First ever elk hunt, CO-Unit 67

[Cmcbrain]

I hunted 67 this past fall - but it was September muzzleloader season

the wilderness isn't for the faint of heart - heck, neither was some of the non-wilderness "ridges".

most of the hunters in September were in / around the wilderness - I killed my elk elsewhere in the area

good advice above - keep moving till you find undisturbed critters and have fun

Did you find a good number of elk on your muzzleloader hunt? My wife drew the same tag for this year. I hope to get out on a scouting trip in the next 2-3 weeks.

 

[Jwhigg18]

How did this hunt go? That place has some rough country.

 

[Lakavea]

Hello All,

I drew a bull elk tag for unit 67, second season rifle. My dad, a buddy, and his dad all have tags and are headed to the unit in October. This will be my first ever elk hunt. I'm coming from the midwest and have been reading and studying elk and elk hunting as much as I can. We play to hunt La Gartia Wilderness as it is a roadless area and pack in. Our dad's are in their late 50's and not in great shape. We wanted to get away from the traffic though and thought getting off the beaten path in roadless areas was the best way to do this.


Any advice for a Newbie to help make his Dad's first and likely last elk hunt a successful one?

Any advice on Unit 67?

Any other advice for a first timer. I have spent lots of time in the backcountry, but never hunted so looking mostly for hunting advice and unit advice.

Thanks (much appreciated) and Happy Hunting!!

Outdoor Enthusiast… how’d your hunt go?

 

[BoulderBulls]

@Outdoor-enthusiast24 I'd also love to hear how it went unit I'd be interested in applying for

 

[Outdoor-enthusiast24]

The hunt was a lot of fun, but access on the west side of sawtooth mountain was difficult due to private land intersecting the road ways. There is a main county road from Gunnison that got a lot of traffic from road hunters. We got off the beaten path about six miles but the majority of elk sign was cow elk and it was right on the edge of private. Saw a couple bulls but they knew where the private and public boundary was and didn't cross to public. Overall, a fun hunt! There is some rugged country and the whole unit is pretty high. One of our hunters develop high altitude pulmonary edema due to the altitude. We even took three days to acclimate and were in good shape going out there.

 

[BoulderBulls]

The hunt was a lot of fun, but access on the west side of sawtooth mountain was difficult due to private land intersecting the road ways. There is a main county road from Gunnison that got a lot of traffic from road hunters. We got off the beaten path about six miles but the majority of elk sign was cow elk and it was right on the edge of private. Saw a couple bulls but they knew where the private and public boundary was and didn't cross to public. Overall, a fun hunt! There is some rugged country and the whole unit is pretty high. One of our hunters develop high altitude pulmonary edema due to the altitude. We even took three days to acclimate and were in good shape going out there.

Wow thanks for sharing. Hope they made a full recovery

 

[Outdoor-enthusiast24]

Wow thanks for sharing. Hope they made a full recovery

Thank you. They did. He woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t catch his breath after stoking the fire. You could hear him gurgling when he tried to breathe but no frothy pink sputum. We pretty much descended immediately and got to the Gunnison ED 2 hours later. He was better with descent but his chest x-ray showed lots of fluid congestion so he was prescribed oxygen and to stay below 8,000ft (Gunnison is 7,700ft). So he stayed in the hotel until we finished the hunt and was completely back to himself once we got back below 4,000ft. Definitely not something to sit on. Reading about it, it can progress to death within 12 hours if untreated. Treatment is immediate descent and oxygen, just FYI incase anyone reads this and it can help them in the future.

 

[Pagosa]

It’s some very high rugged country in that hunting area. I’m glad he is okay. Lucky you guys werent packed into the divide.

 

[elkduds]

Thank you. They did. He woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t catch his breath after stoking the fire. You could hear him gurgling when he tried to breathe but no frothy pink sputum. We pretty much descended immediately and got to the Gunnison ED 2 hours later. He was better with descent but his chest x-ray showed lots of fluid congestion so he was prescribed oxygen and to stay below 8,000ft (Gunnison is 7,700ft). So he stayed in the hotel until we finished the hunt and was completely back to himself once we got back below 4,000ft. Definitely not something to sit on. Reading about it, it can progress to death within 12 hours if untreated. Treatment is immediate descent and oxygen, just FYI incase anyone reads this and it can help them in the future.

There are moose in there, see any?

 

[Outdoor-enthusiast24]

There are moose in there, see any?

The mule deer does were everywhere, but no moose!

 

[Redman]

Too many hunters, wolves, and bears in this unit or any unit in Colorado. Montana or Utah is where you need to go.

 

[Chaza402]

I second Redman- but he left out those pesky squatches. Those things will ruin a hunt faster than the altitude.