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MuleyHntr
Guest
My father is 64 years old and has been building points for over a dozen years, but with almost no chance of getting one of the premium units Colorado has to offer, we did some research and discovered the new season in unit 76 for early rifle. Talking with many different people, we were told that a 330 bull was very possible and decided to draw the tag. A scouting trip in July turned up tons of elk in every open park, but no monsters. A week long scouting trip during the muzzleloader hunt proved to be the same results. We packed in five days prior to the opener to get a good idea of what was possible. Saw one bull that might make the 320 mark but dad wasn't impressed or willing to burn that many points for a bull of that quality. The herds are broken into very small groups and most are being herded around by 260 class bulls. Due to the high altitude of this unit, most of these elk migrate into units 75 and 751 which is unlimited 2nd and 3rd season tags for bulls and has wiped out the quality. We talked with 3 different outfitters from the unit and found that the larges bull anyone had taken during the archery and muzzleloader season was a 307 bull. We turned the tag in the day before the opener and will be looking elsewhere to get dad a trophy of a lifetime. So glad we spent so much time in the unit and didn't burn the points. I talked to several hunters that wanted even bigger than a 330. I'm sure that most will be disappointed. quantity of elk is great, but 280 class bull is more like a realistic goal for this unit.