Unit 61 colorado elk

If you want to find elk in 61 go down into places like this where we were yesterday.
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I had a rough go in there a few years back. I should have gone opening weekend and killed a big bull off water. As it was, I went 10 days, up and down those steep canyons bumping into a lot of ML guys that "Don't hunt far from the road" and got weak, and arrowed a dink 5x6.

I worked harder in there than I do in my OTC units. I don't need a do-over, but for a guy who has arrowed over 20 bulls in CO OTC units, that unit kicked my ass.

I did find an unreal waterhole not marked on maps and ran into nice bulls (280-300ish) in there 3 days in a row while waiting for a bear to find my carcass. If I ever pick a LO tag up, here is where I'd be no doubt.

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Just a small addition to my comments above. Guys really need to stay current, and scout that unit as 1) It's big, real big. and 2) those years of running into multiple 300+ bulls in a morning are from days gone by, prior to the creation of the early rifle hunt in there. And finally, you better be in shape. I hunt oak brush all the time, nothing new, but I was making climbs that would rival any of my two sheep hunts (successful by the way) here in Colorado.

You will know when you walk up to the edge of the "Big T".
 
OldMan2 said:
Ignore the trolls. Pretty much in the same predicament. Decided to go with a guide. Could have gone either 40 or 61. In 40, they’re looking for a 320-340 bull. In 61, 300-320. Guide said 61 will be a much “funner” hunt. And it is hunting, so no guarantees! At age of 69, decided to go with 61. Enjoyment over an extra 10-20 inches of horn (potentially?). Oh, am from WI and will post hunt results in this thread.
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Few pics of my bull. Fantastic hunt/vacation. He was down in a “heck-hole”!

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So was Whiteantlertip’s story about drawing a tag BS? No followup even though he is still using the site? Did I miss it somewhere else?
 
coloradoman said:
I’ve learned a lesson
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Don’t give up yet! I’m still gonna need your advice one day!!! I’m a couple years out on the primo elk tag but finally getting close. I’ve never gotten a mature bull and at 46, starting to wonder when/if that will happen. So here’s a good candidate for one last charity case if you still feel you have it in in you at the time. ?

Who knew my 1st elk would be my best for going on 23 years….a little embarrassing, go easy on me, but elk hunting is tough for the DIY NR, and I as long as I can continue to occasionally hunt them and have a chance…..I won’t be too upset if I never get a big one.
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coloradoman said:
I gave t_boneking some advice and actually met him in 40
And he was a stud and communicated with me the whole time!
Hats off to him!!!
My days of sharing are about done
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Hats off to @t_boneking from me as well! I shared some information with him regarding his 40 tag and he kept me updated on his hunt. He killed one heck of a bull too! Nice to see there are still good guys out there.
 
coloradoman said:
I gave t_boneking some advice and actually met him in 40
And he was a stud and communicated with me the whole time!
Hats off to him!!!
My days of sharing are about done
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CO man I’m still planning to hit you up when I finally get a 61 cow tag. So don’t go dark on me yet! Haha
Nice bulls on this thread, good job gents
 
Son & two grand daughters moving to Fort Collins next month. I got the NR points to draw an archery tag. So this is probably my year to burn them. Was hoping to scout last Sept. but had Denver training converted to a Zoom meeting. :( So will need to fly out there on my own dime next spring/summer. Any archery season reviews from this year? Thanks.
 
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Had 61 tag 4 years back. Went out Monday before 1sr season . Saw hundreds of elk with many 300 plus. We were on foot so outfitter got to our gears first . Got a good one. We got ours 3 rd day 5x6 nice Bull not the hog but we we’re happy. Can do it yourself eazy. I was 72 then.
 
Retired112000 said:
Had 61 tag 4 years back. Went out Monday before 1sr season . Saw hundreds of elk with many 300 plus. We were on foot so outfitter got to our gears first . Got a good one. We got ours 3 rd day 5x6 nice Bull not the hog but we we’re happy. Can do it yourself eazy. I was 72 then.
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Picture?
 
Was in 61 five weeks ago. There is no easy. All the bulls we saw were in hell holes. There are very few 300” bulls. Lucky enough to shoot a dandy. If not for the guides mules, I’d still be in there packing him out.
 
I'm wondering if there are any guides that run drop camps there, and if it would be worthwhile to do one for the archery season. I know the bulls are more accessible during that hunt. Just unsure how much.
 
OldMan2 said:
NR archery took 24pts or more in 2021
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I got 25 which should give me about a 90% chance.

Biggest obstacle these days is my pacemaker. My backpacking days are over due to the shoulder strap pressure on it & the wires. So I've had to hire pack horses for 2 of my last 3 elk hunts. I run & gun half the days, set up Lone Wolf climber over water other half.
 
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270Whatelse said:
I wouldn't waist your time Zim. I know your inflated unrealistic expectations and 61 won't meet them.
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No you don't know me. You never even met me. If you did you'd already know I've reached my goal for elk (350") and don't even have room left on my wall for another bull. You would also know I am aging and physically wearing down. You would know my physical capabilities are diminished. But you obviously aren't aware of any of this.

It's no secret this is a 300", 320" max unit. But that's Colorado and that's fine. I always applied there because I figured there would come a day when I just wanted a tag I knew I would draw (preference) rather than just a chance to draw (bonus). That time is now. As I mentioned my son is moving there and this will give me two chances to see my grand daughters. I can do the full 4 weeks so who knows, I may run into one good one. What I do hope to avoid is a hunt featuring silent nocturnal bulls. From what I've read, this hunt fits the bill. Hell my last Arizona unit 1 hunt I just took a 300" meat bull on the last day, and was happy with my experience and the meat. I am used to gambling and willing to eat tag soup. For this hunt I expect to hold out 3 weeks for a 320", then meat hunt the last week. I don't think that's inflated nor unrealistic.

Danny - My plan would be to arrive 5 days before the archery opener and focus on water until the muzzleloader opener. Because I can.

I would definitely not pass on a big 5x5.
 
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Zim said:
No you don't know me. You never even met me. If you did you'd already know I've reached my goal for elk (350") and don't even have room left on my wall for another bull. You would also know I am aging and physically wearing down. You would know my physical capabilities are diminished. But you obviously aren't aware of any of this.

It's no secret this is a 300", 320" max unit. But that's Colorado and that's fine. I always applied there because I figured there would come a day when I just wanted a tag I knew I would draw (preference) rather than just a chance to draw (bonus). That time is now. As I mentioned my son is moving there and this will give me two chances to see my grand daughters. I can do the full 4 weeks so who knows, I may run into one good one. What I do hope to avoid is a hunt featuring silent nocturnal bulls. From what I've read, this hunt fits the bill. Hell my last Arizona unit 1 hunt I just took a 300" meat bull on the last day, and was happy with my experience and the meat. I am used to gambling and willing to eat tag soup. For this hunt I expect to hold out 3 weeks for a 320", then meat hunt the last week. I don't think that's inflated nor unrealistic.

Danny - My plan would be to arrive 5 days before the archery opener and focus on water until the muzzleloader opener. Because I can.

I would definitely not pass on a big 5x5.
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The water plan is a good one. ML season for me was a gong show, I hope it’s better for you, or better yet, you kill prior.
 
Zim said:
I got 25 which should give me about a 90% chance.

Biggest obstacle these days is my pacemaker. My backpacking days are over due to the shoulder strap pressure on it & the wires. So I've had to hire pack horses for 2 of my last 3 elk hunts. I run & gun half the days, set up Lone Wolf climber over water other half.
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Zim

I have been hunting with a pacemaker for at least 11 years now. I find it doesn't really hold me up but I do understand the pressure on the pacemaker from the strap. I pad the back side of my strap and when carrying loads I even pad my chest under my clothes.
To me it seems that I can't get my breath when climbing up the mountain and have to stop more but I still get there just the same.
I had a car accident with it a few years back and that hurt believe me. I went and had it checked out by my doctor after and everything was fine.
Good luck to you going forward
 
DeerHunter53 said:
Zim

I have been hunting with a pacemaker for at least 11 years now. I find it doesn't really hold me up but I do understand the pressure on the pacemaker from the strap. I pad the back side of my strap and when carrying loads I even pad my chest under my clothes.
To me it seems that I can't get my breath when climbing up the mountain and have to stop more but I still get there just the same.
I had a car accident with it a few years back and that hurt believe me. I went and had it checked out by my doctor after and everything was fine.
Good luck to you going forward
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Ya I really don’t want to put any kind of pressure on there it’s just not worth it to me. Had mine for 6 years. Even if padded it ain’t gonna happen. For me just not worth the risk for a critter. I got lucky my last hunt in Oregon and only had a 300 yard pack out to where I could get my truck. That’s about my limit to shifting my weight off the pacer with 70# packs. So I plan accordingly.
 
OldMan2 said:
He’ll never draw in 2, 10, or 201? So, what unit do you suggest?
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That’s the thing with this state. The NW corner is really the only thing worth the pile of points it takes to draw and the creep is so severe it’s not worth chasing unless your sitting in that 28 plus point threshold. I’ve been severely disappointed in the multiple hunts and weeks I’ve put Into 61. Last year while hunting it with my brother we found ourselves consistently joking that we have better hunts on our OTC/1 point draw tags as far as quality of bulls go. If I were sitting on a pile of points as a non resident with limited to zero knowledge of Colorado units I would be going guided in unit 40 or I would be chasing the bosque del oso 3rd season hunt.
 
The_Coloradoboy said:
That’s the thing with this state. The NW corner is really the only thing worth the pile of points it takes to draw and the creep is so severe it’s not worth chasing unless your sitting in that 28 plus point threshold. I’ve been severely disappointed in the multiple hunts and weeks I’ve put Into 61. Last year while hunting it with my brother we found ourselves consistently joking that we have better hunts on our OTC/1 point draw tags as far as quality of bulls go. If I were sitting on a pile of points as a non resident with limited to zero knowledge of Colorado units I would be going guided in unit 40 or I would be chasing the bosque del oso 3rd season hunt.
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Isn't the BDO unit mostly private though?
 
The_Coloradoboy said:
That’s the thing with this state. The NW corner is really the only thing worth the pile of points it takes to draw and the creep is so severe it’s not worth chasing unless your sitting in that 28 plus point threshold. I’ve been severely disappointed in the multiple hunts and weeks I’ve put Into 61. Last year while hunting it with my brother we found ourselves consistently joking that we have better hunts on our OTC/1 point draw tags as far as quality of bulls go. If I were sitting on a pile of points as a non resident with limited to zero knowledge of Colorado units I would be going guided in unit 40 or I would be chasing the bosque del oso 3rd season hunt.
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Hmmmm the unit stinks but you have hunted it multiple times????
Sounds, like it really sucks
I mean tons of hunters hunt crappy units multiple times ?????
Thats funny dont want anybody treading on your private PUBLIC LAND honey hole
 
As a nr I finally drew 61 archery last yr with 24 pts. After yrs of scouting with the computer I knew exactly where I was going to hunt.
I saw more bulls last yr than all my other hunts combined and I started in 86. This hunt was by far the most fun I've had elk hunting.
Did not see another hunter while in the field. Hunted 20 days.
 
elknailer said:
As a nr I finally drew 61 archery last yr with 24 pts. After yrs of scouting with the computer I knew exactly where I was going to hunt.
I saw more bulls last yr than all my other hunts combined and I started in 86. This hunt was by far the most fun I've had elk hunting.
Did not see another hunter while in the field. Hunted 20 days.
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Wow, that's great! Got any pics to share...with us less fortunate?
 

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