Good luck to all the guys hunting CO second season!

We set camp yesterday and are in Gunnison at the moment about to get a few groceries for the week. Weather forecast is perfectly crappy for tomorrow - wind, rain, snow, might be a short day...... But the rest of the week looks good - cold clear sunny.

First time I've hunted this particular area but have hunted in 54 and 55 about 20 or so years ago. Be a good week for armed hiking! I'm hoping to see/read a few good hunting stories this coming week.

I’m helping a friend in 61 this week.

Headed to 15 tomorrow. Muley for me, everything for my (resident) partner.

Good luck to all. Mb

Good luck

Not going for the first time in 27 years if I remember correctly. We hunted 55 NE of Crested Butte all but 2 of those years. 2 of our group got tired of paying-non-res tag fees and I didn't get around to securing adequate lodging in time since the tents we have always used are staying in IA. My replacement/splurge was bear hunting in Minnesota this year.

Day 1 done. Started snowing about 1AM, snowed on /off all day until 10 or so inches collected. Then it really started snowing.

Turned out to be a good day. Saw 13 cows, no bulls. I saw 9 mule deer and a dandy buck. My buddy saw 5 elk and a big bull but couldn't get a shot. All told, an excellent day despite the crappy weather. We had times that we couldn't see 50 yards.

We had a real adventure after we hunted just getting to town. I'll spare the drama but we left camp at 515, hit the hotel at 945. The road was a bit of a 'challenge''.

sweet good luck

Good luck!
I got benched in 2020 due to health concerns, took bulls in ‘21 and ‘22, and benched again in 2023.
Maybe it’s time to hang it up, but I can’t see myself doing that!

Bill:

I'm taking my grandson into 54 during the 3rd season. Hope for one more snow event between now and then.

Good luck! Myself and a buddy were supposed to hunt the second half of the second combined season in Units 12/13 but the State of Colorado closed the season down to excessive winterkill!

I think you mean ‘shortened’ the season. CPW should have eliminated the seasons this year in the winterkill affected areas.

Good luck Bill!

Have hunted 56 for years.

They should have modified the season dates well before the tag application start. But then there’s that revenue thingy….

The State cancelled our season down (second half of second combined)!

?

You got your wish......

We got 20" of snow in 53. On Sat night we: ended up in a ditch, spent 5.5 hrs driving the 17 miles into town, came back to a collapsed canvas tent, and hunted the rest if the week post-holing in 16-20" snow. We left this AM and there is still 12-16" above 8500 feet with the bonus of a 2" crust.

The part that sucks is that we located elk. My buddy and I saw 18 on day 1 but couldn't justify going back there with that much snow. It would have taken me 3-4 days to get it out. I post-holed up there Weds and saw prob 40 fresh elk tracks. 2.5 air miles plain sucks in that much snow, especially with a crust. I'm not that tough.

Down around Gunnison, they got less snow and over toward Crawford, they had zero.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Thanks Brad! Have a chance to christen that 6.5 yet?

Hi Bill, sounds like you had a tough, but good hunt - 20" is a LOT of snow without skis or snowshoes, and there's not much worse than crusty snow!

I only hunted opening day, and haven't been back out since. We'll see - this is always a super busy time for my work, and this year is doubly so.

CPW announced some units would have their season shortened on May 23

https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/News-Release-Details.aspx?NewsID=3826

Second season in the books for me. Passed on a small muley early. Lots of does and a couple dandy bucks too late in the day to pursue. Had a big time with my oldest friend.

We agreed that we both had the "Sunday" just didn't get the cherry on top. No kill but a great hunt anyway.

Found a bachelor group of 4 legal bulls on Wednesday. Put them to bed Wednesday night, and they were exactly where I wanted them to be Thursday.

First light on Thursday I had the second biggest one feeding broadside at 350 yards. With all the time in the world to set up for the shot, I waited for him to step into an opening in the brush.

At the shot, he crashed off out of sight.

I ate breakfast and worked up to the point of impact.

Nice big blood trail.

Found him 80 yards later.

Passenger side is a nice clean 6. Driver's side is a non-typical club type growth.

For those that care about such things, the rifle is a 1957 Winchester 70 in 30-06. 180 grain SST handloads. Complete chest pass through. Exit was the size of a nickel.

congrats, cool antler configuration.

Two of my brothers were out for 2nd elk season and the first time ever they both went home with tag soup on the menu.

The 7 hunters in our crew killed 2 bulls and 2 cow elk. No deer, only 2 had deer licenses anyway. About half of our success in past couple of years. But we’ve had similar results in non-winter kill years, too. Meat processor in town said intake was way down in second season.

Well done T!

It looks like the elk were in the scrub - true?

We've consistently found them in the cliffy, brushy, nastiest place to hunt.

We keep going back!

Awesome stuff fellas!

T-Bone, congrats on the bull!

Spent the last weekend in the Douglas pass area, units 21 and 30. (Oil Spring Mt, Texas Mt, Rabbit Mt, Brushy Point, East Douglas Creek, Pike Ridge, Scare Mt, Lookout Mt, South Canyon) Quite a few deer in 21 and a total of 19 elk in two days, (that's including what was seen in one camp and the back of one pickup).

Lots of glassing oak and service brush slopes, rocky canyons and draws, Pinyon/juniper ridges and north facing timbered slopes.

My son in law had the bull tag. He purchased the tag at the behest of his step-brother-in-law (another story). The first weekend of 2nd season saw a little weather here in western Colorado and they hunted the McKenzie Butte area south of Montrose. But as you may or may not know, weather often doesn't mean anything to elk. Hunting pressure gets them moving and the opening day push drives them to the private and land locked BLM or to places you'd never dream of finding them.

There's always next year I suppose, at least now I know where I'm putting in for deer.

Good job, congratulations.