Bosque del Oso

[Catag94]

I drew a MD archery tag on the BDO in 2016. While hunting, I saw more than 25 bull elk I would have hunted. You have to understand that it is a place that hold Bulls during the winter and off season. If hunting for Elk during archery season, you have to make the most of the first week or so. After that, as the rut fires up, these bulls head to private ranches neighboring the property. Those properties are ranches that sell elk hunts at $12+ so I don’t believe the weekend hunters are creating any pressure on the Bosque. after the rut, these bulls come back into the Bosque which is more easily hunted with a rifle and this is why it takes so many PP for the 3rd season tag. It’s a great property with some good trophy potential. Heck, a new state record was taken on one is those neighboring ranches last year and that bull spent more time on the BDO. So, apply, good luck, and enjoy a unique place.

 

[Hunterbug]

I'm here scouting right now. I took this picture from a truck a couple of hours ago.

 

[Catag94]

Nice. Scouting for elk or deer?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hunterbug]

Elk. My daughter drew a 3rd season youth tag.

 

[Deerhunter6250]

When I was there bear hunting. There was others recreating there.

 

[Hunterbug]

This past weekend we saw one vehicle while driving around that wasn't from the gas company and no one once we left the road. I don't see people recreating being a problem.

 

[Hunterbug]

So I drew the Bosque Del Oso for third rifle this year. So no elk or lots of elk here I come! Most of the Southern exposures are fairly open to allow for some glassing. If you had the tag in your pocket would you be walking the extraction roads and glassing or would you be in the timber? Do the elk shy away from the extraction areas, wells and roads, or is it unobjectionable to them? Thanks for your insight.

How did you do? Did you get an elk?

 

[alpinebuck]

How did you do? Did you get an elk?

ive been wondering the same thing

 

[Hunterbug]

ive been wondering the same thing

My daughter got hers. I met 4 of the hunters with bull tags and I'm sure that he's not 2 of them and pretty sure he's not a third. He could be the one guy I met that had 5 friends and a guy following him with a big video camera, the guy I didn't meet, or the other youth hunter. Assuming that he's one of the last 3, the last I heard he didn't get anything with half a day left before the season ended.

 

[alpinebuck]

My daughter got hers. I met 4 of the hunters with bull tags and I'm sure that he's not 2 of them and pretty sure he's not a third. He could be the one guy I met that had 5 friends and a guy following him with a big video camera, the guy I didn't meet, or the other youth hunter. Assuming that he's one of the last 3, the last I heard he didn't get anything with half a day left before the season ended.

Thats awesome, do you have any pictures of the bull?

 

[Hunterbug]

Thats awesome, do you have any pictures of the bull?

Boom. Boom. Out go the lights.

My daughter drew a youth either sex tag for the Bosque Del Oso SWA in southern Colorado for 3rd season. I asked and got some great info from the members here. We also made 3 scouting trips. So we left Friday and her season opened on Saturday. Friday evening we looked around and didn't see...

www.rokslide.com

 

[Heckmanistan]

My daughter got hers. I met 4 of the hunters with bull tags and I'm sure that he's not 2 of them and pretty sure he's not a third. He could be the one guy I met that had 5 friends and a guy following him with a big video camera, the guy I didn't meet, or the other youth hunter. Assuming that he's one of the last 3, the last I heard he didn't get anything with half a day left before the season ended.

Hey! Congratulations to her! That is a heck of a bull and even more so for a first elk. From the picture it looks like you guys found him cross from Torres to the East? I was not a guy who had anyone following me with a video camera for sure lol. I'm the guy you met at the Gallegos parking lot with the nose bleed that wouldn't stop. We connected with a great bull on Tuesday!

 

[Heckmanistan]

Plus all the hikers and other recreationalists...

I was in there three times scouting and I only ever saw one other vehicle each time I was in there. I felt like I had the place to myself (and well pumps). It is such a beautiful property and game rich! I saw a plethora of game everyday. Was so blessed to draw the tag and spend some great time looking for elk and in doing so turning up a bunch of other critters along the way. During my time there I saw 4 bears, a cinnamon, jet black and 2 brown faced blacks, 5 Lions. One with a queen and a cub on a fresh deer carcass. Deer everywhere you stepped and a 300" bull everyday.

 

[Hunterbug]

Hey! Congratulations to her! That is a heck of a bull and even more so for a first elk. From the picture it looks like you guys found him cross from Torres to the East? I was not a guy who had anyone following me with a video camera for sure lol. I'm the guy you met at the Gallegos parking lot with the nose bleed that wouldn't stop. We connected with a great bull on Tuesday!

That's awesome! Dylan told me you got one. Congrats. I hope that it was all that you wanted. She actually got it west of the Apache campground. We went down on 12 so she could do her online class when we saw it. Then we drove around and hiked in 1.5 miles to get above him for a 216 yard shot. So that means 4 tags filled out of 7 bulls possible. You'll have to send me a picture of yours so I can show her.

 

[Heckmanistan]

The main issue is if the elk are not on the Bosque you are hosed. The Bosque has the potential to be great. You say that "there's a reason it takes 21 points" however it takes years once a gmu has fallen off to lose the mystique and point value. They issue very few tags every year, 8 archery, 5 ML, 5 each for 1st-4th. 33 tags is not a lot of people and say MAYBE 5 people fill their tags? That is not enough bad reviews every year to overtake the internet stigma. So point values stay in place.

Also, you are not even a contender for 3rd season. It took 25 points last year and that was a 50% chance. So the person who lost the coin flip has 26pp. So you are years out from drawing a 3rd season Bosque tag.

I was going to hunt in the Bosque during archery season years ago but changed my mind and have switched my game plan.

I would be more inclined to hunt a different gmu if I was you.

So Bosque drew out at 22 points this last year for 3'rd rifle. Is it worth 22 points? That I am not sure. The potential is definitely there. The "King Pin" Bull that was taken off the neighboring ranch was over 400" and was shot just on the other side of the fence of the Bosque. And had been residing at Bosque for the two years previous. If you want the tag, you can pull what I consider a good bull (310"+) out of there, it's going to take a lot of work to dig up just a few bulls each day. Bring friends, helps keep morale high when you aren't seeing very many and the more eyes looking the better. If you're thinking about applying though I may have to agree with IrkedCitizen and would compare what other areas are drawing out at and what caliber bulls are being harvested. Are there any other GMU's out there where you can see a 300" elk each day with potential for 340"
Any given year there can be such a fluctuation. Like this year, it's Thanksgiving and you can still make it to the top of the Spanish Peaks without stepping foot on snow. It has been super warm and dry. Which in turn probably has not pushed a number of bulls down that otherwise would have been on the property.
I was blessed with one of the tags on Bosque this season. During 3rd rifle I saw at least 2) 300" bulls each day and saw 4 bulls on average each day. If you were to talk with my neighbors at camp though, they had multiple days where they didn't see any elk and I believe they were putting in the work out in the field trying to find them and glass them up, not from the truck. Some cow hunters in camp who probably weren't putting forth much off road effort only saw 1 elk during the 5 days we were in there with them. I saw two different herds of cows/bulls on the property during my scouting trips, but saw them only once during 3rd rifle and on the wrong side of the fence. The elk were staying close to the rivers for water, there was a number of guzzlers on the property but while hunting and scouting I did not see much if any sign of elk hitting the ones I crossed. The way we were finding the bigger bulls was getting up on ridges and fingers and glassing into the north and west slopes in the shade finding the bedded bulls, changing our angle and elevations and then looking again and again.

 

[Heckmanistan]

That's awesome! Dylan told me you got one. Congrats. I hope that it was all that you wanted. She actually got it west of the Apache campground. We went down on 12 so she could do her online class when we saw it. Then we drove around and hiked in 1.5 miles to get above him for a 216 yard shot. So that means 4 tags filled out of 7 bulls possible. You'll have to send me a picture of yours so I can show her.

I thought there were two bulls killed out of your campground before I got mine. The neighbors in our camp ground with 21 pts ended up shooting a 5x5 above camp on Wednesday. It was more than a legal bull, but as you can imagine they were hoping for a little more. So I'm guessing 5/7? The one youth hunter was only able to be there for the weekend, so that is super hard too.

 

[Heckmanistan]

Boom. Boom. Out go the lights.

My daughter drew a youth either sex tag for the Bosque Del Oso SWA in southern Colorado for 3rd season. I asked and got some great info from the members here. We also made 3 scouting trips. So we left Friday and her season opened on Saturday. Friday evening we looked around and didn't see...

www.rokslide.com

Well I'm glad she found that bull, he's awesome! And bigger than the ones we tried turning you guys onto.

 

[Hunterbug]

I thought there were two bulls killed out of your campground before I got mine. The neighbors in our camp ground with 21 pts ended up shooting a 5x5 above camp on Wednesday. It was more than a legal bull, but as you can imagine they were hoping for a little more. So I'm guessing 5/7? The one youth hunter was only able to be there for the weekend, so that is super hard too.

One guy got his opening morning and the other got his Tuesday morning. Then Payton got hers Wednesday morning. I'll PM you pics of the other 2 bulls.

 

[Hunterbug]

Well I'm glad she found that bull, he's awesome! And bigger than the ones we tried turning you guys onto.

Do you have a picture of your bull?

 

[Hunterbug]

So Bosque drew out at 22 points this last year for 3'rd rifle. Is it worth 22 points? That I am not sure. The potential is definitely there. The "King Pin" Bull that was taken off the neighboring ranch was over 400" and was shot just on the other side of the fence of the Bosque. And had been residing at Bosque for the two years previous. If you want the tag, you can pull what I consider a good bull (310"+) out of there, it's going to take a lot of work to dig up just a few bulls each day. Bring friends, helps keep morale high when you aren't seeing very many and the more eyes looking the better. If you're thinking about applying though I may have to agree with IrkedCitizen and would compare what other areas are drawing out at and what caliber bulls are being harvested. Are there any other GMU's out there where you can see a 300" elk each day with potential for 340"
Any given year there can be such a fluctuation. Like this year, it's Thanksgiving and you can still make it to the top of the Spanish Peaks without stepping foot on snow. It has been super warm and dry. Which in turn probably has not pushed a number of bulls down that otherwise would have been on the property.
I was blessed with one of the tags on Bosque this season. During 3rd rifle I saw at least 2) 300" bulls each day and saw 4 bulls on average each day. If you were to talk with my neighbors at camp though, they had multiple days where they didn't see any elk and I believe they were putting in the work out in the field trying to find them and glass them up, not from the truck. Some cow hunters in camp who probably weren't putting forth much off road effort only saw 1 elk during the 5 days we were in there with them. I saw two different herds of cows/bulls on the property during my scouting trips, but saw them only once during 3rd rifle and on the wrong side of the fence. The elk were staying close to the rivers for water, there was a number of guzzlers on the property but while hunting and scouting I did not see much if any sign of elk hitting the ones I crossed. The way we were finding the bigger bulls was getting up on ridges and fingers and glassing into the north and west slopes in the shade finding the bedded bulls, changing our angle and elevations and then looking again and again.

I agree with this. The weather was not our friend this year and we had to put in the work. I think we hiked a minimum of 7 miles a day. I think that some people feel that in an area where it takes a lot of points to draw that there are elk behind every tree and that's just not the case. It's still hunting.