I've never hunted Wy but have...

....extensively hunted elk and deer in Idaho, both rifle and archery. I've had easy hunts and hard hunts in both seasons. Oftentimes archery is a little less strenuous because you're moving slower and because the archery season is during the rut and you can bring the elk to you instead of you going to them. So your dads fitness at elevation may not be as big of an issue. You might look at a guide that uses horses to limit the amount that you're hiking.

It also looks like you have to use a guide in Wyoming if you're hunting in a federal designated wilderness.

Also, archery harvests are usually pretty low, so hopefully when you say that "successful hunting is still the primary driver" you don't necessarily mean harvesting. I've had great hunts where I didn't get my elk....though it's always better when you do. I just don't make harvesting my primary goal. From the harvest reports for 2015-2017 it looks like harvest rates for archers was 12.5-13.3%. The days to harvest was 11-12 days.

I'd practice slightly longer bow shots for hunting in the mountains out west. I haven't hunted deer in New England but I'm assuming it's tree stands or still hunting and that the shots are short.

You could also look at improving your stamina/strength (even at 70) for hunting out west. I'm sure there are programs online to guide you in this. Hiking up a mountain to get a shot can be exhausting. The less tired you are, the easier the shot.

Excellent binoculars are a must.

Best of luck for a great hunt.

I’m considering a DIY OTC elk hunt in Colorado this year.

I’m an avid Whitetail, Turkey, Duck, and Goose Hunter in Indiana and Kentucky.

Probably rifle for my first to improve my odds even though I prefer archery for deer and turkey.

Have you ever done an OTC in Colorado?

Anyone else on the board?

I've never hunted Co

but rifle hunting definitely has a higher harvest rate than archery. You also have more opportunities to put on stalks when rifle hunting because if you spot elk far in the distance you can work into shooting positions quicker with a rifle than a bow. Even when feeding, elk can cover some distance, so by the time you get within 50 yards of where you spotted them they might be long gone.

Rifles matter too. My buddy shoots a 270, I shoot a 300 win mag. His 270 bullet leaves an entry hole only about 2/3rds the circumference of my 300.

And read up on tracking blood trails. An elk can travel a long way even when hit hard. I once double lunged an elk and broke it's left front shoulder with a shotguns slug and that elk still went 500 yds. Took us all day to find her.

Idaho has whitetail and muleys. Most of our whitetail are in the middle of the state but they've migrated down towards Boise now. Not sure if Colorado has whitetails. You might see if Colorado has concurrent deer seasons with elk seasons. Back in the 90's when archery hunting in Idaho I could pretty much shoot anything I saw (bull, cow, buck, doe) but now it's pick your weapon and season. I suspect Colorado is too.

Excellent suggestions and insight.

Thank you for the thorough post. I hadn't considered that archery might actually be a bit less strenuous, but that's good to know.

Since we don't know the country or the game, we'll certainly be going with a guide. And I have no delusions about success rates. My father is a lifelong bowhunter, so he is quite familiar with failure. If there's such a thing as a "pure hunter" that understands this, and is motivated more by the hunt than the actual kill, then he is it.

Great suggestions about practicing at longer ranges and bringing binoculars. Most of his harvests here in the northeast have been under 10yard shots. So we'll need to practice up on longer ranges for sure.

Really appreciate the insight. Thank you.

at a distance of ten yards

you can just about jab the arrow in.

At 10 yards you're probably not using a range finder unless you pre-site distances from your stand. I don't use it that often for archery because I got petty good at estimating distances shooting bare bow, but I definitely use it for rifle. Though it still comes in handy for archery (it can tell you if that archery shot is 50 yds or 60 yds). I presume the guide will feed you distance information (unless it's a guide hunt where they just drop you off in the morning and pick you up in the evening).

Something else that might be handy for your dad if you have to do a lot of hiking is trekking poles. I do some ultra racing and trekking poles are a tremendous aid going both uphill and downhill. On the uphill they help power you up, on the downhill they save your knees. They also help with balance on uneven and rocky terrain. I'm not sure how he'd holster his bow while using the poles but it's something to ponder.

My friend and his father used and excellent outfitter

however they went to Idaho from NW Indiana. If you are not dead set on Wyoming let me know and I’ll get the information for you.

Edit: Broadmouth Canyon Ranch - they offer both 10,000 acres of high fence and 50,000 acres of private free-range (80% success rate)

Interesting stats on the archery success rates.

I've looked for those in the past and haven't been able to find them. Where are those posted?

for Wy I found them here (link)

Click here for link at https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Hunting/Harvest-Reports/2017-Harvest-Re