Colorado Backpack Elk Hunt 08'

[lerch]

Earlier in a thread I was asking for info on elk in CO and now the plans are being set. Depending on whether i draw a muley tag or not me and my cousin will be heading to CO for first or second season elk next fall. So far we are looking at the area above the Valecito resevior just west of pagosa springs. We are gonna use 2 mules to pack into the high country and TRY to get away from other hunters, please dont let me got shot at again!!!!

I am hoping this thread will continually evolve until the hunt and all of yall can help us prep for one hell of a hunt.

This is the evolving equipment list:
2 mules
my eberlestock dragonfly pack
his eberlestock number 1 pack
my 270 Allen Mag
his encore 300win
Kathadin water filter
MRE meals (im burned out on mountain house)
Cabelas Extreme 4 season tent
2 US Military Sleeping System Bags (rated to -30deg)
swaro binos and spotter
Garmin GPS and standard compass navigation by him (ex-USMC)

Im sure im forgetting stuff but thats what i can think of for now.

So you guys tell me what you think about the land, equipment, etc and any tips and advice are more than welcome

We are simply good bull elk hunting, this aint no quest for the next BC record holder.

thanks
steve

[dogdinger]

hi lerch....i have done an awful lot of hunting such as you are describing. I'm gonna suggest that you go in the very first rifle season. weather is usually milder and the bulls are still bugling. all your equipment sounds fine. be sure and have the proper gear to take care of the livestock and have a way to be able to leave them on their own...IE: hobbles, etc.....you wont be using them to hunt, just to pack. make sure you get the proper permits etc for them ....i know that colo requires out of state hunters to do certain things to bring their livestock in to the state.

the next thing i would suggest is meat prep/care items. sometimes the weather at that time of year is fairly warm. you should check into locker plants available in the area in case you need them. normally , quartering and hanging in the shade will suffice.

be prepared for anything....i remember a hunt that first season that almosted ended in disaster when a storm blew in and dumped 3ft of snow in the mtns.....me and a buddy were camping 8 miles in @ 12.000 ft with 3 8yrs old boys....had to leave all our gear there and make our way out on the horses....

if you have any specific ?? let me know if i can help.....good luck and have fun...AJ

[lerch]

Thanks for the good info so far. My cousin really wants to go during the first season also for the simple fact of weather. I hate the idea of having to pass up a good muley but if it will make a safer trip for us then it sounds like a good idea. Plus it would be great to be up there when they guys are still bugling.

Would the area above Valecito be good?????

thanks
steve

[TennVol]

Are you planning to hunt GMU 75 or 751? The tag for that area (hunt code EE07501R) covers GMUs 75, 77 78, 751 & 771 and it is an either-sex tag. For the 2006 season there were 2500 tags available and 2067 applied for it with their 1st choice, so you shouldn't have any problem drawing the tag. The stats for the 2007 season haven't been released yet, but it should have been similar.

GMU 75 is to the west of GMU 751 and the elevation in that unit goes from 6,500 ft up to 14,000 ft. Elk hunting in the area is supposed to be excellent all over the unit, with the northern 2/3 of the unit being the best. After the first heavy snow, the elk move down to BLM land east of Durango. One-half of GMU 75 is national forest. In 2006, there was a 33% success rate on elk during the 1st rifle season.

In GMU 751, the entire area is good for elk - depending on the weather and amount of snowfall. Hunt higher up before the snow comes and drop down as the snow accumulates. 80% to 90% of GMU 751 is national forest. Elevations in the area go up to 14,000 ft. If you do come during the 2nd season, the best mulie hunting is in the southern and eastern portion of the unit - try Spring Creek and Lange Canyon. In 2006, there was a 48% success rate on elk during the 1st rifle season.

Access to both GMUs is good via Forest Service roads. Expect the first season to be warm - but pack for a blizzard - you never know what can happen up there. Bayfield and Durango have everything you will need in the way of supplies and game processing/storage.

[Buffalobob]

How many days do you plan to hunt?

There are things will help or hinder depending onthe amount of time you will be back in there.

[lerch]

Thanks for the post so far. Muley hunting is prolly done with since in the first season we mght catch bulls still calling. I have always wanted to be in the mountains with bulls calling! The hunt will last about 7 days above the valecito res. I have to check the units on my map before i tell you any specific units. The main theme is we want to get high and away from other hunters, no more repeats of WY!!!!!! I am curious as to preserving meat if we pop a bull early and still wanna hunt for another.

BB, 7 days or maybe a little more if we need.

thanks
steve

[TennVol]

Once you get a bull down, you need to get him cooled as fast as you can. Once you have him gutted, you need to skin him ASAP. It's amazing how much heat the hide keeps in and the longer you wait to skin him, the harder it gets. Depending on how high up you are hunting, it will probably get fairly cool at night to help keep your meat cool. You will probably have to hang the meat/quarters up high in a tree to ensure it stays in the shade and away from bears and other critters. Ensure you have some high quality game bags to put your quarters/meat in & some stout rope to tie it off with. The game bags will keep all the flies and birds away that will try and get to your meat. I have heard of people hanging their meat in the shade for several days when it's been in the 40's & 50's and the meat was fine when they got it home. I can't stress enough the importance of gutting/skinning as soon as you get the bull down. It also wouldn't hurt to have a nice big cooler with some dry ice waiting in your truck when you finish your hunt.


I'm sure there are a lot of guys on the site who have way more experience than I do in elk hunting and hopefully they will weigh in with more advice.

.....Unfortunately I've done a lot more elk "hunting" than elk "shooting"!