Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Colorado above timberline 48/481/56/561 early rifle buck tag

Well, i was kicking around some late season colorado hunts but ended up getting my wife's blessing to take a week in september for a high country buck hunt. Thats a big deal since we will be welcoming our 3rd child within a month! She is a trooper and I am lucky to have her.

I ended up cashing in 6 points on the above timberline 48/481/56/561 early rifle buck tag. I have been doing my maps/google earth research and talking to biologists, wardens, etc to settle on some places to check out. I will be headed out there twice to scout before the hunt. Probably late july and again in last august or early september. It looks to have no shortage of high country to the point it is a bit tough trying to narrow it down some! Here in utah our mountain ranges I usually hunt have a miniscule amount of country above timberline compared to colorado! It will be a fun challange as the hunt has to take place entirely above timberline.

If anyone has any experience in the units and would care to share, i would love to hear it. Either areas to check out or to avoid or just any stories you might like to share.

Thanks!

I did that hunt a few years ago. Beautiful country, not much air haha. Be VERY prepared for rain, I was rained out mon-thur during the week I hunted, shot my buck on the Friday. Not huge but nice and still in full velvet, by far not the biggest buck I saw but with time running out....he presented a good shot.

Be ready to deal with weekend hikers/4x4/campers in easily accessible areas. Seems most of the hunters who get this tag stick to the northern 2 units. I'd avoid 561, there is SOME tree line there, but not a lot and the easiest to access is littered with hippies and back packs.

If you can get to it, the upper and western side of 56 into 481 aroud the wilderness areas could produce a nice buck.

I want to do this hunt again but it has already climbed in the point creep. Took 4 a few years ago and now it takes 6-7 most likely.

Thanks for your thoughts! Just looking at maps I had the same thoughts on 561. I will make sure to check out the atea you mentioned on my scouting trips. I am definitley looking to upgrade rain gear too as my cabelas space rain failed me badly in wyoming last year. Tough to rip the band aid off for top end rain gear, but I am gonna do it!

If you take HWY 50 west of Poncha Springs, there is a road that cuts off to the north about 1-2 miles west and it eventually heads west and ends up right on the Colorado Trail a few hundred yards south of where the trail goes up Mt Shavano. If you take that trail up a few miles to when you are right on the ridge, you cut off and bushwhack on down into the drainage to the north. It is not steep. I took the wife up there when scouting and then led two mules up to timberliine for the hunt
Then follow that drainage up to timberline.There is a small lake fairly far up there. Right at timberline along the creek there is a spot that has been used by goat hunters in the past. ( I am one of them)I saw some nice bucks in that drainage. There is about a 1000 foot climb if you go off to the north of that drainage and it ends up on a ridge looking down into another big bowl. I killed my goat in that one

Both of those drainages are remote and you won't find any people in them. You will see a few on the Colorado Trail and the to Mt Shavano.

I think I still have topo maps showing where to bail off the Mt Shavano trail

Thanks for the tip, i have it on my list of places to check out. It would be fun to see some goats as well along the way! Looking at maps and google earth, I think i know right where you are speaking of. Thanks again!

Go to Google Earth and search for Mt Shavano ,Chaffe CO.

You can zoom in and see the Colorado Trail. Looks like that little lake is Lake Shavano.

Looks like where You cut off from the Shavano trail to the right is about GPS,38 degrees, 36', 45.83" W and 106 degrees, 12' 17.89 " N.

Although it might be little further up the trail.I remember a small stream flowing there that goes down to the north,I always cut off to the right at that stream,but it has been a few years and might have changed

Thanks! I will check it out. I bet that goat hunt was amazing. I have 10 or 11 points for goat here in Utah and am up to about a 4-5% chance of drawning now. Someday I will get there. Probably like 15 more years!

Recheck my GPS coordinates.I left off the 38 degrees