What Colorado may lack in terms of statewide antler quality, it more than makes up for in hunting opportunity, particularly in the northwestern part of the state where the elk hunting on the Western Slope is second to none. "Virtually the entire Western Slope is good," Watkins agreed.

Citing the biggest regional wapiti numbers in the state, the CDOW big-game coordinator is bullish on hunting prospects here.

"Almost half of the elk in the state are there," Watkins said. "So basically, west of the Continental Divide and from Grand Mesa north, we've got good numbers of elk in most of our units on the West Slope; and the hunting should be very good again.

"We have been somewhat successful in reducing some of our elk population numbers there to get them to DAU objectives approved by the Wildlife Commission. But while we've been successful, there are still lots of elk. Hunting prospects should be excellent. I'd certainly put it (the forecast grade) at an 'A' because the outlook is still very good."

HUNTING HOTSPOTS FOR 2006
With hallowed trophy units 2, 201, and 10 in the region, Watkins says that hunters lucky enough to have a bull tag for these rugged treasure troves can expect good chances to find a top-end animal this fall.

But even if you don't have enough preference points to enjoy such a mega-bull hunt, ample hunting opportunity -- and ample elk -- await here, particularly in places such as the famed 235,035-acre Flat Tops Wilderness Area where GMUs 12, 24, 25, 26, 33 and 34 are found.

Even so, however, these critters aren't always easy to find. If you find yourself scratching your head to locate elk here, Watkins advises that you avoid the temptation to hopscotch around. "Being familiar with an area is a big advantage in elk hunting," Watkins said. "By moving around a lot, you lose that advantage."

Most successful elk hunters fill their tags each year because of good old-fashioned hard work, not to mention pre-season research aimed at putting themselves in an area with fair elk numbers and good habitat.

Once there, they simply put in the time, effort and energy necessary to locate the animals and to successfully stalk into range for a lethal shot.

"Elk are pretty intelligent animals, and you usually don't stumble into them," Watkins said. "If you see evidence that elk should be there, but you can't find them, it might be worth staying there until you find them."

SOUTHWEST COLORADO
Finding elk shouldn't be much of a problem in the southwestern corner of Colorado, a place where Old Man Winter virtually forgot to show up a year ago.

"There should be lots of elk here with a lot of bulls," said Scott Wait, the Durango-based CDOW senior biologist for the region.

In fact, Wait gives an "A" forecast grade for a season that he predicts could be very, very good.

"That's not just propaganda either. That really is the truth," Wait said. "Most of southwest Colorado had really poor weather for hunting last fall, resulting in a pretty low bull harvest. And most of southwest Colorado had a mild winter, so we had high survival. I really do expect that we could have a really good hunting season this fall."