A six-day guided hunt at Elk Glade, day by day.

1. 12:00 PMLand at Colorado Springs Airport (COS). Pick up rental.
2. 1:30 PMDrive south on I-25, then west via Old Stage Rd through Cheyenne Mountain. ~90 minutes.
3. 3:30 PMArrive at the ranch. Lodge tour, gear stow, room assignment.
4. 4:30 PMConfirmation-shot session at the ranch backstop — rifle zero check after the flight.
5. 6:00 PMFirst dinner at the lodge. Hunt briefing with your guide afterward — country review, weapon, plan for day 1.
6. 9:00 PMLights out. Tomorrow starts at 5:00 AM.

Land at COS, not DIA, if you can. The 90-minute drive vs. the three-hour drive is worth a half-day of hunt time on both ends.

1. 5:00 AMCoffee. Breakfast at 5:30 (eggs, bacon, oats, fruit, the works).
2. 6:00 AMLeave the lodge. Drive to the upper trailhead. Glass from the bench above the meadow as light comes.
3. 7:00 AMMove on found sign. Most likely a stalk on a bedded bull or a glass-and-pattern day, depending on what we see.
4. 11:30 AMBack to the truck for lunch, OR — if the action is good — eat sandwiches in the field.
5. 2:00 PMRe-position for the evening. Different drainage, different aspect, different weather.
6. 7:30 PMDinner at the lodge. Hunt debrief. Set the plan for Day 2 based on what we learned.
7. 9:30 PMLights out.

Day 1 is often a learning day — you adjust to the altitude, the guide reads your shooting capacity, the country starts to make sense. Successful hunts in their final form often start unsuccessful on Day 1.

1. 5:00 AMCoffee + breakfast.
2. 5:45 AMLeave the lodge. New approach to whatever country produced sign yesterday.
3. All morningGlass first, move second. Three-step rule in dark timber. Wind in your face.
4. 12:00 PMField lunch most days. The midday glass is high-value during peak rut.
5. 5:30 PMLast 90 minutes of light is often the densest movement. Don't leave early.
6. 7:30 PMLodge dinner. Beef from the ranch when in season.
7. 9:30 PMLights out.

Day 2 is when most hunts find their rhythm. The guide knows what you can hunt with, the country starts repeating, and the daily plan tightens.

1. 5:00 AMCoffee + breakfast.
2. 5:45 AMOut to country we haven't hunted yet — or back to a glassing point that showed promise.
3. All dayIf a weather front is coming, we plan around it. Cold = move. Warm and clear = patience.
4. 7:30 PMDinner. Halfway-through-the-week check-in: what's working, what's not, what we want to do differently.

Day 3 is the recalibration point. Honest conversation with the guide here often saves the back half of the week.

1. 5:00 AMBy now the lodge breakfast routine is automatic.
2. 5:45 AMOut — typically to country you now know. The morning move is fast because the country is familiar.
3. All dayIf you've already tagged, you're in the lodge, helping with meat care, or fishing East Beaver Creek. If not — back at it with sharpened tactics.
4. 7:30 PMDinner.

Day 4 and Day 5 historically produce the most harvests in our records. By now everyone — guide, hunter, elk — is in routine.

1. 5:00 AMCoffee + breakfast.
2. 5:45 AMMost aggressive country today — the guide picks the country with the highest probability based on the week's observations.
3. All dayStay in the field. Eat lunch where you sit. Don't leave the field early.
4. 7:30 PMDinner. If you tagged today, the celebration is on. If not, plan Day 6 with intent.

Day 5 separates hunters who closed from hunters who didn't. The country is the same on Day 5 as it was on Day 1 — what changed is what you know about it.

1. 5:00 AMCoffee + breakfast. Final pack-up after.
2. 5:45 AMLast morning hunt — often a short one back to a known spot with a known bull.
3. 10:00 AMBack at the lodge. Shower, pack the truck, settle accounts.
4. 11:30 AMFinal ranch lunch. Photos, processing pickup if applicable.
5. 1:00 PMDepart for COS. ~90 minutes.
6. 3:00 PMArrive at the airport. Allow time for processed meat check-in.

Departures are flexible — guides will run the morning hunt as late as you want if the flight allows. Some of our best Day 6 mornings produce harvests.