First time western hunting...Colorado info

[derland]

Myself and 3 buddies will be making the trip from Colorado to hunt 2nd rifle season this fall. This will be our first trip out west and will do a diy backpack hunt. We're looking for easy to draw mule deer units with Otc elk tags also.

We've kind of had our eye on unit 751 being its less drive time on the southern end of the state and draw odds we've found.

If anyone would be so kind as to share any info on this unit, or any other unit suggestions with me via pm, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

[Poser]

There are a decent amount of trail systems and access points in 751, so expect horse camps and some outfitters, too. The NE portion along the Continental Divide/ Animas range is going to be wicked rugged, but expect hard, steep climbing in other parts of the unit as well. You can definitely get into some more "flat top" areas in the Southern portion of the unit. I would expect to find both elk and mule deer in that unit, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if its not a rat race either.

http://www.rokslide.com/forums/showthread.php?7682-Elk-hunting-unit-751-colorado

 

[derland]

That's what I'm afraid of. I'm hoping there is an area that we can get into that isn't crowded, even if it means hiking farther and through more rugged terrain than others want to.

Thanks for the reply. I'll definitely read that thread.

 

[robby denning]

That's what I'm afraid of. I'm hoping there is an area that we can get into that isn't crowded, even if it means hiking farther and through more rugged terrain than others want to.

Thanks for the reply. I'll definitely read that thread.

It's not really about "go farther in" anymore- that one's been played and soon you just walk out the other side only to find more hunters there, too. Rather, keep asking good questions and consider good answers like Poser gave you and learn your areas. You don't need to be where no one else is, but where you know how to hunt right and few enough hunters you can hunt instead of hope.

 

[ndbwhunter]

Find the areas that others don't want to go to. That doesn't mean that you need to be 8 miles deep either. Everyone loves the idea of going deep, but it's not necessary, especially considering you need to bring animal out if you do kill. If you stick to the trails you'll eventually run into other hunters. Get off the beaten path and use the terrain to your advantage. A short but steep climb, or a creek/river crossing will keep a lot of people from venturing into new areas. I found a few areas in MT this year that were a short hike from the road, but they were very steep and you had to cross a knee deep creek to get there. Saw lots of boot prints on the road side of the creek, but never saw a single boot print on the other.

 

[Poser]

Yeah, I don't think you are going to out hike anyone. There are some popular hiking trails in 751 and I believe one of them runs the whole unit North to South. I'd consider the happy medium between how far most people are willing to hike vs. how far people are going to go by default on horseback. if you have horses or a drop camp, you're more than likely going in pretty deep. On the plus side, the San Juans provides plenty of terrain that is inaccessible to horses. Outfitters need flat ground for drop camps. Right off the bat, I'd look for areas that are far away from trails and are too steep and too rocky for horses. As mentioned above, could be a river crossing. Though you won't be able to tell by a map, dense, dark timber with no trail systems are impractical if not impossible for someone on horseback (assuming there is not another way around). The elk and mule deer in that region can end up living in what most people would consider true "goat country." Don't dismiss rock outcroppings, boulderfields and scree slopes as being inaccessible to San Juan elk. Pressure can really push elk to the least likely "elk looking" spots around.

 

[derland]

Man, thank you all so much. I can read go hunt and huntin fool til my eyes bleed and still not get first hand real world answers like you guys are giving me.