Apparently every unit everywhere sucks

[SwampLander]

Getting frustrated. Been researching Wyoming and Colorado mostly Wyoming lately trying to find a place to apply but as j dig every place end with it sucking and being a pumpkin patch. I'm okay with hunters but I do want to see critters. I don't know. Maybe be best to give up on my first elk hunt and go for something less in the spot light like mule deer or prong horn. I been looking at unit 37 and in that are north and south of it in Wyoming but to have only 9% draw odds which is about as crappy as I'm willing to go it still seems like the area is rumored to suck. I figured archery only would be better odds.

 

[8andcounting]

So what's your point or question ? Quit bitching and go with a otc colorado tag or apply in montana

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

So what's your point or question ? Quit bitching and go with a otc colorado tag or apply in montana

yeah +1

 

[Dinkshooter]

You will never kill a bull elk with that attitude.

 

[Flatrock]

I actually understand where you're coming from to some degree. It's surprising when you research some top units and guys will say "not worth the points. There are better units." Really? = I'd say you've just got to trust your research and hunt hard. And it's been said a million times but hunting the same area over and over is invaluable. And getting a cow tag first instead of a bull tag gives you a chance to check out an area.

 

[MN Public Hunter]

LOL....Welcome to HT...

 

[HalfAce]

You will read the same thing about every unit, in every state, for every animal. Too many people, too much pressure, too many spotters, too many guides, too much horse traffic, too many roads, too many tags issued, too few game animals, too many predators, too much private land etc. etc. etc.. Its just a result of guys not wanting "their" unit to get too much attention. Little do they know, the unit next door or the one across the state could offer just as good of a hunt as their secret unit or better. There are a few gems out there, but all you need to do is leave the house and just hunt, and you too will find a place worth bashing online.

 

[Steelhead]

Usually there’s people there because there’s critters there. If’n you wanna avoid people just walk a half mile...you’ll see fewer of em.

 

[Western Traveler1]

You will read the same thing about every unit, in every state, for every animal. Too many people, too much pressure, too many spotters, too many guides, too much horse traffic, too many roads, too many tags issued, too few game animals, too many predators, too much private land etc. etc. etc..

No question it can feel that way at times. There are plenty of places worth the time and effort even with over the counter tags. Key word "effort." If you are struggling already, wait till you get on the mountain! DIY Elk hunting on public land is a hell of a lot more difficult than antelope or deer hunting when not chasing trophy's. This place is a wealth of information on where to start but don't expect anyone to tell you "Oh, sorry you are struggling, go hunt Unit #%&@. Colorado has the largest number of elk and you might see a few there, or yes, go hunt antelope or hire a guide. Elk hunting isn't for everyone. No disrespect intended...just sayin'

 

[timmy]

It’s hunting sometimes you just have to jump in and do it. Not every hunt will end in success learning as you go is part of the game. Once you learn an area you might not be eager to post it up on Hunt talk haha! Good luck

 

[LopeHunter]

If are in good health and have the gear then find a unit with a few roads though are several miles apart in the area you want to hunt. Few people want to make 5 trips packing out an elk from out of sight of their truck. Sure, someone might have horses or hire a guide with horses but not many hunters have that option. Also, if you found a great elk unit you could hunt every few years would you be tempted to announce how crappy the unit was? Maybe you would not do so but a lot of the "information" shared on the internet talks down a good unit trying to thin out the demand so can be drawn a bit easier and hunted more often.

Not sure how many multi-day hunts involving a sleeping bag you have been on. You seem a bit beaten down on the research part. Day 3 on an elk hunt is typically a heck of a lot harder than sitting at a keyboard. Clothes might be damp by then, feet sore, not seeing bulls you hoped would encounter, bumped into a couple more hunters than hoped, busted up some gear on a tumble, heard a few rifle shots from over the ridge as you glassed nothing up, sleeping bag gets lumpier, knees ache, etc. The physical beat down is a reason why some hunters quit before they run out of hunting days. The mental beat down is the reason a lot more hunters quit before they run out of hunting days. Sometimes hunting with a buddy can help pump up each other if are having a tough spot during a hunt. A lot of my hunts have had one or two moments that made the hunt and sometimes those are after a day or two getting kicked in the gut a few times. Only a few hunts have been ones I regretted and usually that was when I did not have the proper gear.

Pick a unit, apply, hopefully get a tag and go have an adventure.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

You will always hear bad things about any unit, but you can't believe all of them. I've heard over and over about pumpkin patches, but I've never had an issue in the OTC or easy to draw units I've hunted in Colorado. Just get out and walk a bit, and it seems most people will not put in that effort and you will have it basically to yourself. That still doesn't mean that you will see animals, though, because it's just difficult to find them sometimes with a lot of country for them to be hiding in.

 

[genesis273]

If you're that upset about finding a unit, you're really going get ticked off when you hear the odds of actually killing an elk!
As for the units looking like a pumpkin patch, remember, you're one of the pumpkins in that patch too! You just have to be smarter/luckier than the other pumpkins!

 

[375H&H]

Don't listen to people saying that there are no elk or deer left in Montana, yes there could be some vast improvements, but it's not like they shot the last passenger pigeon. Hell, dudes are finding huge bull elk dead just by walking so it can't be that bad.

All the negative talk is fake news. Turn off the TV.

 

[Western Traveler1]

@ 375H&H
Shhhhhhhh.....Montana has terrible hunting and besides there are way more elk in Colorado and Wyoming.

 

[JohnCushman]

All the elk in Colorado went to Wyoming and New Mexico. They're all gone here :W:

 

[NoWiser]

If you are giving up on elk just doing the research, the hunt is going to eat you up and spit you out.

That said, if you can't have a good elk hunt on a Wyoming general tag, you'll have nobody to blame but yourself. Find a unit where the elk can't hide on private and go kill one.

 

[LWC55]

John, don't take the kicks to the nuts to heart lol. Most on here are very helpful. I understand the frustration you are describing though. You dig and dig through loads of research from multiple sources and start to think you have found a unit worth applying for and spending your points. Then you see a couple posts saying there is so little access that it is not worth it......or it used to be good before all the critters got shot out the last few seasons. Then you start second guessing your prior research. Find the next gem only to have your wheels shot out from under you after many more hours. I think the main thing is to not overthink it. Do your research and trust it. Be courteous on here and you will likely find someone that has hunted the unit in question. See if they wouldn't mind discussing it through a pm or maybe even by phone. The main thing is to get out and go....and have a good time! You will learn a lot and be better prepared for the next year. But I understand that it is hard to decide where to burn those points...especially when you live too far away to easily scout.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Getting frustrated. Been researching Wyoming and Colorado mostly Wyoming lately trying to find a place to apply but as j dig every place end with it sucking and being a pumpkin patch. I'm okay with hunters but I do want to see critters. I don't know. Maybe be best to give up on my first elk hunt and go for something less in the spot light like mule deer or prong horn. I been looking at unit 37 and in that are north and south of it in Wyoming but to have only 9% draw odds which is about as crappy as I'm willing to go it still seems like the area is rumored to suck. I figured archery only would be better odds.

Analysis paralysis. You can go around in circles a million times while researching draw odds, success rates, etc. Pick an over-the-counter unit, hunt it hard and hunt it smart. Odds are you'll get your butt kicked, like we all do. Take notes on what you experienced, analyze, adjust your approach and hunt it again next year. Do this for a couple of years and you'll start to figure out the nuances of the unit- like which areas the elk prefer, where the pressure is, and how the elk respond to pressure. Follow this formula and you'll eventually start having success, even in units that people claim to be garbage.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Funny thing about perspectives and human nature is we tend to place the blame for experiences we don't enjoy on "other" things. The unit, the weather, hunters, low elk numbers, wolves... blah, blah, blah. When we have success, we say, "Check out this bull I killed."


I had a hunt like that this fall. My friend, my daughter and I all drew limited entry elk tags this fall. The tag took 14 years for my friend to draw, 10 years for me, and 2 years for my daughter.

My daughter killed her first bull and I shot the biggest bull of my life. My friend had a horrible trip and was extremely unhappy with his experience. The blown tire, the high winds, the fact his hunting partner and he were hunting unfamiliar territory and couldn't seem to adapt..... By the time the rest of our group was finished packing out our elk and were turning our focus on helping him kill a nice bull, he was gone, headed for home without a word to the rest of us. In the end, his disappointment and perspective colored his entire experience and instead of being thrilled for my daughter and I and philosophical about the circumstances, it actually became a point of contention with me that somehow I was partially to blame for his disappointment.

We've had way too much shared history for it to end a friendship, but it reinforced a growing realization inside me that I don't enjoy spending time with negative people.

Some days you're the windshield, some days you are the bug and bugs that can't hack a little windshield time with a smile on their face usually don't have the ability to enjoy it when they finally get to be the windshield.