Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Best Colorado Elk Unit

I have just finished some fairly extensive scouting of unit 82.
I spent 3-day weekends for all of August up there. There are some elk but neither 82 nor 86 have ever been among the better units that I have been to.

Of the maybe 25 or 30 major drainages that are accessible on the Western side of the Sangre�s I�d estimate that only a very few hold small herds. The larger herds tend to be found toward the Southern end and have found safety on abundant private land and now recently more federal land. Sure there are singles and pairs throughout the range but those are some smart survivors. As was previously noted, the Sangre�s are extremely steep. It�s a tough hunt for a DIY. Not as bad if you have horses.

I have seen some trophy bulls in 82 and 86 but really not very many given the amount of time I�ve spent in that range over the past 2 decades. Usually those bulls were well protected by both steep terrain and large parcels of unhuntable land.

I purchased a leftover tag for unit 82 this year, either sex, 1st season (mostly because I had the opportunity to do so much scouting there and I wanted to add a 2nd elk hunt this year). I�m not even thinking about 300 class bulls. I�m starting off looking for evidence on any elk.
The fact that this tag is even available as a leftover tells you that this is not going to be a high % success area.
Anyone who does manage some success in this area can feel good about having beaten some pretty long odds.

I'm coming out for my first hunt during 2nd rifle season and I'll be tickled pink just to SEE and Elk! Just being there is a dream for some folks. Good luck!!

Last year we hunted area 75 during the second season. Got there the first day and there a few bulls taken but nothing special. After the first day we didn't see or hear an elk for 3 days and then a big snowstorm came through and kicked us off the mountain. We had cow tags and I didn't see one cow.

We are thinking about putting in for a cow tag for new year during muzzleloader season. Is it pretty easy to draw a cow muzzleloader tag or do you need points for that too? We live in Kentucky and the drive to Durango was painful. We were hoping to find an area with good cow numbers a little easier to get too. Maybe north and west of Denver. We are not after bulls just meat for the freezer.

Thanks

Along with a bunch of other units, I've hunted unit 20 twice on the late season or January hunt. As mentioned it's a patchwork of private and public and would be very confusing to know and hunt without a guide because of that.

It is not a particular pleasing unit to hunt aesthetically speaking-- it's not wilderness but winding roads, fences, and park-and-hunt scenarios.

Aside from that, it's highly weather dependent. While the regular seasons will find elk in the unit outside of RMNP, the late season hunts which are meant to harvest some of the big bulls that weather finally pushes out can still be mild, long sleeve shirt weather, or like my last one there, uncommonly frigid with a -25 below wind chill. Snow conditions can help, or greatly hinder; for example, old snow that has repeatedly thawed and frozen again making quiet hunting nearly impossible. Think walking across side hills of Corn Flakes.

While I did take a 330 bull in Jan of 2008, conditions were very poor for hunting and uncomfortable but this can happen in any unit and "is hunting".

[/b]While we all would like to take big bull, the odds are so against it on public land in CO as has been mentioned that placing less emphasis on that and more on the experience, the country, the process, etc will make it more enjoyable for you especially for one who hasn't spent years hunting elk or learning one GMU intimately. [b]

I'm in that group! I've been hunting elk in Colorado on and off since the mid 80s and ain't got one yet. Now I've been stationed out of the state for several of those years, and others I was somewhat limited in how far I could get from roads as my Dad was with me and couldn't move real well, so I haven't serioulsy put in the effort for 25 years and come up blank.

I see bulls when I have a cow tag or the day before the season. I see cows when i have a bull tag, or they're heading into thick stuff and gone by the time I get there. I'm still learning about these critters and hope to get my first trophy cow this year. I'll mount it on the grill instead of the wall, though. Numbers and rack size mean nothing to me.

That said, I've seen a lot of really nice bulls on public land earlier in the year...apparently somebody provides them with season info, though, because come opening day, they're nowhere around.

Hey all. I have a family cabin at the base of the Sangres and am looking to get an elk over the coming years. I plan to do a scouting weekend this coming labor day to get the latezt live scoop on the land. The info that y'all have provided has already helped a great deal. The satellite maps show a couple spots that stand out as honeyholes, but hiking it is the only way to confirm. It sounds like a sizeable challenge from what is said about the terrain. I've hiked the area as a teen, but not up into the alpine yet. (I'll be in shape when it's time though) My cousin lives in the area and he mentioned that if the elk are not in safe spaces of private land, they will be in the nastiest and thickest spots. Of course, right! lol

So, is it wise to keep a base camp at the cabin and hike the mountains for a week or so, camping each night? Should I focus on glassing from ridges and stalk from there? Hunt around watering holes? North vs South facing ridges? Probably best to keep far away from easy access roads and other hunters, ya?

Any tips or advice for a novice elk hunter would be greatly appreciated! Thank you guys and have a great day!

You didn't say what season,but glassing once the elk are hunted gets pretty dismal. Usually in alpine areas there is water everywhere.Even a little seep is enough for an elk to get water.

Hunting from the cabin would be nice,but you have a long trek every morning, unless you can find elk close.
If you chose to hike in and camp a few nights, be aware of your location. Sounds like you are on foot,and getting 3-400 pounds of meat out on your back is not for the faint of heart

TxVince - Remember that since this thread was last active the North end of 86 has burned.
That could be good for you but depends on where the cabin is.
Success rates are not high there for either bulls or cows but having a cabin available is a great start.

Depends on which season. By mid/late September the elk have generally moved down out of the alpine above timberline because the hard freezes have turned the grass brown while down in the quakies and small openings or snowslide chutes their will still be green grass.

The Sangres are very steep--especially on the San Louie side. If you're starting from a cabin at the base of the range a guy--even in good shape--will spend a couple hours or more getting up higher in most places along the range.

I've archery sheep hunted up there twice, didn't see a lot of elk during archery season but the ones I saw were primarily mature bulls.

Casey

Don't worry, you are not alone.........



That's the spirit!



My younger brother is convinced somebody gives all the elk a calendar each year..........


Casey

I hunt a 4 point NR elk unit

In this unit even seeing elk is a red letter day.

But in 2015 I literally won the lottery and don't need anyone to tell me it will never happen again because I know it!!!

This guy tapes as is....broken royals and one broken 5th at just over 320"

Public land, tent camping, wilderness area so we walk everywhere

This bull died 4 miles from the nearest road

I'm in a lifelong debt with 2 very good friends for helping me put him down and get him out.

No mules, horses.....just pain...lots of pain











First rest



I will be lucky to see another bull of this quality in my life on Colorado public land much less kill one

This bull was killed in Unit 86 in 2001(not by me). I have hunted every year since then.Drew one tag in Unit 201 ,the trophy unit in NW CO. The bull I killed there was not as big, and in all these years,I have never seen a bull as big on public land. This gives one the idea of how hard it is to kill a big bull on CO public land.This bull probably went above 350. I could have killed that bull but as is always the case,I was carrying a cow tag in my pocket

I'm no expert but I've taped more than a few....

Why do you think that bull is over 350"

I am not sure where the recession comment comes from, but there is another issue impacting the elk populations in CO: predators. In MT and WY, ID, etc. they have wolf problems, but in CO I believe it more a mountain lion problem.

For the first time in 30 years of hunting the same unit in CO, this past November I saw two distinctly different sized mountain lion tracks within 5 miles. Considering that it used to be unusual to see one mountain lion track, seeing evidence of two lions within that distance is highly remote. I know mountain lions prefer to prey on deer, but to think they don't make the elk nervous is simply naive.

The latter bull I killed was 343 and this bull is bigger. Because of the straight in angle that the photo was taken,you can't get a true view of the length of the main beams.

Uhhhhh........

--My comment was posted 8 years ago.

--Have you checked the age of this thread?

--Colorado has been issuing very high numbers of cow tags for the past 20 years in a attempt to reduce the elk numbers in most units. Only recently has CPW approached their desired numbers in some units. In other words we have more friggin' elk then we know what to do with.........

--Having worked on a lion study in the 80's, I can assure you cougars, a) don't kill many elk, and b) have little effect on movement or behavior of elk.

Casey

Oh, please excuse my ignorance and failure to pay tribute to your lion study experience. I do believe I stated the lions make elk nervous, just to clarify.

Saddlesore, Alamosa, I appreciate the advice.
Saddle, We'll probably be going for the second rifle season(Oct.22 -30?). I'll have some friends with decent legs to help if I get one. Definitely good to be mindful of distance though. Would you recommend horse(s) if they were available?

Alamosa, thanks for the info. The cabin is southwest of Westcliffe, just downhill from Alvarado Campground. Hopefully the fire didn't reach there!

Alpinecrick, Thanks for the timetable. Those mountains have a lot of elevation, and quickly too. There also doesn't seem to be many shortcuts or easy access trails. If it's not dense or fallen timber, it's near vertical rock faces.

Is there a good chance of snow cover in mid to late October for GMU 86 area?? (Sounds like a dumb question but I don't see much snow down in TX :P) Thanks guys!

Horses are always good idea.

That east side of the Sangres is a lot steeper/rougher than the west side.
So would you be going in towards Horn Lake?

A rangerette made me leave Alvarado one time several years ago because I had horses.Said I had to tie them at least 100 yards outside the campground.She was obviously a dirt biker because they were joy riding all over the campground and there were signs every where,no dirt bikes

ANY predator makes elk nervous--especially predators wearing blaze orange and packing heat.....

Rather than pay tribute, it's best if one educates himself on the subject, and better yet, pay attention to the age of thread.


Casey