Co gmu 371

[CO by birth]

Hello all,

I just found out that we drew 4 tags either sex for first season rifle elk in Colorado in GMU 371. This trip is a surprise for our dad who used to hunt in Co back in the early 80's and then moved away and hasn't found time or money to go back again. Since it is a surprise we can't really ask him for too much help yet, so we are hoping for any help or advice you can provide.

We are planning on tenting into the area and then hunting out from there. Any helpful hints, advice, or tips would be greatly appreciated. I've been looking at this site for awhile and it seems like there are a lot of knowledgeable people around, so thanks in advance for anything!

As always, happy hunting!

 

[JohnCushman]

Welcome to HT!

 

[Backcountry Hunter 2]

Hello all,

I just found out that we drew 4 tags either sex for first season rifle elk in Colorado in GMU 371. This trip is a surprise for our dad who used to hunt in Co back in the early 80's and then moved away and hasn't found time or money to go back again. Since it is a surprise we can't really ask him for too much help yet, so we are hoping for any help or advice you can provide.

We are planning on tenting into the area and then hunting out from there. Any helpful hints, advice, or tips would be greatly appreciated. I've been looking at this site for awhile and it seems like there are a lot of knowledgeable people around, so thanks in advance for anything!

As always, happy hunting!

Where you guys coming from? Planning on doing any scouting?

 

[CO by birth]

We are going to be coming from Iowa. Sadly the only scouting will probably be on the internet and Google maps and the co maps website. We're hopeful that dad will have some contacts on ground who can scout a bit but don't know yet and don't want to wait and then have nothing. We're planning on coming in the Fri morning before opener on Sat if that helps at all.

 

[Joehilty]

Me and 2 buddies are looking at that area for early archery season. We plan on making a trip from Missouri out to that area in late July. Our hunt is scheduled for August 28 through September 9, going bivvy hunting. I’d be happy to share any info with you once we get back from our hunt! I like the area because it’s fairly close to get in to and there are many other OTC units for us to jump to if that area doesn’t pan out. I know there will be a lot of recreational hikers over Labor Day but that really doesn’t bother us. CO .kml files show a pretty good summer concentration of elk in that area. Hoping to find some on our scouting trip.

 

[CO by birth]

Hello Joe. That would be amazing to hear information first hand! Especially in the same year so that it is as current as can be. We told my Dad the other day about it and he was super excited and said that he'd reach out to his guys he used to go with, but wasn't sure how many still went, so any help will be great help.

That was our thought process as well when selecting that area, did lots of looking on the CO maps and the interactive areas to try and give ourselves at least a chance for one of us to be able to take home some meat that we can then share.

Good luck on your hunt when you head out there!

 

[DouglasR]

Hi there, I hope you guys found success in 2018. I’m planning on hunting this unit the first 2 weeks of archery season 2019 and I was wondering what kind of pressure to expect? I spent 3 days/ 2 nights hiking/scouting out there the 3rd weekend in August and only saw 1 other person hiking on one of the main trails. I’m thinking I might skip opening weekend to avoid Labor Day Rec. hikers. Any other tips/info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[oswald2581]

Opening weekend for Archery in Colorado opens on August 24th this year, Labor Day is September 2nd. So there is a full week in between. However, I hunted opening weekend, Labor Day weekend and then the last full week (Mon-Sunday) of the season last year, and I was seriously surprised that Labor Day weekend was the least busiest of the three weekends in the area I hunt. Closing weekend being the busiest.

 

[DouglasR]

where are you seeing opening day is the 24th? Both of these links say it’s the 31st.
https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Hunting/HunterEd/HuntPlanner.pdf

https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/H...Big-Game-Season-Structure-Dates-2015-2019.pdf

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Hi there, I hope you guys found success in 2018. I’m planning on hunting this unit the first 2 weeks of archery season 2019 and I was wondering what kind of pressure to expect? I spent 3 days/ 2 nights hiking/scouting out there the 3rd weekend in August and only saw 1 other person hiking on one of the main trails. I’m thinking I might skip opening weekend to avoid Labor Day Rec. hikers. Any other tips/info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Definitely will be way more people out than during August, both hunters and hikers. I didn't see anyone July or August scouting but there were a decent number of people running around on the trails in sept. You are only 90min from a city of 3 million... expect company especially if you are planning on starting out on Boulder creek, rock creek or cataract lake.

 

[DouglasR]

Thank you for the response wllm1313. Just out of curiosity, have you or anyone you know ever taken an elk from public land in this unit?
And any word on how the rifle hunt went from the original post?

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Thank you for the response wllm1313. Just out of curiosity, have you or anyone you know ever taken an elk from public land in this unit?
And any word on how the rifle hunt went from the original post?

Yep, I did last year.