Bosque Del Oso?

[jm1607]

So what's so special about this unit? Are there tons of bears, or huge bears, or is the terrain mild, or all of the above?

I noticed every rifle hunt in the state takes 0-4 points for NRs, except Bosque Del Oso which takes about 16??

What am I missing lol

 

[topher89]

Interested in the responses....

Bosque del Oso is Spanish for Forest of the bear or Bear forest.

 

[DEHusker]

Yes, BDO is famous for its bears. It's a special state run area smack in the middle of some primo private ground. Plus, there aren't many tags for the unit as it is not that big, really. Most other units in the state have gobs of tags but BDO not so many. It is also known for its turkey hunting. Tags there require about 8-10 points if I remember correctly but they have a nice population of birds....

FYI, black bear hunting is phenomenal in the areas around Steamboat Springs and in the west and southwest. These areas require few if any points. One of the OTC elk units in the west has so many bears that I see 8-10 bears every elk season and most would be easy bow kills if I was ever hunting them. The Scrub oaks and berry bushes attract them en masse all fall long. Black bear hunting is relatively overlooked in Colorado. Even though CO has no spring season (a total shame), if one pursues them in the fall he or she has an excellent chance to score on a nice bear. Classic spot and stalk hunting too....

 

[Arrowslinger]

What he said about steamboat and the areas around it. Have seen up to 8 in a day during second season.

 

[5MilesBack]

What he said about steamboat and the areas around it. Have seen up to 8 in a day during second season.

Interesting. I have hunted for years around that area and have only seen a couple bears, and rarely ever any sign in my lifetime. However, I do know that the southern part of the state has a lot more bears than the northern part. Some areas you can't go 20 yards without bear sign.

 

[loggerchas]

I live just north of the Bosque in Pueblo. Access and land ownership around the State land make for a unique situation there where access is pretty tightly managed and as a result it has the "feel" of a well managed wildlife "ranch". They have done several controlled burns there over the years and when I was on a burn there a few years back we saw several bears during the firing operation.

It is a cool area with varied terrain. Have not been there for a while but property boundaries were very well marked in the past. If you compare it to a typical area where animals drift off the public onto private during hunts, this unit is the opposite. neighboring ranches get a bunch of pressure and animals drift in the limited access "public" land in the interior to get away from the pressure on the private.

 

[orionthehunter1]

very few tags is probably the biggest factor for the points especially as a non-resident. I don't feel the bosque is worth the wait unless you just built that many points. You can have just as fun and kill just as big of a bear in 61.

 

[Gnatboy911]

My dad had a tag on the Bosque a few years ago. We went down for a scouting weekend late summer, then got there a couple days early to get some more scouting in. It was fun, saw lots of bears, and got a great one. Ended up filling his tag first thing opening morning on a great bear. But, we knew we could be picky if needed with the amount of bears in the area. I'm probably going to burn my points and hunt it next year (baby on the way due in Sept...oops).

 

[bgrebe]

I am going to burn my blackhear points this year with 16, so wondering if anyone has any more information or thoughts on Bosque del Oso area, or other units for that matter? I realize there are bears in OTC units, but I would like to go somewhere with a healthy bear population and get a great bear hunt experience in so any information is much appreciated.
Thanks!