Colorado GMU 67

AggieOutdoors16

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 18, 2018
Messages
121
Location
College Station
Myself and several family members/friends drew Bull elk tags for second season in GMU 67 in southern Colorado. Myself and a couple of the guys going hunted GMU 68 OTC in second season last year and had the trip of a lifetime even though we were un-successful. I have been doing my best to study maps (ONX, paper, google earth, etc.) and was curious if anyone had any experience hunting in that area. The wilderness looks like it is very high and would prove to be tough to access, but remote and receive little hunting pressure in the earlier season. I have read that a lot of hunters like to hug around Sawtooth mountain in the middle of the unit. It also appears that the BLM land in between private land plots in the eastern portion of the unit contain watering holes, I'm assuming cattle graze there during the summer.

Just looking for any input that might help get a bull on the ground this fall. Feel free to respond or PM.

Thanks in advance
 

chasewild

WKR
Joined
Mar 22, 2016
Messages
971
Location
CO -> AK
Aggie:

Welcome to rokslide. I see this is your first post.

You'll likely see many posts, probably receive a few PMs, that each convey the same message. But I'll save you the lecture about mentioning units, specific areas, trailheads, etc. in a post on the internet and encourage you to keep at it with the research by calling the biologists, making a scouting trip, and using your first year out here as a year to learn the country rather than setting your expectations to "get one on the ground."

Enjoy the hunt -- which includes the research -- and the time spent with your family. That's the success.
 
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AggieOutdoors16

AggieOutdoors16

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 18, 2018
Messages
121
Location
College Station
Yes, First post!

Been following along for awhile, but finally decided to jump in.

There's no doubt that the planning aspect of the trip has been one of my favorite parts both this year and last.

Thanks for the input.
 

Bulldawg

WKR
Joined
Aug 8, 2014
Messages
928
Location
Minnesota
If you want the best experience and information, keep you eyes on flights and fly out for a long weekend. You can find some great deals on flights and rental cars that will get you into the unit and boots on the ground. You will learn more in that 2 days of scouting than you will in a month on the internet asking for information from people who are very reluctant to give out info to someone who just started posting. And if you're too busy to go scout on a weekend you're just too plain busy.
 

Thomas11

WKR
Joined
Feb 13, 2017
Messages
302
Well I think it has a better population than 68, so that’s a start! The wilderness may be too high for second season. Idk? If it were me I’d be looking at transition areas maybe from summer to wintering but I could be off base. I think the weather will have a lot to do with if they have started moving outta the higher areas
 
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AggieOutdoors16

AggieOutdoors16

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 18, 2018
Messages
121
Location
College Station
Bulldawg,

Never asked for anyone's honey hole! This post was far more intended to spark conversation than to discover secrets. Hard to find someone to talk Colorado hunting down in College Station, TX! Vacation days are very limited these days, but hoping to work my way up to having a few more over the next few years, then maybe I can do some scouting. Until then, guess it's trial by fire. Thanks for the reply.
 
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AggieOutdoors16

AggieOutdoors16

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 18, 2018
Messages
121
Location
College Station
Wilderness in 67 is pretty high. It was pretty warm last year in 68 and from what we saw and heard from other hunters, the elk stayed held up iin the high areas of the wilderness. Weather was everything last year. Thanks for the reply.
 

Bulldawg

WKR
Joined
Aug 8, 2014
Messages
928
Location
Minnesota
What I’m saying is that unless you work 7 days a week, you can go do some scouting. I highly recommend guys that call me to find a cheap southwest or frontier flight (seen as low as 60 bucks round trip) get a cheap rental car (20 bucks a day) and go check the area out. Even if you don’t get out of the car and hike you’ll know 10 times more about the area than you would otherwise. You’ll learn the roads a little and know how far from town you really will be.

I made the comments because your first post you dropped a unit number and asking for advice on how to hunt it

Bulldawg,

Never asked for anyone's honey hole! This post was far more intended to spark conversation than to discover secrets. Hard to find someone to talk Colorado hunting down in College Station, TX! Vacation days are very limited these days, but hoping to work my way up to having a few more over the next few years, then maybe I can do some scouting. Until then, guess it's trial by fire. Thanks for the reply.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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AggieOutdoors16

AggieOutdoors16

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 18, 2018
Messages
121
Location
College Station
Work has me held up from making that kind of trip. I feel like its a little easier to talk about going scouting when you live closer than 17 hours away from the unit, which I don't. Which is exactly why I decided to jump in on this forum. Should I have worded my question a little better? Yes, absolutely. But like I said, I was only posting to hopefully spark a conversation with someone who may have some experience in the unit. Instead I get the typical "You're a first time poster just looking for a hand-out." Which is the total opposite of what I was going for. This is exactly why guys like me elect to "watch the forum" instead of "joining in on the forum"....to avoid "Seasoned forum veterans" like yourself.
 

Bulldawg

WKR
Joined
Aug 8, 2014
Messages
928
Location
Minnesota
Well good luck man check out Gene Taylors in Gunnison for any last minute gear you might need when you're up in town.

Work has me held up from making that kind of trip. I feel like its a little easier to talk about going scouting when you live closer than 17 hours away from the unit, which I don't. Which is exactly why I decided to jump in on this forum. Should I have worded my question a little better? Yes, absolutely. But like I said, I was only posting to hopefully spark a conversation with someone who may have some experience in the unit. Instead I get the typical "You're a first time poster just looking for a hand-out." Which is the total opposite of what I was going for. This is exactly why guys like me elect to "watch the forum" instead of "joining in on the forum"....to avoid "Seasoned forum veterans" like yourself.
 

LWC

FNG
Joined
Feb 7, 2018
Messages
81
Location
Texas
Congrats on the tag. Most folks don't want to publicly discuss specific hunting units on an internet forum. That info stays out there forever and can negatively impact the unit in future years. Here is my advice. Do lots of internet searches for unit #'s, trailheads, mountain names, national forest names, rivers, land features, nearest towns, etc... You will find some folks that have hunted the unit, live around the unit, etc..
Send private messages to those guys. They will likely be much more forthcoming from a PM, then on a public forum. Good luck and I hope y'all have a great hunt.
 

mproberts

WKR
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Messages
393
Work has me held up from making that kind of trip. I feel like its a little easier to talk about going scouting when you live closer than 17 hours away from the unit, which I don't. Which is exactly why I decided to jump in on this forum. Should I have worded my question a little better? Yes, absolutely. But like I said, I was only posting to hopefully spark a conversation with someone who may have some experience in the unit. Instead I get the typical "You're a first time poster just looking for a hand-out." Which is the total opposite of what I was going for. This is exactly why guys like me elect to "watch the forum" instead of "joining in on the forum"....to avoid "Seasoned forum veterans" like yourself.

I feel like Bulldawg gave you good advice. You asked for any input that might help get a bull on the ground this year, and he gave you sound advice that certain flights are cheap and boots on the ground experience is move valuable than anything else. I wish someone would have nailed that advice home before my first NR elk hunt. I didn't make that as high of a priority as it should have been and I ended up wasting a bunch of time in areas that looked good on imagery and maps but terrible in real life. I feel like there is no reason to be mad at the answer when you asked for "any input" and you got sound input in a cordial manner. I don't feel like any seasoned veterans were rude to you unless I missed some deleted comments.

So I still definitely consider myself a "new guy" here. I lurked for a long time than got active to take part in the discussions, ask questions, learn from others wayyy smarter than myself and provide input when/where I can. Having said that I think it's looks pretty bad when you say the exact reason you "decided to jump in on this forum" was because you couldn't scout a unit before your hunt and you wanted to "spark a conversation with someone who may have experience in the unit"... but then go on to say you are the "total opposite" of a first time poster just looking for a hand-out. I mean come on man.. you posted for the first time because you wanted to gain firsthand unit knowledge from someone who has experience in that unit. I'm not saying that it's right or wrong to do that and guys can feel free to pass any information they have learned to anyone else, I do and don't want some other guy telling me what to do with information I earned... but having said that there is no reason to lie to yourself about what you were doing and then get mad at seasoned veterans who provided solid input in a cordial manner.
 

fishslap

WKR
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
892
Location
Longmont, CO
Myself and several family members/friends drew Bull elk tags for second season in GMU 67 in southern Colorado. Myself and a couple of the guys going hunted GMU 68 OTC in second season last year and had the trip of a lifetime even though we were un-successful. I have been doing my best to study maps (ONX, paper, google earth, etc.) and was curious if anyone had any experience hunting in that area. The wilderness looks like it is very high and would prove to be tough to access, but remote and receive little hunting pressure in the earlier season. I have read that a lot of hunters like to hug around Sawtooth mountain in the middle of the unit. It also appears that the BLM land in between private land plots in the eastern portion of the unit contain watering holes, I'm assuming cattle graze there during the summer.

Just looking for any input that might help get a bull on the ground this fall. Feel free to respond or PM.

Thanks in advance

How many total in your group for this hunt? What do you normally hunt for and what general area of the country?
 
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AggieOutdoors16

AggieOutdoors16

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 18, 2018
Messages
121
Location
College Station
You're right, I jumped the gun and was over-the-top to bulldawg. More than anything I was just looking to share my excitement and have conversation about hunting that area. as far as passing on information, I feel like it would be much more appropriate to be critical in a PM rather than out on the forum. Either way, I've apologized, and have started some good conversations about elk hunting which was the whole purpose from the get-go. Thanks for replying.
 

chindits

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2013
Messages
662
Location
Westslope, CO
Not saying it's bad, but just so your not surprised.... they're logging that country of beetle kill pretty hard. Especially this year with little winter to speak of and not much of a mud season to slow them down. Most of the La Garrittas that I've seen are beetle kill stands. I reckon they will start blowing down pretty bad soon, but as of now their is a pretty incredible understory holding under them dead trees. It makes for plenty of forage without having to get up in the Alpine. This will have no effect on you during 2nd rifle season though. Pretty gentle country compared to the San Juans.
 
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AggieOutdoors16

AggieOutdoors16

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 18, 2018
Messages
121
Location
College Station
Not saying it's bad, but just so your not surprised.... they're logging that country of beetle kill pretty hard. Especially this year with little winter to speak of and not much of a mud season to slow them down. Most of the La Garrittas that I've seen are beetle kill stands. I reckon they will start blowing down pretty bad soon, but as of now their is a pretty incredible understory holding under them dead trees. It makes for plenty of forage without having to get up in the Alpine. This will have no effect on you during 2nd rifle season though. Pretty gentle country compared to the San Juans.


Thanks for the information. Looking forward to a good time. Hate to hear the beetles are doing so much damage.
 
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