Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Colorado GMU 18/comments?

I am SDS's friend thats been scouting around GMU 18 and 181. Looks like some nice hunting to be done, just going to have to work for it. I like the idea about hunting west of RMNP and have been up there a few times, but also have been scouting north of HWY 40 between roads 219 and 21, but south of Cabin Creek/Forest Road 112. Had not seen many hunters during the early seasons, but had not been up there for about three weeks.

The creeks that travel north and south look like they'll support some elk, its near south facing slopes that are not to hard to traverse and feeding areas near by (water, food, bedding + hunter = success (we hope).

While scouting, we noticed several primitive camping areas that support several outfits. What are the general mountain courtesy rules for camping near other outfits? Are these areas accessible for camping with a small pop-up tent trailer this time of year?

Any advice, thoughts, comments would be nice.

Also, we seen a lot of what we thought are blue grouse (?) walking along road ways, plus moose along several of the active creeks and plenty of mule deer.

I didn't do any good had some tire trouble the last day. Glad to hear you got one. We deer hunted Oct 17 thru 25 got some nice ones unit 37 and I got alittle scouting done unit 18 and I'll be staying at Red Mtn also.

traversing,
The basic courtesy is don't crowd another camp, give em as much room as you find to be reasonable given the number of hunters in the area. Only you can tell us if that specific spot can get a pop up into it, but you'll be surprised what some people will take a trailer through.
One other comment on the grouse, I always felt that if you're seeing grouse, you'll probably be near elk as they like many of the same habitat types.

Your not kidding about where people will take a trailer. I have been hunting western 18 for a couple of years now and this year there were a few people that had nice fifth wheels up on the mountain. My wife will kill me if I took our trailer up there, safer and easier with the tent and stove.

If you have a 4th season permit you might try the wheatly creek area above Parshall and Hot Sulphur Springs. They seem to move down that way towards Kremmling.

Not being set up to process an elk, does anyone have a suggestion of a processor near Denver? Not that I am trying to get the cart before the horse (elk), but would like to be ready just in case and with a processor that refered by a fellow hunter. Thanks in advance

Steve's Meats.

Rocky Mtn Meats
5650 W. 29th Ave
Wheat Ridge, CO 80214
303-233-0757

These folks are very good to deal with, friendly, and do a great job on anything you take them.

Arapaho Meats in Lafayette is also very good, but a longer haul north. I used to take all my stuff their when I lived up by Longmont.

Steve's in Arvada is just a 1/2 mile east of me, but those folks are azzhats. A hunting partner and I arrived there just at closing time once. The guys,including Steve, started cutting open our expensive meat bags, saying they were in a hurry to close up. We said we could go to Rocky Mtn Meats if they wanted. They promptly ducked through the door and locked up. I used to think very highly of Steve, having used him for more than 17 years. Needless to say, there's another wonderful example of CO customer service that I can do without.

The folks at Rocky Mtn will do you right, from the butchers in the back to the very nice ladies up front. I've known these folks for years and like them and way of doing business.

Good luck in your hunt.

A migration SW from RMNP would place the elk along the Colorado river toward Glenwood Springs. The wintering grounds of elk from the Steamboat Springs area and Northwest side of the Flattops is the Axial Basin area South and West of Craig.

thanks for the advice, as long as I have a few to choose from, we can pick once we have two elk hoof's up. We are a week away from heading up that way and setting up camp. Thanks again

Are any of the public campgrounds along the Colorado River west of Hot Sulphur Springs open ths time of year?

I only know of one small public "campround" on Beaver Creek in the SWA near the DOW office. It's not a real CG, just a few wide spots. The other areas are for fishing access only. Plenty of camping in the BLM and forest north and south of the hwy.

Thank you taz4570, we are packed and heading up in the morning.

Enjoy. We'll be there Tuesday noon or so. Looks like it will be toasty. Bummer.

taz4570, we did not run across you but we did see Roper and got some great intel on the area. The weather was nice and the snow came in on Friday and Saturday, but we had to head back to Littleton on Saturday afternoon. Spending time up there in August and Sept was helpful, just was not expecting so many road hunters in trucks and ATVs. If we had a moose tag, we'd be in hog heaven, lots of moose in the area. We are going to start planning now for next year and spend as much time as we can scouting the area until then. We ended up camping in Lone Buck off of hwy 40 across from the rifle range, next year we are going to camp elsewhere, we had trains pass by about every two hours night and day, but it was nice being by the Colorado River to fish. Hope you had better luck then we did.

We spent a full day west of RMNP up Bowen and Baker Gulches in Never Summer Wilderness, it was not so bad because there were no road hunters, however the terrian was steep. Like someone else mentioned, the RMNP rangers were helpful. They do need the herds thinned out, plus the camp ground near the access areas seemed ok even though they clear cut the trees out of it due to the pine bettle kill. This was our first year to rifle hunt elk in Colorado, for a DIY hunt, we had a great time, it would of been better if we had one or two hanging.

Although we didn't shoot any elk, or even see any in the GMU we were hunting it was still an awesome time in the mountains. The weather was mild but I'm glad I headed east when I did. I was able to avoid the worst of the weather.

We weren't the only one's getting skunked up there. I only heard (third hand) of one elk that was shot this week. I don't feel so bad knowing that I did at least as well as the "regulars".

I am envious of you guys that live up there and get to enjoy that kind of country year round.

SDS

Just got back in town from our hunt. 2 out of three and only because I didn't want to shoot one after one of my partners shot a cow in a really nasty spot. One of our guys filled in the dark stuff on the first day. Second filled yesterday noon after a 3-4 hour stalk from one side of a very steep drainage to the other. He made a close shot in the quakies that gave me several opportunities on other cows and calves. I didn't relish the idea of pulling one out of that place, much less two so I enjoyed watching them. Besides, with an E/S tag, I was after a bull. Back up there Friday for the late season cow hunt, anyway.

Very good hunt. Clocked 8-10 miles a day and surveyed lots of new territory in an area that I thought I had mastered years ago. Good ideas for next year.

Taz, congrats. We didn't hear from anyone who got anything last week. We were logging lots of miles at some pretty high elevations....especially for me. I'm a flatlander and I was sucking air up high. It just wasn't in the books for us this year but it was still a great time.

What did the weather end up doing up there yesterday (Sunday)? It was looking pretty rough when we headed out and I felt pretty lucky to get headed back east ahead of that snow.

SDS

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning were cold and snowy. Especially Sunday morning for the cold part, 8 degrees. Sunday afternoon cleared out and warmed. Sunday evening was very cold for the hike out across the ranch. I was rather happy when my wife and the rancher met us 2 miles into the hike and saved us the last 3.5. Monday am was -7 when packing out the meat the 300 yards from the tree to the road.

We'll be looking for another good partner with a very good pack string for next year.