Planning a future trip to CO for elk. Need recommendations. I do have a brochure for the Fishtail ranch and Google has bred some good prospects, but I dunno which one I should pursue. Thanks for any information.

Do you have an elk tag? Are you hunting public land? In my experience, hunting season in CO can be a circus. First thing I would do is find an area where no ATV's are allowed. Guys from all over the country go to CO to race around the mountains on the four wheelers pretending to hunt. And for some reason, it's not just during the day, they seem to enjoy being out at night too. This starts about a week before the season opener, so the odds of an animal not knowing what's going on is pretty slim. I've found that you have to get so far back into the remote areas where the four wheelers can't go. If possible, find an outfitter that can pack you into a Wilderness Area where nobody else is at. I've had some success in CO doing this, but my overall displeasure in the crowds there makes it the one state I don't care to hunt in anymore.

agree - Colorado can disappoint due to all the traffic - if I am spending my time and money I go to Idaho, Utah, etc. But New Mexico is the best overall IMO

Rifle or archery?

Look into private land hunts. i have done two in the Yampa river valley and have enjoyed both. I used to hunt with Flanders ranch however I understand they sold the north pasture where we had best luck. There where a lot of cows on the southern pasture feeding in timber along the river next to alfalfa fields though.

Look into private land hunts. i have done two in the Yampa river valley and have enjoyed both. I used to hunt with Flanders ranch however I understand they sold the north pasture where we had best luck. There where a lot of cows on the southern pasture feeding in timber along the river next to alfalfa fields though.

Either or. Wanting to do archery but it seems quite harder.

Seeing how negative Colorado seems, I'm also looking into Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon.

Budget?

Colorado isn't that bad, half to 3/4 of the hunters don't hunt that hard and most are done before the last day for one reason or another. I can be frustrating hunting near a road, but a outfitter that is drop camping you will/should have some good tips to pass along as far as dealing with other hunter numbers.

Tenderfoot will plant you in the West Elks.

FWIW, a LaQuinta drop camp requires a lot less work and planning.

Amen brudda RM, if that luxury is available.

This is a way future trip and I'm looking at different drop camps, up to $2500 per person, based on what I've seen for drop camps and semi guided hunts.

So I'm guessing Tenderfoot is a good one, them?
And I'm not sure what that means....

As far as the last one, he is referring to the hotel chain " La Quinta"

Hubbard creek outfitters in western co has good areas never hunted with me but know the area they hunt. Avalanche creek outfitters also good

That luxury is always available if you're not committed to a unit.

If I was looking for a drop camp, I would sign up for the Hunting Report. I've been subscribing to them off and on over the years and it's the best money you can spend on finding out who is a good outfitter, and who to be cautious of. You can order reports specific to the animal you want to hunt, the state you want to hunt in, or just on an particular outfitter. I've met several outfitters and hunting shows that seemed great in person, but after reading some of the things that happen at camp with more then one unhappy client, I realized that it's hard to see through a really good salesman. Not being set on hunting CO will allow you to explore a lot more options. CO has some great hunting, but it's going to be on private land, limited draw units or really far back into a Wilderness Area. I've done well in Idaho, but it's just as bad, or worse then CO on public land where you can get an ATV. There isn't a lot of private land to hunt there, but there is a lot of Wilderness land where you can pack in and never see anybody for the week. That's what I like. Utah used to have some great deals on private land hunts. Very low landowner fees, but with the quality of the animals found there, the prices have really jumped. Everything else there is on a very limited, hard to draw tag if you want to hunt where there are good numbers of animals. Wyoming and Montana are both great hunting states, but getting a tag is going to be the trick. You need to do your research on who you want to hunt with and start applying for tags in his area. New Mexico and Arizona have some of the biggest animals you will find, but the good hunting is on private land and the cost of the tag alone is going to be what your budget is,if you can find one. I'm not aware of drop camps in those states, mostly it's guided hunts where the quality supports what they are charging.

Colorado Mountain Adventures hunts Around the Grand Mesa area. Good folks and good hunting.