FWIW, I grew up in Montana hunting elk since 1984. Have been very successful, due in large part to having an older brother that taught me well. Over the years, I've been to Colorado 11 times for elk season due to the over the counter tag availability. Without a doubt, archery season is nothing short of spectacular (anywhere) for many reasons: typically the weather is better (warmer), far fewer people in the woods, you will hear and see elk going crazy (this alone is spectacular), and many other reasons. Honestly, I can't imagine spending $5000 on a hunt during rifle season on public land. Having said that, I know good hunters that kill elk every year on public land, but they also live in the immediate area. But for a moment, let's assume you're set on going during rifle season.
Look at the population centers...there are obviously going to be areas that are crowded, and areas that are very crowded...it is an absolute certainty that all public land is going to be crowded. The only way to mitigate this is to hike into areas that are extremely physically demanding (google Cameron Haines and research the kind of shape this guy is in). Areas within an hour of Denver vs. areas an hour within Durango. Again, Durango is still going to have loads of hunters, but go compare it with areas close to Denver. Second, most of the good guides get booked at the end of the prior season. Not to say a good guide doesn't get a cancellation or maybe there is some new up and coming guide, but be careful...do your homework and research their prior clients. Sadly, there are a lot of crap guides.
As for self-guided hunts with only 2 weeks at your disposal...may as well go buy a lottery ticket while you're at it. Sure, you can get lucky...that's about it. The only caveat to this is if you have 3-4 weeks of vacation time set aside and you go out and spend 1-2 weeks pre-scouting areas. And if you were planning on doing this every year of the next 10 years, maybe that's where you start...gotta start somewhere. Sure, its more affordable and if you're the type that enjoys the entire experience and doesn't mind the possibility of not seeing a single animal, then do it. As I get older, I've trained myself to enjoy the experience and if I bag an elk, great, but if not, I don't go home bummed. After all, if you're doing it to feed your family, you can buy a ton of meat for the price of a hunt. I've seen dozens of guys go home on $5000 hunts having not pulled the trigger a single time.
Myself, I like the Durango area. If you can find a guide that puts you on horseback and gets you in deep, you'll have a better chance of success and probably see fewer hunters than the areas open to trucks/atvs.
Maybe the best advice based on what I've witnessed
- Be in incredible shape...starting hiking with a 40 pound pack up the biggest hills you can find.
- Learn to be comfortable & confident with long and short shots
- Be able to dismount, identify your animal, find target in your scope in literally 1-2 seconds (can't stress this enough)...elk are not going to wait around
- Mitigate your body odor or stay home
- Patience
- Spend hours behind good binoculars, training yourself to recognize animals, movement etc (you'll be glassing for hours most likely)
So many other aspects that I haven't touched on. Again, I would never consider myself an expert elk hunter, but I've killed enough elk to know what works and what doesn't. And don't go spend a ton of money on gear (spend it on a good guide)...a $500 Savage gun/scope combo will kill exactly the same as a $5000 GAP/Nightforce. If anyone tells you need a 1/2 MOA rifle for elk hunting...hmmm, I don't know about that, maybe if you plan on making shots out past 500 yards. Nice binoculars are always a plus if you can afford them (great ones available for less than $500).
But I would start by seeing if any good guides are available. Geez...we didn't even talk about budget.
