Count me in. Let me know what you need from me to make this happen.

X2. Don't have the elk hunt experience (yet ), but have a pretty good amount of experience being the "logistics guy" on other types of hunts.

All I need from anyone at this point is just to express interest, follow the thread, offer suggestions, and ask questions to help you prepare.

Once we have a date and location pinned down, we can start making a final list of who is going for sure. Once we do that, we can decide who will do/bring what.

I have a 3 man tent, but it is a lightweight tent, far from a wall tent I had a 6 man canvas tent but it burnt down in a duck camp incident. I don't mind camping in my truck though.

I don't mind driving either, but my dodge is only a quad cab.

As far as area, I will differ to the guys with knowledge. Anytime is fine, sure would like to make opening weekend of Bow season here but it not, it is what it is.

It will be the second rifle season. The dates are on the web site. I listed what we will most likely choose on the other thread. The season is only a week or week and a half long, and I figure we'll hunt five days, so picking dates will be pretty straight forward.

Gunnison National forest?

X lazy F ranch reasonable pricing.

http://xlazyf.com/

I will probably drive, and being in a DC Tundra, will have room for one other person, maybe two. I'll probably sleep in my truck, so anyone traveling with me will need a tent or to shack up with someone in a camper.

Looks nice. I'll check out Gunnison and see how the hunting is there.

Of course I don't know anything about anything, but I spent a week every summer for 11 years backpacking (really just an alcohol pack mule for the adults) in San Juan. Always saw a ton of elk, but we always went 14-20 miles in. Got to know the Weminuche wildererness pretty well, but that was back in the 80s and early 90s.

Can't believe getting this excited this early, I had always assumed that if you didn't have 3-4 grand to spend Elk hunting was out of reach.

That is a common misconception. I had the same before I actually did it. Hopefully this will prove to a few willing to give it a shot that elk hunting is well within most people's reach.

San Juan does hold a lot of elk. I think there may be some better spots that get overlooked, though, and hopefully we can find one.

I'm willing to drive. Crew cab Chevy, so 3 more could go with me, and I can pull a covered 8'pickup bed trailer to haul gear/coolers.

I have a 2-man 4-season tent, but crawling in that thing is getting harder every year. Did a draw hunt at Sierra Diablo with it. Ate one of those Mountain House freeze-dried dinners one night. Literally thought I was going to fart myself to death.

Sneaky, which weeks in October is the gun season you picked out?

October 18-26.

I figure we can take a week to do this, including drive time. It would be nice to have more time, but I know it's tough for some of us to take more than a week off from work. If anyone wants to stay longer, that's up to them.

We could leave on the 17th or 18th, and that would give us time to drive there and get camp set up. We'll want plenty of time for that so we don't over exert ourselves and get altitude sickness. It's better to cut into half a day of hunting than end your hunt before it begins. Hunt 5 days, then use the 7th to drive back.

Maybe real early on the morning of the 17th. That way, those that are feeling it can hunt opening morning and get a crack at the elk that have had a few days rest.

Just to chime in on one more cost to consider (and hopefully it is one you have to deal with) Elk processing fees.

If you do it yourself, you can save up to $280!. Even me bringing back quarters to Texas, most want $275 +. $250-$325 is normal in Colorado if you have the time to wait, (usually pretty fast if they know your from out of state.)

I dont do my own generally, figure I already did the "hard part" LOL, but it can add up.

Didnt mean to "barge in " on the thread

That's a good point. I always process my own. It's a fair amount of work, but it doesn't cost much that way.

I would have to find a processor in Texas, I tried to do my own deer once and did a horrible hack job. I am not worried about that expense, if I got an elk that I would gladly pick that up.

I would imagine just about any processor will take your quarters. Just make sure they're clean, first.

Agree, Every one I have went to (processor), took the quarters no problem (at a higher cost of course). When your budgeting, it's good to count all possible cost. IMO

No substitution for clean meat no matter what you do that is for sure. Elk sized game bags (about $20 for 4 piece) are indispensable. Would be a horrible thing to loose good meat after a great hunt.

I like to get a couple of the 4 packs from Cabela's, and I'll stash 5 in my pack, and keep the other three in my truck for spares.

You got that right! they are great and washable!! I bet if you wrapped one up like a "towel whip", you could use one as a emergency tow strap! Most times, I am quartering a bull by my self, and you cant beat putting a quarter straight into a clean bag!!

Yeah, you can't beat 'em, especially on a hunt like that.

I guess you can't get OTC tags until next summer. How would scouting the land work?

Cleric, you can still get OTC "bull only" in Colorado for this years 2nd and 3rd season. 1st and 4th are limited draw.

If I read right, this thread is mostly to organize a hunt for 2015? but you could go this year if you had a mind too. Scouting is a whole "hunt" in itself LOL, that's the bonus if going with someone whose "been there, done that" like Sneaky.

This hunt is for 2014. Next year.

It's ideal to spend as much time scouting an area before the hunt as you would actually hunting. Being as far away as we are, and not retired, that is impractical. So, I'll do as much cyber scouting as possible, and I'll study topo maps of the area and find likely spots that way. If you have some understanding of elk habits, and combine that with your understanding of hunter habits, you can find some pretty good spots on a map.

If anyone wants to do the same, once we decide on an area, you can order your own maps, which you'll need to do anyway, and you can go to Elknut's website and order his DVD on mapping elk. It will help you understand the whole process much better, as well as learn more about elk behavior.