2010 tradgang elk hunt or bust

[PAPA BEAR]

strongly suggest you have an experienced elk hunter with you.idaho hunting is some rough country and you can run into trouble real quick.you may want to consider eaglecap widerness area in n eastern oregon,tons of elk and not to rough on ya if you're in shape.you can't find any better hunting area with no pressure on elk.its where i'll be hunting every year after this season.
  you can get over counter tags and a drop camp is pretty reasonable.want more info send me a pm ok.  

[PAPA BEAR]

if you pay a guide service to pack you in and out most of them will check in with you and will pack your game out and deliver it to be cut and wrapped and frozen waiting for you to pick it up

[String Cutter]

Elkherder ID is going to be just to far from most of us in the east. I'm headed to CO.

[sabas silva]

HI THERE FELLAS, I'm in if there is room and if Colorado is the choice i would suggest the Flat Tops near Meeker as I have heard good things but I am game for any place ya'll choose and I am willing to help anyway I can.
I would say keep it as simple as possible, 2 and 3 man teams base camp unless someone knows the area we would just have to find ample room, how far in to spike camp we would just have to look around, Base camp groceries anything spike camp light as possible, look into nearest provision supply store and what is available. Sorry I am just excited about this already

[razorsharptokill]

Sounds like a plan! That would be plenty of time to save up and get it arranged.

[sabas silva]

String Cutter, if you choose Colorado be sure to look into leftover Mule Deer tags if anyone would like to get one, elkherders advice is a good one unfortunately not always possible but here is one I learned in the mountains Do not rely strictly on GPS bring a compass if you plan on hiking into the wilderness,timberline etc.

[PAPA BEAR]

i rely on gps but i also take an extra one and run both of them plus i carry a compass and topo of area i'm in.also you really should rent a satellite phone in case someone gets hurt.they have these real neat lifesaver locater beacons you can rent also.trust me ...better safe than sorry.  

[waknstak IL]

I found this, it was taken from an article in Field and Stream on Public DIY elk hunting.

"Any over the counter unit in the White River Nat. Forest between Glenwood Springs and Meeker lies in an area biologists call the 'crown jewel' of elk hunting. Shifting south, o.t.c. units are always solid in the Gunnison Nat. Forest between Gunnison and Crested Butte, and in the San Juan Nat. Forest between Pagosa Springs and South fork."

I don't know anyone who has hunted the areas but they might be worth looking into.

[recurvist]

Hey guys, ive been following this thread from th git-go -figured it was time to jump in...Ive hunted SanJuan three times...all three were awsome adventures, two were sucessful hunts.. The public land is tuff u have to cover lots of ground sometimes to find elk...but the grouse hunting and the occasional bear sitings make for a very fun hunt!! There are good bulls on there but surely with all these members someone has connections on some private land..  

[John McCreary]

We have hunted off and on for the last ten years in unit 33, south and east of Meeker in the WR NTL Forest. 33 is a draw only area but can be a good choice. This year it was hot, and the elk were in the highest darkest timber hiding from the heat and the four wheel yahoos. Seems every year the area gets more crowded. If you decide on that area consider getting a mule deer tag. While the elk where scarce we saw several mulies, one 3X3 at 15 FEET!

JOhn

[JDice]

An FYI - Colorado Division of Wildlife states:

Hunters born after 1948 must present their hunter education cards when purchasing a license. License agents also will accept cards
issued by other states. Agents will not accept a previous year’s license or photocopies of hunter education cards.

On where to hunt:

Using info from other forums (focussed on elk hunting), elk hunting websites, Colorado Division of Wildlife site, calls to the CDW, books, etc - I have been Internet/Map "scouting" two general areas - one in the NW and one in the SW.

In the SW - I have been looking at GMUs 71, 74, and 75. They have success ratio's of 12 - 15%. I have attached a map showing GMU71, 74, and 75 - with overlays showing Elk summer ranges.

 

[String Cutter]

Sabas, From Richmond Va, to Meeks CO is 1897 miles and 27 1/2 hrs... Really do-able. Now I just need to pick somebody up to share gas from Va.,W.Va., or Ky....
The area around Meeks is really sounding good..

[JDice]

In the north - consider GMUs 13 and 131 - between Hayden and Steamboat Springs - south of US40. Over the last 5 years - GMU 13 has had an average archery success rate of 28% with an average of 178 hunters and GMU 131 has had an average archery success rate of 25% with an average of 243 hunters.

When scouting quads in that area for "elk country" (north facing slopes, water, heavy timber, open areas, benches, saddles, chokepoints, etc) the elevations start at around 8,200 and go up to 11,000+.


 

[JDice]

The GMUs I mentioned above (13 and 131) are just north of the Flattops/While River area.

The area to the east of Meeker (Flattops/White River) does look good. As a lot of the GMUs in that area are draw units - is there a specific GMU in mind?

[Matt Fowler]

Just back from a first time DIY hunt in SW Colorado, Weminuche Wilderness, 9 days. Unsuccessful but saw some critters. We rented 2 llamas to carry in camp gear and food and pack out meat. they can carry 60 -70 lbs. 3 of us drove non stop, changing drivers every fill-up, about 4-5 hrs. With llamas and back packs you could get a bull out in 1 trip to the butcher and have it frozen, they should have dry ice for your drive home.

[Benha]

I would be interested. Elk are my dream hunt.

[JDice]

Matt,

I would be interested in hearing any specifics of your llama experience that you wish to share. For instance, did you meet the llama owner at the trailhead (in and out), how much feed had to be brought in for them versus free-grazing, how much care (in hours) did they take a day, any concerns about predators and the llamas, any issues with controlling them, and so on.

PM sent.

Thanks

[Matt Fowler]

Jim,
You can be met at the trailhead but will pay for mileage. We rented a trailer. Also, you may have to take a short orientation on llama 101:) They are no trouble and I think well worth it. They eat just about anything, We did pack in 2 lbs  of grain as a treat or to lure them back to you if they did mange to get away. They need to be moved and watered daily as they pick thru the grasses and eat what they like. we had coyotes in camp on 2 nights and they never made a sound but did not like the free range cattle in the area. They smell and I was concerned about it spooking elk. With llamas you can get a bull out in 1 trip. We were in 3 miles and 2100 ft in elevation. Did not want to do that hike more than necessary! we rented from a fella in Colorado Springs and drove 5 hrs to the trailhead. Let me know if you have more questions. Good Luck!!

[JDice]

Matt,

When I checked out llamas (about 6 months ago) it was suggested that for hunting elk one llama per person was appropriate. The logic was that doing so would allow the ability to pack in everything but the contents of each hunter's daypack & weapon while leaving capacity for meat on the way out. While that seems a little optimistic to me - what are your thoughts on 1 llama per hunter?

Also, I read that loaded llamas go about a mile an hour uphill and about 1.5 miles an hour downhill. Is that what you experienced?

I appreciate the info.

[Matt Fowler]

Jim,
My main concern was getting a bull or cow out in 1 trip (2 llamas plus 3 guys with backpacks), also tried to keep the overall cost of the trip low as we didn't know what gas prices would be, and it was our first time so we went with 2 and backpacked our personal/hunting gear (about 50 lbs with water). Couldn't tell you how fast they walk, they had no problem keeping up with us on the packin:) Coming down they seemed a little anxious and would sometimes get ahead of you but it really wasn't a problem.