Eq. List for Colorado Elk

T

Turk

New member
I'm putting together my eq. list for my Elk hunt Nov. in Colorado.

Anyone have such a list that you would be willing to share.?

We'll be tent camping and should be a able to drive to the camp site.

Also do you take a backup rifle?

I plan to use my 9.3x62 with a Win. 70 in 30/06 for back up.

Thanks,

Turk
 
Your PC take Excel? If so, drop me an e-mail & I'll shoot you my checklist. Good for all 'round campin' - backpacking through outa the truck - & most certainly does include elk killing things 'n such.
 
Helicopter!?

Last year I was ecstatic when a mule driver came by. We quartered the elk & tossed the thing in the saddle bag things & off we went - too easy. :D Others seem to have to get walked out on yer back. :(

Easiest thing about elk hunting is shooting one.
 
A number of years ago I hunted in Doctor Park, above Gunnison. Ran across some guys with an "Elk Retrieval Rig". They had a winch with maybe 1/8" or 3/16" aircraft cable. Big drum, maybe 2,000 feet of cable. They had a footlocker full of snatch-blocks and ties.

If one of them shot an elk at the bottom of a canyon, they just ran the cable down, tied the snatch blocks off on trees, and winched him up. No back ache, no tree damage.

I have read of guys who hunt well away from roads, as walking hunters. Kill elk, gut him out, call chopper.

Art
 
EQ List for Co Elk hunting.

Warm clothes in layers. water proof breathable shell on top pants and jacket. Remember cotton kills wool fights chills.

Good warm comfartable broken in hiking/snow boots. I recomend Danner trophys and a pair of Schnnee's insulated hunters for bad snow along with a good pair of gaiters. Schnee's packers for horse back.

I use a good North face sleeping bag with a seperate polar fleece liner tucked inside nice and toasty.
I have a Kifaru tent and camp stove along with a great soft water proof insulated ground mat.

A good warm hat and sunglasses for the sunny snowy days along with at least two pair of warm yet useable gloves.

I carry along a good large fanny pack such as an Ospery shadow loaded with matches,lighter, fire starter,(try cotton balls soaked in vasoline. cheap and effective) extra knife,parachute cord, elk tags, contractor clean up garbage bags ( good for making a shelter or carrying water or storing meat) extra wool hat/gloves, princeton tech led head lamp (good for 160 hours of light off of 4 AAA batteries) varmint call, knife sharpener, 5 extra rounds food and small water bottle. this weighs less than 10 pounds.

I will sometimes attach this to my pack frame or wear it around my waist depening on if I'm on foot or horse.

As far as rifles go my Elk slayer is a stainless light weight model 70 .375H&H carbine topped with a 1.75X6. I always have a back up in camp or on one of the horses usually a .308 or a 45-70 carbine lever gun on one of the horses. (I am not saying one needs a .375 to kill elk it's just my baby I'm "all married up to it") and it does poke holes through elk from any angle.

On my person I always carry at least two kinds of fire and marker tape.

My tags are for Nov 2-8 where are you going to be hunting? If we are near drop me a line and I'll come pack your critters out for you. I've got atring of 3 horses which make helicopters obsolete.:D Good luck!!
 
Uh, H&H, any chance you'd need to break in that string a bit early? say the first early elk & over by the FlatTops? ;)

I do swear that having that mule walk out my elk last year was glorious.

One note: Always shoot & kill an elk uphill from where you have to take it. Descriminating observers need no further explanation.

Take a few 25'+ or so hanks of decent rope (parachute cord works but is thin & sometimes tough to get ahold of. I use cast-off 1/2" wide parachute straps). Very handy to keep your elk from rolling downhill, or to help keep the legs apart when gutting, etc.

You don't need a hatchet or a Bowie knife. Save the weight. Any decent 4" blade will do an elk just fine. (I've mentioned before that you can do an elk with a 2-1/2" blade. I usually use a 3" folder SAK - but will do one this year with the l'il one.)

If you can, use breatheable fleece-type outer wear. Nylon, at 0 defrees crackles - fleeces are more quiet.

One of those mini Bic lighters is good for a thousand lights. Back it up with a waterproof container of strike anywheres. If you can't light a fire using aspen wood, you probably deserve to die. ;)

CO Nov can/will be anything from sunny 60s daytime - 20s night OR low 10s (or worse) daytimes & much worse at night - oh yeah, and with lots of snow. Bring yer stuff.
 
My elk hunt is the second to last week of October...

I'll be in the Breckenridge/Fairplay/Alma area... (got a friend who lives in Alma... easy to stay warm in a nice log home!)
 
H&H, I was kidding ... now, I'm not so sure. ;) 10/12-10/16 - it's the early elk only season & we hunt Unit 25/east side of the FlatTops (maybe 15 miles NNW of Burns) - a beautiful area that just shouts elk. 'Course the Big Fish fire is about 15 miles north. Hope it stays up that way ...

Come tag along if you'd care. We just camp in backpacking tents outa the trucks, but do indeed eat oh so well. (one dinner was blackened dolphin, skewered tiger shrimp la orange, sauteed mushroom melody, fresh steamed aspargus ... coupla adult beverages - IIRC ;) )

This tag encompasses about 10 different units & to date has been undersubscribed. I guess many want to do their deer/elk at the same time & this is elk only. Alas. I have to hunt my deer at another time. (sniff) :D

Hemi, that Mosquito Pass area is beautiful as well. Never hunted it but have poked around some. Tear 'em up.
 
Aah... you used ther right name for it even... (Mosquito Pass/Mosquito Gulch)

we hunt there yearly... (on years we don't draw area 500, we hunt over the divide, in behind Breckenridge Ski Area, in Coyne Valley...)
 
Turk - some other things to take....

Tire Chains - in case the snow flies. Even if you have 4wd.
Wyoming Knife - makes dismembering the beast somewhat easier.
Sunglasses - snow, then clearing = really bright.

Stop in the local town at their Hunter Info booth - the packet they hand out may have info on local outfitters that will pack your beast out, coupons for the restaurants/stores, maybe even some "scouting" info, and etc.

Somthing to do in the evening - fire ban may still be in effect come hunting season. For our camp sitting around the fire contemplating the universe (i.e BSing) is one of the main benefits of Elk Camp. Not sure it will be the same sitting around in the dark with no campfire.

Lab - I thought our group's Fajita and T-Bone nights were pretty fancy! I guess "We're not worthy!"

H&H - has an elk ever retained one of them there elephant bullets? Maybe you're the guy I can hear from three ridges over.

Hemi - if you are hunting 49 my neighbor got a bull south of Weston Pass, over in the vicinity of Buffalo Peaks last year. It was during muzzleloading season though.

Art - (JohnDog assuming his best Jedi/Obi Wan voice) - You don't want to go northeast of Gunnison. There is nothing for you there. All the elk left there many years ago.

JohnDog - Is it time to go hunting yet?
 
Tire chains! yes! & a shovel. I don't care if snow's on its way or not.

BTW, Turk, where you from? Hate to tell you to dress warmly if you're coming down from AK ya know. What's your hunting experience level & so on?

Buff Peaks is about 80 miles (IIRC) from Fairplay area - pretty far anyway.

& JohnDog, it will be quite the difference without the fire. We'll need somewhat of a frog strangler to turn the tide before we go out.
 
H&H,hunter,

Will you be hunting Elk this year, or will Africa take up your time?

My group will be in area 75 (just north out of Durango) on Oct. 19-23. If you need to get out of the house, come on out and join us!

Labgrade, I really have to reevaluate my camp cooking, and you've given me something to shoot for!
 
Taxphd,
I get back from Africa on the 18th of September, I am pretty well booked up for october with bear hunters then I've got most of November to myself for Elk and deer. December is time for Lion Hunters.
Keep in touch I always love to go out Elk hunting!;)
 
Tax,

Then I shouldn't bring up Surf 'N Turf night? ;) 'Course, even the lowly chicken cordon bleu wasn't to be sneezed at.
 
labgrade,

I want to go hunting with you! Or maybe just some camp cooking lessons. I thought that I did alright, but I am kneeling down in the presence of a master! :D
 
Hey TaxPHD,

My group will be hunting Area 75 first season. Have you hunted that area before and if so how'd you do? A couple buddies scouted it last week, and we'll be making at least one other trip out there before the season starts. We normally hunt Area 4 up by Craig but didn't draw this year.

TURK - One other thing to think about is what altitude you're hunting at. Big weather difference between hunting down on the plains vs up at 12,000 feet. Although if you're hunting late season and we get a bit of freakin' SNOW this year, lower will be more productive. /grumble about lack of snow last year keeping the elk up high/
 
Art:
I was elk hunting in Colorado a couple years ago and hooked up with a bowhunter who took me around and showed me his favorite rifle spots. He took me to one spot that was at the top of a mountain with a shear drop off on three sides. You could see for a hundred miles in any direction. We saw elk that were just specks in the distance. I asked him how the hell you could ever get an elk out of there. He said that he was hunting there a few years ago with is boss. They had one of those winches that uses a chain saw engine. Boss got an elk, hooked it up to the winch and was pulling it up the hill. Elk got caught on a tree and was torn in two.
 
JasonReed,

I haven't hunted it, but the guys I am going with did last year. They got one bull, and had shots at several others, but buck fever set in. ;)

I haven't been out there since the Missionary Ridge fire. How badly is the area burned?
 
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