Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting ML season snowed out!

Huge weather transitions = prime time.

Logistics may suffer, but hunting certainly isn’t ruined.

I am with rosco1, two best days to hunt are the day before an storm and the day after the storm.

We backpacked into a Colorado Wilderness area though 8” of snow and camped in it without problems Thursday and came out today. No big deal.

I'll take the heavy wet snow conditions over hot and dry anytime! Hunting will be superb!

Just remember the rule: you use chains to get OUT of the mountains, never to get IN.

Your front seat must be more comfortable than mine. Cab gets about as cold as a tent to me unless running the heater. I don't like setting up tents or getting up in the cold either, but I sleep better than I would in my cab. Once I get dressed and moving, the cold doesn't bother me as much.

The snow was pretty uneventful where I went. Bull down and out.

Possibly, or maybe I'm less bothered by sleeping in uncomfortable positions, than others. Starting the engine for 1/2 hour before getting up makes it toasty warm to get dressed.

Buddy and I are headed to CO for 2nd rifle. First time in CO so not really equipped for real heavy snow, him coming from texas and me from SC. We have two Kodiak flexbow tents and are going to make the best of whatever we can get. I kinda hope for a little snow, just not a blizzard, but we will deal with it I guess. Only thing that really keeps me home is rain. I hate it. Sally is coming across us right now and dumped 7.5 inches so far today. Its a mess outside.

On my cross country trip to NM for elk 2 years ago, I slept in the back seat of my crew cab f150. Quite comfy when you are tired.

I solved the morning cold in a tent by having a small stove and coffee pot going before crawling out, and yes spent more than few nights in a p/u cab. Then there was the night a quick blizzard came in and I spent the night next to a fallen tree with a small fire going. That one got me a mite grumpy

Reach over and crank mr buddy up for about 5 min before crawling out the tent is the way to go. During my hard duck hunting days of sleeping in boats etc, ive built fires in floating logs to warm up and it will amaze you how much heat a little coleman lantern will put off.

The lodge just up the Conejos Canyon off or CO17 said they got 15" and that is way lower than 10,000 ft.
AND, that is Southern Colorado(Unit 80 or 81).
I have hunted the area twice ad it was "shirt sleeve" weather conditions

We would have been in unit 85 west of CO12 on top of Cuchara Pass. They got two storms where most of the rest of CO only had rain/snow mix. The 2nd storm was the killer up high. Started as rain then snow and that makes for nasty conditions. Guys can say they would go and have roughed it out. Good for them. I’ve done that before and have hunted 4th season elk north of Craig at 22 below zero so I’m not afraid of snow or cold. Just don’t want to deal with 6” of mud with 12-15” of snow on top. Not my kind of fun

I hunted opening day in Unit 85. I left my 4 wheeler at home due to the mud on the ATV trails. I watched a herd of 8 or 9 with a bull following cross a private ranch and on into the burn area. I have not yet found a legal way to get into that burn area. I think that outfitter may have exaggerated the 12" of snow. There was 2 or 3 long horse trailers parked on CO12 atop Cuchara Pass on opening morning and 6 or 7 other trucks and rigs. Too crowded for me. No trailer camping allowed there but there were spaces available for big campers at Blue Lakes and at Purgatoire. I was surprised the campers and fishermen outnumbered the hunters in those areas. Hunted there again Tuesday and had Cuchara Pass all to myself. Tried again today. Hiked up the Apishapa and I would have been able to see into NM if the smoke hadn't been so thick. I should have been on a north slope somewhere but that access was problematic for me. I'll try once more before the season ends.

Just returned from unit 80. At least 15 inches of snow. Wasn’t much fun hiking through that for entire week of muzzleloader. Started melting pretty good by Thursday, but lots still on north slope and in shade. Didn’t hear one bugle. Saw two cows and a calf the last evening. Saw four bears and more bear tracks than elk tracks. Hunted between 10 and12 thousand feet.

Oh chit mr badass is here... so you recover the body, bag and tag. Chuck said body into tree line and you and your elite team would go hunting?? Sounds legit..

Ph uck I didn’t know elk hunting was so dangerous.. I’m glad I survived