Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Drop camp

So our group has decided they want to try a new idea and do a drop camp. They have chosen either unit 54, with tenderfoot or unit 24 with rivers bend. Anyone know anything about either one of them. I have talked to both units biologists, as well as talked to the outfitters and references.
Prices are about the same

What state?

Ooops my bad

Colorado

24 is flat tops
54 is west elk

A couple of friends and myself did a drop camp hunt with River's Bend a couple years back. We had a good time, and saw a good many elk. Fine folks, and I would have no qualms using them again if I do another drop camp.

Unit 54 where Tenderfoot Operates has had some serious problems. Starting in archery and muzzle loader seasons, the elk in the Castle Creek drainage move down to private land along the Ohio Creek Drainage. By the end of 2nd rifle season, there maybe be anywhere fro 300-700 elk on one ranch alone. This makes up about 95% of the elk in the area.

Tenderfoot did a bit better in 2015 but in 2014,they killed one cow and one bull during archery, muzzle loader and 1st rifle combined .This is what Fred Stinson, who owns/operates Tenderfoot told me.

For several years the CPW has been issuing 500 OTC w/ Cap, Either Sex tags for that area. That is going to bull only tags for 2016 and the local WCO tells me they have the herd is down to management objectives.Apply that to the elk on private land and you can figure that there are not a heck of a lot on publiv land.

KC on this forum and myself have been hunting 54 for a lot of ears,and we are looking at different areas for 2016 now. There are some elk to be had in that unit,but I sure wouldn't be tying up a few thousand dollars for a hunt there.

She is booed form 2016,but if you want to wait for 2017 , try Jeanne Horne with J Bar H Outfitters operating out of Meeker ,CO in Unit 12.

Question for saddlesore and k c did the /y -miller ranch at the end of mill creek road, go over to state land?? they were good friends, good people, used to use that as vacation and go out there in spring and help them work their cattle.haven't been able to get there for a few years, heard it did but nothing definate?

I have hunted the West Elk Wilderness area of GMU 54 three different times and twice from a drop camp. Both drop camps were 2nd rifle season. In 2013 we hunted Peterson Creek/Cowboy Camp area and it was crowded…so crowded we were on first name terms with the other 4 hunters. A couple of times, we had to discuss where we were hunting for the day to keep from running into each other. At my age, there is nothing worse than climbing to the top of a ridge just to find another hunter near by. I think the owner of the outfitter we used has since retired.

We learned our lesson and the next two years we hunted 1st rifle season GMU 81 (Roaring Gulch and the Adams Creek area) and only saw one other hunter. You might want to bring along enough camping gear to do a spike camp just in case.

I couldn't say. KC hunts that direction more than me

OK thanks for the reply maybe he will see this and respond sometime, used to go in that way every year for years and years, done really well, sorry to hear that area has gone down hill I had heard it sure wasn't what it used to be late 70's mid 80's