now has Central Coast Archery in SLO. I've been friends with Scott since the mid-90s and have been with him on some incredible hunts.
 
Steve,

Congrats on your newfound addiction. I've been fortunate enough to take a couple solid bow bulls and it is an absolutely amazing experience. Hard to describe in fact. Others addressed it so I won't spend much time here, but it sounds like you pretty well understand the deal. Archery/muzzle loader happen during the rut, really the only way to get close enough to them to harvest by archery without a fluky accident. Late seasons the big bulls shut up and have been pressured so much they dig into deep cover and hide out until the seasons are over. That's not to say they won't bugle in 3rd rifle, I've seen them called in during early November in OTC units, but they generally are much harder to find during the later rifle season. Having killed big bulls with both rifle and archery, I can tell you if you have any desire to do it with a bow I think it's worth a shot.

If you're firm on wanting to burn your points and want to give yourself a good chance with a bow without having ever done it before I would highly recommend hiring an outfitter. As an alternative, you might consider saving the points one more year and going archery in a lesser unit to gain some experience. A poster above mentioned over-the-counter tags. I believe CO went to draw in most if not all units for archery last year, but I know at least in 77/78 there were a ton of leftover tags after the draw, meaning you could draw one with your 2nd choice and that doesn't cost you your points.

If I was in your shoes and wanting to go DIY, I would that route. Put in for pref point with first choice, and pick a unit that had leftover tags last year for my 2nd choice. Your chance of success goes down, but even one year of experience chasing them with a bow is incredibly valuable. Then you have 5 points to burn next year. If you're adamant about burning those points this year, research units that you can draw with your number of points, pick one, and then hire an outfitter.

Lean on the CPW elk statistics where you can see how many points each unit took to draw last year, and how many leftover tags there were after the draw.
 
Hunting bugling bulls with archery equipment is the best life has to offer. Aaron S makes a good point - you might either hire an outfitter or at least do a self-guided drop camp (cheaper) in an OTC or leftover unit prior to burning your points so you can get some experience and be ready for your point hunt. Good luck!
 
All good advice and I appreciate it. I would def not burn a ton of points going archery if I have never hunted elk with archery equipment or during the time of year where they'd need to be called in. I may look into an archery OTC Colorado tag next year. That seems the best way to get my feet wet and a successful hunt doesn't always mean a punched tag. It may even be time well spent to NOT even purchase a tag the first year and just go out and have fun calling them in and learning to do that correctly. Thanks again for the advice guys.....
 

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