Colorado Elk Hunt: Every Legal Bull Is a Trophy

FOUR DEFINING MOMENTS emerge during a Colorado elk hunt. First, you painstakingly ascend a steep, oxygen-deprived mountain slope, counting each laborious step. Second, you doze in the sunlight above 10,000 feet, dreaming of bugling bulls, only to awaken wondering if your dreams were reality. Third, after an unsuccessful day of hunting, you trudge wearily back to camp through the darkness, pausing to rest your aching feet and knees. As you gaze upward, a dazzling starscape elicits laughter. Fourth, you touch the antlers of a fallen bull, realizing that this is the culmination of everything that came before.

I’m currently experiencing a Colorado elk hunt, with hunting partner Nathan Robinson and guide Paul Ritchey. So far, we have yet to spot a legal bull (defined as having at least four points on one side or a 5-inch brow tine) after three days of hunting.

While Nathan and I scan a distant ridgeline, Paul uses his spotting scope to catch a glimpse of a legal bull in a gap within the timber. It’s not a massive specimen, but definitely a nice one.

The herd disappears into the timber, located a mere 1.29 miles away in a direct line of sight. However, it will take us the entire morning to hike up to them. Nevertheless, we now have a plan.

The Challenge of Public Hunting

Nathan and I are hunting in an over-the-counter elk unit during the second rifle season, which is known for its high hunter density. We find ourselves surrounded by other hunters in the woods and at trailheads.

Originally, we had planned to venture deep into the backcountry with Slick Rock Outfitters, using private roads and horseback rides to access remote areas of the national forest. Unfortunately, an early blizzard made that basin impassable, forcing us to change our strategy and hunt from more accessible points in the national forest.

The advantage of the over-the-counter Colorado elk season is its accessibility to anyone. Midwestern deer hunters like Nathan and me can travel to the Rockies and pursue bull elk on public land. However, this also means competition is fierce, as Colorado sells over 90,000 nonresident elk tags each season.

Despite the low success rates, nonresident hunters continue to flock to Colorado. Drawing limited-entry tags or opting for guided hunts on private land may offer higher success rates, but they come with a hefty price tag. In contrast, a nonresident Colorado elk tag costs only $670, making elk hunting in Colorado an affordable option.

Seeking Elk in Extreme Terrain

To spot elk on public land in Colorado, focus your binoculars on areas where you least expect them—steep slopes, distant peaks, and places that require more time spent hiking at night than sleeping.

Will the elk still be there when you finally arrive? That’s the question I pondered while observing a grassy park near the timber where the bull was sighted earlier. I found myself just below the ridge’s summit, nearly 11,000 feet above sea level.

I constructed a makeshift blind among a cluster of evergreens, enjoyed my lunch, and seized a nap. Once I layered up and settled in for the remaining hours before sunset, my hope was that the bull would emerge from the timber to graze.

Nathan and Paul took a different route up the mountain to position themselves on the opposite side of the timber. Our plan was to surround the bull and its cows, unless it had moved elsewhere to feed.

As the sun dipped behind the mountains, movement caught my attention—a flash of light amidst the wild grass. Peering through my binoculars, I discovered a stud…a red fox. The fox gracefully leapt upon a decomposing elk carcass that had eluded my notice earlier. Evidently, I wasn’t the first elk hunter to ascend this ridge during the season. While the fox feasted, I shouldered my pack and descended into the darkening night.

On the following day, we pursued the same strategy: glassing at sunrise, ascending to the summit, and patiently awaiting dusk. However, the outcome remained unchanged, and tomorrow marks the final day of our hunt.

Plan C: A Change of Venue

A mountain hunt instills humility—not the superficial social media version where hunters brag about their successes while feigning modesty. A true mountain hunt reveals the harsh reality of one’s physical limitations and hunting skills, forcing a person to confront their own vulnerabilities.

With our pride thoroughly dismantled and only one day remaining, we receive permission to hunt private land. Our outfitter grants us access to high-desert ranches typically reserved for mule deer hunters, offering us exclusive hunting rights.

Under the dim pre-dawn light, we sit in a pickup truck with heated seats, scanning a rolling expanse of sagebrush and juniper-filled ravines. The elk we seek inhabit local areas consisting of private rangeland, BLM ground, and agricultural fields.

When shooting light arrives, Paul and Nathan head west while I head east. Paul, a seasoned mountain hunter, joined us in Colorado primarily to work with horses, unfamiliar with the tradition of front-country hunts involving driving until a target is spotted. We shoulder our packs and set out on foot instead.

I cautiously move a few hundred yards away from the truck and reach a curved draw lying before me. Focused on scanning the far side, I almost miss the sight of three elk only 100 yards below me. They trot away, displaying no signs of extreme alarm.

The trio rendezvous with additional elk on the opposite side of the draw. Crawling toward the nearest bush, I urgently examine their ranks for a bull. Among the ten elk, the only antlers visible belong to a spike. Suddenly, a bugle resounds. With the wind in my favor, I struggle against the impulse to approach the elk directly. They now stand roughly 600 yards away, moving up the draw. Brush obstructs my vision, permitting only sporadic glimpses of their tan hides. Consequently, I opt to veer south, anticipating their reappearance in an adjacent clearing several hundred yards away.

Just as I’m about to settle against a juniper bush, I hear footsteps. I also hear the unmistakable sound of an elk stepping over a barbed wire fence. Although my view is obstructed by sagebrush, preventing a visual confirmation, the distinctive sound leaves no doubt. Moments later, two cow elk materialize in the draw, 100 yards below me. The fence creaks a second time, and a small group of mule deer filters through the same area. After the fence creaks a third time, the long-awaited bull comes into view.

Raising the rifle, I spot four points, align the bull’s shoulder as it navigates through junipers, and will the shot to fire. The bull collapses where it stands. A swift follow-up shot brings my Colorado elk hunt to a close.

As I approach the fallen bull, I run my hands over its antlers. I realize it’s a young 5×5, uncannily reminiscent of the bull that eluded us in the mountains. I hope he will still be there next season.

Armed and Prepared

I had the privilege of hunting with Browning’s new X-Bolt Mountain Pro Long Range rifle—a masterpiece that ranks as one of the finest X-Bolts I’ve ever fired. Weighing in at a mere 6 pounds 12 ounces, this rifle in 6.8 Western with a 26-inch barrel showcases a carbon stock, Cerakote barrel, and impeccable trigger, elevating it above conventional stock rifles. The addition of a comfortable butt pad and the Recoil Hawg muzzle brake mitigate recoil. I utilized Winchester’s Copper Impact 162-grain loads, which performed remarkably. The first shot shattered both of the bull’s shoulders before exiting, and remarkably, preserved the meat due to the bullet’s cohesive design. During the quartering process, we discovered the second bullet, fired at close range, maintained its structural integrity despite not expanding as expected. In my hands, this rifle and load combination proved to be a reliable option for elk hunting within a 400-yard range.

This article was originally published in the Trophy issue of Outdoor Life. For more OL+ stories, please visit their website.