Colorado Unit 61

[eddiehsf]

Have any of you ever hunted this area? I know it takes a "few points" to draw

, but what was your take on the quality of animals you saw or took.

I have a contact with (2) 3rd season Deer tags or (2) 1st season Elk tags


Thanks

eddiehsf

 

[BDB]

I hunted 62 this year. There was one hunter in our camp camp that had a 61 tag that took him 9 years to draw. He saw 2 big bulls driving around on day 1 and had one chance at another bull in 5 days of hunting. It was pathetic for a so called quality zone. 3 of the 5 days he never saw even a spike. He had a guide that knew the area and was a local. Now that said, I only know a small section of the zone they hunted and it was public land. Maybe the rest of the private and public land is awesome. Obviously I am not a great source of info on this aone, just passing along one small tidbit of info.

 

[COHunter]

Never hunted 61, but I have pretty much only heard positive words about it for Elk.
Keep in mind that a quality Bull in Colorado is not a quality Bull in other State's such as UT, AZ, or NM. Just read your Eastmans, Trophy Hunter, etc, magazines and you'll learn that.

Now I'd be all over that 3rd season GMU 61 Deer Tag !!!!

 

[eddiehsf]

COHUNTER

The deer tag is what we are really looking at. I know there have been some smokers taken in that area. I think it was 2 years ago that one of the guys with the staewide tags shot a buck over 200 in that unit?

BDB

What season did you hunt Elk? I have been told the Muzzle Loader, and 1st rifle season are the ones to get, after that the Elk get hard to find? Every nice Bull I have seen out of that area was taken durning the 1st Rifle or Muzzle Loader season.

If things go right at the Shot Show this weekend, I think we will take the 3rd season Deer Tag

Thanks for your input.

Eddiehsf

 

[ChrisS]

I hunt either 61 or 62 every year and have done so since I was old enough to hunt (but I'm only 30). Your right the first elk only season in my opinion is the season to hunt if your rifle hunting. The last couple years during the first season we have seen plenty of elk throughout the day. My family mostly cow hunts and I don't routinely see alot of big bulls in the area, but there are some once in awhile. Last year during the bear season I glassed over 20 bulls in one day, so they are there, just hard to find once the seasons start. Like everywhere else they head for country where there isn't pressure which alot of the time means private land. I think if a guy does his homework and hunts areas less populated by hunters you can still take a decent bull. I will be muzzleloading in unit 62 this year.

As for deer, I can only tell you what I've seen because I have never taken a deer, it takes several years to get a buck tag for 61 so I'm still waiting. Same thing though I don't routinely see big bucks where we hunt but see a decent one once in awhile. I can tell you this, I also hunted 61 for elk in the 3rd season with a couple friends and never saw a deer while hunting the whole time we were there which is really uncommon, we usually see alot of deer in the earlier seasons, mostly does though. We didn't even see a doe in 5 days! That being said my opinion is that you should hunt lower during the later seasons. We were hunting very near the top of the plateau during that 3rd season.

Good luck to you!

 

[jaketos]

I hunted 61 this year with my dad. we saw 16 bulls by 9am on opening morning of 4th season and never left the truck. we saw the biggest bull either of us had ever seen, magazine cover bull. we did not see many deer at all but did see 2 27" bucks. if you mould like to know details E-mail me and I will tell you more. it might take a while for me to reply but i will. in my opinoin get the Elk tag see ya, JAKE