After downing the last drop of hot java, I slipped on my pack, grabbed my bow and headed out in the early-morning darkness.

Colorado has some 270,000 elk -- and that's about 50,000 more than big-game managers would like. Photo by Brian K. Strickland.

During a scouting trip the previous week, I found an out-of-the-way basin that was littered with sticky-fresh droppings, rubbed-up saplings and the musty smell of rutting elk. On that cool Colorado morning in late August, I had high hopes that this hotspot would yield an opportunity.

The first hint of light was peeking up from the east as I crested the last hill of my three-mile hike. I hustled to my predetermined hideout and waited for the elk parade to begin.

Shortly after, the sound of a tumbling rock made me tighten my grip on my Mathews bow. Tilting my head in the direction of the sound, I strained to hear some confirmation, but instead caught a glint of tan hide moving through the trees.

Time seemed to stand still as I waited for my first visitor of the morning to appear. And suddenly, he was in full view -- a heavy 5x4 bull.

As he eased into the opening to feed, three more young bulls came bobbing out behind him.

Though none in this bachelor foursome had back-scratching racks, I wouldn't have hesitated to send one of my arrows through any of them.

Needless to say, this was shaping up to be the perfect opening morning -- four bulls a stone's throw away, feeding in my direction in one of Colorado's over-the-counter units. It couldn't get much better than this.

For the opportunistic elk hunter, not a single state can hold a candle to what the hills of the Centennial State have to offer. We have an abundance of elk, stretched across some 24 million acres of public land, all for the price of an over-the-counter license.

The latest post-hunt survey shows around 270,000 elk spread across the rolling hills, rocky ridges and deep canyons of Colorado. In fact, that number is about 50,000 more than big-game managers would like.

According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife biologists, between 210,000 and 220,000 elk is the optimal number for sustaining the long-term health of the herd. Despite these high numbers, there is no real concern right now. Colorado's elk herd is in great shape overall.

Hunting is the main tool that the CDOW uses in its elk management plan, but last year's harvest didn't help to reduce the numbers. In the later seasons, unseasonably warm temperatures kept the elk spread out and tough to access.

However, last season's bad luck, coupled with abundant elk, can mean only good things for the some 250,000 hunters who are poised to head to the hills this fall.

Another indication pointing to a possible banner elk-hunting season across the state is the ample supply of moisture that Colorado received last winter. As the snowpack climbed 100 percent above average in many areas of the state, rumors began to spread of high winter mortality. But they were just rumors.

Although mortality will be slightly elevated in some localized areas, elk did really well for the most part. In fact, the herd benefited greatly from the excellent forage that the added moisture produced in the spring and summer months.

Tom Mikesell, president of the Colorado Outfitters Association, said elk hunting in Colorado is better now than it was 10 years ago.