The elk hunt

There are many different ways to hunt; from sitting and waiting for it to come to you, to looking for tracks and tracking it down.  On this trip we did both; we drove a UTV (Utility task vehicle) to look for tracks and hiked to positions and waited for visuals.  My elk hunt happened in sections 7 and 8 near Walden, CO.  I experienced some pretty cold weather along with some heavy snow.  This hurt my chances for getting and even seeing an elk; however the amount of information I learned during this 2-day hunt was immense.

I learned that there are differences between the sections.  For instance, section 17 which was roughly 10 miles away happens to be located next to the elk reserve.  I did talk to a pair of guys at the bar that had a cow (female elk) and bull (male elk) in the back of their truck.  They had bought “over-the-counter” tags and chosen sections 17 where they were able to drive up to a herd of elk.  They proceeded to shoot and chase the now wounded elk in their vehicle; this was very different than my hunt and, frankly, I want to work harder to get my elk.  

One of the most important things I learned was to select the right section based on research and have a detailed map or GPS.  If I would have known that I could pick a section that was located next to a reserve, I would have.  One of the ways to do this is by buying an over the counter tag right before you go hunting so you can choose based on where people are seeing/killing elk.

Another thing to consider and think about is when to go hunting.  My tag was for the last rifle season which resulted in more snow and colder temperatures.  In addition, the rut (males competing for females and acting goofy/dumb) was over during my hunt.  So by hunting an earlier season I can avoid colder temperatures/snow and hunt during the rut.

I am deer hunting this Friday and Saturday in Fort Collins so I will update again about how that goes.  Next year Mr. Bull Elk!!