I am looking for advice for an upcoming Colorado elk hunt. Myself and my hunting partner are not equipped to camp in the backcountry. I have lodging figured out that is "close" proximity to where we want to start hunting daily. For pronghorn and mule deer I have done the same thing in the past, stay somewhere and then drive to my starting point, both with success and serious miles (walking) put in. My question for you all, have you/someone you know not camped while elk hunting and still had success? Let me know your thoughts.
Lodging
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TheJason
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I’ve left my house in the morning and killed elk.
I can think of a lot more things that will affect your likelihood of success than where you spend the night.
I can think of a lot more things that will affect your likelihood of success than where you spend the night.
MTLabrador
Well-known member
I’ve left my house at noon and killed elk.
thusby
Well-known member
Airbnb last year. 3 dead elk in 2 days.
The main issue isn’t the type of lodging but the time and effort needed to get to where the elk live from wherever your lodging is. Elk tend to be further from urban interfaces (eg places where there are hotels/motels) than deer and pronghorn as a general rule (with obvious exceptions).
But in some cases they are right there. I just booked a cabin for a week during archery mostly because it’s quite literally 10 minutes away from where i would throw down the tent anyway and it’s cheap and has a shower/real beds, etc.
In some scenarios, you also would want to evaluate the lodging’s capacity/tolerance for hundreds of pounds of dead elk. E.g. I could stay at the St Regis Aspen and be within a few miles of some good elk hunting, but they are probably not going to have a favorable attitude or basic resources to deal with dead animals and meat handling.
But in some cases they are right there. I just booked a cabin for a week during archery mostly because it’s quite literally 10 minutes away from where i would throw down the tent anyway and it’s cheap and has a shower/real beds, etc.
In some scenarios, you also would want to evaluate the lodging’s capacity/tolerance for hundreds of pounds of dead elk. E.g. I could stay at the St Regis Aspen and be within a few miles of some good elk hunting, but they are probably not going to have a favorable attitude or basic resources to deal with dead animals and meat handling.
3855WIN
Well-known member
My Colorado elk hunt last season would’ve required a two hour drive from lodging to get where we hunted. Camping was the way to go.
I rented a cabin for a mule deer hunt the year before. I could hunt five minutes from the cabin. I could’ve also elk hunted close to the cabin if I had had a tag.
It’s just going to depend on the area and the roads.
I rented a cabin for a mule deer hunt the year before. I could hunt five minutes from the cabin. I could’ve also elk hunted close to the cabin if I had had a tag.
It’s just going to depend on the area and the roads.
