Version 2: Feedback on GMU's 2-10-201
Colorado
I've had several people ask for updates and input to this previous topic regarding the results and experiences for the 2019 elk season and preparations for 2020. One item of interest is the confirmation given today by CPW and Gov. Polis that there is a pack of wolves in Moffat County which encompasses these GMU's. Looking forward to any responses.
All I know is that when I hunted a drainage in central WY two years ago and a pack of wolves moved into the valley (where none had ever been before), all the elk left. Like totally left, from a big drainage. The WY wolf biologist stopped by my camp to talk to me about it, ask if I'd seen them because he was trying to figure out where they came from.
I think it will be interesting to observe CPW's management of these 3 "trophy" units in the future. If the wolves start to deplete the elk population (which includes the "trophy" bulls), will they issue less licenses? As the number of these bulls starts to dwindle, will there be an effort to maintain the "trophy" population or will CPW move their emphasis of preserving these bulls to other units? If CPW loses any control, I can't imagine that the US Fish & Wildlife or other agencies could care less about maintaining "trophy" units and the bull population.
A link to the previous thread for additional content.
6 wolves eat 120 elk per year. I believe that's more than hunters take in 201.
OH but! the wolves only kill the sick , the weak and the young and oh, especially the animals that have CWD. And you know, the wolves will bring back the critical balance of nature to that area. And oh, what are a few less livestock to the rancher, he has plenty of them and will not miss one or two or three or four or, well you get the point.
Would be awesome if the wolves would focus on the feral horse problem out there...
It's definitely concerning now that I am on the verge of drawing up there. Will I finally get a tag & run into a situation like Jaquomo?
Possible. You will likely see more people than you expected as well.
CPW crushed the elk herds in those units before the wolves wvwr arrived. The total elk population in those GMUs is less than 30% of what it was in the heyday 16-17 years ago. They still give out basically unlimited rifle cow tags.
Those units can still be very good for a respectable bull (by CO standards), but it sure isn't a "gimme" for a 350 bull. A pack of 6 wolves in the area where you're hunting will only exacerbate the situation.
One article posted the exact location of where they heard/saw the wolves. This summer and fall is gonna have every yuppy from the front range camping and hiking around the area trying to look for wolves so they can be the first to capture them on camera.
Do the wolves ever go after the feral horses?
Unlikely, because the horses run in herds and are aggressive toward predators. I once had a mountain lion jump one of my horses in the night and from the evidence the next morning, the other horses appeared to help get it off during the struggle. The mare survived but it took a lot of stitches to put her back together. She was always spooked by anything unusual behind her after that, too.
Scary that the first poll showed ~80% voting in favor of reintroducing wolves. its going to be an uphill battle.
Skelly, we lost the bear hunting vote 69-31 back when Colorado was pretty red. As blue and lib as it is now, this will pass by a large margin.
Jaq, you are likely correct. if there is pack of 5 or 6 in area of 2/201, how fast do you think they multiply? How many elk do you think they take out in a year? Always heard elk from 201 migrate to Utah? Suppose unit 2 elk do some in Utah and some towards the Little Snake river? Hopefully get a unit 2 license before the pack gets too big!!
I see there is a bill in the Colorado senate to push the intro back to 2025. It says it will be delayed until a revenue source for reimbursment to ranchers for damage can be created. A tax would have to go through Tabor. Hunting licenses for wolves would be one, but the likely revenue that is easy to implement is increased fees on hunting licenses. At least this bill would push back the into a couple years over the ballot issue.
I've tired of talking about wolves, here. I'll continue trying to educate the uninformed, but it seems kinda pointless on a forum where there's already 100% opposition.
But, I did go back and read Version #1 of this thread. I found the last few less than glowing 2018 hunt recaps rather interesting....CPW officers stalking hunters, rifle cow hunters blowing up archery hunts, muzzleloader hunters with multiple spotters riding ATVs everywhere, poachers, tag soup, etc...it was kinda disheartening.
I read Brun's excellent recap of his 2019 NW hunt, but I haven't seen any other write-ups from other archery hunters. If you bowhunted these areas in 2019, and don't mind sharing your experiences, I'd love to read them. Thanks.
Matt
Not sure how to delete the link on this one
Thanks Treeline, I've read your 2017 recap, and enjoyed it.
I'm looking for 2019 recaps. 2018 reports didn't exactly inspire me. I'm hoping drought conditions were primarily responsible, and 2019 was better.
Matt
GG I wrote up the story of my rifle (the wifes') if you are interested I could send it to you by email. I wouldnt go back if zero points required. In fact I had a way better adventure OTC in Nov. (if you do not count antler size as a factor) But we WILL be there for pics out of season and to raft the canyon, pretty place but a flippin zoo in season.
Squirrel,
Thanks. I read your 2018 recap on Version #1 of this thread. It was one of the "less than glowing" write-ups that I was talking about earlier. I was hoping to hear from someone who hunted these areas with a bow in 2019.
Matt
Grey Ghost It sounded like 4 or 5 of the hunters opted for the Walker ranch. There was a link to a video of a guy that shot a 390+ bull on the ranch. i know of 2 people that hunted outside of the ranch, neither one of them were successful in taking an elk. One was up for the whole month and the other hunted 2 weeks plus long weekends. He did say there was one muzzleloader hunter that had 12 spotters with them. And many of the rifle hunters were up the last weekend of archery scouting for rifle season. This was in unit 2. Quite a cluster the last 2 weeks.
Thanks, Skelly.
I'm familiar with unit 2, and know where all the heaviest hunting traffic usually happens. I also know there are areas in that unit where bulls die of old age, but you have to work to get to those spots. It's a huge unit.
Yeah, the temptation to sit at Walker's water holes is high for a lot of hunters, and it often pays off for them. I'm not one of those guys. That's a little too "canned" for my tastes.
Matt
Hard to believe I drew a Unit 10 ML tag 20 yrs ago this year with 9 PPs.
Heck, when I started focusing on the NW corner, 6 points would get you any of those tags. Took 19 or 20 to be assured an archery tag when I finally cashed in for 2.
Basically, those tags have become once in a lifetime.
Really stinks when you hear stories like squirrel’s and coelker’s.
GG Fear not, when I was there looking and learning it was archery season and though i saw some vehicles that were no doubt hunting elk they were few, far between and I never saw anyone "in the woods"... Muzzy had some signs of being a cluster but I missed most of that because of having to be home to "work" Then the final week of Archery it was just me and the elk, at least where I was. While I keyed in on "Pamela Anderson" I had several affairs on "her" in other locations, none of which had hunters until opening of rifle. Did I mention she had a nice rack? I still get yelled at about "not allowing her to shoot" her elk
"Pamela Anderson"...now that's funny. ;-)
Sorry your rifle hunt didn't live up to expectations. Sounds like you weren't the only guy chasing Pamela. If she had better 3rds, she might be worth taking home. ;-)
Matt
Apparently she was "out of my league"...
Actually I'm not sure anyone else knew of her existence, but I suspect one guide did based on his choice of look outs and his refusal to shoot some other impressive bulls. The hunters and especially the guides were amazingly inept at the craft of obtaining elk. One outfit was the exception to this observation, they did not participate in the zoo, class acts far as i could tell.
Sure glad we didn't run into any other hunters or outfitters in 2013. Only a fellow with a rifle tag who was camming one of our BLM waterholes. He agreed to only come check his camera once a week, at noon. Otherwise we only saw one deer hunter, who was a friend of Kurt and was never anywhere around us.
Have 27pp. 2,10,201? Muzzy or rifle? 60 years old, have only killed one raghorn bull.
Pop,
Any of those units can turn up a great bull. Based on your question, I would suggest the rifle hunt. Look at the stats for which unit you can draw, apply and go!
The muzzle loader hunt has muzzle loader and archery deer and elk hunters out there and the rifle hunt has only bull elk hunters.
Will be a lot fewer hunters in the field for rifle.
Also, based on your lack of experience with big elk, I would strongly suggest hiring a guide that has a lot of experience in that country for your hunt.
Good luck! Hope you get a bull of a lifetime!
Pop, I agree with most of what Treeline has said, but I've looked at the numbers and a lot depends on if you want to hunt this year. If so, the only real chance you have for this year is Unit 10 Muzzleloader. Last year this was a 50% chance with 26 points, which means it will probably be around the same for 27 points this year. All the other rifle and muzzleloader hunts took 27 or more last year which means you are probably a couple years away for those tags. These things are not entirely predictable, especially with non residents as there are so few tags, but it's likely they will continue to trend in the same direction.
I also agree that a guide might be a good idea for you unless you have lots of time to scout or a friend that knows the areas well.
The only thing Treeline mentioned that I don't entirely agree with is the numbers of hunters in the field. Unit 10 actually has the most favorable numbers in this regard.
There are a total of 32 bull rifle tags issued in Unit 10. This, as with 2 and 201 all happens in one season from Oct.1-11. The total number of hunters (archery and muzzy, deer and elk) during the muzzleloader season is a maximun of 35, so there is not a significant difference. It's also almost a certainty that quite a few of the archery guys will have filled out by then, so you are likely to have less hunters in the field. Most of the deer in 10 are not in the prime elk spots,(there are 5 archery and 5 muzzy deer tags) so that also reduces your competition. So in short, if you want to hunt this year, I wouldn't be at all hesitant to go muzzleloader in 10. If you decide to wait another year or two, then rifle in any of these units might be a better choice. Good luck with whatever you decide and I also hope you get the bull of your dreams.
Had great hunt, thanks for info
Had great hunt, thanks for info
which hunt did you do Pop? any more to the story to share?
Let's see if we can get updates for elk in 2020 to add to this ongoing thread and to supplement the original version. There has been an incredible response for both of these versions that has helped to build some history as there have been responses pertaining as far back as the 1990's and I'd like to see it continue with inclusions of the current year.
Congratulations, Pop! Looking forward to “the rest of the story”!
Blade, above is a link to my 2020 unit 10 hunt recap, if you haven't already seen it.
In a nut shell, it certainly wasn't the solitary hunt I was expecting. There were muzzy and rifle hunters scouting the unit during the entire archery season. Some of them had armies of friends and family helping them scout. They showed little regard for the bowhunters who were trying to fill tags. I had words with a few them, after they had blown up my hunts.
Unit 10 also had a lot of general weekend campers and recreational ATV riders thru-out the season. I think Covid had a lot to do with the amount of human activity I saw this year.
As for the hunting, I never found any of the big boys that I saw multiple times while scouting. It was as if they had an internal calendar, and they knew exactly when it was time to retreat to their sanctuaries. I still had a great hunt. Easily better than any OTC hunt I've had, and I managed to kill a nice bull, but it was bittersweet.
Matt
Thanks for a great story about your hunt. You had everyone's undivided attention.
With a new hunting season ahead of us, I thought it's time to update previous hunts in these units and who has drawn for this years tags.
I hunted unit 201 last year and yes there are wolf there for sure
It sure would be nice to hear from anyone who Bow hunted Unit #2 in 2020, I finally drew the tag after putting in for half of my life. This post has been very informative. Would love to hear from anyone who has hunted the unit On the North end … I'm planning on hunting Walker Ranch early, but if it gets to crowded might have to try to find a good one in the dessert country.
"Crowded" doesnt exist on Horton's ranch because there are so few tags anyway. Lots of good bulls on his and Dawn's places, but there are big bulls all over the unit. The access to some of the Ant Hill country and waterholes is what you'll be paying for besides lodging (if you stay in the cabin). We paid a trespass fee for a different property in unit 2 (mostly to rent a cabin) and killed both our 350+ bulls on BLM that anyone could hunt. Never saw another bowhunter.
I ended up with a unit 10 deer tag. If there are any elk hunters that would like to swap deer info for elk please send me a pm. I'll be spending quite a bit of time in 10 this year.
I had 22 resident pp's going into this years draw for Unit 2 Elk and was unsucessful I thought It might be my year...Thx to everyone that responded to my many questions. ->>>------>
One word of caution if you have high elk pts in Colo. If Wyo's 90/10 passes there is a pretty good chance that Colo could return the favor and cut nonres tags in a similar fashion. There's been a little talk of this lately in Colo so be fore-warned.....there could always be fewer nonres tags on the horizon which would mean it will take even longer to draw one of those coveted elk tags as a nonres! Elk tags in other units across Colo could also be tougher to draw if this happens!
During this drought I would turn my tag in. I wished I would have last year! I would only hunt these units during a good water year. The river will draw the bulls off of where you can hunt them. I would turn my tag in any where in the west this year.!
Marvelous, what happened to your hunt?
I drew unit 10 and have been able to scout several times a week since I'm working in the area. Lots of dry water holes but the ranchers are hauling water and filling tanks. Lots of bulls a long ways from the river and antler growth looks good enough for me. We've had a good soaking rain up there the last few days. Here's a few pics i took yesterday afternoon
Can't figure out how to rotate or delete 2nd and 3rd pic. Image tool will only let me rotate first pic.
"During this drought I would turn my tag in. I wished I would have last year! I would only hunt these units during a good water year. The river will draw the bulls off of where you can hunt them. I would turn my tag in any where in the west this year.!" .
Balderdash.
Many of the springs we scouted in Unit 2 in summer dried up by September. It was 90 during the day during our hunt, and the area had had NO moisture after early June. So we shifted tactics and figured out where the elk concentrations shifted with the drying-up of the springs. The elk don't leave NW CO. They will travel long distances in the afternoons to get water, and back again to bed. Miles. It's about adapting on the fly, abandoning preconceived game plans, and figuring them out, knowing conditions can change throughout the season.
Some really nice bulls for this early THP. You're going to have a great hunt! It's always dry up there and as Jaq said those animals aren't going anywhere. For all we know the rest of this summer could be wetter than average. Hunt!
I hunted unit 2 on the north end for the month. Got real good input from Treeline, Coelker and Jaquomo. It was a dry year and best we saw were a few 350 bulls. We only saw they a few times during the month, seems they move alot. Oilmen told us that its not uncommon for those bulls to go 20 miles in a day. There were about 100 elk on the hayfield by the Snake river every morning bugling like crazy, they would come off to the west and tried getting in front of them. Got close to big bulls a few times but didn't get the shots off. Mostly they go out and lay in the sage all day in groups of 30 to 40. A few cow rifle hunters saw some big bulls periodically up there. We had some good stalks in the cedars after they bedded and go close to some shots at 330 bulls. Didn't get as much foot hunting as i usually do cuz the hip got pretty bad. Had pictures of two really good bulls at the water tank a couple of times but they only came in after dark. As Treeline told me, the water is all down in ravines and the wind blew hard almost every day so didn't have a lot of luck sitting water. Was pretty tired at the end so shot a cow for some elk meat for the year. Ran into a lot of guys that scouted Douglas Mtn and very few saw many elk, had heard they seemed to stay up in the Monument last year. You are welcome to call me and can meet up for some intel. 303-638-2752 Doug
Drew unit 10 muzzleloader last year, got a big, basically 5x5 scored 334, will gladly share what i know about unit if anyone who draws it is interested.
Hello all! New to bowsite but not to reading this thread! I have been following for quite some time. I’m headed to Unit 2 for a 4th season cow hunt….the vast majority of info on this thread has to do with Big Bad Bulls….does anyone have any experiences to share about hunting for cows in 2? I would live to hear them as I hear up and get ready to head out soon!
Dado, I have never hunted unit 2 but have archery hunted U10. If 2 is anything like 10, with any reasonable effort, killing a cow shouldn’t be too tough. If you get outta camp you should find some animals probably anywhere in the unit.
Thanks Pope! I feel fortunate to even have a tag this year and a few days to get away….hope to get it done and take some photos of cool bulls when hunting the cow!
I spent time in 10 during rifle season. Holy smokes there were a lot of cow hunters! I'm sure the same thing is likely true in 2. Obviously there were more hunters/camps situated where there were more elk and larger parcels of public land. Just be fore-warned that the cows get hunted with rifles pretty hard in those units from August through the end of December. The cows tend to learn the public land borders and where to escape all the hunting pressure. Keep in the back of your mind that you likely won't be alone and it could take a lot more work than you may think? There are side-by-sides rambling up and down all public roads. You may luck into cows in those areas but for the most part you may need to work hard and deeper to locate cows.
With that said, it is gorgeous country and an amazing place to chase elk!
What jims said. I bowhunted 2 a few years ago and from June until we killed our bulls we only saw or cammed 4 cows, and that was in June. Get away from the side by side roads and close to the ag fields and you'll do better.
Got back from 4th season up in 2, looking for cows. Although I had been in the area passing through before, I never spent time actually looking for elk. I did not fill my tag, but learned more about the general NW corner than I anticipated.
It’s summed up in I do believe there are elk north in the Unit 2 as I found a ton of sign….and a ton of deer/pronghorn running around. Did not see a bull north. Saw two bulls south, respectable but not a NW legend…if I were to draw a once in a life time type tag here….for me I would certainly pay a fee/hire a guide. I hunt many days a year, and in many states. I have harvested several B&C animals….but I don’t consider myself a good hunter. It showed in this trip as I couldn’t get it done in an area where many others do!
"if I were to draw a once in a life time type tag here….for me I would certainly pay a fee/hire a guide"
IMO, 4th season in Unit 2 that you observed and hunted has no relation whatsoever to accessibility/huntability of elk in Archery/Muzzle/Early Rifle seasons. The premium tags are absolutely huntable without guide with moderate experience/skill. Hunted 20 days on my archery tag way back when and had zero problem getting close to tons of bulls (and cows). Took a mountain of photos of many of those encounters in the attached link
Khunter…your not wrong at all, and never really stated that I recommended anyone pay a fee or hire a guide. I said for me, that’s how I would elect to do it. Can I afford it…nope. Can I access the parts of the unit behind private ground up against the monument on foot….Yepp, and did. Do I think taking advantage of someone else’s knowledge in person with me after using that many years of points is in my best interest….absolutely.
With all that said…it can be done DIY most certainly. Also, with that said….the unit is substantial in size, and I live the whole state away. Enough folks have said the biggest bulls in these units die of old age, not hunting for me to believe it with my experience there. A guide will have spent a considerable amount of time finding what your after with 25 years of points. For me, it would be hard for me to commit to finding “the” bull when many outstanding bulls exist in this area tempting you daily. I’m not sure I have the patience to pass the best bulls I have ever seen without someone telling me hold out!!!
The thing we learned when scouting and bowhunting that unit was to decide what caliber of bull makes YOU happy, and if a bigger one gives you an opportunity, even better.
We glassed and cammed from June until the season started, and never saw a bull bigger than an honest 330. So that was the baseline for our expectations. We ended up shooting two bulls more than 20" bigger than our baseline expectation, neither of which had we seen or cammed before, and at a waterhole we found during the hunt.
So yes, it absolutely can be done successfully DIY, even with a minimum of on the ground scouting. But more importantly is having some archery elk hunting experience. Too many inexperienced elk bowhunters save and burn points there thinking it will be easy, and it is not.
Agree with Lou - I found a little water hole up around Bears (public land) ears from a ~50 year old NFS map. I saw 3 people in 8 days & only 1 was hunting. The recent wild horse roundup might help - there were a ton of them. Kinda cool but an obvious strain on the ecosystem.
Colobow- there were horses everywhere when I was in 2! Can’t imagine what their numbers were like prior to the roundup!
Lots and lots of good elk hunting outside Sand Wash Basin. We never saw a horse the entire scout/hunt except a couple ridden by two cowgirls looking for stray heifers.
There were 30-50 down low every time I went through. Huge piles of horseshit along the road. 2-3 gates/fences keeping them out of the timber. I had one wander through my camp the first night ( heard it & found tracks in the morning). IIRC recent news reports indicated that they left or released about 100 of roughly 800. And as Lou said - none were where the elk were. I was camped right on the fringe of "elk country".
Everyone wants information, but they never come back with stories or pictures. Anyone?
Hey everyone I drew unit 2 elk this year and would appreciate any help your willing to offer me thx KC
Well I finally got my archery 201 elk tag for this upcoming season. I've read through this and the previous threads making sure I was up to speed for the last 5 years. Previous hunt areas I've scouted had the elk move between the scouting and opening day. Is that a concern in 201 for archery elk? Any recommendations on when to start scouting (is it too early now?). Please PM me with any info you do not wish to post. I plan on doing a DIY hunt as I've been archery elk hunting public land for 26 years now so I'm not new to it. Is bringing an E-Bike worth it to move from area to area? Thanks in advance. Dave
Hey guys congrats on drawing a dream tag. I hunted U10 a few years back and what I wouldn’t do to draw it again. I can’t over emphasize the importance of getting as much time scouting in your unit prior to your hunt as possible. You need to find the water sources and the areas the elk like to hold in. Yes they will move a little but after scouting you will have several places on your radar as places to hunt. Advice from past hunters is helpful but nothing can be as beneficial as scouting outings. Get ready for a very mentally and physically challenging hunt but at the same time the best hunting experience imaginable. Good luck and hopefully you have a great time.
That country is all BLM (the public) and ebikes are allowed. When I hunted 2, the elk didn't like the buzz of ATVs at all, and if one stopped, they drifted away. Once I watched them run. An ebike would have been a big advantage.
Yeah that's what I was hoping based on previous hunts with my mountain bike. I've had deer actually stop in front of me to see what I was and I pulled within 15 yards and stopped without them running. In the past I have used my dirt bike to travel between hunting areas before hiking in 2-3 miles but the thought of using an E-Bike made sense as well. I plan on scouting the crap out of 201 since I retired in 2020 and every day is Saturday for me :) Does the unit have access for a lifted 7x16 cargo trailer to camp out of while scouting? Any recommended areas within 201 to start scouting?
Thanks again, Dave
Yeah that's what I was hoping based on previous hunts with my mountain bike. I've had deer actually stop in front of me to see what I was and I pulled within 15 yards and stopped without them running. In the past I have used my dirt bike to travel between hunting areas before hiking in 2-3 miles but the thought of using an E-Bike made sense as well. I plan on scouting the crap out of 201 since I retired in 2020 and every day is Saturday for me :) Does the unit have access for a lifted 7x16 cargo trailer to camp out of while scouting? Any recommended areas within 201 to start scouting?
Thanks again, Dave
