Unit 61 Colorado muzzleloader bear

Iowahhunter · Jul 20, 2024

Drew a unit 61 bear tag during the muzzleloader season. Excited to be in a prime elk unit during that time.

Any tips or advice would be appreciated

Thanks in advance

Mallardsx2 · Jul 20, 2024

Take 6 cases of beer and make friends with the elk hunters…..

tailchasers · Jul 20, 2024

Gut piles.

brushcreek · Jul 20, 2024

do you still have to have a deer or elk tag to be able to get a bear tag? or is that just in rifle seasons?

txhunter58 · Jul 21, 2024

Suspect it is a designated muzzleloader bear tag.
B-E-061-O1-M
It’s a B class tag. I guess they know there are still a lot of bears up there.

Iowahhunter · Aug 3, 2024

Yes muzzleloader specific tag. I’m from Iowa I just try to do my best guess best units to put in for based of what I find online. Happened to draw this one! It’s during the elk rut and I’ve heard great things about the unit so figured would be fun time to be there!

brushcreek · Aug 3, 2024

Iowahhunter said:
Yes muzzleloader specific tag. I’m from Iowa I just try to do my best guess best units to put in for based of what I find online. Happened to draw this one! It’s during the elk rut and I’ve heard great things about the unit so figured would be fun time to be there!

Sounds like a good time to me

JBunn · Aug 26, 2024

Sounds like the most fun you could have in there without an elk tag.

tracker12 · Sep 2, 2024

Iowahhunter said:
Yes muzzleloader specific tag. I’m from Iowa I just try to do my best guess best units to put in for based of what I find online. Happened to draw this one! It’s during the elk rut and I’ve heard great things about the unit so figured would be fun time to be there!

Did it take points to draw this tag?

Shadowden · Friday at 10:03 AM

I am bear hunting the unit now. There is a lot of access. Where I am, although I am getting by with my truck, it is getting some character added to it. The under tire terrain isn't bad it's the tight width and branches. I'm hunting rifle so set up for that. A lot of glassing with the capability of reaching out a lot further than I can with an open sight muzzleloader. The terrain here is a lot more demanding than where l typically hunt elk. The canyon slope is steep and chock full of gambel oak and manzanita which are demanding to navigate and wade through.

Elk were vocal a couple nights ago. Seeing plenty of those and good sized mule deer.

Well a few rifle shots just rang out east of me. Hope someone filled their tag. Guess I should be glassing and not writing in a forum.

Take advantage of the cameo shooting and education center on your way to the unit.

Shadowden · Saturday at 9:08 PM

Today was my last day in the unit. I shot my bear yesterday afternoon and finished packing him out this morning. I heard more gunshots this morning than the previous week in total. The bears I observed were eating acorns. I didn't see a ton of berries but there were some mixed into the gambel oak stands. Predominantly choke cherries. The scat I observed indicated to me that they were focusing on the acorns. I ran into a local that seemed somewhat surprised I was hunting where I was. Maybe that was a good thing for me. He indicated that trail cameras show bears frequenting the ponds where he was but I saw no sign of bear whatsoever around the ponds I checked. Your hunting style and where successful elk hunters have been may dictate where you go but it is a big unit that I only scratched the surface on and was very impressed.

Best of luck!