Colorado Unit 70 Archery Questions

[Bueltcm]

Family drew a tag for archery season - not looking for you to give your honey holes away. Has anyone hunted that area and care to give some pointers? We’ve been on that side of the state and it’s been water scarce so not sure if that is the main driver for elk location or what.


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[DmrbigEshotT]

Lots of hikers and people driving to areas they used to leave alone while blaring music and leaving their beer cans laying around. Also, campers who climb the mountain with their dog off leash to see what’s bugling (you). Last but not least, people bagging their dog poop, leaving it on the roads/trails and never picking it back up.

Don’t speed in Telluride. That’s my advice.


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[Patriot2]

Four of us from MO drew unit 70 archery also. I hunted a small area of this unit about 5 years ago and got in to elk only one day - briefly. Plan a scouting trip in late July. I do not have real high hopes for the unit based on past comments here on Rokslide. But it is the only tag I got after striking out in AZ and NM. Western half of the unit looks like a wasteland on satellite view.......but there is a lot of territory to check out.

 

[HenDawg3]

I’ve hunted in unit 70 a couple years if you guys wanna DM me I’d be willing to give you some general info of the area.

 

[ckleeves]

My advice would be turn it in and go OTC. You can find less crowded OTC units and it also gives you the ability to jump around.

 

[peddar01]

My advice would be turn it in and go OTC. You can find less crowded OTC units and it also gives you the ability to jump around.

I agree with more crowded. We hunted 70 when it was over the counter and you could bounce back and forth to 71 etc and spread out. Now I think there is more people because they are locked into that specific unit. and thinking you can get deep and steep enough to get away from crowds is no longer a factor when a pack string passes you.

 

[Still Hunter]

I have family in the area. If you have never been Elk hunting before, go OTC. Where you have more opportunity to find Elk. Get in shape! 70 is a higher elevation GMU and it is steep. Most of it will kick your butt, especially if a NR. It went "Archery draw only" two years ago due to the decline in animal numbers. It is overhunted. The first year it went draw it had more Archery tags available than hunters even after they filled "Second Choice" draw numbers. Use to see 3-5 hunters a week. Now you see 7-10 hunters a day. High Population of Hikers, Mountain Bikers and Daily walkers. The Hikers and daily walkers laugh at the camo clad hunters walking past them on the trails. Very few local hunters and if they are local, mostly hunt Private. Most local hunters actually hunt other GMU's, what does that tell you! The Elk transition to Private quickly. Carry a trash bag along each day to pick up trash after the jerks ( Bikers, Hikers, Hunters) leaving their candy wrappers, water bottles, and health bar wrappers everywhere. Outdoor "enthusiast" have morphed into " go tear up, trash and disrespect" the outdoors. Unfortunately, that is in all the GMU's now. Don't be "That Guy" !

 

[Ucsdryder]

You guys realize you completely crushed this poor dudes dreams right? Comes on, all excited to donate 700 to CPW for the opportunity to take his bow for a walk in the woods, hoping maybe someone will put him on elk and his dreams get peed on by guys telling him his tag is worse than OTC.

 

[Bueltcm]

You guys realize you completely crushed this poor dudes dreams right? Comes on, all excited to donate 700 to CPW for the opportunity to take his bow for a walk in the woods, hoping maybe someone will put him on elk and his dreams get peed on by guys telling him his tag is worse than OTC.

Lol, love it! We’ve bagged several elk and shot two OTC last year in the west half of the state. BUT - that was the 2nd year we had hunted that unit (first time about 5 years prior).

We do embrace the suck, however! More concerned with what the vegetation is like, scarcity of water, and elevations most folks are seeing elk in mid Sept timeframe.


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[Still Hunter]

Lol, I like your attitude! “Family drew a tag”, how many tags drawn? What week you planning to go?

 

[Btaylor]

Lol, love it! We’ve bagged several elk and shot two OTC last year in the west half of the state. BUT - that was the 2nd year we had hunted that unit (first time about 5 years prior).

We do embrace the suck, however! More concerned with what the vegetation is like, scarcity of water, and elevations most folks are seeing elk in mid Sept timeframe.


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If you embrace the suck, you'll love that unit.