Next year I plan to start my Western adventures. I am interested in getting in the backcountry and chasing Elk and Mule deer. Obviously, I want to go where there is a good number of animals, and less people. I have narrowed it down to ID near the Sawtooth NF, CO North central above steamboat, or south of Denver. Any opinions? ~Wojo

For less people, stay away from the areas near metro areas, ie, Denver, Boulder, CO Springs, Ft. Collins etc,. Sawtooths would be better than south of Denver IMO. Boise is two hours from there, but still pretty remote and less people than the CO front range. Steamboat is also nice area and when I went there it looked like it was very huntable. Pretty remote as well, compared to front range. The San Juans to the SW CO and Montrose areas are also farther from big cities like Denver.

If you want less people in CO get a preference point or two.

You would have to be flying in a Jet to make Boise from Denver in two hours!!

Bob

Steamboat area hands down.

My sister-in-law has a cousin who guides out of the Steamboat/Rifle/Kremmling area. Last time I was out there, the cousin had guided one of his clients to a record bull of some sort... maybe CO #1 for ML?

I don't know if he guides bowhunters, let alone stickbow hunters, but at the very least that suggests that there are some good animals up there....

But be aware... even the wilderness areas get pounded pretty hard if there is wheeled access within 1/2 mile or so. Pref point area makes a lot of sense.... I've always hunted the same spot just because it's close to my Mom's place, but the area has been getting a boatload of pressure since the extra cow tags became A Thing....

Further from Texas equals fewer drunks on ATVs.

I've lived in ID and CO. I'd go back to ID in a heart beat, and you couldn't pay me to go to CO for anything.

aromakr, Boise is two hours from the Sawtooths..., so the Sawtooths are more remote and would probably be less crowded than areas near Denver. :)

And there were a boatload of speedgoats along the highway between Stanley and Ketchum last time I drove through there (2 years ago). I'd go there (ID) in a heartbeat as opposed to CO as well.

Three different units n of steamboat. Two are OTC for elk and one draw for elk. All draw for deer and probably all need points. Lots of research involved in doing a combo deer elk in Colorado!

ID Sawtooth is where I am leaning. Drive is far from PA! Anyone fly to their destinations, rent car, park, hike in? ~Wojo

I have lived and hunted in CO my whole life ( & I'm old) - I'd rather hunt Idaho too. Lived in Idaho for six months while in navy.

There's a ton of folks who come to CO to hunt. I say you go to ID.

Fly to Missoula, rent a 4x4 pickup unltd. miles, and drive south toward ID Falls and find areas there. Or else go up the Lolo Pass and over toward Dworshak Res. There is so much area in between that holds big elk and a lot of nice whitetail, you will not be dissapointed. Do some research and find a nice place in ID and have the time of your life. The best to you in your hunt. Then when you score, buy a smaller chest freezer and an extension cord and plug it in at each hotel you stay at on your drive back to PA to keep your meat frozen. ;)

Depends on where you go in CO, on the eastern plains you will have lots of good Mule deer hunting without out all the people, elk is still possible but not as prevalent as in the mountain.

Very little public land East of I-25, though.... Relatively speaking, anyway.

If it weren’t for the fact that I know the area that I've always hunted as well as I do, and the fact that I get some time with my mom and my brother... and now my godson is up there with him.... I think Idaho would be a bucket-list kind o’ trip.

I'm just grateful I live in Colorado. I look at the prices for some of the guys to come here to hunt elk and it's overwhelming to me.

Justin, just wait until you decide to hunt whitetails in Iowa!

I don’t nessiarily need to hunt elk. I don’t really have the lust over them like other people. Mule deer would be great too for western adventure. Tag would likely be cheaper to. I will most likely go solo (no one is ever able to make the commitment) so hauling a mule deer out solo might be a better choice. Thoughts?

~Wojo

Are you limited to CO or ID? UT has some really fine Mule deer hunting, as does WY. And as for mulies, my feeling are that the big bucks are easiest to hunt there in mid Nov to Dec. So even if it is rifle season then probably, big mature mulies are anything but approachable (except when in velvet maybe, but that would not be my choice). They are down lower and in with does during their rut (Nov), and you could pull sneaks on them dressed in all-white. Colder weather is better. Any western state that has mulies will be like that. Try the Star Valley - look it up and research it. BIG mulie bucks there. Also check the Wind Range areas of WY. I am not sure where DIY OTC mule deer tags are available in which states, but that is easy to find out in a web search. Also check out some antelope hunts. There are lots of goats these days. Fun to stalk. Elk hunting is a serious effort and may not be suited to your first time western hunting tip.

add: big mature mulies are anything but approachable OUTSIDE of the rut period, (during the regular bow season). IME that is... big mulie bucks are the most difficult animal to get into range of unless they are in the rut. The rest of the time, good luck with that, esp. regular bow season, at least where I hunted (in Montana and WA). In my travels through all the western states during Nov., I've seen gobs of big bucks down low in with the does along roads, in fields, and around ranches. They can be hunted with bow during the regular guns seasons if so desired. Otherwise, you might be settling for smaller mulie bucks (forkies and 3x3s, smaller 4x4s) if hunting during reg. bow seasons, and they are not as tough to hunt as whitetails. Nothing wrong with that, its all a personal choice.

Trapper, good advise there. I might switch my searches to Mulies. Ever hunt SD? Black hills? I here there is a good amount there. ~Wojo

Haven't hunted South Dakota for mulies, but have North Dakota. Not too difficult to get a tag, and easier hunting IMO. Country is a lot less steep or high. Don't think the racks run as big as mulies in Colorado, but some very nice bucks.

The oil boom has opened up the country with a lot of roads However, private land interspersed between public land can limit access. If I understand the laws correctly, you can't drive a road through private land to get to public land without permission.

I always think about going somewhere else to hunt until I start figuring up the cost. I'm not real concerned about getting a big buck or a giant bull. I just want to harvest animal so I can eat it.

Wojo, never hunted the Dakotas but I would if I had the opportunity. I've hunted central MT, east and SW of Billings and on one ranch saw over 20 MD bucks in one day, 2 made B&C easily. But they never got closer than 1/4 mile away, early in season, Oct. Some of the smaller ones did. It was pretty open country. SD is probably a good bet, from late Oct. on. Great pheasant and decent WT ops too. Black Hills has elk but not sure of tags availability, draw, OTC, etc.

“I always think about going somewhere else to hunt until I start figuring up the cost. I'm not real concerned about getting a big buck or a giant bull. I just want to harvest animal so I can eat it.“ Justin, I feel the same way. That is why I might be leaning towards Mule deer! Cost and opportunity. South Dakota Black hill looking better and better. Would not be a terrible drive too! ~Wojo

I wouldn't call the Black Hills "wilderness". It's pretty and all but really does get a lot of folks coming and going. You'll see deer but it's not anything special. Now if you want deer, north of Bella Fourche east and west of 85 is loaded with deer. And a fair number of antelope between 85 and Wyoming. It's not wilderness but has game if you're looking to kill stuff. If you're not so interested in the kill and like a good hike, go to the Hills. And when I think mule deer I don't think mountains for hunting them. Sure they are there but you'll see more deer on the plains and around the ag lands. Heck, south of Wall there's large bands of Bighorn sheep in the Buffalo Gap Grasslands so you don't even need to climb a mountain to find sheep.

And the drive on 90 coming from the east, just about all you see is Wall Drug signs. 100's of them. Flatland and you don't get much contour until you're just outside of Rapid City. At least you can drive 80 and not worry about getting a ticket.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/I-80/@41.1700661,-106.8869853,8z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x879873f6bb8f48d5:0x500e4702124c4f3!8m2!3d40.7269708!4d-98.6695873

Jason, Map of I-80 link attached. Take a close look at the area between Cheyenne and Rawlins, Wyo along I-80, the same I-80 that cuts through your home state. It is almost due west and probably a very easy drive with no highway changes. The areas along the highway near Laramie to Rawlins, esp. south, are beautiful country that hold good game populations. Beautiful scenery and habitat there esp. to the south of the highway. Last time I drove through here in early November, 2015, there were groups of mulies all along these stretches, and many nice bucks in with does were in plain sight from the main highway. There were also a lot of antelope. This would be a very direct drive for you, and a great place to hunt if you could do some landowner searching and secure permission to bow hunt some of these lands ahead of time. I am not sure of Wyo deer tag availability, maybe draw only, but it is definitely worth a look and in three days you could be due west of your home hunting nice country. The Medicine Bow Nat. Forest and surrounding foothills is a very gamey area. Good luck. Or you could go further south into CO through Medicine Bow and into Routte Nat. Forests. That's big country for sure. Do some searching and let us know what you find out. I for one would be interested in hearing about it. Thanks.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.1861055,-106.1273108,12670m/data=!3m1!1e3 Check out areas around Albany, Wy. Lots of public Nat. For., and some great looking mulie country. Elk too I'd bet. In fact, after looking at this, I might even plan on a trip there myself. TK

Ok, so I've hunted Co. 3 elk seasons and Idaho for the last 10 or so, can't remember exactly, but for me it would be Idaho hands down.

Couple of things to consider....in Colorado there is a concurrent ML season during the 2nd and 3rd weeks, there are a lot less hunters in the Idaho OTC public land areas than CO., a lot of OTC areas in CO are closed to cow hunting. Colorado is a heck of a lot closer drive!

I've traveled by air and road to Idaho....it is a long ass drive but bring anything that you want and easy to get meat home. Lots of options for flying depending on where you decide to hunt in Idaho. I've flown into Lewiston and Boisy but have also considered Missoula.

Once you get a plan together make sure you check current conditions. It's not like here in PA, they might close a road that could cost you 8 hours additional driving to get where you are going....also check the forest fire reports right up to the day you are leaving.

Parts of Idaho can be brutal to hunt. Steep, thick nasty stuff but the more brutal the less people. Good luck!

There is a HUFGE elk herd on Pikes Peak and surrounding area in Pike National Forest. The thick timber on north slope. Little seeps in every draw. The animals hear atv and motorcycles all the time along front range.

MEdicine bow area looks nice, however, WY license is all draw. ~Wojo

MEdicine bow area looks nice, however, WY license is all draw. ~Wojo

OK, Lets start a new thread. “Mule Deer/Public land/Easy To Get Tags”

~Wojo

I lived and hunted western North Dakota for seven years. There is a good mule deer population there, and whitetails. Any deer tags (whitetail or mule deer) are draW, a whitetail only tag can be purchased over the counter. There is some very good public land and private land that they may give permission on all along the Little Missouri River. The oil boom has slowed a bit, so there isn't quite the craziness! And yes, oil service access roads across private land are PRIVATE ROADS and not open to the public. The biggest trespass problem we had was people trying to drive the oil service roads! Get a quality map from the Forest Service, they generally (but aren't always accurate) show the public roads and private roads. Read the signs, and when in doubt, don't proceed until you've talked to the landowner.

Idaho. Get the A tag for elk and bring some good boots. Practice climbing "a lot!"

I'm figuring that if you want to go west and go hunting solo, you want to find the best area to stalk whatever animal you end up going after. Not saying that is easy, but if you blow a stalk, you still have a memory. Calling, or sitting in a stand can be a total washout.

But more than that. To flip it around, if a guy said he wanted to do a solo hunt for whitetails in the east. Had on the outside 2 weeks. Where would a good place be to go to, you know, scout and pattern the deer, set up a dozen stands, and get a trophy, there is a helpful answer to that, and it starts "so how many years are you planing on coming..."

There are a lot of reasons for going unguided, but if you want to get from 0-60 on something as foreign as calling, it isn't a one trip option, as far as I can see. At least with stalking it is a technique that has some degree of application everywhere. You can use your glasses to deal with the unfamiliar degree of energy required to be put out in the mountains, and if nothing else you do some sight seeing.

Does any of that make sense? I've been west quite a bit but only for business and to see friends, no hunting so far.

I'm figuring that if you want to go west and go hunting solo, you want to find the best area to stalk whatever animal you end up going after. Not saying that is easy, but if you blow a stalk, you still have a memory. Calling, or sitting in a stand can be a total washout. **I TOTALLY AGREE**

“But more than that. To flip it around, if a guy said he wanted to do a solo hunt for whitetails in the east. Had on the outside 2 weeks. Where would a good place be to go to, you know, scout and pattern the deer, set up a dozen stands, and get a trophy, there is a helpful answer to that, and it starts "so how many years are you planing on coming...". **HUNTING IS HUNTUNG NO MATTER WHAT SPECIES. YOU NEED TO OUT THE TIME IN. I JUST WANT TO GET STARTED OUT WEST. I AM WILLING TO GO HOME EMPTY HANDED. HECK, I’M A TRAD BOWHUNTER. I GO HOME EMTY HANDED ALOT**

There are a lot of reasons for going unguided, but if you want to get from 0-60 on something as foreign as calling, it isn't a one trip option, as far as I can see. At least with stalking it is a technique that has some degree of application everywhere. You can use your glasses to deal with the unfamiliar degree of energy required to be put out in the mountains, and if nothing else you do some sight seeing.

Does any of that make sense? I've been west quite a bit but only for business and to see friends, no hunting so far“

~Wojo

Spot n stalk on elk can be tough. The spotting part might not be so hard but the stalk not so much. When you spot elk a mile or two away, getting to them can be difficult no matter how physically able you are. And, the longer it takes the less likely that they will be there.

But that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't do it.

There is only one absolute rule that applys to elk hunting, "be flexible". :-)

I walked 13.5 miles today looking for elk. It's 1st rifle season here in CO. Folks everywhere. The FS road to the area I hunt is 10 miles long. There's forty campers so far.......

Go to Idaho.

Justin, Sounds like opening day of rifle here is PA. Orange Army is out in full force! I stay out of the woods! ~Wojo

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