Watch out of state/inexperienced guys make typical the same mistakes every single year;
1. The thought you need to hike 20 miles a day is completely false. I watch a lot guys get all amped up and excited on opening day and start hiking at 3am, walk through elk in the dark and proceed to blow them out. And then proceed to walk around aimlessly all day long and completely run themselves out of gas and be too dog tired to do it again the next day and the day after that.
2. Rely on your glass. Focus on finding high points, getting to them and spending hours there picking country apart. It will save your legs. Alot of guys with a whitetail back ground are typically not proficient behind the glass because it’s not a technique used. It takes time, practice, and yes some serious financial investment at time.
3. Persistence,Patience and Perseverance. Elk hunting can be tough. Public land OTC elk hunting in Colorado can be even tougher. There’s very few people out there who can get it done consistently year after year. Resident or Nonresident. A lot of guys give up early in the season and head home and others can’t seem to get out of bed and hike up that mountain day after day.
You’ll be surprised what simply being willing to get up and go every single day will do for success especially later into the season when alot of others have burnt out.