Howler

Don't get too stuck on thinking you have to be at tree line early in the season. It varies across the state. The area that we currently archery hunt has elk below 9000' in Sept., and as high as tree line.
My family still hunts first rifle season every year and they've never killed anything at tree line and actaully seem to do quite well every year between 9000' and 10000'.

roger hicks

I live in Pueblo Co. and was raised in Pa. 38 years of elk hunting started off very slow. you must learn to hunt elk and forget most you know about white tail hunting. Most of Colorado has good numbers of elk 250 thousand, Pa. has 2,000,000 deer and the state is less then half the size of Colorado. Pick up the pace cover as much mountain as you can, use good optics any place you can see for miles. Do not slow down till you see elk then start to hunt. If you see no elk today in the morning go to the next ridge or drainage and do not hunt as a group. You take one drainage and your bud another till you find what you are looking for.

Silver_Wolf

As already stated, get into good shape. Hunt until Dark. I have seen so many animals when a lot of people are already heading back to camp. Stay that extra 30 minutes. Batteries are cheap, get some flashlights. GPS also can help keep you from getting lost after dark if you know how to use them.

Get as good of binoculars as you can afford. Use the glass to find the animals, then hunt them hard. Elevation always helps when glassing. Don't limit yourself to looking 500 yards away. Look the next ridge line over 1-2 miles away. I have decent pair of bino's and when the evening sun hits them, on a west facing slope, they will light up if you know what to look for. Finding them is the easy part sometimes. Figuring out how to hunt a certain drainage without chasing them to the next county can be the challenge. A lot of times I will hunt a certain drainage, but always try to get myself into a position that I can watch multiple ones at same time. I will get into a spot where I can have a shot on one hillside, and watch one or two others at same time. I am too far away for the other spots, but if I see animals I can make a decision on if I can make a stalk on them.

Never go into the bedding area, you will just chase them out. Try to find where they are moving to / from and setup between there. Use elevation to your advantage. I have watched a herd for two or three days before actually going after them.

Use a premium bullet. They are large animals. Find a premium bullet that shoots well in your gun. I prefer Barnes X, but there are many good premium bullets these days.

And last but not least. Have a plan on getting meat out / processed. Sounds like you have drop camp, are they going to help pack meat out also, or just pick up in your camp. If you shoot an animal several miles from camp, have a plan to get it back to camp. Butcher and Taxidery fees add up fast. Not to mention shipping fees for both.

Keep in mind that the hunting in Colorado is hard. Hunting elk can be even harder. Not having hunted elk before your in for an uphill battle. The hunting experience is what make the hunt enjoyable.

Food For Thought.
"2009 Elk Harvest, Hunters and Percent Success for All Rifle Seasons" : Antlered 18%. 2010 hunt harvest information not posted, but 2009 is. If you know what unit your hunting the Colorado Dow has a wealth of information if you take time to find it.

Good luck with your hunt.

Poor Man

Want pointers on elk scouting hunting calling and knoledge of how to go about a wilderness hunt? That is precisly what my website is all about its an easy read and to the point. I have also hunted whitetail in the midwest. www.publiclandforthepoorman.com

Muley Hunter

I live at 8500 ft, and hike 300 days a year at over 10,000 ft.

Elk hunting still wears me out. When you think you're in shape. Work out harder.