Valle Vidal - Opinion

I was fortunate and drew the October 24-28, 2020 bull tag for the Valle Vidal.

My wife and I were able to spend 4 days camping/scouting/hiking/driving in the Valle Vidal this past Memorial Day weekend (Yep....suppose to be closed but they never posted the McCrystal camp ground as closed and the Forest Service individual did not ask us to leave. Crazy how I can go golfing but can't go camping in the National Forest...that's another story for another time).

My reason for the post.

Besides this weekend, I plan on going back to the Valle Vidal four more times before my hunt. If you were the owner of this October tag, where would you concentrate your efforts for these 4 trips to help yourself be successful. With the vast number of acres, you can't do justice to your scouting by trying to cover it all. I'll break the unit in half. I'll use the Cimarron campground as the imaginary center point of the unit. Would you spend your time scouting east or west of this campground for an October hunt.



Thanks.......Empty Nester

Divide the unit using the rock wall on the east side of Shuree Pond, where the unit goes from high elevation to lower elevation.

Late Oct I would focus on the higher elevations particularly the high elevation meadows and open parks to catch bulls feeding in the early morning.

Average Bull West. A true giant East. Spent a lot of time there a horseback, the biggest Bull by far (375+) I ever saw walked through the Cimarron Campground during a hunt at noon.......I was camp cook and no one was there... Looked hard for him but never saw him again.
Jack

Thanks for the reply's

Let me add one additional fact for your consideration.......my method of hunting will be walking. In good health and decent shape for 53. Will have two boys with me who can do the heavy lifting.

Empty Nester

Take some extra cash and a big bottle of crown royal., their are usually a few fellas up there with horses that will pack it out if it's way back in there . Just show them the bottle and a couple hundies ??? but make sure they get the elk back to camp before poping the top off the bottle . LOL

+1 Geno! Always at least two camps in Cimarron CG that are there specifically for pack hire. Tega with USO is usually willing to help out also if he's not busy with his hunters.