First, we do recognize that in some special cases such as the physically challenged individual, this mode of transportation is the only way that they can hunt. However, when the rest of us spend hours packing into our hunt areas on foot or horseback, only to have a herd of ATV s coming roaring through our area scaring the elk into the next county with no concern for the other hunters that might be in the area which they are traversing, a certain amount of discontent is generated. Second, ATV s cause irreparable damage to the local ecosystem as they destroy the flora of the area upon which the elk depend for survival. In all but a few exceptions, the ATVs are not tuned to operate at high altitude and the rider is therefore, witnessed personally, required to operated the vehicle with the throttle wide open to just move along. All along the ATV is slipping and sliding all over the place destroying more vegetation.
Horses are an excellent mode of transportation in elk country.
If one doesn t own horses, they can be rented locally for your hunt. Sombrero Ranches is an excellent resource for renting stock. Most elk in Colorado are found during the hunting seasons at elevations between 8000 to 12,000 above sea level. What most new comers to Colorado fail to grasp is the reality of how much less oxygen is available to them at these elevations. As one moves up the mountain to even higher elevations the O2 level is even less.