Colorado 2nd Rifle Unit 25

[John87]

I've hunted 25 during archery in Sept. many many years. Since 2006 when I hunted there on my very first elk hunt.

Is Coffee Pot Road even open in October or are you planning to access via the Sweetwater Valley?

Going that high in that country that time of year sounds daunting to me. You could easily be snowed in with a foot plus of snow......or it could be clear and fine. It will be cold. In September we get into the 30's at night and the last weekend of archery season in 2014 my tent was buried in nearly 20" of wet snow. Getting down in those conditions is hair raising butt hole clenching at best, at least on Coffee Pot.

If you can get into 25 via Sweetwater valley and over to Triangle Mtn.......you could find some spots down low and avoid some of the weather issues...at least the worst of them. I've never come in that way and unsure how far past Sweetwater lake you can drive.

In my experience, in that area, the elk are odd. They tend to come up top at night then bail off down into the valley and drainages at first light. So hunting up from below might be productive. There are lots of cows there in Sept.

7.5 miles back going up to 11K..........you must really hate yourself. LOL No thanks.....not in that blowdown steep ass crap. Up top at 10-11K.......not so much of a challenge other than the weather will be a huge risk.

Also, I seriously doubt you are gonna glass up an elk to kill in 25. Sorry. Unless you do so at night. During daylight they will be in the timber 99.9% of the time. Creep the skid trails from logging...slowly......

Be very careful on the 24/25 boundary. Someone mentioned the road to Budges......that is rough and challenging in Sept......Oct/Nov.......forget about it. Take a snow mobile or 4 wheeler. Almost all of that road to Budges is in 24, NOT 25.

In fact the road back past Deep Lake into Unit 25 is partly in 24........and there is some good hunting all the way back down that mud track of a road, if you can make it, where it meets the Ute Trail coming up out of the Sweetwater Valley. Look between cross creek and the Ute Trail as it comes up top from the Valley.......hint hint. Once you cross Cross creek the road is nearly impassible in dry weather and dumb asses have gone off road and torn up the area so bad I'd be surprised if the FS had not blocked the road past Cross Creek. They should frankly.

Good Luck!!!

Thanks for the advice, coffee pot road is the way we’re going in. I know that some year the road is under snow in second rifle, I think it was last year. This is where we plan on, but will choose 2nd and 3rd locations as backups. Why do I need to be careful of the 24/25 border? Aren’t both units OTC units? Or is your OTC tag only good for one designated unit? Sorry, I’ve never hunted there, but reading the regs, it seemed that with a OTC tag, you could hunt in one OTC unit today, then a different one tomorrow. But maybe I understood it wrong?

 

[cmush]

Don't overlook the elevation gain. Showing up to 10k+ from low elevation can put you in a lot of hurt in a hurry. It might be good to stay a night or two down lower in the 5-7k range before moving up and drink a lot of water. Elevation sickness sucks and you don't want to be stuck in your tent for the entire hunt.

 

[John87]

Don't overlook the elevation gain. Showing up to 10k+ from low elevation can put you in a lot of hurt in a hurry. It might be good to stay a night or two down lower in the 5-7k range before moving up and drink a lot of water. Elevation sickness sucks and you don't want to be stuck in your tent for the entire hunt.

We plan on staying at Dotsero for a night and then probably at about 9,000 ft the next night.

 

[JordanH]

I do not know if 24 is draw or otc for 2nd season rifle......24 is draw for archery....25 is otc for archery.

Chains are your friend. The switchbacks up Coffee Pot can be DAMN greasy and if you have a trailer on top if it......holy S&$T it can be dangerous as hell. Definitely need chains to get back past deep lake if it is wet/snowy.

 

[John87]

Thank you all for the replies, I appreciate the info, need to do some more research and talk with my hunting buddies.

 

[JordanH]

I looked at the big game brochure and sure enough....both 24 and 25 are OTC 2nd rifle. I never paid any attention outside of archery. LOL

If you have 4 wheelers, brang 'em. Then you can get around up there unless there is multiple feet of snow on the road.

 

[John87]

I looked at the big game brochure and sure enough....both 24 and 25 are OTC 2nd rifle. I never paid any attention outside of archery. LOL

If you have 4 wheelers, brang 'em. Then you can get around up there unless there is multiple feet of snow on the road.

Thanks, that’s what I understood it to be, but I have read and misunderstood things before, lol!
We aren’t taking a trailer, doubt we could get it up the road. So 4 wheelers won’t be an option.

 

[Hashtag211]

We plan on staying at Dotsero for a night and then probably at about 9,000 ft the next night.

I hope your camping, if you're planning on staying in Dotsero.... There isn't a thing there! I live in Gypsum (7 miles east of Dotsero), and hunted that area for a long time. Be prepared for anything. I've been up there in sixty degrees one day, and had 32" of snow fall with single digits temps... All in the same week. Make no mistake, while heavily traveled, it is REMOTE.

I'm happy to be a resource for your planning, PM me for email or text. It's some of my favorite country in Colorado!!

Randy

 

[Hashtag211]

Thanks, that’s what I understood it to be, but I have read and misunderstood things before, lol!
We aren’t taking a trailer, doubt we could get it up the road. So 4 wheelers won’t be an option.

You can get a trailer up there. It's just really sketchy if Coffee Pot gets any moisture on it.

 

[JordanH]

Exactly.....heck I've seen 5th wheelers pulled up to the camp at Deep Lake. i've seen some real crazy folks put chains on and drag big ass horse trailers back down 10 mile past deep lake.......nutz. The nice thing is once you get up top if you drag 4 wheelers along they are awesome for covering alot of ground quickly on the FS roads.......just don't go off down the closed roads off the main FS roads. And make sure you buy the CO OHV permit sticker for each wheeler........

 

[JordanH]

Last weekend of archery 2016........

 

[Hashtag211]

Yep, second rifle 2010!