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| Hunt |
Price per person, hunter:guide ratio |
| Elk rifle, Oct. 10-14 or Nov. 11-15 |
$3,850 2x1; $4,850 1x1 |
| Elk archery, 5 days, Aug. 29-Sept. 27 season |
$3,250 self-guided |
| Elk muzzleloader, 5 days, Sept. 12-20 season |
$3,250 self-guided |
| Guided 5-day mule deer, Aug. 29-Sept. 27 season |
$2,500 2x1; $3,500 1x1 |
| Unguided 5-day mule deer |
$2,000 self-guided |
| Elk/deer combo hunts, 5 days |
$6,000 2x1 $7,000 1x1 |
| Merriams turkey |
$450 for three days, $750 five days |
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Hunter success
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License |
| Usually 80 to 95 percent kill rate on gun hunts. Bow hunts average 50 percent kill. In 2008 a total of 16 rifle bull elk hunters spread over four seasons, and they got 13 bulls to 335 B&C with most bulls 5x5s and 6x6s. Six of seven deer hunters got their bucks with one blackpowder hunter not scoring even though he saw some great bucks. Two bowhunters got a 5x5 bull and a 4x4 buck. |
No preference points needed for elk rifle or bow tags, but you must apply by April 7 except for rifle tags during the combined seasons. Two preference points needed for blackpowder elk tags. Five preference points needed for muzzleloader deer. You must apply for deer and bow tags, but no preference points are needed. Click here for the latest prices for Colorado tags. Transferable landowner vouchers available if you don't book in time to apply for a tag. |
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| Seasons |
Lodging/meals |
Archery deer or elk, Aug. 29-Sept. 27
Muzzleloader deer or elk, Sept. 12-20
Rifle elk: Oct. 10-14 or Nov. 11-15.
Combined rifle deer and elk: Oct. 17-25 or Oct. 31-Nov. 6 |
A small house is available for rent near the ranch at a rate of $75 per group of four hunters. Evening meals are provided. Hunters provide their own breakfasts and lunches. You can stay in a Trinidad motel 30 miles away if you prefer. |
| Terrain |
Travel |
| 4,500 acres of private land composed of flat and fairly moderate slopes with grassy meadows and timber |
Fly to Denver or Colorado Springs and rent a car or pay $100 round trip for a guide to pick you up |
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Trophy size
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Notes
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| Most bulls taken on this hunt are 5x5s and 6x6s. The biggest bulls score 300 or better. The biggest bull taken in 2008 scored about 335 B&C. Most hunters shoot bucks from 22 to 28 inches wide. The bigger bucks usually have extra points. |
The outfitter/rancher owns a meat packing plant and will take of your game for 85 cents per pound. Hunters also may opt to take a bison on a 5,000-acre ranch across the line in New Mexico. Expect to pay $4,000 or more for a trophy bull, $3,000 for a meat bull and $2,000 for a cow. |
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Here's a chance to hunt elk and mule deer at a reasonable price on private land in southern Colorado. Hunter success is usually very high because the outfitter doesn't take many hunters for the amount of land and game that he has to offer.
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"I limit my camp to six hunters during a season, but we usually take just four," he said. "Almost everybody gets shooting. Last year during four different rifle seasons we filled 13 out of 16 elk tags. We filled six of seven deer tags. The deer hunter who did not kill a buck was hunting without a guide during blackpowder season. He some saw great bucks but didn't get one."
You'll be hunting about 4,500 of private land that is not overly steep or rugged, making this a good hunt for hunters who are not in tiptop physical condition. The outfitter owns about 1,400 of the acres you'll hunt and runs about 100 head of cattle and also runs a meat packing plant in a town of 700 or so citizens. He can cut and wrap your venison for 85 cents a pound. The ranch is about 30 miles from Trinidad, which has a big box store and several motels. The ranch is about 60 miles from Pueblo.
Most hunters choose to rent a small house near the ranch. It comfortably sleeps four and can accommodate up t o six hunters and costs $75 per night per group of four hunters. The outfitter provides suppers, but hunters are responsible for breakfasts and lunches. The rancher also has a 24-foot travel trailer available to customers, but it does not have running water, just heat and electricity.
Most bull elk taken on this hunt during the past four years have been 5x5s and 6x6s with the larger bulls scoring 300 or more. The biggest bull taken in 2008 scored about 335 Boone and Crockett points. The biggest deer taken in 2008 were approximately 28 inches wide and carried six points on each antler.
The ranch also has Merriams turkeys, and you can hunt them for $450 for three days. You must draw a tag to hunt turkeys.
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