A little background: I am 43, my Dad is 65 and my son is eighteen (senior). We have talked about hunting out West for years. Talking with my dad we decided if we are ever going to do it 2009 is the year. I need some suggestions as to state/guide. My Dad does not think he is up to horseback. We want to hunt Elk and Mule deer. Definitely want a chance at bulls as big as we can get. We are on a tight budget and this will be our first hunt out West. My Dad and I have hunted together since I was twelve and have killed a lot of whitetails over the years. My son and I will be hunting with pistols and my Dad with a rifle. I have been trying to read up about the application process, but we have not decided on state to focus on yet. We really all want a chance at a bull elk as we do not know when we will get a chance to try again. Thanks for any input and any personal guide experiences.

Brad

Gator,
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Its a hard hunt, with no guarantee...I hope you go into this realizing that. Using a guide/outfitter is EXPENSIVE, unless you catch a last minute deal, or you accept small animals and/or low odds with lots of other hunters. You can still have great success putting the hunt together yourself. Colorado is one of your best bets, we have tons of public land, and a lot of that holds lots of elk. There are hundreds of places you could probably book a hotel or rent a cabin, and be able to drive to some decent hunting land. What kind of pistols? You're gonna need some punch and have to get close, elk ain't whitetails. Mule Deer might be a little tougher if you go for the southwest part of the state, populations were hit VERY hard last winter and people estimate anywhere from 50 to 70% winter kill. Plus, in the SW part of the state, many of the units are managed trophy areas and drawing a tag isn't going to happen without several points built up. If you go farther north, there are still decent bucks around.

Lots of elk hunters here on this board, I'm sure you'll get more then enough suggestions that you'll spend a good amount of time looking through them

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Don't put it off, you and your dad will not get any younger and time together is pretty precious!