Colorado GMU 70

[dirtdriver28]

A buddy and i applied for 1 bull and 1 cow elk tag muzzy season in GMU 70. Anybody have any tips they would share for that unit? First timers headed west!

 

[MichaelO]

Bring some good sides to eat with tag soup at the end of the trip.
I’m sure someone will be along soon with GPS coordinates to a good honey hole.

/s ok ok enough jokes
Where are you coming from? Colorado elevation isn’t a joke. Fitness and dialing in your gear are the keys IMO to having an enjoyable hunt.

 

[dirtdriver28]

Bring some good sides to eat with tag soup at the end of the trip.
I’m sure someone will be along soon with GPS coordinates to a good honey hole.

/s ok ok enough jokes
Where are you coming from? Colorado elevation isn’t a joke. Fitness and dialing in your gear are the keys IMO to having an enjoyable hunt.

Iowa

 

[spike camp]

Tips?

Asking for handouts as your first post on a DO IT YOURSELF dedicated site, is poor form.

 

[dirtdriver28]

Thanks MichaelO, fiitness always seems to be a pretty highly stressed in all the articles i have read. Im reading about it currently in ELK101. From the research i have done 70 is a easy draw unit, so we thought that would be a way of getting our feet wet into elk hunting.
Spike camp can you let me know where the handbook is for proper form on posting messages?

 

[StillBald]

....
Spike camp can you let me know where the handbook is for proper form on posting messages?

... and asking for the location of a nonexistent handbook in his third post? That's even poorer form. Would you look at this guy??

I've hunted CO a few times, but I've never hunted GMU 70. That being said I think most of the Colorado advice will still apply just fine. Get there a couple of days early to acclimate (if you can), have a dozen different areas scouted out you want to hit up, don't pack in 5 days deep, be nimble, and be prepared for the weather. When e-scouting, Google Earth has a terrain exaggeration feature (I forget what it is called), but bump that up a bit to give you a better idea of what you're up against. If I was unsure about mountain Y, I would find a similar mountain near an interstate and drop the little street view guy on Google Maps down. Then when you see that Mountain X is hella steep, you can go back and revisit Y and adjust your expectations.

 

[Btaylor]

Spike camp can you let me know where the handbook is for proper form on posting messages?

Couple of things, there are hundreds of post each year where someone drops in, names a unit and ask for details. Then they dont stick around and contribute to the community. Most folks are not going to post unit specific info about the units they hunt other than basic topography and weather patterns for a given hunt period. Anything more than that invites every Tom, Dick and Harry to "go try" that unit. Some folks are willing to share information through PM's if a poster has shown some willingness to do thier own homework and constructively participate in the forum. Nobody want the areas they hunt blown up because someone publicly shared encouraging info about the unit on the internet.

 

[Btaylor]

... and asking for the location of a nonexistent handbook in his third post? That's even poorer form. Would you look at this guy??

I've hunted CO a few times, but I've never hunted GMU 70. That being said I think most of the Colorado advice will still apply just fine. Get there a couple of days early to acclimate (if you can), have a dozen different areas scouted out you want to hit up, don't back in 5 days deep, be nimble, and be prepared for the weather. When e-scouting, Google Earth has a terrain exaggeration feature (I forget what it is called), but bump that up a bit to give you a better idea of what you're up against. If I was unsure about mountain Y, I would find a similar mountain near an interstate and drop the little street view guy on Google Maps down. Then when you see that Mountain X is hella steep, you can go back and revisit Y and adjust your expectations.

I have only found 2 types of hills in that unit, "Are you F'ing kidding me" and "This is F'ing stupid". If I ever find the zip line that keeps the elk from falling off that crap, I will be in business.

 

[cnelk]

Maybe the OP should share some public land spots in Iowa for all to see - good trade eh?

 

[StillBald]

Maybe the OP should share some public land spots in Iowa for all to see - good trade eh?

Considering Iowa is only 2.8% public, I think everyone has the same public land spots in Iowa, you know, because there are like 2 of them.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

DirtDriver28, The harsh reaction you are getting is because this is a pretty frequent type of post on here. Cnelk touched on it, but if it helps, the following may be useful:
1, posting about specific unit numbers on the internet is a good way to negatively impact those units
2, The beauty of this forum is the give and take, and many folks contribute a ton to helping others out.
3, Elk hunting is done in a lot of different ways, at different elevations, in different terrain, during different stages of elk life, so there is very little "blanket" information.

General advice I give every non-resident hunter coming to Colorado:

Learn the regulations. You have to wear blaze orange on your upper body and your head during muzzle loader season. There are distances from the centerline of roads that you must be before you can legally shoot. Learn what a legal bull is and be sure of your target and what is beyond it. Moose don't look like elk. Corner crossing in Colorado is illegal. Acclimate and try to hunt high and camp low. If you or your buddy start showing signs of AMS, or HAPE, get to lower elevation. Be a good steward of the land and be friendly. Most hunters will treat you in a manner reflective of the way you carry yourself and treat them. Muzzle loader season may still see some rut activity, so learn how and when to call, and maybe more importantly, when not to call.

Good luck in the draw, and have fun. That's what it is all about.

 

[spike camp]

Considering Iowa is only 2.8% public, I think everyone has the same public land spots in Iowa, you know, because there are like 2 of them.

2.8% is over 1600 square miles of IA. public...

Matt and dirtdriver-
Tell us you public land honey holes of Iowa and Oklahoma...post them up here, so thousands of others can search for the same handouts via their fingertips, and call it research.

 

[CoHiCntry]

Man... tough crowd!

 

[StillBald]

2.8% is over 1600 square miles of IA. public...

Matt and dirtdriver-
Tell us you public land honey holes of Iowa and Oklahoma...post them up here, so thousands of others can search for the same handouts via their fingertips, and call it research.

How'd I get drug into this-- was it by not being an a-hole to the OP?

 

[CoHiCntry]

How'd I get drug into this-- was it by not being an a-hole to the OP?

Yes! Instant A-hole, just add internet

 

[Still Hunter]

Tips....
#1- Don't believe statistics provided by the DOW
#2- Start looking at a different GMU for next year that has a growing elk herd not a depleted & dying elk herd, most the locals all hunt other GMU's or PRIVATE! What does that tell you! I do know several Locals.
#3- Put your happy face on when you meet all your new friends (there will be SO MANY!, Thanks DOW!).
#4- Don't walk through other peoples camps (realize that nice meadow you thought you might find elk in on Google Earth will be full of hunters , CAMPING!)
#5- No "Sound Shots", we don't need another bowhunter shot dead while walking along a trail with his Dad
#6- Start the most extreme conditioning you have ever started, you will need it.
#7- Bring some Instant Brown Gravy Mix along so you can put your tag in it to soften it up before you start eating it
Last but not least...
#8- Just enjoy the mountains and if you do harvest an elk, consider it a bonus.

 

[11boo]

Come put your boots on the ground and give us an after action report.

 

[txhunter581]

I have a cabin in the area and I am looking to hunt elsewhere for a few years. A cow tag might be worth having but you couldn’t give me a bull tag for there right now. Bull numbers are DISMAL right now and are currently around 13-15/100 cows

The best places to look are in the eastern half and southern areas of the unit.

 

[Poser]

If you have 39.5 million dollars, Tom Cruise has a home for sale in unit 70. The driveway alone cost 4 million to construct.

 

[tdhanses]

Personally if I was the OP I’d turn the tags back in, unit 70 is very crowded with very few elk on public land. Best bet is a high fence hunt in TX in all honesty.