Tyler Miller – Birmingham, AL : We enjoyed a great time at Wild Skies while out on a 7 day elk hunt. The accommodation were extremely comfortable and we had plenty of room for the four of us during our stay. While we chose to hunt off horseback we found the amenities at Wild Skies were great and allowed us to keep the horses, feed and tack on the property and allowed quick and easy access to the mountain. We made some lifelong friends during our hunt and harvested two 6X6 bulls in the process. Thanks again Wild Skies. We look forward to another hunt.
Come Hunt With Us!
With more than 23 million acres of public land, Colorado is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise.
Fluorescent Pink Approved!
In the spring of 2016, Colorado legislature passed Senate Bill 16-068 concerning wearing fluorescent pink garments to hunt big game. This change went into effect August 10, 2016.
Find out what this means for hunters. For details about this alternative hunter safety color, please read the Authorized Fluorescent Pink fact sheet.
Check out Colorado Parks & Wildlife’s Big Game – What’s New in 2017 Video here.
Colorado Hunting: GMUs
The whole state of Colorado is divided into Game Management Units (GMUs), the boundaries of which are defined by roads, rivers, drainages and mountain ridges for the purpose of managing wildlife in geographically differentiated areas.[/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Colorado Hunting: Tag Options” open=”no”]Colorado is the only state that still offers “unlimited” over-the-counter bull elk tags, which allows you to hunt a bull elk in most of the state’s GMUs just by applying for it. Other than that, it’s pretty much by draw only unless you apply for an over-the-counter bear tag which is a limited license only available when you have a valid deer or elk license for the same season. It is limited which means tags are on a first-come first-served basis until a specific number is reached.
For someone that may have missed the drawing, and depending upon the GMU, there may be some leftover tags.
If you are a Colorado resident, another option is to participate in a draw for private land hunts via Ranching For Wildlife (RFW). Private ranches with at least 12,000 acres may partner up with the Colorado Division of Wildlife to provide Colorado hunting opportunities to help manage game on large tracts of private land. Currently, there are over one million acres of available hunting land in the RFW program.[/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Colorado Hunting: Where to Hunt” open=”no”]Where to hunt in Colorado is determined by a multitude of factors. Generally, the state is divided into two separate and distinct regions: East of Interstate 25, which is plains country, and West of Interstate 25, which is mountain country. Of course, for the most part, the only species of animal found in the plains country are Antelope, Whitetail Deer and Mule Deer. All species can be found in abundance in mountain country with the exception of Whitetail Deer.
Other considerations are species of animal, GMU, health, equipment and season. For example, hunting certain species of animals such as bighorn sheep or mountain goat is not an option for some hunters. Elevation, terrain, health limitations, and even the inability or lack of opportunity to get “in shape” may prevent this from being possible. Plus, all three of those species have a much smaller range and specific habitat. On the other hand, elk and mule deer are widely dispersed west of I-25.
REMINDER Hunters who purchased a mountain lion license for the April 1–30, 2016 season and did not harvest may still use the same license to hunt in the season that runs from Nov. 21, 2016–March 31, 2017. After March 31, 2017, you must purchase a new license that is valid April 1–30, 2017.
For most seasons, Colorado hunting weather is always unpredictable and access to hunting country without proper transportation (and the experience to use it effectively and safely) can be a problem especially if one chooses a later season. Although the odds of hunting in any season during blizzard conditions or severe adverse weather are unlikely, it does happen, and frequently.
Colorado is one of the few states that has an abundance of hunting acreage and places to hunt, which total about 27.63 million acres or 42% of the whole state. This number represents the acreage available to public land hunters with less than four percent being private land but made available for public use through special partnerships with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Of course, this does not include acreage available via trespass fee arrangements, voucher tags purchased from private landowners, and outfitters.
In the plains area of the state, there are two National Grasslands: Comanche National Grassland and Pawnee National Grassland, which comprise approximately 682,000 acres. In the mountain country, there are 11 National Forests: Arapahoe N.F., Grand Mesa N.F., Gunnison N.F., Pike N.F., Rio Grande N.F., Roosevelt N.F., Routt N.F., San Isabel N.F., San Juan N.F., Uncompahgre N.F. and White River N.F., all of which comprise approximately 14.83 million acres. The highest elevations and much of the rugged country to hunt in Colorado are found in the national forests.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has approximately 8.4 million acres located in mostly western Colorado, which is probably the most diverse hunting land available in Colorado. Beginning from low elevations and broad mesas covered with sage brush, oak brush and service berry, much of BLM land reaches up to mountainous terrain covered in Aspen, Pine and Fir, and even rises to alpine treeless tundra.
Colorado has 36 Wilderness Areas scattered all over the mountain country of the state, which is west of Interstate-25 that total 2.9 million acres. The largest is Weminuche with 492,000 acres (769 square miles) and covers six GMUs. The next closest in size are the Flat Tops with 235,000 acres and Sangre De Cristo with 226,000 acres.
Colorado State Trust Lands has a leasing arrangement with the Colorado Division of Wildlife to allow public access to approximately a half million acres, much of which is available for hunting.
Colorado Hunting: What to Hunt
Colorado is blessed with ten species of big game animals: elk, mule deer, black bear, mountain lion, antelope, bighorn sheep (Rocky Mountain Bighorn and Desert Bighorn), moose, mountain goat and whitetail deer. By far, elk are the most sought after given the fact that Colorado holds the world’s largest number of elk (280,000 – 2017 est). The largest herd of elk in Colorado and the world, which comprises 15% of the total elk in Colorado, is found in the White River National Forest and surrounding area. Herd counts are determined by Data Analysis Unit, which consists of multiple GMUs and represents a distinct herd.
For one new to Colorado hunting, he or she may want to check on the number of animals (animal density) in the GMU to be hunted.[/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Colorado Hunting: When to Hunt” open=”no”]Since most of the species have very limited seasons, hunting options are fairly limited. However, elk hunting has the most available options with mule deer a close second. Bow season for both species begins the last weekend in August and ends the third weekend in September. The weather is typically very warm and sometimes just downright hot, which makes for not-so-good hunting. Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule. Also, be aware that thunderstorms and lightning – a hazard not to be taken lightly – can occur frequently this time of the year. Snowstorms and even blizzards are possible.
The elk rut, however, is just around the corner. The best time to bow hunt elk is during the height of the rut, which would be the last two weeks of archery season. That’s not to say you can’t be successful earlier in the season; the action is just a little slower. Since the mule deer rut is not until November, hunting for them is always best either during late season hunts closer to their rut or early (archery season) and don’t forget some GMUs have an early rifle deer season during archery elk season.
There are four rifle seasons to hunt elk; the first is “elk only” and the last three coincide with mule deer hunting. These overlapping seasons are referred to as Combined Seasons. The first two rifle seasons occur in October; the last two rifle seasons occur in November.
Just remember, this is mountain country and the later you decide to hunt, the odds are greater that you’ll be hunting in snowy weather. Of course, this can also be advantageous for many reasons. Animals are easier to spot with snow on the ground. They are also on the move more as well as being more active for longer periods of time during the day. Depending upon the amount of snow, they may be herding up and in their “wintering” mode, that is, transitioning from high country to low country wintering range.
Elk have a tendency to stay in the high country the longest. Snow does not necessarily motivate them to relocate to lower elevations unless snow is significant and covers up grazing food. Mule deer, on the other hand, go into their wintering and transitional mode based on a lunar cycle not a weather event.[/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Colorado Hunting: What To Expect” open=”no”]Most of Colorado’s hunters hunt elk, so if you are ever going to see an elk in your lifetime, you can surely expect that the odds are in your favor. If you have never hunted Colorado before, then we suspect that you are probably on cloud nine.
Hunting in Colorado is physically challenging, so expect to get tired, winded, have achy muscles, blistered feet, and sunburnt. That being said, we offer lots of advice on the website to either mitigate those effects or what to do when you suffer from them. So, heed the advice offered or suffer the consequences. Just remember, whatever the extent of the pain, you can always heal up after you get home.
Hunting Colorado’s big game means one must be willing to compromise quickly and adjust to changes. The animals and weather will dictate your hunting options and will force changes upon you in the blink of an eye, so being flexible is a great asset.
Colorado Hunting: DIY Hunting
Do-It-Yourselfers make up the vast majority of Colorado’s hunters, and most of those hunt elk. DIY hunting is probably the biggest thrill one can have, but it can also be one of the biggest challenges.
Unless you are a seasoned Colorado hunter, we suggest you keep things simple: hunt one species of animal, two at the most. For example, hunt bull elk only or get an either sex elk tag. Or, if you’ve already killed an elk in a previous year, then go after a mule deer. The point is, whatever animal gets your blood pumping, go after that animal only. Don’t spread your interests thin by throwing multiple tags into the mix. However, if you do have multiple tags, then know how to concentrate your efforts to maximum advantage. For example, let’s say you have tags for elk and black bear. In this case, concentrate all your efforts on the elk. If you’re blessed with getting one, then hunt over the gut pile for your black bear.[/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Colorado Hunting: Maps” open=”no”]To hunt in Colorado means one must study maps. Nowadays, with the use of GPS and mapping programs, you can just about find any type of mapping system that fits your needs. Our recommendations: learn to read maps, declination, GPS and compass, longitude (long) and latitude (lat). Don’t bother with UTMs because most coordinates are provided via long and lat. However, if you get lost, you may want to know how to easily convert long/lat to UTM because that is the system that some search and rescue teams use.
Maps come in various topographical scales that determine the extent of detail. For example, a typical BLM map is 1:100,000 scale, which basically means that each centimeter on the map equals one kilometer on the ground. For those of us who aren’t exactly up with the metric system, one inch on the map would equal 1.58 miles on the ground. Obviously, this scale doesn’t provide much detail. The most popular map is the 1:24,000 scale, which is also known as the 7.5 minute series or quadrangle. This scale works out to be 6 2/3 football fields or 667 yards per inch on the map, which means a lot of detail. Buy custom hunting maps with elk overlays on them.
Unlike many states, Colorado is laid out in a North-East-South-West grid, which makes it much easier to follow property lines. Since all maps don’t show private property, you may need to have more than one map. Original survey markers in Colorado, which are not vastly numerous, were used to provide the theoretical geographical coordinates statewide. So, a good rule of thumb is to assume that coordinates provided by any source are only approximate and you should leave a buffer between you and private property. If you are using a GPS to track your line of travel, please note that each “second” of longitude or latitude is approximately 100 feet on the ground.[/fusion_toggle][/fusion_accordion][fusion_text]
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