I posted earlier that I was looking for recommendations for a pack trip, but after some advice we have decided to do a semi-guided trip.  We have looked at the following outfitters:

http://www.rockymountainhunting.com/index.html

http://www.ckranch.com/

Does anyone have a recommendation?  Or better yet, has anyone used any of these outfitters?  So far we are partial to the first one listed.  We are looking for a place we can stay, be close to Elk & Mule deer during the second or third season. Our budget is around $4k each.

I am planning a DIY trip this year. $4k seems a lot to me though

Try this place JML outfitters (www.jmloutfitters.com) been going out here since 1995

what year are you looking at going and which state?

We have booked with Western Colorado Outfitters in Montrose Colorado for the 2nd Rifle Season

We might be looking for something different next year.  Any information would be great

I have never done a guided trip, but myself, my father, and two others have gone elk hunting on our own in the Rockies both in 2014, and 2015.  I don't think we will be able go for 2016.

One thing we found in all our research is that a guided hunt is expensive and no hunt is a guarantee.

If your stuff isn't being brought into the back country via pack horse plan to hike your ass of bringing all yourself and gear as far off the beaten path as you can stand to go.

We had all hunted deer since childhood so none of us were novice, just novice to Elk.

Don't get discouraged, they can be one of the most elusive animals to hunt, unless you get lucky and catch them in rut when they are bugling.

We always hear stories about huge elk herds and bugling during second rifle season but we never saw it.  I don't think I saw more then three elk together, and they are gone like a flash.


2014 one guy in our group got a nice bull elk.  I got a small mule deer.

2015 one guy got a huge mule deer.  No elk.

2016 I have trouble getting time off at my work

2017 we hope to try our hand at archery and hope we can catch them in rut.


If I was going on a guided hunt I would probably pick a state that requires you to have a guide, well because I would never be able to hunt there without one...

I will post some pictures when I can.

ETA/ I will sub to the thread and try to answer any questions I can.

You can DIY takes a lot of research to find areas with elk and not over ran with hunters you can get the cost down to $1000-1100 each  if you try

Look at maps and find the most remote access areas.  If it can be accessed with a road it will be overrun.  You have to find an area 3+ miles away from a road that is not easily accessible, only on foot or animal.  That's where the guides bring you via horseback.  

If you want to hunt successful without a pack horse bring your hauler pack and be prepared to work...  Of course their are always those who get lucky, or live in the area that can pattern the animals, but for us out of state hunters the best result will be had where no others frequent.

Its not easy when you dont live there our first time we called and talked to everyone we could had 3 spots picked out 1st sucked 2nd had lot of hunters and an outfitter running there 3rd was a honey hole seen elk every day. Look for spots that are foot/horse back only and the steeper more rugged the better we've had guys tell us they dont even like riding horses back in where we hunt.

Good advise.  Any suggestions on that 3rd spot?  We still haven't found ours.  

For OTC Public land units, here's my $.02 referencing the excellent info above.


1st spot is where the road hunters can access.  Stay away from anything within 1/2 mile of a forest service road.  If you can hear the atv's, you are too close.

2nd spot is where the outfitters ferry their clients in on horseback.  It's too far in for you to reasonably hunt without horses or a spike camp.  You will spend 1//2 day hiking there, and 1/2 day hiking back to camp.  0/2 of the day is spent hunting.  

3rd spot is the sweet spot in between 1 and 2.  Hunt the zone 1-2 miles from the road.  Use the road and outfitter pressure to your advantage.  Figure out where the elk will hole up within that zone to get away from the pressure.  

Its defiantly hard to figure out those areas when you live on the east coast  

We are going for archery season this year.  I was able to get time off.  Hopefully we can find some in rut and actually use a call this time.

2014:









2015:









2016:

?

We hunt on our own, no guide.

^This guy knows his shit. Thanks to him, I got my first cow last year

thederrick106 - Great pics!  Good luck with the bow hunting.  

Kiltakaze - we'll go over big game app stuff this weekend, while enjoying some moose burgers.  

Dang Derrick, that is a nice mule deer!

Thanks!



Thank you... My dad got it.  I got a little guy the year before.    I only had an elk tag for 2015.  It gets expensive to try and go with both when your a non resident.  600+ for an elk tag and 400ish for the mule.  Buying both was/ is not within my budget unfortunately.

Its still a great time, I go for the adventure as much as the hunt!