QuoteOriginally posted by jleidy:
Great advice from Old Goat.
I will add, learn how to use a good cow call. Try to avoid the squeak toys if possible. They all sound the same... every squeeze...
You can get many different sounds out of a good diaphragm and some practice.
They should be bugling their heads off at that time.
Have a blast!
j

I've actually had pretty good luck more than once with a Wayne Carlton squeeze call, I about got run over by a herd my first season and that was in a hard hunted OTC unit, I wasn't confident yet with a diaphragm then, now I still use it to add an extra sound along with a diaphragm and open reed call and to use when I'm stopping to eat and have a mouth full of food or when I have a chew in. The good thing about the Wayne Carlton model is that you don't have to hold it in your hand like you do the Hootchie Mama, you can leave it in your pocket and operate it with a single finger! But I don't suggest relying on one of them alone!!!! Open reeds are a little easier to use if you can't do the diaphragm and it isn't a bad idea to have a couple on a necklace rig to sound like more than one elk. If you can use a diaphragm for turkey, you should pick up elk calling pretty fast.

Congratulations! You'll have a great time. I live in NW Colorado at alltitude.  I ALWAYS hire a packer. I'm in my late 40's with plenty of energy to pack one out, but you saw BasinBoy's GPS track. $350 is way cheap compared to a hospital trip!  LOL Besides, after you kill one you'll want to relax and enjoy the view while the packer puts it in your truck!  Be prepared to quarter and hang immediately after kill. Look long and hard at the gutless method. I haven't gutted an elk in years, and I plan to keep it that way!  LOL

Holler if you have any other questions. You are getting solid advice so far!!

Have multiple areas picked out to hunt.  You don't want to pack into a basin and spend 10+ days in an area where there are no elk.

went when i was 34, was in great shape was running 3 to5 miles a day, but the elevation about killed me. that beging said it effects everyone differently. be prepared to drop down in elevation and stay hydrated.

It is sure nice to have several friends helping pack an elk out , I'm doing DIY Colorado again this year and hope I put some friends to work again....

,,,,Sam,,,,

Thanks for all of the input guys! I'm training hard! I'm hard core (or just plain crazy as my wife always says). I do have experience with altitude just not elk hunting. Even though I'm from Missouri the west has always agreed with me for some reason. Everyone is different I guess. I'll keep you guys posted with my progress!

I sent you a PM Dark Timber.

Have a plan to get it out.  Know what your capabilities are with packing and don't stray from it.  At times, I carry two quarters to cut down on the distance.  Overall I hiked 42 miles and got half the elk out before snow pushed me off the mountain.  Horses got the other half off.

Have a map and a compass and learn how to use them well.  GPS can break or run out of batteries.  

Plan for the worst.

Don't camp near the peak, when a storm rolls in your in the storm and lighting is very close!

Just don't overdue it the first day. Let your body acclimate to the elevation that first day. Also do a lot of scouting now by using GooglEarth or other map programs.  Enjoy the hunt.

8-leg lover, I too plan on going to 71 this year as I was there last year as well. Tentively the plan is to be there for all of early archery. Arriving August 25th and Leaving about the 10th of September. I hope were not planning on leaving when the getting gets good but with ML Muley coming in I'm afraid the extra pressure will be a problem. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

The ML tag numbers are pretty small usually. Usually not an issue, I just put a really big blaze orange bandana on the back of or our packs during a ML season, if they are in front of me I can see them, if they are behind me they can see me.