Colorado Elk Hunting: How to Plan Your Next Hunt

I've been elk hunting the Rocky Mountain West for 27 years. It took me seven years to kill a public land bull, but I've been fortunate enough to harvest at least one bull out West every year since.

Why did it take me seven years to find success and then be able to repeat that success every year since? Two words: effective planning. Of course, there's more to running a carbon arrow or sending a rifle-driven projectile through a bull elk than looking at paper and digital maps. Eventually, the season arrives, and you'll have to push the GO button. Then, killing an elk becomes about how well you can execute your plan while remaining mentally tough and dealing with the inevitable challenges the elk woods will throw at you.

This article aims to help with the planning phase—maps, gear, physical conditioning, etc.—so you can emerge from the elk woods with meat for the freezer and a heavy set of horns for the wall.

Let's dive in!

WHICH UNIT?

Unfortunately, I'm unable to help you choose a unit. That's your job. Colorado has the world's largest elk herd. The CPW manages the state's elk herds for opportunity and trophy potential. Many units require between three and five points to draw, while others require between 15 and 20. Then, there are units requiring between zero and two units to draw.

I will tell you that you can find elk almost everywhere in the Centennial State. If you want to build points and wait, that's up to you. I've had a few quality elk draw tags out West; however, 85 percent of my bull elk harvests have come in over-the-counter units or those that require fewer than two preference points.

Assuming most of you reading this don't want to wait, we will gear this elk planning piece to fit OTC and easy-to-draw bull elk units.

THE RULE OF ONE

Before we dive into how to plan a Colorado elk hunt, you'll need a paper topographical map of your hunt area and a subscription to onX or HuntStand. Don't cut corners. It is helpful to have both paper and digital maps.

I went deep for years, especially in the early stages of my elk hunting career. I would walk past fresh elk sign, hoping to find more elk sign in more remote country. Remember something, it only takes one bull to make a hunt successful. While multiple bulls, cows, rut fests and the like are cool, don't walk by elk to get to more elk. If you find elk, even a lone bull, start hunting.

A few years after packing in between two and five miles, I came up with the Rule of One. Today, before leaving on an elk trip to an OTC or easy-to-draw unit, I pin no less than 10 elk-looking spots one mile or less from a highway pull-off, major trail, or a two-track road. Ninety percent of the time, these areas require an immediate steep vertical climb of no less than 800 feet or a gnarly descent into some hellish hole or basin.

The immediate steepness—up or down—in vertical, rugged terrain often gets overlooked by other hunters. Many will climb wicked, steep terrain on their way to a far-flung elk honey hole, but most won't right out of the gate. It's also critical that the steep ascent or descent lead to a location where elk may be. Some things I look for when conducting map studies and identifying easy access points include heavily timbered, north-facing slopes that give way to isolated meadows. Long creek drainages, especially those with multiple drainages, provide hunters with opportunities to hop from one drainage to another. Elk love deep drainages! Something else to look for is steep terrain that leads to long benches. A bench is a semi-flat area amongst rugged terrain. Elk love to bed, feed on benches and use them for travel, especially travel between two deep drainages.

Another key factor to take note of during your easy-access map studies is water. Elk are large ungulates that must drink up to 4 gallons of water daily. I pin all possible elk water sources on my digital and paper maps.

Bull elk, especially during late August and early September, will wallow. A wallow is an area where a bull elk rolls in shallow muddy water and paws at the mud while using his antlers to fling mud around the area. While caking themselves in mud, elk urinate on themselves and in the wallow. While elk create most wallows in damp meadows and other wet areas, elk will use pre-established water sources, like natural and artificial ponds, to wallow in.

Hunt pressure is the reason you'll need to pin many easy-access locations. While I tend to run into most hunters between two and five miles from a road or trailhead, other hunters will be hunting close. Public land edict says that if someone beats you to a spot, you leave them to it. If you pin 10 or 12 locales on your map, you can quickly go to your next access point.

THE RULE OF BETWEEN TWO & FIVE

I'm not saying to ignore areas between two and five miles from a road or trailhead. I will tell you that's where I find the most hunt pressure. Mountain miles hit different, and savvy elk hunters know what it will take to pack a bull out of the backcountry. Areas between two and five miles from a road or trailhead are doable for two hunters. The process will suck; it always does, but it is achievable.

Many hunters believe that packing a one- or two-person tent, a sleeping bag, food, and other essentials can help them go deeper and escape hunting pressure. The problem is that too many hunters think the same way. Again, I'm not saying not to look at areas between two and five miles from a trailhead or road. I'm telling you that these areas tend to get substantial hunting pressure.

THE RULE OF BETWEEN SIX & TWELVE

In recent years, especially since I've gotten older, I've killed many public land bulls following The Rule of One. Still, my hunting buddies and I love to go deep at least once every elk season. Deep means more than six miles off a trailhead or road. Ten or 12 miles is even better. Twelve miles is a very long way, and when you're hauling a 60-pound backpack full of gear and negotiating steep climbs, gnarly descents and rugged single-track trails, 12 mountain miles feel more like 22 miles on flat ground.

If you want to follow the rule of Between Six & Twelve and this is your first OTC or easy-to-draw western elk hunt, do yourself a favor and hire a packer. This process isn't complicated, and it isn't overly expensive. Online and social media research will help you connect with a certified packer in your area. The key is not waiting to contact these people. Most are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and they fill up quickly.

A top-end packer will have an excellent horse and mule string and take you where you want to go, leaving you with a method for contacting them. While satellite phones are standard, most packers will require you to have a Garmin satellite texting device, such as an inReach Mini. This way, when you kill an elk, they will come in and pack out your bull. You must pack the bull to an area where the packer can safely get horses and mules. If you're hunting solo, you can ride out with them. If not, they will pack the animal out, get it hung in a meat locker, and you can continue hunting. A good packer is worth their weight in gold. Some will even recommend hunting areas within your unit, but they will be willing to take you where you want to go if you have your own destinations in mind.

Most backpack hunters won't wander beyond six miles into the backcountry, even if it's a group of two or more. They know how difficult the packout will be and that when one hunter kills a bull, they are at least one day out and another walking back in. You can escape people when you go deep. The key is making sure there is zero road access in the area. Colorado has 3.5 million acres of wilderness spread across 41 designated wilderness areas. In Colorado, non-residents do need a guide to hunt in wilderness areas, as these areas are limited to foot travel and horseback riding.

FOOD, GAS & MORE

As self-explanatory as this headline is, we must touch on food and gas. In some locations, gas stations are minimal. When planning your hunting areas, you also need to know where to get gas, where to get a tire fixed, and so on. I always haul two full 5-gallon gas cans in the back of my truck. I've walked into several towns over the years and never want to do it again. /p>

DIY elk hunting is expensive. We don't have room in this article to tackle all the necessary gear, but if you're starting from scratch, you'll need a lot of it. The idea behind a DIY elk trip is to save money, whether you're planning to go 100 percent DIY or hire a packer. The best way to do this is NOT to EAT OUT.

The week before I leave for any elk trip, my beautiful bride prepares meals that I can heat in the microwave of my camper, in a frying pan on a camp stove and so on. If I travel outside Colorado to another state to hunt elk, she packs me sandwiches, chips, drinks and other essentials to consume while I'm on the road. If you start eating out and grabbing snacks and drinks every time you stop to refuel, your DIY elk trip will become more expensive.

GET IN SHAPE

I know it's cliché, but I consistently kill elk because I can get to them, no matter where they are. I remain confident while I'm hunting, and if I allow 10 days for an elk hunt, my body and mind aren't telling me to come out of the hills after day three.

DIY elk hunting will test your mettle like few things will. No matter what weapon you tote into the woods, elk hunting is tough. If you take the time to get your legs, lungs, back, etc., in excellent shape before your elk hunt, you will be more successful, and you'll enjoy the hunt so much more. When your phone alarm dings at 4:30 a.m. on day five of a 10-day elk hunt and it's cold and your boots are a bit damp on the inside when you put your feet in them, you won't think twice about quitting or sleeping in. You'll get up and go, and friends, it's on those days that your mind tells you that you need a break, that you will earn your opportunity.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Colorado is vast, and the terrain elk inhabit can be intimidating. The more you plan, the better your chances of coming home with meat for the freezer and memories that will last a lifetime. If you're planning your hunt for September, you should begin planning after Christmas. The state's elk application deadline for the annual elk draw is in April. The more time you spend looking into productive areas, studying hunter success rates, herd populations, and bull-to-cow ratios—all available on the CPW's website—the better elk plan you will make.

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