Bowsite.com

Unit 53, West Elk Wilderness, Colorado

I posted on the Colorado site, but only got one response.

I am elatively new to elk hunting, and am STRONGLY considering this untit.

Can anybody out there give me any info to go along with my own scouting and info gathering?

Any help would be appreciated.

Double post. Sorry....

Rugged area. Location where the animals suffered the worse with the severe winter,although the deer and sheep were impacted more than elk. Popular area for hunters,particularly coming in from the Unit #54 side,Soap Mesa,Rainbow Lake area. Heavy traffic area for hikers and mountain bikers,particularly during the Labor Day holiday. Crested Butte is the "mountain biking" capital and the bikers tend to ignore the "wilderness designations" symbols(horse and foot traffic only). Several outfitters operate in the West Elk wilderness. Spectacular country and a great place to be when the aspens turn gold. Good luck!!

HAve you hunted it??? IF this were your first DIY elk hunt, where would you go to hunt??? I plan on hiking in for 3-4 day bivy's for about two weeks.

I am completely open to anywhere else as well......

Thanks,

Danny

Danny, I've hunted it only once many years ago. Outdoors addicts info is dead on. Its as good of an area as any depending on what canyon you are in. Its the same for anyplace in OTC Colorado; lots of pressure at trail heads and along main trails but if you get in a little ways and off the beaten track you can get into elk.Good luck

Very rugged. I hiked into West Elks twice, once from the west end over Minnesota Pass and once from the southwest end from some ranch. Both were hard hikes. If I were ever to hunt in there, I would lease two llamas, because getting an animal out of there would be tough.

I suspect most people that do hunt there, drive to the end of a road, park and hunt from there, so trailheads would be crowded, but my guess is that the interior is not. When I hiked in there during the summer, the hiking trails were littered with elk, deer and bear tracks. I saw no human sign and no horse tracks.

I have never hunted 53, but I have hunted 43 and 55. This great elk habitat and it is heavily hunted through this area (unit 53,54 and 55). It is beutiful country with elk, but you will have to work to be alone. Like some of the others have said this is rugged country and can be challenge to get an elk out once you get one. This area once produced a lot of good bulls, but they are much fewer good bulls now. Have limited expedtations as any legal bull is a good bull and a cow can be a trophy on the table. This being said I did see a 365 bull that came out of 54, but these bulls are hard to come by in most all OTC units.

Register here to reply to this topic