Unit 76 CO elk

[SoloWilderness]

Hi, I have been lurking on the forum for ages (since 2013), but am not one to gossip about my units, and am generally just doing research. I am a Colorado native, who has been hunting assorted Gunnison Basin units for 20+ years, with a number of archery, muzzleloader and rifle elk under my belt. I generally hunt 2nd and 3rd choice draw or OTC archery. I have 9 points this year, and have a chance of drawing a 7 6 Muzzleloader tag this year. (I hope...). I have 4-5 potential areas that I am e-scouting right now, but with 2 little kids, the chance of more than 1 good scouting trip this summer is going to be tough. I am going to head up 2-3 days before season to locate some herds in whatever area I decide on. I am going to be solo backpacking (mobile camp, hunt off my back) with possibly a friend calling for me depending on his draw results... I am planning on ridge running above tree-line to glass drainages and bottom land. Wilderness only to avoid the ATVs. Plenty of meat in the freezer, so I'm hoping to put a 310-320ish bull down, willing to glass a lot of animals before I put one down. I am not afraid of pulling one out from in deep, hiked out my buddies first bull from 9 miles back and 5000' above the trucks last year. I am just looking for general feedback from people who have hunted/ scouted this unit (areas to avoid, areas used by outfitter camps, feedback on the areas I'm looking at, areas that others might be willing to share some beta on). I can trade info on various Gunnison basin units, but won't post them in a thread. Please PM me so we can chat if anyone can help out. Thanks!

 

[Nickofthewoods]

It looks like last year it took minimum 10 points for residents to draw 76 Muzzleloader? You might draw with 9 if less people apply this year, but with the way things are trending it will probably be more.

 

[SoloWilderness]

Yah I saw it was 10, guess I decided to gamble on it, but I'm going back and forth on whether I want to switch to 1st rifle, which should be a 100% chance, or to archery. It looks like its about a 25% chance at 9 if only the people who didn't get it last year with 9 apply, but that seems unlikely. Point creep is freaking me out, I was saving for the early rifle tag, but the massive jump it took left me in the dust. Last thing I want is for it to take a big jump across the board and miss out, its a bucket list hunt.

 

[5MilesBack]

If it were me........I'd 100% go archery. If it's a bucket list hunt, you've got almost a whole month to hunt it versus a week for ML or rifle.

 

[Hondo0925]

Well what did you end up putting in for. Archery, muzzleloader or 1st rifle?

 

[barr3elkhunter]

I am also cashing in points for area 76 archery. Going to spend a week in late June doing recon on the area. Any recommendations?


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[Z Barebow]

I am also cashing in points for area 76 archery. Going to spend a week in late June doing recon on the area. Any recommendations?


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Late June might be a mite early for scouting the high country. I went in late July and I still could find snow. (And elk were bedded in snowbanks!)

 

[Hondo0925]

Late June might be a mite early for scouting the high country. I went in late July and I still could find snow. (And elk were bedded in snowbanks!)

Not much snow this year. Really only the north sides now. But I agree, great time of the year just to get out and do some initial spot finding.

 

[SoloWilderness]

Well what did you end up putting in for. Archery, muzzleloader or 1st rifle?

I ended up putting in for ML, if I draw I plan on getting there 2 days early to get into the back country and locate opening day bulls to hunt. With 2 kids under the age of 4, hunting more than a 10 day stretch is a challenge if I want to stay married, so the most I would gain would be the opening weekend hunting archery. Ok with not drawing this year, as I put in for a ML buck tag that has better odds, and gets me into the unit for a season to scout if I draw it. 10 points next year gets me good odds on the ML tag, and puts me slightly ahead of the curve for archery, so I can hopefully stay ahead of the point creep. If ML jumps out of reach next year I will go archery, and hope that the kids being past the screaming and throwing food stage gets me a 14 day hunt + opening weekend 4 day... 1st rifle is my back up plan for the next couple years if some freakish point jump occurs that puts archery/ ML out of reach.

 

[Hondo0925]

That all sounds like a great plan. I’m in the same boat with the kids. If I’m gone more then 7 days I think my wife would strangle my two little boys!!!

 

[bow_hiker]

Solowilderness, I got 2 kids (4 and 6) and drew an archery tag this year. I might be divorced since I got the first 12 days of season and the last 5 to go in there. Got some scouting in so if you want to compare notes let me know.

 

[BuckSmasher]

I bought a landowner tag in there for 1st rifle back in 2013 before LO tags went absolutely mental. It was a good hunt. Saw elk everywhere. Scouting trip on labor day weekend bugled up a nice 6 point bull that came running in to a road with me standing next to the truck. Blew my mind. Little less active in 1st rifle but still shot a smallish 280 290 six point, saw a couple bigger but couldn't make the shot happen. Good luck! I have some stale info but I imagine they hang out in the same areas. Unless I win the lotto will probably not hunt there again. Definitely not gonna try and get 30 non res pp's and plan on a hunt in my 70s.