Colorado units 14 and 16

[freshta]

Hey everyone,

Looks like myself and Carolina Joe are headed to CO beginning Sept. 6th. I've been looking into units 14 and 16 Zirkel Wilderness area. We are both flatlanders and greenhorns and traditional hunters so any and all information would be greatly appreciated. We are looking for awesome views and a great western experience and if we get into elk that's a bonus!

Thanks a bunch,

Tony

 

[timekiller13]

That's where I am headed with my dad at the end of September. Colorado hunting atlas and google earth will help you a ton. Also, give the biologist in the area a call. I can't remember his name but I talked to him. Real nice guy, very helpful, especially if you know the right questions to ask.

 

[freshta]

Thank you for the response!!

 

[toddb]

Lots of beatle kill area . Some spots impossible to get thru due to blowdowns, can't go thru them or climb or drop down. Lots of weekend hunters and weekend hikers and bikers. Not very crowded in middle of week . Lots of bears close to steamboat springs, surrounding town for a bonus hunt.

 

[11boo]

The beetle kill has been incredible. One of these days we are gonna see an epic fire. What sucks is back in the late 70s they knew the beetles were killing trees around lake Dillon. Aerial spraying was going to be the only way to stop it, but the environmentalists of the day screamed no.
So they cut down the affected trees, placed them in piles and sprayed and covered them. Of course some of the beetles had already moved on to other trees that still looked healthy, and they prospered. Ground zero was right around lake Dillon.

 

[G5Archer]

I'll be in #14 as well the last week of archery. Looks like I'll be solo but oh well..

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[freshta]

G5...I'm like you. I typically hunt alone except for this year. Last year was in 28 solo.

 

[jdmaxwell]

Early rifle deer season in Zirkel Wilderness.. Just FYI
Been in there before couple times and had rifles banging at deer..

 

[under h2o hunter]

If you go to the zirkels I would suggest you come in from 16. A couple different reasons. Mainly its less crowded then 14. As a unit it holds animals but nothing really special which seems to not matter to you but I promise you that if you drop an elk back up in the zirkels its gonna be work getting it out but. Walden is close by if you need anything before going in. If you do the 14 side you do have steamboat springs close by. Besides the amount of blowdown and dead trees you will also encounter plenty of outfitters working the area. As said before there is an early rifle season for deer plus lots of bears that will be getting shot with a rifle as well. So if you are looking for a peacefully wilderness experience. The zirkels may not be the place for. The scenic beauty is awesome though. Lots of water and high altitude lakes with some excellent fishing... Good luck.

 

[elkyinzer]

Check out the show 'American Ninja Warrior'. Learn that skillset and use it to go deep into the beetle kill. There you will find elk nirvana, young grasshopper.

 

[LongWayAround]

In 2014 I spent some time scouting and hunting in the Zirkel Wilderness (4-5 weekends). I got into the elk, including a nice bull, on several occasions but never got a shot. The hunting pressure was fairly heavy but from what I heard, those who got away from the parking lot were seeing animals. One guy was all over the deer in lowere elevation parks. There were a lot of dead trees but blowdown wasn't much of an issue where I was.

 

[freshta]

Elkyinzer...good post!!

 

[RPS]

Colorado Unit 14 Elk

I have been hunting 14 for the past five years. Typically I hunt solo and go in 1 to 5 miles. As others have said, the southern two-thirds of Unit 14 gets hammered since it is relatively close to Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins (~3 hrs). Lots of hunters and on the weekend there are lots of hikers and mountain bikers. However, I have found that the northern third is a much different story (at least with crowds), much less hunting pressure and it must be just far enough away from the cities and Steamboat to reduce the leisure crowd too. I'm speaking in very general terms but as I have moved north I have seen less people in the woods and more elk.

I haven't hunted 16, yet but I have heard very good things about it. That's next on my list of places to explore. Again, the farther you are from the cities, airports, highways, the better.

 

[TraderMike]

I will take Walden over Steamboat for "base-town" any season...