Rifle - and will be proud if we see elk - I will take a legal bull if presented an opportunity so I'm not going to hold out for trophy class. This will likely be a learning experience for my son and I.

CTGilley said:

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Spotting scope is a waist of weight for that type of hunt. Best Binos and boots you can afford.

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I agree with this.

The only reason to carry a spotter on this kind of hunt is to get good pictures and videos to prove to folks you did indeed see a nice bull.

And now I realize I don't know how to embed a video from flickr and don't care enough to upload to youtube.

Agreed, invest good money in some binoculars and you will be set. If all you are concerned about is if a bull is legal they will do just fine. IMO, binoculars are for finding game, a spotting scope is for studying them. I carried a 65mm on my mule deer hunt last year and ditched it on the second day since I was after any legal mulie. This year I'm going to be much pickier, now that I've proven I can do it, and bought a lightweight 50mm spotter to help decide if it's worth chasing after a particular one.

I didn't get drawn for Montana Mule deer and I even bought a preference point.

Thanks for the input - probably saved me 1000+ on this hunt - I have most of the rest of the gear but will prob invest in a tripod for my binocs.
Any reccos on tripods?

I use the Slik 624 in the backcountry. I highly recommend binos on a tripod.

AgDad121619 said:

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Thanks for the input - probably saved me 1000+ on this hunt - I have most of the rest of the gear but will prob invest in a tripod for my binocs.
Any reccos on tripods?

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I use my shooting stick. I use the primos bi-pod for walking and glassing. People either love them or hate them.

I think this year I am going to bring trekking poles. I bent my shooting stick packing out an elk last year. I may add a little weight and tripod because I want to do some video.

I use a schonfield carbon fiber tripod with their pan head. Agreed bino's on a tripod are super nice. But not worth the weight just to carry a tripod on a backpack hunt if the terrain isn't conducive to it. Propping them up on a trekking pole works plenty well in a pinch

Just heard CO 1st choice elk apps are UP by 10k this year. Points only apps down 4k....that's 14,000 more elk apps for 1st choice this year

Not what I was expecting

lot more people expecting to have free time and an empty freezer?

wow, totally opposite of what I thought it would be

stdeb11 said:

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Just heard CO 1st choice elk apps are UP by 10k this year. Points only apps down 4k....that's 14,000 more elk apps for 1st choice this year

Not what I was expecting

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I use a Benro carbon fiber tripod with a Vanguard pan head. With the amount of glassing a did last year, propping binos on shooting sticks or trekking poles would drive me crazy. YMMV

https://www.benrousa.com/products/benro-tsl08cn00.aspx

stdeb11 said:

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Just heard CO 1st choice elk apps are UP by 10k this year. Points only apps down 4k....that's 14,000 more elk apps for 1st choice this year

Not what I was expecting

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.

I'm glad I fought my initial thought process for a preference point. And selected 4 units that had 100% odds for O preference points - 1st rifle. Sounds like even that may not be a guarantee

Question for those of you who got your first elk in the last season or two:

Did optics other than your scope actually play a part in your success?

my first elk I spotted with bare eyes, but used binocs to confirm that it was indeed an elk and worthwhile. On my other two binocs weren't even a consideration. Turns out elk are pretty freakin big. I spend a ton of time glassing but my elk have all been serendipitous, I wouldn't think twice about leaving the binocs at home. I do carry 6.5x32 because I find them most useful for looking deep ahead of me in timber to avoid bumping something.

I'm with everyone else on the spotting scope. I'm sure there's country up north that they are useful or if you have horses to get you from spotting perch to perch I'm sure they are useful. The problem is neither location I've hunted in Colorado was conducive for it. The only area you could glass with a spotting scope was too far away to hunt.

To me, good binos and rifle scope are more important. Because of the pack and shooting sticks, my rifle isn't quickly accessible. However, my binos are on my chest. The only time I can use rifle scope to glass is when I'm set up in an ambush spot with good cover / rest for my rifle. Even if I do stop to rest and glass, I try not to use my rifle because it's heavy and I want to mess with it as little as possible because it's so easy to nock it off zero in the mountains.

I didn't get a bull last trip because my scope was off. Easy 140 yard broadside shot that sailed over his back. The little slip / fall I had earlier that morning knocked my scope off 3'high at 100 yards. Not ideal to work that hard to blow a shot. So now I try to only handle my rifle when necessary.

AgLA06 said:

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I'm with everyone else on the spotting scope. I'm sure there's country up north that they are useful or if you have horses to get you from spotting perch to perch I'm sure they are useful. The problem is neither location I've hunted in Colorado was conducive for it. The only area you could glass with a spotting scope was too far away to hunt.

To me, good binos and rifle scope are more important. Because of the pack and shooting sticks, my rifle isn't quickly accessible. However, my binos are on my chest. The only time I can use rifle scope to glass is when I'm set up in an ambush spot with good cover / rest for my rifle. Even if I do stop to rest and glass, I try not to use my rifle because it's heavy and I want to mess with it as little as possible because it's so easy to nock it off zero in the mountains.

I didn't get a bull last trip because my scope was off. Easy 140 yard broadside shot that sailed over his back. The little slip / fall I had earlier that morning knocked my scope off 3'high at 100 yards. Not ideal to work that hard to blow a shot. So now I try to only handle my rifle when necessary.

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Wow. What scope and mounts did this happen to?

Yeah I beat the crap out of mine every year and I have never lost zero.

Binos played a big part in finding our spot. Day 1 I spotted a big Bull a couple miles off. The next day we moved to that ridge and day 3 my buddy shot the bull. That was the trip we used glass the least but we got very lucky. Coyotes scared the elk to us.

jayelbee said:

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stdeb11 said:

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Just heard CO 1st choice elk apps are UP by 10k this year. Points only apps down 4k....that's 14,000 more elk apps for 1st choice this year

Not what I was expecting

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I'm not reading it that way. I think that's still only 10k increase on first choice. With 4k pref points fewer, that tells me a lot of people have (or at least think they have) reached their point total for their preferred unit and expect to draw. I bet a lot of people are concerned about the secondary draw vs OTC free for all also. It does make me nervous about doing PP first choice and 2nd choice on a unit that went 2nd last year. I may be SOL.

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How many OTC archery tags moved from OTC to PP draw? That has to be a big driver in additional first choice apps.

Gun opinion question as I don't have a thumper. 6.5 creedmoor or a .270 - read enough that both are on low end but also adequate with a good shot choice - is there enough difference between a 143 grain 6.5 honrnaday precision and 150 grain .270. I already have both guns so this isn't a purchase question.

AgDad121619 said:

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Gun opinion question as I don't have a thumper. 6.5 creedmoor or a .270 - read enough that both are on low end but also adequate with a good shot choice - is there enough difference between a 143 grain 6.5 honrnaday precision and 150 grain .270. I already have both guns so this isn't a purchase question.

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You are looking at about 200 500 more foot pounds of energy with the 270. I would strongly consider a bonded bullet first and a monolithic second.

Edit: I looked it up.

CTGilley said:

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AgDad121619 said:

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Gun opinion question as I don't have a thumper. 6.5 creedmoor or a .270 - read enough that both are on low end but also adequate with a good shot choice - is there enough difference between a 143 grain 6.5 honrnaday precision and 150 grain .270. I already have both guns so this isn't a purchase question.

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You are looking at about 200 500 more foot pounds of energy with the 270. I would strongly consider a bonded bullet first and a monolithic second.

Edit: I looked it up.

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. Good. Thanks - I will likely take some of that money I was putting toward a spotter / tripod into a scope for my .270

I don't think anybody would consider a 270 with the proper bullet marginal for elk. Especially if yours shoots 150gr well

.270 is plenty for elk. I have also killed a couple of Texas grown cow elk with a 6.5 CM 143 gr.

Spend money on good ammo. I like Federal Premium bonded. YMMV You are spending plenty of money on this hunt. Don't skimp on your kill pills. (I had a hard time with this at first.) I wanted to save $50 on boots and my buddy said "If those hurt your feet you will be ready to give $500 on the side of the mountain." I bought the better boots.

Do not sacrifice accuracy for bullet construction. A well placed round is the most important.

Both will work but given you have the option stick with the 270 and bring the other for back up. "Two is One and One is None."

Most Importantly practice at your maximum range. Preseason we send more rounds at 350 yards than any other distance. I would have shot 60+ rounds in the last couple months is it was not for COVID. That is with my 300. Probably 100 with 308 and I try to practice with a couple hundred rounds of 22lr when I can only use an indoor range.

Agreed it may not directly translate 1:1 for apps...and they changed 6ish tags from OTC archery to draw . So that'd be about 1,600 tags/per unit. Could explain a chunk of it but still seems like a major jump compared to that change. Interesting to dig into it once all the results are posted.

It was a Swaro scope on a xbolt. No idea on rings. It is my dad's rifle. It's killed probably 200+ animals from pigs to Texas white tails, to New Mexico mule deer, to my last bull in Colorado.

Couldn't explain it. Put 300 rounds through it in the months leading up to the hunt. Everything was fine, nothing seemed wrong until I whiffed on the shot. It held zero after resighting it in. He hasn't had any issues since.

I'm a little superstition with guns. I had Eyeguy put me together my own mountain gun after I got back.

The part for me that doesn't add up is why your shot went over his back instead of about 3" above his heart, which is still a damn fine shot.

Sweet hell... 3 feet? Woof!

LEJ said:

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The part for me that doesn't add up is why your shot went over his back instead of about 3" above his heart, which is still a damn fine shot.

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Because it was 3 foot high at 100 yards. Wasn't even on paper when I sighted it back in. Definitely not the yips on that one.

That's unfortunate. I carry a laser bore sight dummy round when I travel just to make sure it hasn't moved. I know that's not a situation that will likely ever happen again but never know.

Did you travel with the rifle and could the case have ever been opened without you present? Buddy of mine had an airport security incident once that led him to believe that tree huggers in TSA might have messed with his scope. Now he (and i) find a place to verify zero before heading into the mountains if there's any chance something could have happened. As I'm sure you're aware a half a day wasted checking zero is worth the peace of mind. The laser bore sighter is a good idea too