Here you are some pics i took with my cell. Some folks have better pics for sure. For me everything started some years ago when I read in bowhunting magazines about backcountry elk hunting. Of course that happened in a foreign country. Later I could have some books and now, in the internet age is not easy to find information about elk hunting. Everything is good ....if you can understand the language. Colorado is one of the first states that come to my mind when I think about backcountry, a lot of public lands to try hunting elk. When recovering after a surgery I had time enough to search in the internet about elk camps, and this post arrived to my computer. This place just was I was looking for years. Being a foreign hunter that has to travel to other country, with the problem of logistics, not knowing well where to hunt, and how....this place was like music to my ears. Sometimes life surprise you in a bad way when your "friends" are not so friends as you expected. But in this case it is just the opposite. People that you don´t know become quickly your partners and friends. At this camp I found many hunters sharing experiences and trying help each others. Specially Will, that even he didn´t know me, he treated me like i were part of his family. And I felt like this. I can´t write the names of the hunters that made this trip more special for me, because all of them had part on it. Regarding hunting, I think I could have been luckier because I didn´t see any big game animal when walking with the bow. But my buddies saw animals including elk. Most of animals I saw were while driving or when we arrived to the flyng camp in the high country. I still think that is one my hunting experiences, and If I could come back in time, I would enter Elk Camp Invite again. Will once said that the trophy is the experience......I agree.
Oscar: Thank you for posting the photos and your thoughts on hunting elk in Colorado. Yes... Will is a gracious host for the hunt and with out his kindness many would not hunt elk or if they did, at a greater cost. So happy your dream hunt was lived out here in Colorado, next time we hope you see elk... and perhaps harvest one !
No Elk, but what a trip, the hunting was hard in our Unit, almost everybody we came by said the same, but we still had a great trip. We spent the first 7 days hiking over acres of previously great Elk ground and all we found was old sign everywhere, 3 of those days saw Andy come down with a virus which rendered him bed bound, which left Myself, Dan and Joe(none hunter) to find the elk, it just felt and looked like we were 2 weeks to late. On the plus side I did see a huge Mule Deer, biggest Moose I've ever seen and a Big Horned Sheep . After a couple of calls to Will the decision was made to move to Elk Camp No Name, after all I couldn't go to Colorado and not meet up with the Guy who got me started in Elk hunting. We spent the next couple of days with Will, Paul and Rex(also Ill) and hunted known areas to no avail, it was at this point the weather turned and after a couple of snow falls the decision was made that when Troy, Oscar, Lionel, Bill and Hayden returned from their camp in the mountains, we'd get camp dropped and ready leave. I think it was a good call, everybody looked a bit tired and in need of a good shower, then it was planned to finish the trip off with a dinner at Buffalo Wings, so with bellies full of beer and wings it was back to Will's house to finish the night with a viewing of JEREMIAH JOHNSON, great night and great company. The following morning Will, Troy and Lionel left for South Dakota and the rest of us made our way to the Airport......... via Bass Pro Shop of course. The fact that we came across no elk was disappointing, but I don't go on these trips just for the kill, its more than that, Its the people we meet, the sights we see and the memories made that do it for me and based on those experiences alone, it was a huge success.
One must always keep life in perspective. The archery success rate for the entire state of Colorado on elk is around 13%. That means 13 people out of 100 come home with the bacon. If it were just a matter of seeing elk, especially in such a vast area, then all of us would have been successful. Putting and arrow into one of the magnificent beasts is a entirely different thing all together. We had four deer hunters in camp. Only one went home with a deer. The rest (self included ) weren't so lucky. But then again, it wasn't due to a lack of deer. Paul Seward had eight swings and a miss. I had two. I actually arrowed a deer, but I was not sure of the arrow placement when I noticed a pine branch bouncing down rang and in front of my buck.I assumed a hit ahead of the vitals. Paul and I followed a blood trail for a 1/2 mile. Snow fall ended the recovery-despite my effort all day to find him. I think back on the hunt and I think two things: 1) WOW, what a lot of work, and 2) I am so thankful to have met some amazing hunters from around the World. I know, and I perhaps speak for others, I will have brothers for life because of this camp! the experience is indeed the trophy! I am comforted that everyone made it home safely... and without a doubt everyone is welcome back in 2018. I honestly think we're starting to dial the area in (it's only taken 16 years). Maybe someone could establish a photo drop box account where we could all upload our photos? I certainly have a few to share.
Dave: Nice write up and photos. Thank you. Sorry to hear your buddy got sick, and Dan had to leave early. Nice moose ! Looking forward to meeting you next time. HH
Huck: Colorado Elk - Unit 45 | Draw Odds Results and Harvest Data | Toprut.com Huck here are the elk hunt statistics for Unit 45 total harvest for archery elk from 2012 to 2015. A low of 3.5% in 2012... a high of 9.2% in 2013. So this just goes to show the low % success rate for archers in Unit 45, a real challenge to harvest a elk with bow & arrow, proving your point... it is not a walk in the park ! I am sorry to hear of your lost recovery. One can see through the photos... the gang was ready to meet the challenge of the hunt, hit or miss the animals. But the smiles on the faces of your hunters shows they all enjoyed the challenge and meeting new friends in the beauty of Colorado's high mountains and golden aspens. I want to thank you for posting on a public forum so I could enjoy the hunt. I so wanted to be there with you all. Sorry the "ticker" went on the blink, not allowing me be ready for this hunt at that elevation. I will do my best to be there next hunt offering. Thank you for being a humble kind soul offering this hunt opportunity to so many ! HH
That works for me. So far I've got just over 200 miles covered down here, since the beginning of June. Those are all on trails, and for work, but I've managed to take notes and jot down some promising locations. Working 4/10s doesn't hurt either. I've spent this last week scouting, found some good spots and a few not so good spots. I've been talking with our outfitter administrator to check where all the outfitters will have camps so I can avoid them, but know where to go should I need some help or have an issue.
Any advice from those of you who have been out this year? I leave in two weeks for 2nd rifle season in southern Colorado. It's my first elk hunt.
Be in shape, log miles, look/go where others aren't, always be ready and as Will might say 'it's like a rodeo, you have 8 seconds, max'.
I promised Will and a few others, I'd do a write up of my story from the 2016 CO trip. And I've finally gotten around to starting to write it up. I've created a separate thread (http://forums.bowhunting.com/big-game-hunting/my-2016-elk-story-83080/) where I'll give you a bit of background and then details/pics from the hunt. If you thought you couldn't do an elk hunting trip for some reason feel free to follow along. Feel free to ask any questions along the way and as I have time (I do have to work), I'll try to answer.
Wow, what an awesome offer! Unfortunately, I will be spending my vacation in the Phillipines visiting my daughter.
