CO Unit 61 Bulls
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: Twinetickler
12-Jun-15
Hello, I hope everybody is doing great and looking forward to your hunts this fall. I was lucky enough to draw a 61 archery elk tag and would love to see some bulls that have been harvested off the unit, or pics of bulls to get me even more pumped for September! Thanks in advance, and any suggestions or advice would be awesome!
From: adobe
13-Jun-15
Last year opening day.
From: cnelk
13-Jun-15
cnelk's Link
Aug 31, 2012
Got it on video too - see link
You gonna have a grand time
From: Quinn @work
13-Jun-15
From: Twinetickler
13-Jun-15
Wow! Great bulls guys congrats!Thanks for sharing! Cnelk that is some awesome footage! I would love to whack any of those three bulls,I have the majority of the hunt off including the whole last week. Would it be realistic to find 340-350 type bulls throughout the hunt to chase? I guess what is the top end in 61? all I hear is it is the land of 300" bulls, if I hunt hard and am patient is 350 doable?
From: cnelk
13-Jun-15
If you hunt hard and patient are you willing to go home empty handed waiting for a 350?
From: Twinetickler
13-Jun-15
Haha good point, the answer is no. I would be very happy with a 300+ bull. I just want to give myself every opportunity to kill the best bull I can. Did you see any 350 type bulls on your hunts or preseason scouting?
From: Mike-TN
13-Jun-15
Not a great pic but he was a nice 6x... That was in 2006. At that time I would say 350 was top end and would have been tough to pull off with a bow. Unit 61 is a great unit but not for 350 bulls. There are only a few units in the country wherea guy can go after 350 bulls with a decent chance of success.... it could happen in 61 just be ready to have a great hunt without punching your tag
From: Twinetickler
13-Jun-15
Nice bulls guys! I don't know if I could let any of them walk haha. Hopefully with all the moisture it will be a good year! Keep the pics coming if you have got them!
From: Nesser
13-Jun-15
2012 8x7 Its such a fun hunt...lots of oak brush and bears. Buy a bear tag if they're available, I had multiple opportunities at nice bears.
From: Nesser
13-Jun-15
This was about 10 yds...hit him with a rock after I took the crappy pic and he barely moved off.
From: Nesser
13-Jun-15
To answer your 350 question...I'm sure it is possible but in 10 days of hunting I saw approx. 40 different bulls and didn't see a 350. Best was maybe 330 and below that a bunch of 300ish. Just go and enjoy...if you haven't tagged out by the 10th of Sept you'll have some of the best bugling and rut action you could imagine.
From: TheSaint
13-Jun-15
Last yrs bull
From: LUNG$HOT
13-Jun-15
Wow saint! Great bull. What'd he score?
From: Twinetickler
13-Jun-15
Man this gets my blood pumping! What great bulls, congrats again to all of you! I appreciate the feedback, it's not that I wouldn't be happy with any of the bulls you have put down, I just want to have realistic expectations. I want to try to hold off and hunt that last week of the hunt and hopefully be in some crazy rut action, but if one like any of the above gives me a shot I will be mighty tempted to let a Slick Trick fly! Any other golden nuggets of information you all are willing to share would be awesome, but keep the pics coming!!! Thanks again!
From: Mike-TN
13-Jun-15
Don't be fooled into thinking the last week will be the best. We got about 14" of snow the last week in 2006.... Buddy went home with an Unfilled tag. There will be a bunch of bugling but I doubt that is the best week to kill a big one
From: tradi-doerr
13-Jun-15
I hunted it last year as well, I didn't fill my tag but it was one of the best elk hunts I have ever been on, hunted the first 9 days and the last 5 days, bulls were active the whole season. As mentioned you will see many, many bulls in the 260-290 range and a few that will be in the 300-320+, but there are a rare few bigger than 350.
I missed a shot at the bull I chased for 3 days, figured it in the 370+ range, muzzleloader from the front range got one in the same drainage area,75yrd shot, that went 363+net(I measured it for him) we both agree it was the one I missed, should have never told him where I was hunting,LOL. Best of luck, your going to love all the action!
From: wildwilderness
13-Jun-15
wildwilderness's Link
Before you hold out for a 350 bull, you absolutely need to read this bowsite classic on 61 from BB.
http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread-print.cfm?threadid=373244&forum=5
From: Jaeger63
14-Jun-15
My unit 61 experience was the best elk hunt of my life but it also turned out to be the hardest elk hunt of my life. It took me 18 days days of straight hunting to get it done on a mature bull. I could have tagged out much sooner on smaller bulls. I could get mature bulls to answer but I had no luck in getting them within bow range until the last couple days of the season. That is when it all came to together for me. I had an unbelievable hunting experience the last 48 hours of the season. I wrote a story that was published in Extreme Elk magazine in their 2013 summer issue titled "An Eleven Year Wait". Best of luck to you on your hunt!!!
From: Twinetickler
14-Jun-15
Again great bulls! Wow! What an amazing thread from BB! Thank you for the link! I plan to hunt as much of the hunt I can, I'm lucky to have a job that is fairly flexible, and it sounds like I may need the whole hunt!...Keep the pics and stories coming, I hope to add one of my own by the end of September!
Thanks again guys!
From: pop-r
14-Jun-15
Not many 350 bulls in the mix Twinetickler. Scoot my dad had 19 this year & did not draw. He did apply for first rifle tho.
From: Twinetickler
14-Jun-15
I agree Pop, but it sounds like I'll have a great time chasing 300" bulls and a decent chance at bigger if I'm patient. I was one of two NR that drew an archery tag with 18 points
From: pop-r
14-Jun-15
Oh there is no doubt that you'll have an absolute blast!!
From: Twinetickler
14-Jun-15
Here is a nice 61 bull that was sent to me. This was a last year bull, sent to me by one of our fellow bowsiters "Dikndirt" nice bull and it looks like you knocked his dik n the dirt! Keep them coming guys!
From: Twinetickler
14-Jun-15
From: kevin3006
15-Jun-15
Just recieved my 61 archery tag in the mail today.
From: Twinetickler
15-Jun-15
Kevin that's awesome! Maybe we will run into each other on the big Unc!!! Good luck!
From: Twinetickler
15-Jun-15
Just checked my mailbox and my golden ticket was waiting for me as well! Anymore 61 bulls?
From: CAS_HNTR
15-Jun-15
My dad has 19 points and I am gonna try and get him to go after a archery tag in 61......not a sure thing even with 19 points as a non-resident, but still possible! Best of luck to those that drew!
From: tradi-doerr
15-Jun-15
I've asked the muzzly-hunter if I can post his pic's, just waiting for a reply, I'm looking for my hunting buddy's brothers bull from 2yrs ago.
From: Twinetickler
15-Jun-15
Trad I would love to see them both!
Thanks!
From: Dikndirt
18-Jun-15
The evening I killed that bull pictured was as good as it gets as far as elk rutting action goes, non-stop bugling from early afternoon until after dark. I was in tight with at least 5 bulls as good as the one I shot, with a couple of them being a little better! I am volunteering to pay you Twinetickler to allow me to go with you on your hunt this fall.
From: Glunt@work
18-Jun-15
Fun unit! I shot the first mature bull I could. The next morning a bigger one wallowed, bugled and rubbed trees for 10 minutes while I was standing over my bull in the process of quartering it. No regrets and at 9 yards with a home-made bow I would do it again. No doubt there are some big ones, but a guy ready to shoot a 280 - 320 bull has a good chance of tagging out. Lots of rutting action and a great unit for seeing and hearing elk. Not a guarantee.
From: Twinetickler
18-Jun-15
Glunt! Awesome bull and to do it with a home made stick and string is amazing! Congrats
Dikndirt you are hired as my full time guide, grunt, caller and chief bottle washer!!!
Hey Tradi any word on those other two bulls pics?
Thanks guys!!!
From: tradi-doerr
21-Jun-15
Here is a picture of my hunting buddies brother in-laws bull from 2013, 360+ net (first rifle)
