Colorado Backcountry crowds

W.D. Crawford

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 12, 2016
Messages
279
Location
colorado
Lets face it SW CO. has been promoted to death. I drive to Telluride every day, and the amount of people I see daily is staggering. Trout lake up until a few days ago was packed with paddle boards. It reminded me of some sort of psychedelic armada with all of the brightly colored boards. Not to mention the trailheads around Lizard Head pass jam packed. I stay as far away from trails as possible. It makes for a harder pack in but I usually don't have to worry about other people, backpackers or other hunters. I keep hoping all of this is a fad that will kinda die out some what. But at 53 years old it might outlast me.:D
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
15,525
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Colorado Springs
Well they aren't going to pay it back or stop spending any time soon so public lands should gets it's hand in the cookie jar while the lid is off. They waste money on things less tangible that have no value afterwards.

Ya, except a country going bankrupt isn't quite the same as every Tom, Dick, and Harry in society where they've made it easy to just write everything off and start anew. It won't end well when the nation goes bankrupt.......I'd rather they not ADD to the problem.
 

sndmn11

WKR
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
9,165
Location
Morrison, Colorado
Threads like this don’t help...

Colorado OTC Bull opening weekend

I think threads like that are fantastic. How often do you hear people crying because "their" unit went from 0 to 1 point, or the term "Quality Unit" thrown around? So many folks talked about how CPW ruined hunting forever with the changes to their draw process and scoffed at the notion of finding a legal bull in an OTC unit.....

I believe that there are bulls like that in every unit that elk live in Colorado, same thing with mule deer.
 

Jbehredt

WKR
Joined
Mar 4, 2017
Messages
1,702
Location
Colorado
One thing I’ve noticed is the wilderness areas seem to attract people disproportionately. Most likely due to the roadless aspect. Unfortunately they’re an easy to find beacon for “backcountry.” I think finding a place you can get that deep in non-designated space will yield you less company.


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Sshhhhh!!!
 

Mark

WKR
Joined
May 2, 2013
Messages
426
Location
Northern NV
Sure, it's more crowded these days in some areas. That goes along with the common theme of hunting public land - the public is out there.

Part of it is the glamour of hunting the wilderness. It's fun to talk about because it impresses some people. Some new "back country" hunters may even fill a tag. Others may not, and still more may not even care. They're enjoying the outdoors. Some may continue to hone their skillset and be really good at it. Some may rethink their commitment after their first experience. They will then sell their "like new, used on one hunt, no blood stains" kit on the Rokslide at a good discount. It's not an easy endeavor, and it's not for everyone. There is no shame in admitting it's just not for you.

Plus, there's the old saying that I still think holds some truth. I'm referring to the unattributed quote, "10% of the hunters kill 90% of the game."

While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, there is some truth to that.
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2017
Messages
1,086
Location
Chico, California
I am actually there right now and it is nuts. Trailheads with 50 rigs. Granted it is Labor Day weekend and some are non hunters but even 3 miles on we are seeing crowds. I had no idea how crowded the woods would be. Plus the elk are not playing nice so I am frustrated all around. But hey I have cell service at 10,000 feet.... just sitting here listening for the big ghost to make his presence known.
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cnelk

WKR
Joined
Mar 1, 2012
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6,798
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Colorado
Elk populate about 20% of the NF.

There arent more hunters... there are more hunters in the 20% areas!

You can thank all the YouTube hunting channels, Podcasts and people yapping about spots online for that.
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
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Feb 27, 2012
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Colorado Springs
There arent more hunters... there are more hunters in the 20% areas!

If you look at the stats, there are three times as many bowhunters in CO now than there were just 20-25 years ago. And that includes the 20% and 80% areas.

But on top of that is the exponential rise in non-hunters out in the mountains during September as well.
 

johnhenry

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 17, 2017
Messages
141
Location
W CO
That's my point, it is easier to access by trail. Think about the common "where to" questions on here and the progression that takes place, especially if you are assuming folks are scouting in the suggested manners of electronically first. State->Unit->Access->Habitat. If people see on google earth or onx etc that this nice trail gets them within a mile or two of this nice basin, then that seems like the most logical result. Just like the I25 corridor is seeing a housing boom because of ease of access, nice looking spots on these programs that are accessed just off trail heads are going to get busier than in year's past.

So what if you rework that progression and place Habitat before Access? You might find some nice looking spots a much shorter distance from the road that are NOT earmarked by trail heads, obvious parking spots, or named points on the map. You might even find the best practice is to park at an established trail head or parking spot and hike the road a mile or so away from the trail and then cut into the trees into a trail free area. You might find the solitude and wilderness you intended because there is no directed way for others to get there. It can be a lot of fun watching folks cruise on by on their way getting deep into the back country with everyone else.

Shhhhhhh. for every post like this there will be three guys starting to hunt close in and then it will be the near country that is crowded.
 

cnelk

WKR
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Mar 1, 2012
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6,798
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Colorado
If you look at the stats, there are three times as many bowhunters in CO now than there were just 20-25 years ago. And that includes the 20% and 80% areas. But on top of that is the exponential rise in non-hunters out in the mountains during September as well.


Sure are more bowhunters now than the mid-90s. Estimated 48,000 now per the CBA.

Again, be sure to pay special thanks to YouTube channels, Podcasts and online yapping.

Something to remember, the guys with the Podcasts and YouTube channels are getting revenue for their 'promotions' 'and discussions' at your expense.
 

Ucsdryder

WKR
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Messages
5,485
What would you like to see people post on rokslide? Seems everything is off limits these days

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I love a recap as much as anybody but I think we’re past leaving off GMUs or areas, now it’s time to leave off states.
 

Poser

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Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
5,033
Location
Durango CO
I had an interesting weekend bikepacking 80 miles of the Co Trail, encountering and speaking with numerous hunters in the Backcountry along the way.

I came across one group of 4 bowhunters dressed head to toe Sitka gear and two Hillberg tents setup well above treeline. They were huddled around a map clearly rethinking their strategy. Their camp was just about 50 yards off the Co Trail and they seemed annoyed by my presence. I tried small talking with them a little bit, but they were dismissive of a dude on a bike. I didn’t get so far as to mention the bachelor group of bucks I had seen earlier that morning.... Anyway, they would have been in a great spot in Alaska. They could see two drainages for miles from their camp, but the reality is, they were 50 yards off the CT, less than a mile from a major trail intersection, and 4 miles from a super popular trailhead. The spot looks great on the map, but with two popular trails coming out of their drainages, I bet they had 200+ people come by through and right by their glassing spot on a Saturday on Labor Day weekend. Reality turned out to be different than Google Earth would reveal. Getting the gear and hiking 4 miles into to a spot that looks like it would be prime high country mule deer habitat on the map just isn’t the way that it works. Being annoyed that other people are coming by your camp on one of the most iconic trail in the whole world should come as no surprise.

I think that a good chunk of the “bro hunters” are all truck and no wheels when it comes to actual execution of a hunt. They can shoot and look cool doing it, but their ideas of location are way over romanticized by media.

Some of the other guys I encountered, however, were the real deal and were hunting in very Non-social media friendly country and seemed to know exactly how the animals were using the terrain. I had some great conversations with those guys, traded tidbits of beta on the area and they didn’t seem the least bit annoyed by a guy on a bike on the CO Trail. Solitude doesn’t equate success.
 

big44a4

WKR
Joined
Jul 4, 2017
Messages
597
I think the idea of back county hunting miles off the grid is a fad. Just like the keto diet. Also many people say they pack in miles and miles...mostly on a trail if they go that far but most don’t go as far as they think or say. When you get off a trail and or bushwhack a bit you seem find some solitude. It is what it is. I only started two years ago and have yet to fill a tag. I started because where I live is mostly private land. DIY OTC is the only hunting I’m guaranteed each year. Yes I know people who will let me hunt their land but sitting in a stand/blind with a feeder is not as much fun as roaming the mountains. Guess I didn’t see many people opening week either because I saw the same amount of elk too. Wrong place wrong time.


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realunlucky

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Jan 20, 2013
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12,624
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Eastern Utah
Haha good luck in your crusade. Colorado will always pack in the people because it's one of the few last true over the counter elk tags.
I love a recap as much as anybody but I think we’re past leaving off GMUs or areas, now it’s time to leave off states.

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Mattt

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 8, 2018
Messages
120
Yup. I took three relatively new guys in opening week. Pretty sure two won't be back so watch the classifieds as there's some good gear available soon. On their social media we did 10+ miles a day out of a spike camp over 10,000. By my map reading/ navigation we were barely doing half that and I couldn't get them out of the tents before daylight. We still got drawn back on a bull but got no shot. Headed back next week with another guy. Fairly confident we will bring home a bull.
 
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,807
Location
Colorado
Despite the crowds, social media and the less animals I see, I’m still grateful to be live and hunt in the west. My hat is off to the guys who travel out here from the east just to hope to see something. Very few countries in the world offer hunting in the capacity we have.
 

SoDaky

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Joined
Apr 6, 2018
Messages
666
Location
sd
This: "Something to remember, the guys with the Podcasts and YouTube channels are getting revenue for their 'promotions' 'and discussions' at your expense."
And laughing on the way to the bank.
 
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