Black Elk Outfitters

[Shooter]

Last Year I went out to Colorado Elk hunting with a bow. I had been trying to go for many years and something always came up. I was going out by myself so I knew I had to go with an outfitter just because if I shot something I would need help getting it out. I looked for an outfitter for about 3 months and everyone was 3000 to 15000 + your tag. I didn't want to spend that kind of money for 1 week and have nothing to show for it if I didn't get one. Plus my wife was talking about going with if she could get off work and everyone I talked to said she would have to pay the same amount or a little discount for her. I found an outfitter in Walden Colorado (Black Elk Outfitters). The cost for a 7 day privite land hunt was 950 dollars. If my wife or a friend wanted to go with it would cost them 3 dollars for a search and rescue fee. You have to bring your own tent or camper to stay in and you cook all your own meals. They run 4 ranches. I hunted the coyote ranch witch is 4200 acres there was 11 other hunters hunting that week with me. I was thinking that was alot of people for that many acres but I was wrong. I never seen another hunter. This is not a guided hunt so to speak. There is 1 to 2 guides for each ranch. If you are new to the ranch the guide will go with you a day or two of your 7 day hunt if you want. Last year I went out there for a seven day hunt. The first day I was there I passed up 2 small 5 by 5's and shot a big 5 by 3 nontypical bull. I only hunted there for about 6 hours and my hunt was over. The guide and a group of other hunters hunting on the ranch helped me get my elk out (Polaris Rangers). I got to no one of the hunters and he told me he hunted all week and had chances at elk almost every day but never connected with anything. This year I didn't go I talked a couple guys who did one guy wounded 1 big bull and the other had chances almost every day. The guy that wounded the bull missed 4 times the last day at 4 different bulls. The success rate has not been that good for killing elk in the last 2 years but your opp. is 100 percent for everyone I have talked to. www.blackelkoutfitters.com

[Stump]

That sounds like a great situation if you wanted more of a cheaper DIY situation, but wanted to hunt land that wasn't open to just everyone.

Thanks for the heads up!

[yahtz]

I have bow hunted the walden area on goverment ground and always saw a ton of animals. Good area for muleys too.

[RidgeRunner]

Great info I've always wanted to hunt elk but the budget is always a bit stretched after chasing deer. I'll definitely look into this as an option.

[Shooter]

Here are a couple pics of my elk from this ranch

[Stump]

Great bull! Awesome looking character rack.

[dacoop77]

Great photos of you elk. My family has been hunting the Walden area since the 70's. It is a great area and I love the terrain. My father got a nice 5x5 a couple years ago and my brother did as well. We are heading out again this October.

A good friend of my owns an outfitter not to far away in Craig. You can find him at Huntfishguide.com. The name is Ivory Outfitters.

[Double D]

I have hunted with Black Elk Oufitters from the late 1980's to around 2006. I would have 4 or 5 of the same guys everyyear and then another 5 or 6 new ones each year. I introduced over 75 of my friends to elk hunting on the Coyote and we harvested well over 150 elk. We always had a great time and the only reason I got away from hunting there was because of my quest to shoot a huge elk which I finally accomplished last fall. A 405 inch giant with a muzzleloader in New Mexico which made the cover of Huntin Fool's March issue. Now I'm going to go after one with a bow, but first I will go back to one of Dell's ranches for some practice. New Mexico has some huge bulls but not even close to the number of bulls on the land Black Elk Outfitters leases. I know every inch of the Coyote ranch and have personally shot 21 elk and from all parts of the ranch because you just don't know where you will run into the elk. The most amazing part is that of the 150+ elk only 1 was quartered and packed out! Great time especially with a group of your friends or first timers.