Colorado 2nd Rifle Combo Hunt
Shared Trip
Active hunting
Colorado 2nd rifle season targets elk and mule deer combo huntsDraw-only permits provide exclusive access during prime hunting conditionsExpert guides assist with tracking and trophy animal opportunities
Colorado's 2nd rifle season is when things get real for hunters who know what they're looking for. This isn't your typical weekend hunt—it's a draw-only combo opportunity that puts you in prime position for both elk and mule deer during one of the most productive times of the year. With Silver Spur Outfitters, you're getting a one-on-one experience that focuses entirely on your success. The weather's shifting, the game's moving, and our expert guides know exactly where to position you for that trophy shot you've been dreaming about.
This combo hunt takes advantage of everything that makes Colorado's 2nd rifle season legendary among serious hunters. You're looking at cooler temperatures, potential early snow, and animals that are starting to move into more predictable patterns. The rut activity is picking up for elk, making them more vocal and easier to locate, while mule deer are transitioning from their summer feeding areas to winter range. What makes this hunt special is the flexibility—you're not locked into chasing just one species. If we glass a monster muley in the morning, we can shift gears. If the elk are bugling in a drainage we know well, that's where we head. Our guides have been working these units for years and know every ridge, draw, and hidden meadow where trophy animals like to hang out.
Colorado's high country during 2nd rifle season means you'll be hunting elevations ranging from 8,000 to 11,000 feet, depending on weather conditions and game movement. We use a combination of glassing from strategic vantage points and still-hunting through timber and aspen groves. Your guide will teach you how to read the terrain—where animals bed, feed, and travel between the two. Early morning glassing sessions often reveal elk herds moving from night feeding areas back to bedding cover, while mule deer tend to be more visible during the last hour of legal shooting light. We pack spotting scopes and quality binoculars to help you evaluate animals before making the stalk. The terrain varies from open parks where long-range shots are possible to thick timber where you might get opportunities inside 100 yards. Weather can change fast at altitude, so we always carry rain gear and extra layers, and we know which areas stay huntable even when storms move through.
Rocky Mountain elk are what put Colorado on the hunting map, and 2nd rifle season catches them during an active time. Bulls are still responding to calls, though not as aggressively as during archery season. They're starting to gather harems and can be located by their bugling, especially during early morning and evening hours. A mature Colorado bull can weigh 700-900 pounds and sport antlers exceeding 350 inches. The cooler weather means they're more active during daylight hours, and the possibility of early snow often pushes them from the highest elevations into more accessible areas. What makes hunting elk here special is the combination of vast wilderness areas and the sheer size of the animals—there's nothing quite like hearing a bull bugle echo across a mountain basin at first light.
Colorado mule deer are built for this country, and 2nd rifle season finds them transitioning between summer and winter patterns. These aren't the small desert muleys you might find elsewhere—Colorado bucks are heavy-bodied animals that can field dress over 200 pounds, with wide, tall antlers that reflect the quality genetics and feed available in these mountains. They're starting to show more rutting behavior, making them slightly less cautious than earlier in the season. Mule deer here have a habit of bedding in timber during the day and feeding in open areas during low light, but storm fronts can change their patterns completely. The key is glassing carefully—their gray coats blend perfectly with the terrain, but their white rumps and black-tipped tails give them away when they move.
Colorado's 2nd rifle combo hunt represents some of the best hunting the state has to offer, and draw odds make it a limited opportunity. This isn't a hunt you can book on a whim—it requires planning, points, and commitment. With Silver Spur Outfitters, you're getting guides who've earned their reputation by consistently putting hunters on quality animals in some of Colorado's most productive units. The one-on-one guide ratio means you're not competing with other hunters in your group, and our intimate knowledge of the terrain gives you advantages that weekend warriors just don't have. Weather windows during 2nd rifle season can be short, so when conditions align and the animals are moving, you want to be in position with someone who knows how to capitalize on the opportunity. Don't let another year pass hoping to draw a tag you're not prepared for—reserve your spot with us and make sure when your number comes up, you're ready to make the most of it.
Colorado