4th Season Gunnison Basin-Camp or Hotel?

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Foreman400

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Hi All,
Headed to Gunnison Basin for 4th Season. With the later season dates this year would you stay in heated wall tent camp or choose a hotel in Gunnison? I have spent many cold, snowy nights in my wall tent but I am wondering if it is worth all the extra time & work to bring camping gear? During 3rd-4th seasons is it feasible to hunt from a motel in Gunnison? Thanks for any thoughts or recommendations!
 
Hotel. It is very doable to hunt this unit. Weather dependent but longest drive should not be over an hour. Average around 1/2 that. Temperatures can get down to -10-15 some years.
 
Hotel for sure. Many places you are 15 minutes from hunting. Days are really short during the fourth hunt, and nights very cold. Below zero is actually about the norm for that time of the year. As much as I like camping, it is too much work on that hunt.
 
Thanks guys! I was thinking the same thing. Pretty long nights around Thanksgiving week.
Any hotel recommendations? I would need a parking lot that can fit a long utility trailer with for a ranger crew.
 
Foreman400 said:
Hi All,
Headed to Gunnison Basin for 4th Season. With the later season dates this year would you stay in heated wall tent camp or choose a hotel in Gunnison? I have spent many cold, snowy nights in my wall tent but I am wondering if it is worth all the extra time & work to bring camping gear? During 3rd-4th seasons is it feasible to hunt from a motel in Gunnison? Thanks for any thoughts or recommendations!
Click to expand...
Screw staying in town. Not worth it. Wall tent with stove and if you get cold put more wood on the fire. Stay some place with no cell service so you don’t wuss out and go home early.

Depending what tag you have it could be quite the drive each morning to go hunt. Man up, take the wall tent and go kill a big deer.
 
VRBO would be the best option. Depending on which unit you have. 54 staying in town is a no-brainer. Some of the other units tent camping would be better
 
When I'm in a motel it's sure a lot easier to knock off an hour later or earlier. But it's easier hunting no doubt. If I'm hunting elk I'm staying in a tent. Seems like when I ease in to Gunnison there are hunters everywhere with clean hands and clothes. Deer might be different. I'll find out this year.
 
The Inn at Tomichi (or is it Tomichi Inn?) is a hunter friendly spot. Not exactly high end, but adequate, with plenty of parking for trucks with trailers. It is on the east side of town.
 
Really depends on which unit.. if you are hunting 54 or 55 staying in town isn’t a bad option. If you’re running 66,67 or 551 you are going to be commuting a bit more depending on which end of the unit you’re going. I always have my clients with 54 3rd and 4th season tags stay in town.
 
Weather COULD be cold & snowy - and you might have a 1 hour drive if roads are good, 3 hours if bad. It is a gamble, nights are long so a 1 hour drive is doable and you can still get enough sleep. It is borderline for me (2 weeks earlier camp, 2 week later hotel), maybe book a hotel and if weather looks ok cancel and camp.
 
Granted I am taking my wife on unit 53 3rd season and we will be staying in motel. Keep her happy so she will keep going when she draws great tags.

I have several wall tents and she does well in those on hunts, but this 3rd season hunt works great from town/motel. Lot less stress on me with all the equipment. Bag of clothes and cold weather gear, rifle, pack frame and good to go.

Best of luck to you.
 
Thanks guys for your thoughts. I am headed to Gunnison Sunday for a week of scouting. Burned half a lifetime of points for this hunt. Normally I would just load my cylinder stove, tent and some coal and head out. I have spent Thanksgiving week in my wall tent in Montana before and survived just fine. But this 4th season hunt looks like I will be alone due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Lots of extra work keeping a wall tent camp going & warm. Hotel option might work? I am hunting Unit 66 and it looks like the drive from Gunnison to Powderhorn or Lake City might take awhile if roads are snowy? Thanks again for your thoughts and advise!
 
Foreman400 said:
Thanks guys for your thoughts. I am headed to Gunnison Sunday for a week of scouting. Burned half a lifetime of points for this hunt. Normally I would just load my cylinder stove, tent and some coal and head out. I have spent Thanksgiving week in my wall tent in Montana before and survived just fine. But this 4th season hunt looks like I will be alone due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Lots of extra work keeping a wall tent camp going & warm. Hotel option might work? I am hunting Unit 66 and it looks like the drive from Gunnison to Powderhorn or Lake City might take awhile if roads are snowy? Thanks again for your thoughts and advise!
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the drive to Powderhorn is 35-40 minutes, Lake City is an hour or more on good weather days
 
Thx for the drive time info! Tried to plan a scouting week between archery and 1st rifle hunt. Hard to scout for 4th season due to unknown weather in late November. I am planning another scouting trip the week before the hunt and in late October as well. Thx!
 
The Western Motel in Gunnison is worth checking out.
It worked great for me on my 2019 4th season hunt.
You can park right in front of your room and barbecue on the front porch by your door if you like.
It’s clean and the price is good.
 
Darn I was hoping to be out there 3rd season this year but point gods had something else in mind. Good luck. Let’s us know how the trip goes
 
buckhorn said:
The Western Motel in Gunnison is worth checking out.
It worked great for me on my 2019 4th season hunt.
You can park right in front of your room and barbecue on the front porch by your door if you like.
It’s clean and the price is good.
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Agreed !! Good place to stay ! Been there before- very good & convenient. Enjoy yourself- great places to eat in Gunnison also.
Jerry Gold in Windsor, Colorado ???
 
Thanks Hawkbill! Replied back.Keep in touch.
Thx Jerry. I read your 66 report from last year.
Tracker12 I will let you know how it turns out. Hopefully you can draw next year.
 
I stayed in motel in Gunnison in 2019 for 4 th season deer hunt in 67. Temps were 19 every morning and got up to 35 during day. The roads are good and I didn’t even need a 4 wheeler. 35 minute drive morning and night. No way I would haul camping stuff.
 
rmanwill said:
Granted I am taking my wife on unit 53 3rd season and we will be staying in motel. Keep her happy so she will keep going when she draws great tags.

I have several wall tents and she does well in those on hunts, but this 3rd season hunt works great from town/motel. Lot less stress on me with all the equipment. Bag of clothes and cold weather gear, rifle, pack frame and good to go.

Best of luck to you.
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I’ve hunted 53 twice stayed in hotel both times very good option for that unit on the later hunts.
 
buckhunter64 said:
I stayed in motel in Gunnison in 2019 for 4 th season deer hunt in 67. Temps were 19 every morning and got up to 35 during day. The roads are good and I didn’t even need a 4 wheeler. 35 minute drive morning and night. No way I would haul camping stuff.
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How big of a buck did you kill?
 
If you want to kill a big deer camp out there. Enjoy the outdoors! If you want to be distracted and spend half your hunt commuting like you do in the city stay in town. Then you can blame CDOW if you don’t kill a big deer. Or say the unit was down. When in reality you were just a glorified road hunter. CDOW had done a great job setting you up for an easy big buck so regardless enjoy the hunt.

Didn’t know there were so many wussies on here? -15? Meh. It’s called layering. Not rocket science…
 
Foreman400 said:
Hi All,
Headed to Gunnison Basin for 4th Season. With the later season dates this year would you stay in heated wall tent camp or choose a hotel in Gunnison? I have spent many cold, snowy nights in my wall tent but I am wondering if it is worth all the extra time & work to bring camping gear? During 3rd-4th seasons is it feasible to hunt from a motel in Gunnison? Thanks for any thoughts or recommendations!
Click to expand...
I’ll be in 66 2nd season. I’m planning on using the camper, hopefully find a place with electric to keep a heater running. Lake City does have some cabins/campground, Elk Run or something is the name I think. I still need to call and check availability.

I’ll send you a message on what I see, I might not be much help to people drawing the low point hunts that I do, but I’ll definitely share info to people drawing 15-20+ point hunts.
 
Tent camping all the way. It’s so much fun to freeze your nutz off, worry about your tent collapsing and shoveling snow off your tent in heavy snowstorms every hour all night long. Such a blast.




B9926566-478E-4B72-B3D2-B3506E1E24AC.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Foreman400 said:
Hi All,
Headed to Gunnison Basin for 4th Season. With the later season dates this year would you stay in heated wall tent camp or choose a hotel in Gunnison? I have spent many cold, snowy nights in my wall tent but I am wondering if it is worth all the extra time & work to bring camping gear? During 3rd-4th seasons is it feasible to hunt from a motel in Gunnison? Thanks for any thoughts or recommendations!
Click to expand...
Howdy! I have a deer tag for 3rd season in 66 and was going to originally pull a camper over there but decided a cabin sounded like a lot less hassle and definitely warmer There were several online up towards the North West corner (20-30 mile drive to most anywhere in the unit, and you are starting in the unit) and close to the low country you may be hunting in during 4th. Definitely not cheap, but not that much more than hotel. They also had rooms at the Arrowhead lodge which is in the same area, they were $141 per night if you got them online. Weather will be both a blessing and a curse. Super excited for my hunt and wish you all the best on yours. Happy to share how mine goes.

Brad
 
Thx guys for the info!
Hi Brad,
I would love to get more info on the cabins. That sounds like a great option. Thx
FYI-cold and clear in Gunnison Basin this am. Snow showers last night. Looks
Like it will heat up over the weekend. Muddy roads this week!
 
What are the roads like with snow and mud. If it snows a foot can you get around. Truck or Tahoe, is a razor worth the trouble.
 
If it’s too cold for you to camp out, it’s too cold for you to ride a razor around.

Some of those roads will be nasty to get around.
 
In fact I’m in meeker now on a return tag and my buddy text today and said “bring chains”
Naw just take the RZR and park the truck in the bottom and turn the heater on
 
SS! said:
Road hunter.
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Nope JA
All hiking but to get to camp from the main road is 3 miles and it’s easier to take the RZR than to chain up.
Come on up and I’ll show you…. Never mind your to old and feeble ? plus being a city sleeker doesn’t help ???
 
BTW
You saw where we killed that bear in 61!
Ya road hunting ????
99% of you couldn’t walk in there let alone get a 450 lb bear out.
 
Something wrong with a hunting story that starts off “well we left the motel/IHOP….

I guess if you’re old as hell it might be a necessity to stay in town. Boomers just are not as tough as their fathers…
 

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