Member

Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 207
I’ve been meaning to post something about this. I drew the early rifle tag this year. I wanted a wilderness pack in type of hunt so my primary interest was the area south of the river. I spent a week there in August backpacking into some of the drainages. Lots and lots of elk around, and no people beyond the trailheads. I caught some excellent cutthroat trout as well. I decided on Chief Mountain as my first choice place to hunt, and the area above Big Ruby lake as my second. Ute creek had a permanent outfitter camp and the better areas were a bit farther than I wanted to go. I also went up to Weminuche pass, where I did see a few bow hunters. That spot didn’t feel as good.

My wife and llamas and I arrived 2 days before the opener. At the trailhead for Chief Mountain we ran into an outfitter who it turns out had a camp for hunters close to where I planned to camp. He did not seem happy to see us and told me he was damn discouraged as all the elk had moved out of the area. I was skeptical about the elk having moved out, but didn’t want to deal with a grumpy outfitter and hunters, so we moved over to Fern lake trail to go up to Big Ruby lake. There was an outfitter there too, but a hell of nice guy named Greg Pearson of Long Ridge Outfitters. He opined that there was plenty of room, told me where his camp was, and mentioned some spots that might be good. We camped at the trailhead,and could hear a bugle now and then as we went to sleep. Next morning we packed in 5 miles to Big Ruby and set up camp and poke around for the rest of the day. Next morning was the opener and I went to a spot about a mile from camp that I had scouted in August. Out in a large alpine basin I found a large bull and some cows. The problem was it had snowed 2 days ago, then the sky cleared, snow melted some, then a cold night so the snow now was very crunchy. There was a drainage I could use to keep out of sight for a stalk but I was afraid they would hear me crunching though the snow. I sat about 700 yards out thinking and watching him and listening to him bugle. I thought maybe I could wait for the sun to soften up the snow some.

After I had been sitting for about 10 minutes another bull started bugling in the timber close by, and cows started coming out. More bugles, then the bull in the photos appeared. This was about 0830. Before the hunt started I had decided I wasn’t going to pass one on opening day that I would be happy with on closing day so I took the shot at 160 yds. I had decided I wanted to leave the meat on bone for 24 hours (see thread in General Big Game) so I field dressed, then took the quarters off but left the back straps on. Went back to camp and enjoyed some whiskey with my wife. Problem is when I came back next morning 2 bears and dragged off a front and a hind quarter, and eaten about 1/4 from each. Dang. Nonetheless I got lots of great meat. I have already eaten some and it is not gamely or rutty at all.

So my thoughts about 76:
1. It is great to be in the San Juans in October. Lots and lots of elk, great mountain scenery, few people. After leaving the trailhead I never saw another hunter.
2. Every drainage that is good pack in to and hunt has one or more outfitter camps in it. On the other hand, it is big country. I am used to hunting around home in Unit 18 which is heavily hunted bow season through late season. There is no place to avoid people.
3. The wilderness trailheads (Fern Creek, Thirty Mile, and Ute Creek) have nice big dispersed campsites with room for stock.
4. All the locals I talked to around Creede were nice and helpful, even the hipsters in the backpacking store in Creede. The local Parks and Wildlife officer is a good guy. If you call CPW in Del Norte they will give you his cell phone number.
5. Was it worth 17 points? Damn right it was, at least for me. I wanted a back country hunt in the high mountains more than I wanted antler size. I am aware that 76 doesn’t produce bulls as big as the northwest units do. I wanted a different experience.
6. Sadly I likely won’t live long enough to do it again, unless I buy a landowner voucher...which I wont. After I killed that bull we spent a couple more days in the area just soaking it all in.
7. It seems that there are good places to hunt in 76 without packing in.

Last edited by riverdog; 11/18/17.