I’m drawing a line in the sand and calling it how I see it right now. The 2019 Colorado elk archery season could be the best we’ve seen in a long time. Why, you ask? Let me explain my reasoning. 

There are a number of factors that go into my prediction of a banner elk hunting year for Colorado, some of which are statistically based, some are purely anecdotal, and some are based on what my gut is telling me, even though right now it’s saying I’m hungry. In all aspects of life, from the economy to wild places, everything comes and goes in humps and valleys much like a roller coaster. One year we are up, the next year we are down, and the circle of life continues the way it always has based on the simple principles of supply and demand. 

2018 Was A Down Year For Harvest

Backing it up to the Winter of 2017/2018, Colorado experienced one of the least precipitation snow years that it had seen in a very long time. With the high country barren in the Spring of 2018 due to lack of snow cover, the elk were already off to a bad start as green pastures quickly turned to brown. By the summer of 2018, the majority of the state was plagued by severe drought conditions and ravaged by wildfires, so when archery elk season rolled around in late August, much of the habitat and food sources were simply burned, dried up, and spit out. Because of this weather-related trend, it caused a shift in patterns related to food and water in order for elk to survive tough conditions. This meant that areas of the high country where elk were normally found in abundance, looked like ghost towns and deserted areas without an animal to be seen for miles. Did the elk just drop off the face of the Earth and disappear into the abyss? No, they simply moved to greener pastures, which were mostly concentrated around private irrigated farmland. 

Due to this shift, the 2018 elk harvest estimates published by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife were down quite significantly as compared to the 2017 harvest results the year prior. Not every unit declined, some remained the same but the three units I spent the majority of time hunting in last year showed a harvest rate that was down a combined 32% on average during archery season. That’s a pretty damn significant drop when you consider the average success rates for bowhunting elk hovers around 10%. I have a feeling there will be a higher number of timber horses running around the mountains this fall for all of us to put an arrow through, which means more opportunities and chances to join the 10% club. 

Above Average 2019 Winter Snow Precipitation

Just like the other side of a teeter-totter, the weather did a 180 from the winter prior where barren peaks were now covered to the top of the trees in snow. Why is this significant? Even at the beginning of July 2019, there is snow in those high alpine meadows above 10,000 feet, which means the elk have yet to devour all of the fresh grasses that will be soon be emerging from the ground. During this time last year, the grass in the high country was burnt to a crisp and by mid-July, all of the elk had vacated their usual stomping grounds. 

In addition to providing a more prolonged summer green-up of protein packed grasses, the well above average snowpack guarantees that there will be plenty of runoff to fill up every mountain stream and water hole in the high country. Elk need a ton of water to sustain healthy growth and this year they have plenty of it. 

Rain, Rain, Don’t Go Away

Coinciding with a heavy winter that has left the high country covered in fluffy white powder still to this day, good amounts of rainfall have us off to a much better start than we were in 2018. By this time the year prior, fire season was in full swing with millions of acres of BLM and National Forest being burned the ground, but with destruction comes rejuvenation and growth. Every single burn area from last summer is now getting pummeled with rain, which means they will be prime food and habitat for elk this Fall and in the coming years. 

Green grasses in the high country will be plentiful and my fingers are crossed that consistent precipitation will continue throughout the remainder of the summer. The entire mountain west needs it and so does the wildlife.

Bonus Antler Growth and Healthy Fawns

As a byproduct of more precipitation and an abundance of food, antler growth and calf development will benefit. At the beginning of May, I was seeing bulls sporting big branch antlers and healthy muscle composition, which leads me to believe growth is off to a great start. I’ve also been seeing calves that look large and healthy for this time period, which will benefit future generations of elk for overall health and reproduction. I know most of us aren’t in it for the trophy experience, but who doesn’t like big bulls with big antlers? In my opinion, it’s icing on the cake!

Mother Nature DGAF

Let’s be honest for one-second here; Mother Nature doesn’t listen to anyone and she makes her own rules. Western Colorado might not receive another drop of rain for the remainder of the year (I hope I didn’t jinx it) and we could once again be presented with a dry hot summer. You just never really know, but how things stand currently, we are off to a wonderful start and the stars are aligning to be a great year for archery elk hunting in Colorado. 

With this in mind, hopefully, you have a bit of extra motivation during your preparation for elk season. Keep shooting that bow, keep breaking in your gear, and stay consistent with your workouts so you won’t miss a single day on the mountain this fall. Hold on tight and buckle your seat belts because it’s about to get crazy. Until then I’ll ask, is it September yet?

Jared started taking DIY elk hunting trips in 2015 where he applied his aggressive ‘run-and-gun’ hunting style and quickly learned the ropes of what it takes to have success on the mountain. He walks us through the learning curve he went through and tactics he uses to find big bulls on over-the-counter (OTC) units in western states such as Colorado, Montana, and Idaho. Jared also tells us why chooses not to pre-scout areas and the strategies he implements to find public hunting areas that are often overlooked by other hunters.

This episode is jam-packed with stories, inspiration, and tactics for everyday DIY elk hunters so you won’t want to miss this one. For more information on Whitetail Adrenaline and their public land whitetail and elk hunting videos, please visit www.whitetailadrenaline.com.

Topics Covered In This Episode Include:

• Recapping the show season for Whitetail Adrenaline and the long days of video editing for the 2019 DVD series
• The background of Whitetail Adrenaline, how it got started back in 2007, and what they have done to produce the most realistic and authentic public land hunting videos ever created
• Bowhunting whitetail deer from the ground and the growing trend of aggressive hunting on public land
• The transition from whitetail deer hunting to elk hunting and the addiction that comes with hearing that first bugle
• Getting started with elk hunting and learning the ropes during your first trip by being aggressive and putting on the miles
• The differences and similarities between hunting deer compared to hunting elk
• Eliminating acreage when determining where to elk hunt and finding overlooked areas of public land
• How a Montana whitetail trip sparked Jared’s first elk hunt
• Milking a spot too long during his first trip and how that hindered their initial success because they ran out of time
• A 19-mile hike on the first day of Jared’s first Colorado OTC elk hunt
• Glassing and scouting from afar without diving head first and burning yourself out on the first couple days
• Finding an overlooked chunk of BLM land that held big bulls while other hunters passed it by
• Surveying meadows and open areas with optics and the tactics Jared uses to set up for strategic glassing in order to gain a point of direction
• Tips and tactics for finding elk in pressured areas by driving around and listening for bugles at night
• Hunting early season during the first few days versus late September during the rut and which time period Jared prefers
• Terrain features to key in on to find elk during all hours of the day
• Calling elk versus moving in silent and what Jared prefers for a strategy
• How to move in on elk and how to get within bow-range when dealing with herds of cows and swirling winds
• Hunting with a longbow and a camera guy and the challenges it brings compared to a rifle or compound bow while solo hunting
• New Mexico limited draw unit hunts and how that was different than hunting OTC units in other states
• Showing up to a hunt without any sort of plan and why Jared prefers that strategy
• Setting yourself up for success on the first few days by reconning parcels, putting miles on your vehicle, and glassing from strategic points
• Streamlining lodging and camping during a DIY public land elk hunt
• Jared’s 2019 elk hunting plans for September and what’s coming down the pipe for this Fall

On today’s episode, Drew takes us on a walk through his most memorable moments of this past September and the multiple encounters he had with big public land bulls. We also talk about his background and the previous podcast we recorded where he talks about Reel Game Calls in Episode 18. He then tells the story of his 320” 6×8 bull and the details of how everything unfolded on the very last weekend.

For more information on Drew’s company, Reel Game Calls, visit www.reelgamecalls.com.

Topics Covered In This Episode Include:

• The 2018 drought in Colorado and how it affected elk hunting for both myself and Drew
• Drew’s latest venture, I Fight For Elk Colorado, a non-profit to help improve elk populations and elk hunting in Colorado
• Things we can all do to help educate people on impacts on elk due to hiking, camping, four wheeling, and other recreational activities
• The state of predator management in Colorado and what Drew thinks we can do to improve our hunting
• Shed hunting restrictions and how that isn’t enough for protecting elk in the wintering zones
• How Reel Game Calls was started and Drew’s background prior to getting into the hunting industry
• New game calls for 2018 and what is coming down the pipe for 2019
• The highlight of my elk season where I called in a big bull for my buddy Ryan using a mix of the Elk Reel cow call and the OTC RPG Compact Bugle
• Other testimonials from Drew’s customers and how great it feels to hear peoples success stories
• How Drew was able to pull a Unit 61 Colorado Elk Archery Tag and the process behind getting started hunting that unit
• Scouting in the Spring and trying to learn the unit as best as possible before hunting
• The struggle of hunting in a unit with a large fire and drought and how he has able to use that info to adjust hunting plans
• How Drew nailed down a specific area to hunt within a large unit
• The heart-pounding encounter of Drew’s 6×8 bull he shot with a bow, which took three arrows to put down
• Recovering the bull and the grueling pack-out in an area that was secluded with nasty downfall and steep terrain
• The strategy of how Drew he was able to find his bull and how he was able to access the area
• Crazy elk encounters he had while hunting a coveted draw area
• How unit 61 has changed over the years and how it compares to how it was 10-15 years ago
• Testing new “hands free” elk calls that are coming out for 2019 and the last three years of product development
• Anticipating the release of Drew’s 2018 elk hunt video that will hopefully be launching in the near future