Colorado is home to the largest elk herd in the United States. It is estimated that 280,000+ elk call the Centennial State home and every year, tens of thousands of hunters take to the woods during one of Colorado's many elk hunting seasons.
Every year, hunters harvest elk across the state, from the plains all the way up to the tree lines. There are even a handful of hunters who harvest elk every year in Highlands Ranch, though those permits are extremely limited.
Even with such optimal conditions here in Colorado, it isn’t that easy to bag an elk.
In 2015, there were 221,274 elk permits approved in the state. These include all manners of take like bow, muzzleloader, or rifle. Of these, only 44,852 tags were filled, bringing the success rate for Colorado elk hunters to 20%.
To put it another way: 8 out of 10 Colorado elk hunters end their season empty handed.
That is why it is so important to strategize and plan out your 2017 Colorado elk hunt before the permit application deadline on April 4. Keep the following in mind as you plan your 2017 Colorado elk hunt.
Trophy or meat?
This is perhaps the first thing any elk hunter needs to decide before applying for permits. Trophy or meat? Bull or cow?
The last thing you want to do is accidentally apply for a cow permit when you want to hunt a trophy bull.
Each season, method of take, and Game Management Unit in Colorado has its own sex restrictions. These change every year so it is important to pay attention to the 2017 Big Game brochure when applying.
If you’re just looking to fill your freezer, you should look for either sex permits. Fourth season cow permits are also a good option for meat hunters.
If you’re looking to mount a trophy on the wall, you need to make sure you apply for a bull tag or an either sex tag.
Generally, where you find bulls you will also find cows. So it is not as important to take sex into account when choosing where to hunt. However, some areas of Colorado, such as units in the northwest corner of the state, are specifically known for trophy elk.
the time sighting in your rifle or bow and practicing your aim.
Most importantly, though, you need to scout to stay within your physical limits. We can't say it enough, knowing your physical limitations is the best way to stay safe on a hunt. This is especially true for those visiting Colorado to hunt. Even the simplest things like hiking and climbing are measurably more difficult at altitude. A trail can look a lot more manageable on a map than it does in person at 10,000 feet elevation, and it is better to figure that out ahead of time than it is on the day of your hunt.
If you are coming from out of state to hunt, it's best to acclimate for a day or two before heading out. Colorado is one of the highest altitude states. Altitude sickness is very real and there are plenty of ways to avoid it.
The more time you into planning your 2017 Colorado elk hunt, the more successful you'll be. While only 20% of hunters end up harvesting an elk in Colorado, you can raise these odds by planning, scouting, and fully preparing for your hunt!
Choosing the right season and method of take
Colorado’s large elk population provides hunters with a total of 67 days worth of elk hunting. Each method of take – archery, muzzleloader, or rifle – has its own season(s).
Archery season stretches for 30 days from August 26 to September 24. This is by far the longest season in the 2017 Colorado elk hunt. Muzzleloader season overlaps with archery season and lasts for 9 days from September 9-17.
There are four different rifle seasons, with the first beginning on October 14 and the last ending on November 19.
Each season carries a different success rate. For example, first rifle season tends to have some of the highest success rates because permits are limited, the weather tends to cooperate, and hunters are just starting to take their shots.
Third rifle season (Nov 4-12) is unique because an unlimited number of permits are offered over-the-counter. There is no draw or application deadline (other than the end of the season), which makes this season incredibly popular for Coloradans and out-of-state hunters alike. While it might take a trophy hunter 18+ years to accumulate enough preference points to hunt Colorado’s Northwest trophy units (such as GMU 2 or 10), anyone with a valid hunter safety permit can come to Colorado and receive a third season rifle permit over-the-counter.
By the time third rifle season comes around, the remaining elk have already endured 53-days of arrows, slugs, and bullets coming their way. Not surprisingly, they act accordingly and hunters see a lower success rate.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife publishes in-depth statistics to help you choose which season is right for you and your 2017 Colorado elk hunt.
In addition to the success statistics, it is also important to also consider your skill set. Are you proficient enough on a bow, muzzleloader, or rifle to humanely harvest an elk? Are you in shape to hike at altitude during third or fourth rifle season when temperatures drop and there is snow on the ground?
All of these things must be taken into account before choosing a season for your 2017 Colorado elk hunt.
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Choosing the right GMU for your 2017 Colorado elk hunt Once you’ve figured out when to hunt, you next need to figure out where to hunt. First and foremost, you need to decide whether you’re going to hunt on public or private land. Public land is free to use but you will have to compete with other hunters. Private land will offer better odds, but unless you own the land or know the owner, it will likely carry an additional fee. Many ranches charge thousands of dollars for hunts on property. Deciding whether you want to hunt public or private land is crucial to avoid choosing a GMU that you might not have the permission or resources to hunt on. In Colorado, hunting is broken down into what is known as Game Management Units, or GMUs. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) continuously studies herd counts and harvest totals to determine how many elk permits to approve for the next year. These studies also include in depth statistics for harvests in each unit to help you scout your units. Some GMUs are more difficult to draw tags for. GMUs 10 and 2 in the Northwest corner of the state, for example, are considered trophy units. It can take 18-20+ preference points - essentially two decades of applying - in order to draw a tag. Others are less competitive but offer worse odds or a lower likelihood of a trophy. Once you think you’ve chosen a GMU you want to apply for, you need to carefully study the map to determine whether you can hunt it. You don't want to end up drawing for a unit that you are not physically prepared to hunt in. Some units offer high odds of success, but are isolated from the road. Successfully hunting an elk means little if you aren’t prepared to pack it out.
Getting ready for the hunt; Scouting your GMU
The end of June comes around and you have a permit in hand to hunt the GMU of your dreams. What do you do next?
If you’ve never hunted the unit before, it is important to scout it out so you can stay within your limits.
You need to stay within your legal limits. You need to know what land you legally can and cannot hunt on. Boundaries that separate private and public land are not always clearly marked. The same goes for boundaries in between different GMUs. The legal penalties for messing this up is large enough to warrant planning ahead.
You also need to scout to stay within your skill limits. It’s one thing to look at a GMU on a map. It’s an entirely different thing to walk the trails yourself. Plenty of hunters have scouted exclusively off of topographical maps only to arrive on location to realize they can’t make their planned shot at those distances. What they thought would be a clear line of site is actually obscured by trees or a ridge. There is simply no substitute to studying the terrain in person. Once you figure out your distances, you can spend
