Colorado GMU 54

[JustPuddles]

I moved to Colorado a few years ago from Ohio. I have a Bull Elk tag for the first rifle season in unit 54. I was planning on entering from the rainbow lake trail head (which seems to be very popular) and thinking of having a base camp somewhere between South Baldy and Storm Pass. I grew up deer hunting in Ohio. I'm not solidified in these plans and I have never hunted elk before. Any thoughts or tips for GMU 54 or Elk hunting in general would be greatly appreciated.

 

[CUTTER1]

That's a popular trail head to hunt it and get where the game is horses are a must!

 

[JustPuddles]

That's a popular trail head to hunt it and get where the game is horses are a must!

Unfortunately I don't have any access to horses so I will be hiking in basically as far as I can go and hunt around that area.

 

[Techy]

You can get into elk without horses there. Just cover lots of ground and bring binos. Good luck

 

[Caveman0101]

Call Sombrero Ranches if you want to rent a horse, or I'll bet someone close rents LLamas.

 

[Caveman0101]

That is the most used trail in that area, but there are access points along the blue mesa rez a couple of those roads go in several miles. You will find that a lot of that unit is sheer cliffs on the west side. If you can get there a couple of days before season ride around at night and listen for bugles. They will still be active until the first shots are fired. We've killed elk in that unit hunting from the truck and off horses back in the wilderness. So you just need to get on a bull before the first shot is fired and be the first to fire a shot. If you do put in the effort to get into the backcountry do not be discouraged when pretty much every drainage back there will have an outfitter's camp or spike camp in it. But that is the case for most wilderness hunts nowadays. Spend a lot of glass time at daylight and dark, keep moving until you hear or spot elk, and enjoy some of the most beautiful country in Colorado. Also, treat yourself to a steak at the Ole' Miner.