I'm looking to go on an elk hunt in 2012 or 2013. It will be me and 3 other guys. If anybody knows of a drop camp around 1000 or cheaper please email me the info. We are even willing to pay a local of Colorado that knows where the elk are and can put us on them. We can pay them $500 to a $1000 per hunter for the local. We are willing to do all the work just want to be put on the elk. If anybody as any information or knows anybody that might be interested in helping us email me at bobby_denney2002@yahoo.com. Thanks.
Jul 06, 2011
$3500 less, Hunt with your family by: Joey
Yeah, it's being in the wild, and the pride. But how about spending less for more? Take your family with you and let them experience the one of a kind elk hunt with the best hunting club in Colorado. Visit http://coloradohuntclub.com/ they have amazing discounts
Jun 01, 2011
Sam by: Dave
Hey Sam, I'm with you 100%, being over 60 I know what you mean about an archery hunt being a challenge. I try to stay in shape year round, because once I get lazy it's over. My huntin buddy is the same age and we try to take hikes with sand bags in our packs during the off season just to keep our legs working right. Start light and work our way up until we are hunting. The last two weeks before the season opens is the most important, I try to walk/hike everyday during that time. If you stay on top of it you have a lot of years left, God willing, as long as I can walk I'll hunt archery elk.
May 30, 2011
$3500 for an elk hunt? by: Sam
Dave, if you feel you need to kill an elk if you spend $ 3,500.00 (or any amount of money) your missing the point of hunting. Killing an elk or any animal with a bow is the icing on the cake! I stood 12 yards away from a screaming 350 plus class elk and came away empty, won't trade that memory for anything. I personally can't afford guided hunts, but I found a bartered guided hunt. It's still expensive but I don't drink or smoke, but I hunt. The challenge, adventure, scenery, meeting new friends, seeing those magnificent animals up close. That alone is enough for me.
Yes it would be great to get a trophy, but I came away from that hunt feeling great, and can't wait for next year. Thank God not everyone likes to bow hunt for elk, the mountains would be crawling with too many people.
Bow hunting for elk is the hardest most physical accomplishment I have done. It's not for everyone, I'm 57 this year and wish I was 15 years younger, because I feel like I'm running out of hunts and trips to the mountains in September.
May 27, 2011
Nature Calls by: Dave
I guess you could call me a newbee to Elk hunting, I've only hunted Elk for 8 years. When I started it was all about antlers and meat but it has evolved into a personal challenge between the Elk, the environment and my skills as a hunter. I only hunt Elk during the Archery season now in order to get as close as possible to experience that incredible feeling of excitement like nothing else. Once I experienced that I was hooked for life. For me an Elk tag and a DIY hunt is all it takes to bring me back, there is no other hunt like it, period. Never having been on a guided hunt I'm not sure I really want to. I've always felt like your buying your game if you're paying someone to find it for you, isn't that why we HUNT.
May 19, 2011
$3500 for an elk hunt? by: Dave, Elk Hunting Tips (MT)
Because it's NOT about eating more elk! Why do people pay tens of thousands of dollars to hunt big and dangerous game in Africa? They don't even get to eat the meat, unless some native cooks it for them onsite. Why do they do that? They could buy thousands of pounds of beef for the freezer with that money.
It's about the hunt, the connection with wild things. It's about reconnecting with a competitive, conquering nature... a deep-rooted desire to be part of something more than the steering wheel of a vehicle, the chair in front of a desk, the TV at home, the couch, the computer.
It's about the sport of being part of a wonderful creation! That said, I wish I could afford to be guided like those who spend a few thousand on guided hunts. Ah well, I guess some wish they could live in Montana, like I do, or Colorado, as I have, to make it "easier" to put together their own DIY elk hunts.
I love driving by my favorite hunting areas here in western MT during the off season and just looking up from the highway into the mountains where in the fall I'll be communing with those majestic animals that just survived a very harsh winter and a cold, snowy spring. They amaze and thrill me! Having beef in the freezer doesn't.
May 18, 2011
3500 elk by: eatmorelk
Why in hell would anybody pay $3500.00 for an elk? that's over $10.00 a lb for the meat from an average elk.You could stock your freezer with filet mignon for that price.
Jun 23, 2010
DO IT YOUR SELF by: ELKMASTER101
i do it every year, non res. lic. hunt colorado, bull tag 545 +- tag gas 300. grub for 10 days say 15 bucks a day. 100 bucks misc. $545 300 150 $995 now if you hunt with friends the cheeper it gets
Jan 06, 2010
Fair chase in Wyoming by: Dave
Check out saltriverrangeoutfitters.com They're in Wyoming and have a listing on ebay. $2900 for a 6-day guided hunt, with high success rate. Pretty good deal. Add about $600 for the license, though.
There's also a drop-camp auction on ebay for $1100-$1300 in CO.
For a high-fence ranch hunt try McCoy Elk Ranch in MN. Couple in MI that aren't bad either.
Jan 05, 2010
yes by: Dave
Depends on how you want to do it, and how much equipment you have. I've been researching this a lot over the past year or so. If you want to DIY, out in CO or MT will be your best bet. There are guides that have drop camps with tent and stove only, or they'll include cooking gear, cots, even the food, and most will haul out your kill, if you should be that lucky. And some will provide maps of where you might want to hunt. Drop camps can range from $900-$2500. Of course, if you do get an elk, you'll have the additional costs of processing, and shipping home (unless you drive). This can add another $300-$700. OTC tags will cost about $550.
If your not opposed to a high fence hunt, I've found a few where you can harvest a nice 5x5 for $1500. 6x6's usually start around $2500 (300-330) and can go as high as $7000 (380-400+) depending on score, and most of the time it's a 3-5 day hunt including lodging and food. Processing will still be about $300. A couple of the ranches are 1500 acres, which is pretty close to fair chase, as far as I'm concerned.
To me this seems to be the better way to go if you're going to be somewhat disappointed at spending the $3500 and coming home without an elk. (Which I've already done once.)
Personally, if I'm going to spend the money again, I want an elk.
If you want to do the high fence hunt, I can recommend a few places.
