Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Colorado elk unit 54

Tips from KC and saddlesore helped us get a couple of elk in 54 the year before last.
I'll always be grateful to those guys for that.

Saddlesore: Thank you for that local knowledge offering, great local hunting information that I cannot offer, living in s/w Pa. Someday maybe, sooner than later... I hope to be a Colorado resident.
In the meantime, I hope my contributions to this thread helps folks, especially those who have never been in the Gunnison area. My time there was very limited in Oct 2004 on a elk hunting area scouting trip.

I am grateful to www.summitpost.org/ contributors, KC and saddlesore and Foster, BeanMan, and 2004 folks from Arkansas @ Horse Ranch.

Hungry Horse

Kkale: a you tube video of a Unit 54 hunt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voX1mt47btgale

Hunting Unit 54 with Tenderfoot Outfitters. Looks like 2007 time period, you can see the "Castles" in the background, looks like Swampy Pass access.

Video credit Tenderfoot Outfitters

Good Luck on your hunt. HH

Tenderfoot packs clients in from Swampy Pass Trail Head, but then head up Little Pass Creek.Their main camp is just east and tad north of the ridge that the Castles are on and n the boundary of the Wilderness area.They hunt north of that along the trail that eventually becomes the Beckwith Pass Trail or they go south and around the ridge of the Castles and hunt up towards Storm Mountain pass, and all the country between that.Besides their base camp,they have several drop camps around that general area.

They have a permit from the FS that allows them to use trucks to take their equipment/camps in a before the season and after the season.They usually take their camps out after the end of the 2nd rifle season. That road takes off the Ohio Creek road on private land and is not accessible

saddlesore: Thanks for the local info on Tenderfoot's hunt area. Pretty country, looks like a good Outfitter. HH

I've hunted in 54 3 times now and all the info Saddlesore gave me and is supplying to you is dead on. This thread is invaluable info. The info on the cows read it twice. they are all over the area from the swampy pass trail head until the ranchers lease runs out.

From what I've heard from the outfitters they have struggled with the elk residing on the private ranch (alfalfa fields) and Fish and Game has yet to find a way to control that. They've even used drones to try to push the elk back to the public ground. I think it puts the number of tags vs the available elk in area 54 in a disproportionate place.

oh and better get to walking!

Sorry I've been mia the last couple weeks, and haven't posted any responses. I've ready over all the info everyone has given me. I feel pretty good about the hunt, and want to tell everyone thank you. Y'all have been more of a help than y'all really know. We are about 14 hrs away from being in gunnison and let me tell you we are excited! I will keep y'all posted on the hunt pending service. Thank all of y'all again

You are timing it right! I have a buddy on the mountain the last 10 days. It's been very slow. Last night was the first bugling they had even heard at night. It should be about to break open in that area. He's had a rough hunt and has been ready to quit. Hang in there and stay positive is all I can tell you now!

Oh and he said the new Micro brew in Gunnison is GREAT!

Kkale: Archery season has been over for a few weeks, hope you had a good hunt, please tell us how your bowhunt went in Unit 54. Hungry Horse