Spot and Stalk Elk Colorado GMU 62

Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
328
Location
Colorado
Looking to change up my hunt tactics for the end of the season, been hitting the dark timber and calling up at timber line so far. Wondering if anyone thinks gmu 62 in colorado is better suited for getting up high to glass and putting on a stalk.

thanks and good luck this season
 

ckleeves

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
1,520
Location
Montrose,Colorado
62 isn’t much of a spot and stalk unit imo. The high points where you can actually see are mostly canyon rims. If you spot something trying to find it in the oak brush or other cover is a losing battle usually. Really helps to have them talking in that thick of cover. If you do put something to bed it’s usually in the thickest stuff imaginable and not really conducive to what I would call spot and stalk.


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TauPhi111

WKR
Joined
Sep 10, 2017
Messages
598
Location
Ohio
hunted 62 last year and I agree. all the elk we found were down in the nasty canyon bottoms. That was 3rd rifle though. Are you talking end of archery or end of elk season in general?
 

Thunder head

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 13, 2017
Messages
135
Location
Georgia
Ill agree whole heartedly,
I just got back and spent some time in that unit. The oak brush and juniper are to tall to make glassing very effective. And I was in areas where you can get up on a rim or hump and see a lot of territory.
 
Joined
Aug 8, 2017
Messages
43
Location
CO
Did you end up getting on any elk in 62? We spent the last week of archery out there. It was hot, dry, and full of cattle. We got on a couple of cows but it was completely different hunting than last year for us
 

bailey214

FNG
Joined
May 15, 2019
Messages
21
Location
Dallas, TX
Did you end up getting on any elk in 62? We spent the last week of archery out there. It was hot, dry, and full of cattle. We got on a couple of cows but it was completely different hunting than last year for us
I’m headed to 62 this year. Why would say it was different? Just curious.
 
Joined
Aug 8, 2017
Messages
43
Location
CO
I think there were a couple of factors. One of the big one's was the drought, very dry up there last fall and lots of cattle grazing in the unit. The other thing we noticed over the prior year was the amount of people hunting, we would get several miles back from the roads and still call in other hunters. That could probably be attributed to the big fire in 61 right before and guys not wasting big points for iffy hunting and just going otc instead. Hopefully with the wet spring we have had it will be better hunting this fall for you
 

elkliver

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 25, 2018
Messages
226
Location
Oregon
you can spot elk in 62, stalking not so much. can take a long time to get to them and then finding them in the oak brush is challenging. Once we learned how the elk ran, it made things easier.
 

jray5740

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 9, 2017
Messages
280
Location
Colorado
Would anyone have any info to speak on about unit 61? I’m headed there this year chasing bear.....I know this is the elk thread but my plan to spot and stalk in 61 for bear is fading based on what you all are saying about 62.
 

ckleeves

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
1,520
Location
Montrose,Colorado
Would anyone have any info to speak on about unit 61? I’m headed there this year chasing bear.....I know this is the elk thread but my plan to spot and stalk in 61 for bear is fading based on what you all are saying about 62.

Rifle or archery?


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SoTxShooter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 10, 2018
Messages
153
Location
Texas
Lots of good info in here, and I agree with everything said about 62. Man it was dry in there last fall! Based on the weather so far this year, it should be totally opposite. Looking forward to going back.
 

ckleeves

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
1,520
Location
Montrose,Colorado

You can do fine rifle hunting bears there. I wouldnt really call it spot and stalk, I would concentrate on glassing stuff that’s within your effective range. More of a “glass and shoot” I would say. If you are trying to glass up a bear a mile away and make a stalk to 300 yards your going to have a lot of frustration. But if you set up glassing a hillside, water hole etc that’s 300 yards away you can do pretty well.


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Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
1,214
Location
Colorado
You can do fine rifle hunting bears there. I wouldnt really call it spot and stalk, I would concentrate on glassing stuff that’s within your effective range. More of a “glass and shoot” I would say. If you are trying to glass up a bear a mile away and make a stalk to 300 yards your going to have a lot of frustration. But if you set up glassing a hillside, water hole etc that’s 300 yards away you can do pretty well.

X2 this is a good description of a good way to go about bear hunting 61, and how we've done it in the past.
 

Kalebcs

FNG
Joined
May 24, 2019
Messages
5
I’ve archery hunted 62 for the past 5 years and my family has since the 70’s. We spend most of our time up high in the dark timber. I’ve had some success and usually it’s with soft cow calls still hunting. My dad killed a rifle bull back in 2001 in the lower country spot and shoot style. Those canyon rims down there are steep! I know guys have success down in the PJ parts of the unit, but it’s never been to my liking. So dusty!
 
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