Hunting the flat tops area

[WACCAMAW]

Has anybody hunted this area before ?would like some input from others that hunted this area .I hunted this area last year on east Marvin,just wondering should i make it to the top ,or near the lakes .second rifle hunt

 

[dhoisington]

Has anybody hunted this area before ?would like some input from others that hunted this area .I hunted this area last year on east Marvin,just wondering should i make it to the top ,or near the lakes .second rifle hunt

I hunted the area west of Yampa last year. the area between there and Trapper lake looked great but I think some recent sheep herding in the area may have run the elk out. We saw alot of moose but not elk. I'd stay high unless the weather prevents it. There are alot of people nibbling around the edges but not too many willing to pack in. Good luck.

 

[300WMShooter]

I hunted the second rifle season in the flat tops area for several years in a row, in the 80's, with several friends from Oklahoma. We camped at the North Fork campground just east of Buford. We slept there due to the lower altitude. Some of us flatlanders couldn't sleep in the rarified air after hunting all day at the higher altitudes, we needed to be around 7,500 feet altitude in order to reoxiginate our blood to prevent altitude sickness. We learned our lesson the first year when we camped above 10,000 feet. We drove our ATV's to the top and hunted on foot north and west of Ripple Creek Pass. We spike camped a couple of times into the Wilderness Area. Hunting was great some years and not so great others. We always put on a lot of miles and had a great time there. We usually got there a few days before the season opened to set up our camp and do some fishing in the river and the lakes. A couple of times we took duck decoys and shot some ducks, even some up on top. Since moving to New Mexico I don't go to Colorado as much for big game but,still go up for some fishing. The last few fishing trips to southern CO I have seen some nice mule deer and elk around the north central Weminuche Wilderness Area. I hunted up the Los Pinos river out of Vallecito Res., in the 60's, before it was designated Weminuche Wilderness and we always took some good mule deer and elk. The good muley's got shot out there but they established a 4x4 minimum point count several years ago and I have seen some very respectable bucks come out of there in the last 5 to 7 years.

I wish you luck on your next hunt there.

300WMShooter

 

[WACCAMAW]

I hunted the area west of Yampa last year. the area between there and Trapper lake looked great but I think some recent sheep herding in the area may have run the elk out. We saw alot of moose but not elk. I'd stay high unless the weather prevents it. There are alot of people nibbling around the edges but not too many willing to pack in. Good luck.

thanks ,think we are gonna try the top and work down and up.