Colorado Elk in Crested Butte or Gunnison area

[TAArrowood]

Just wondering if anyone has elk hunted in the Crested Butte or Gunnison area? I’ve hunted Colorado 28 of the last 32 years, but not in this area. I have free use of a very nice house in Crestdd Buute, but can’t decide on DIY or drop camp. Any suggestions or comments about the area would’ve greatly appreciated. Also. Not sure yet if I want to do archery or second rifle season. Any recommendations on outfitters for drop camps would be helpful too. Thanks.

 

[gobears870]

Haven't hunted it but am very familiar with the area and know others who have. If you'll be in CB proper then you would have a choice of hunting 55 or 54. Both units are draws for archery (nothing on leftover list today) and OTC on 2nd Rifle. For DIY 55 would probably be easier for your location but it's also heavily roaded and gets crowded. If you are interested in drop camp in 54, I would recommend looking up Tenderfoot Outfitters. I was booked with them for a hunt this year in West Elk Wilderness but didn't draw. They were very good to deal with. In 55 I've heard good things about AEI Outfitters for drop camps. Gunnison Country Outfitters is also in 55 and does camps in the Fossil Ridge Wilderness. I would imagine all these guys are booked by this point but with COVID and everything else it's worth reaching out to them.

 

[TAArrowood]

Thanks so very much for responding.. I have talked with two of the three you mentioned and they are booked through 2021, although I am on a list in case someone backs out.. Thanks again.. All good info..

 

[Diamond K]

I have hunted 20+ years in unit 55. Not around CB but if I was staying there, I would spend some time on Cement Creek and areas between there and Brush Creek. Saw a bear off of Double Top trail last week. 2 guys on bicycles never knew how close they were to it.

 

[TAArrowood]

Any other thoughts? Thanks

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

My comments may or may not be useful, so take them for what they are worth.

I live in the deep south. I vacation in Crested Butte every summer. I hike and bike extensively. Often early in the morning. I am always on the lookout near and far for elk and other wildlife. In the months I am there, the landscape is lush green. The hickory colored elk and their vanilla rumps really stand out. I suspect they are a bit more difficult to see in the fall when vegetation starts to brown.

Since I have trained my eyes to pick them out and started carrying binos, I see them more frequently. This year there was a small herd of cow elk in the Slate River drainage not even a mile outside of town. There was a large herd about halfway between Teocali Peak and where Gothic Rd turns from asphalt to dirt. There's a pullout a few hundred yards north of that. It makes a great place to glass. The gulch directly below that (like 100 yards) hold bachelor groups of mulies in July and August. Each year I see 170 class deer there.

As you probably know, one of the advantages of that area is that there is an extensive network of trails that take you deep into the back country. I don't know if this is unique to that area or not, but I have NEVER seen elk in the same place on successive days. It may just be the nature of elk or it may be that area. I don't know. I am just a flatlander who dreams of elk hunting one day.

I ran into a young woman this summer. She was doing some pre-season scouting. She had drawn that area. I talked to her for a long time picking her brain. That area really lends itself well to glassing, and that's her secret to success. The day after I met her she Facebook messaged me a video of a 200 class Mule deer buck.

This is one of the cows in the Slate basin.



This is the largest Mule Deer I saw this year.



And a bonus shot to show everyone how stunningly beautiful Paradise Divide is.

 

[TAArrowood]

Wow. Thanks for the input. I have never hunted the are. I usually hunt a couple different units. A close friend has offered the use of his multi million dollar house and utv ic I wanted to use it. I am probably going to use it as a home base and possibly spend every other night there and every other night in a tent, especially if we find elk and need to get on them early. We hunt hard so hickkng high to find them isn’t a problem. I know 55 is heavily roared, but also know that most folks on atvs don’t like hiking so I hope we can get in and let them move the elk our way. We’re also looking in unit 54, but roads are few and far between. Well probably hunt the entire season so we’ll move around until we hopefully find them. Thanks for the feedback and all the best.

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

Wow. Thanks for the input. I have never hunted the are. I usually hunt a couple different units. A close friend has offered the use of his multi million dollar house and utv ic I wanted to use it. I am probably going to use it as a home base and possibly spend every other night there and every other night in a tent, especially if we find elk and need to get on them early. We hunt hard so hickkng high to find them isn’t a problem. I know 55 is heavily roared, but also know that most folks on atvs don’t like hiking so I hope we can get in and let them move the elk our way. We’re also looking in unit 54, but roads are few and far between. Well probably hunt the entire season so we’ll move around until we hopefully find them. Thanks for the feedback and all the best.

The mountain bike shops in CB have some very good topo maps with all of the hiking/biking trails and roads. Get your hands on one of those.

 

[Mgilbreth]

Look west of Ohio city in unit 55

 

[TAArrowood]

TTT

 

[TAArrowood]

ttt

 

[erle1139]

we've used Bar Diamond Ranch outfitters a few times for drop camps and enjoyed them. They're out of Hotchkiss/Paonia and have camps in 53/54 in Soap Basin, Elk Basin, Mosely Ridge areas. Not sure if they have anything available for this year or not.

 

[TAArrowood]

Thanks for the input/feedback.

 

[Peaks&Creeks]

Elk in 55 are never where they were the day before. There’s too much recreation that moves them around. From leaf peepers, to mountain bikers, trail runners, backpackers, dirt bikers, jeeps, and finally hunters, these elk move ALOT. Taking the info above as the X on the map may leave you disappointed. In fact some of the areas mentioned above are the most highly recreated in basins in the whole unit. You need to stay mobile in 55 and move around.

If people could also use the Private Message (PM) function on this thread would be awesome. This is how hunting areas get overrun in the following years. People making it sound like there’s elk all over this place. I live here and I can tell you that the elk and deer numbers aren’t what they once were. I mainly blame that on the loss of habitat from all of the recreational activities pushing animals around. 54 is more suited from getting away from all that sh!t show as it’s mostly wilderness designation.

 

[Acidica]

As a CO resident, I've hunted that area a few years recently for one tag or another, and have mixed feelings about it. I think the "good ol days" of that area are in the past. If you can draw a deer tag there, or get in with a good guide that has horses and knows where they are, it's worth the points, but in terms of elk – as others have said, the area has been fairly over run with all sorts of activities which makes it hard. Gunnison and Crested Butte are booming, most of the Front Range is over the traffic on 70 so the new hot spots are BV, CB, Gunny, etc.

What you'll find, is that the amount of access points are very limited. The "spots" that you can park and walk in, every hunter knows about, as public land hunting goes even if you get there first, you'll be stepping on toes plenty. Hiking won't limit this, as we're the fittest state in the Nation and everyone loves exploring that wilderness (it is beautiful). This equates to - What seems like a good area to hunt, you'll quickly find a ton of hikers and backpackers, mountain bikers, dirt bikes if OHV, even into October. I love all those sports, but hunting I'm personally looking for units without the traffic as CO as a whole is busting at the hips. It's rough and tough terrain and they get pushed fast and far, boy can they move. As with a lot of areas, before the season they're all over town, but after opening weekend they know to head deep. My best advice, is be ready to hike 4mi in minimum to setup camp, and then we average 6mi at dawn and 6mi at dusk (between 10k-13k ft). Be very cognizant of your ability to hike anything out if you get it. If you can do that, you can find them. Good luck!

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

Elk in 55 are never where they were the day before. There’s too much recreation that moves them around. From leaf peepers, to mountain bikers, trail runners, backpackers, dirt bikers, jeeps, and finally hunters, these elk move ALOT.

That's certainly consistent with my casual summer observations. The beauty and opportunities are the area's undoing it seems.

 

[TAArrowood]

Ttt

 

[ColoradoCowboy]

I have hunted both 54 and 55 during muzzleloader and 2nd rifle quite a bit. I didn’t use an outfitter so I can’t help you there, but the comments above are spot on. Things have changed a lot in the last 10-15 years. It has always been pretty busy with ATVs/jeeps/etc however I have noticed substantial more hikers, backpackers, mtn bikers the past couple years. This is my observation based on the areas I have been within those units though which is obviously not everywhere someone could go.

I think your best best is trying to use an outfitter or at least contacting one that knows where the elk travel through (since they do get pushed a lot).

 

[elkster]

I'll second Bar Diamond in unit 54, I used them. I talked to Tenderfoot but never used them. They seem fine.

 

[TAArrowood]

Ttt