Flying to Colorado for a scouting/hunting/fishing trip in April

[buckwalleye]

Hello all. I have a flight booked for a quick trip to Colorado April 25-30. This will be my first time in Colorado. I will be driving back in September (from upstate New York), to chase elk. This has been well over a year in the making of research, reading, some phone calls to CPW offices (those guys/gals are incredible, by the way!!), map reading, data sorting, etc. My expectations are low for the hunt. If I even glass up an elk I'll consider it a success. I got hooked up with a guy who lives in Denver that used to work with my brother in law. We talk obsessively. My wife likes to refer to our relationship as a newfound bromance. He is a newish hunter. He's bagged a couple mule deer and had a few close encounters with elk, but yet to get an elk in the freezer. I've hunted and fished my whole life.

So our plan for the April trip is to get out and check out some spots we've waypointed via digital scouting (onX). I think it will be good for me as well just to see how i do in a new environment and elevation. Also get a chance for me to get all my newfangled gear a test run (besides in my yard). I'm also very interested in bringing along a fishing rod and have my buddy bring along a shotgun for turkeys. He hasn't got into fishing, and doesn't know much about Turkey hunting. He's going to have the tag, but if I have the opportunity to call one in for him and take a bird, I think I'd be more excited than him!!

Any "general" info on Turkey hunting appreciated. I'm not trying to be "that guy" that's trying to get units and waypoints from other dudes. I'm a pretty successful Turkey hunter back home and like to think I'm a good caller. (I've gone over 12 years without getting skunked! Knock on wood!). I just have zero experience with merriams.

Fishing. From a digital scouting standpoint, it looks like theres a million little creeks and streams. I've read through the cpw fishing regulations briefly, but just thought I'd ask a couple quick questions. I suck at fly fishing. I'll apologize in advance to anyone who could easily be offended here....but is it ok to just pack an ultralight spinning rod and toss some little spinners? I imagine it's a totally different animal (literally and figuratively...) than catching the stocked trout they throw in the creeks where I live, or the steelhead coming in from lake erie.

We will be in the gunnison, white river, grand Mesa area. Dont want to be too specific PM me if you'd like.

Thanks!

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[5MilesBack]

In April you'll be lucky to even get into elk country........lots of snow in places this year.

 

[cnelk]

Bring snowshoes

 

[Tobe_B]

Fishing in April isn’t easy. Waters going to be dark and dirty from the run-off, and more than likely high and moving fast. Find deep holes and fish low, trout won’t really be out moving in the riffs. As far as the elk scouting, just use it as an experience to see the terrain and layout. Elk won’t be in their September habitat right now, and you probably won’t be able to get to their September habitat anyway. Unless you take snowmobiled, skis, and snowshoes.


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[cnelk]

You can check the snowpack across the state here - https://snotel.org/state/colorado/

 

[Jbehredt]

Ill chime in and agree with earlier sentiments. Push this trip back to July if possible. Doesn’t do anything for your turkey hunt but at least the roads will be open.

 

[squirrel]

Well your education will commence promptly upon trying to pull off the highway. Spring here is late may-mid June many roads are legally closed till mid-June

Fishing you will need to hit tail waters of dams or big rivers and run off will still screw you up in all likelihood.

Now turkey, theres the rub! If you are after public land merriams cover huge amounts of ground for fresh sign. Even a week old is too old generally. They get up on the morning crusted snow and walk like you would on a paved parking lot then spend the sunny day eating dandelions on tiny strips of bare ground between 20' deep drifts. A very challenging adventure compared to easterns. Low elevation field based birds are much easier and more like you are used to but may be difficult to get permission for.

 

[RickH]

As others have stated there is a lot of snow and most forest service roads will be closed. Check with the Forest service in Gunnison to see when they open them. Down here in the San Juan National Forest most open May 1st. The elk will not be in the summer areas. They'll still be down low starting to migrate back up.
Fishing could be good in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison or the Taylor river over near Almont below Taylor Reservoir depending on the flows. Most of the small creeks will be running high and muddy. Some at higher elevations will still be covered in snow. I'm sure you can get a good report from one of the flyshops in Gunnison or possibly set up a guide for one day. A lot of fishing guides are also hunters so you could get some good info that way too.

 

[buckwalleye]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Sounds like we'll be making some phone calls as the trip gets closer. Work and kids schedule is dictating the time frame of this trip, unfortunately. I understand it would be better to do a scouting trip nearer to season, but, it is what it is. If nothing else it's a mini vacation for me, and I'll at least be able to take in some beautiful scenery for a few days.

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[Poser]

As others have said, too much snow to really know anything at all about what elk are doing in September as they will still be in wintering grounds. Also, The snow pack doesn’t give you much in the way of terrain feedback that you need to effectively scout for elk.
If you ski, April and May (and probably most of June, too) will be great at A Basin.

 

[BCSojourner]

FYI, anywhere on the west slope in northern CO will be under 'feet' of snow and a lot of trailheads may still be inaccessible until mid-June.

 

[Mike 338]

April... just enough snow melt to get you into trouble.

 

[buckwalleye]

April... just enough snow melt to get you into trouble.

Can you elaborate?

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[Mike 338]

Can you elaborate?

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Sure... you look up the mountain and it looks green and brown for quite a bit of the way up there. You turn a shady bend in the road and it's a little slick from patches of thaw/freeze ice but you make it ok. A little further and a few more shady turns and your rig starts slipping into a ditch and it's nothing but ice. "If" you get out, you think, I better not go any further so you turn around. Now you got slick downhill icy spots and a little high anxiety to go with it. To much bare ground for chains and to many slick spots not to have them.

 

[buckwalleye]

Sure... you look up the mountain and it looks green and brown for quite a bit of the way up there. You turn a shady bend in the road and it's a little slick from patches of thaw/freeze ice but you make it ok. A little further and a few more shady turns and your rig starts slipping into a ditch and it's nothing but ice. "If" you get out, you think, I better not go any further so you turn around. Now you got slick downhill icy spots and a little high anxiety to go with it. To much bare ground for chains and to many slick spots not to have them.

Good advice thank you

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[Mike 338]

Good advice thank you

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It can be that way well into late May or even June in some places.

 

[Okhotnik]

Sure... you look up the mountain and it looks green and brown for quite a bit of the way up there. You turn a shady bend in the road and it's a little slick from patches of thaw/freeze ice but you make it ok. A little further and a few more shady turns and your rig starts slipping into a ditch and it's nothing but ice. "If" you get out, you think, I better not go any further so you turn around. Now you got slick downhill icy spots and a little high anxiety to go with it. To much bare ground for chains and to many slick spots not to have them.

Better chain up if plan on driving on mountain back roads in or near snow. I have had to chain up in June. It can be very dangerous in some areas if not chained up

I’d do a ski trip if coming in April. I honestly think wasting your time to do an April scouting especially in a heavy snow year like this year.

 

[vanish]

You'll get to see just how different elevation is compared to what it looks like on Google Earth, and that alone will be worth the trip.

Plenty of cool country to be accessed in April, but I would focus on the turkey. Merriam's are a very different breed.

 

[BroodBuster]

At least you can test all that new gear. Rent skis or snowshoes and hike in to one of the trailheads that’s neat a stream. Even though it’s not really a scouting trip you’ll learn plenty about the terrain, your gear and yourself to make it well worth it.

If your lucky and it’s cold at night with warm (not hot) afternoons the stream may be fishable. I never carry a fly rod. Casting bubble and box of flies works great.

 

[buckwalleye]

Thanks for all the pointers everyone. We'll make the most of it and go where we can.

Being that you need a qualifying license to buy points in Colorado, I decided to go ahead and buy the spring otc turkey tag (vs. small game like many others do). Hope to spend at least one day seeing if we can get any birds going. From reading various sources I think we'll stomp around san isabel and pike national forest. Then head west and check out the country around gunnison.

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