Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Mule deer hunting Colorado unit 62

I am hunting colorado unit 62 in the 2nd rifle season 2012. I have never hunted unit 62 or ever hunted for mule deer. Any information on where to start would be greatly appreciated. As of now all my research has been from the internet and from USGS maps of the forest. I am from Pennsylvania so actual shoe-leather scouting isnt possible. I am driving in from Penn. and will camp at my truck. Just wondering if hunting in the high country or starting low on the plateau will be the best place to start??

What Season? I assume you have enough points to draw the unit since Colorado is draw only for deer, there are no OTC tags. 62 has the highest hunter numbers in Colorado and can get a bit crowded. Down lower in the oakbrush and even into the pinyon juniper would be a good place to start. Lots of people on lots of atv's.

Drink plenty of water, nothing will kill your hunt faster than altitude sickness..

I have ML Elk hunted there the last three years. We are up on the plateu out of Delta. I could have killed a nice Buck each year if I had a tag. I did only see four Bucks in three years, but three of them were nice. I'd probably hunt lower in the Oak brush. Good luck. Ken

Use google maps to get a good look at the country. The ground level panoramic view (the little button that looks like a man) from most main roads will give you a good idea what the general area looks like.

Back in '09 I hunted unit 60 for my first mule deer/Colorado hunt. Even after studying topo maps the actual landscape was a big surprise to this flat lander. If I had only known about google maps back then. With it I can pull up pictures from a road only about a mile away from were I killed my deer. Being able to actually see the actual country would have been a major help in pre planning the trip.

I do have 2 PP for mule deer. Looking at the draw results from last year I should be drawing a tag. My hunting partner also applied for a cow elk tag. I did a DIY backpack hunt for elk last year in the MT Zirkel wilderness. Wanted to go on a delux hunt this year... The only thing that turns me off is the fact that there are alot of people in the unit but the stats are consistantly good for bucks so we figured we would give it a shot.

Thanks. I will start there. Not looking to kill a monster just have a good hunt on public land. I have hunted DIY for elk the past few years and was looking to do something different.

Tag numbers for unit 62 have been declining the last several years which seems to indicate lower deer numbers. Up on the Uncompahgre plateau I killed a decent but narrow 4x3 4 years ago in 62 and saw about a half dozen bucks but they were all concentrated in one area with a lot of deerless territory around them. Low elevations that hold high numbers of deer like the agricultural fields are all private land.
Cover some territory and you will see some deer and unless you are too picky you should come home with a buck. Good luck!

I noticed the decline in the tag allocation.. Dont know what to think of it. The good thing is that CO had a pretty mild winter this year and the harvest statistics are still averaging 50% success for bucks in 62..
Good to hear you had success there. Thanks

West of Columbine Campground. Head downhill from Divide Rd.
I've never bowhunted a single day on the Uncompaghre without seeing several muley bucks, not big ones but they are there. I've seen several nice bucks down off the edges of the mesas as well. Most in the Reaubidoux (sp) area.

In 2010, I got a late start one morning and just pulled off Divide, about 2 miles west of Delta/ Nucla Rd. I bet I jumped up 20 bucks in less than a mile. I started seeing them about 1/4 mile off the road. Later, looking at Google earth, I figured I was moving thru an area no one else was getting into.

My suggestion, pattern the other hunters, look at the topos or sat maps and be on the escape routs or bedding areas.

I was up on the Plateau last weekend hunting turkeys. Snowpack is way below average and it's shaping up to be a hot dry summer. Sitting on a watering hole might be a good strategy.

Sounds good.. I have 6 days to figure out the terrotory and hope to put a 180 gr nosler in the boiler room of any not so lucky split beam deer that walks my way.. Good luck to all. Thanks for the advice. Happy hunting.