CO unit 71 trip report and hello

[rideco]

Went scouting CO unit 71 on Friday where I am planning a DIY archery elk second week of Sept.. I found much more vegetation then I was expecting at 11.5K which I assume is due to the higher then normal rainfall we have been seeing this year. Since I am from Denver I did not know if the south west part of the state had been seeing as much rain as we have on the front range but it appears so. While scouting saw scat that was less then a week old, several sets of tracks ranging in age with some appearing very fresh and some older with lots of pine needles and junk in them. Also found two very very fresh beds which could not have been much more then a few hours old. Overall it was a very motivating trip to know at least we are planning to be in a location elk very clearly are. I have been lurking on RokSlide for over a year and want to thank everyone for the motivation and information available. I think after my scouting trip the only thing I really need to start looking at is rain gear. I had not really put a ton of thought into it raining during my hunt but that changed after seeing just how many pools were full and getting a fresh storm while scouting. Everything else is really fallen into place. It had been a while since I had been that high in elevation but I have climbed 4x 14'ers back in some of my younger years so I have experience at altitude. Most of my time at altitude these days is mostly from snowboarding which I love but its different then having to go up hill. We were able to decide on a couple of places that we would want to set up a base camp and also decided to bring gear to be able to stay away for at least a night if needed. It was very nice to finally see the area in person vs google earth since I have never hunted this area before. I would say that google earth was able to give me a nice lay of the land but the growth since the images were taken was a stark contrast to what I was expecting.
rideco

 

[Warren1726]

Welcome! How did you pick 71?

 

[rideco]

My brother in law is joining me in the hunt and he is from NM so first we started looking in the southern part of the state. There is not a ton of roads that go north from NM into CO and I really only know the roads coming south from Durango (550) and Cumbres Pass (17) from Chama NM to Antonito CO. The original plan was try unit 81 and camp near De Herrera Lake. I have seen massive amounts of game in this area just driving though so we knew this would be a good place. Also I thought Hillman Lake area near Platoro looked interesting as well. We talked to the CO hunt planner and got some good feed back on the South San Juan wilderness area. Next we started looking at back up locations and found our selves focused on area 71. More calls to the CO hunt planner and many hours following forest service roads on google earth and maps I found our final location. Really it was all about looking for places I thought elk would like on google earth. Then trying to find trails and access roads that would put me in positions hell and gone from other people. It was not one thing that moved us from 81 to 71. The main thing I think was 71 was closer for my brother in law and we found a better set of trail networks to use. In truth I think we got really lucky to find the place we did. The resources the state has available are great. I found when I called the hunt planner with vague questions I got vague answers. The more specific questions I called with the better answers I got. The CO hunting atlas was also useful in understanding the seasonal ranges and migration paths as well.

 

[Warren1726]

Yeah I really like the CO maps online. I'm looking hard at 81 myself.

 

[ARCHER11]

A buddy and I will be in 71 this fall as well. When are you planning on hunting?

 

[rideco]

I am planning on leaving Denver early on Sept. 5th and returning sometime the weekend of the 12th.

 

[ARCHER11]

Good deal. I wont be down there until the last week of season. I'd love to hear how things went for you. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[anonymous1]

Ill be in either the Silverton area or more east of Durango the last week of Sept. I thought I had an area picked out but not having the time/money to scout it out has got me all nervous. Im trying to put my dad on his first elk this year. I will be calling the hunt planner on Monday.