Unit 551 CO

[brocksw]

 

[Khunter]

I have an opportunity to go elk hunting in the western side of unit 551 and was wondering if anyone has had any experience in this part of the state and what the terrain is like.

Thanks

Can’t you learn terrain etc. via the many mapping options readily availale? Just curious why asking about terrain when. that is easily seen.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

P ghosted this after I failed to deliver the goods on this unit.

Can’t you learn terrain etc. via the many mapping options readily availale? Just curious why asking about terrain when. that is easily seen.

 

[jphares44]

P ghosted this after I failed to deliver the goods on this unit.

View attachment 299357

I would suspect either a migration corridor, or a serious case of peyronie's disease...

 

[mariano742]

You'd be correct!
Deer hunting is better north of U.S. Highway 50 and big trophy bull elk hunting is better south of U.S. Highway 50. There is mostly public land with good public access for the elite hunter willing to lace em' tight, has camo gaiters, carbon fiber trekking poles, and the willingness to work for it.

Some mountains are steep, while others have moderate inclines. As ridges drop toward the north and the west, they are covered with timber before breaking into the open at low elevations, creating foothills and flattened creek bottoms. The unit is really two different areas separated by U.S. Highway 50. North of the road are steep 13,000-foot mountains, while south of the road there are many open sagebrush hills and cattle ranches although some mountains south of the highway still reach 12,000 feet. The elite hunters generally choose to stay north of Hwy 50 as it separates the men from the boys & the raghorns and forky horns from the mature bulls and bucks.

U.S. Highway 50 and State Routes 114 and 76 lead to many dirt roads that provide good access to the biggest mature animals for the elite hunter with premium European glass. Once you get into Creedmore Country where it's steep and rugged, you'll need to lean into the slope and trust your primal instincts and ultra lightweight setup to harvest the buck or bull of a lifetime.
A blanket of snow combined with rut activity can make this a very successful season if you chain up and drive hard. A hunter who has drawn one of the limited tags might see two or three mature bucks if they work hard, cover a lot of ground, and glass thoroughly with high-quality European optics. As an elite master hunter I saw 3-4x that many bucks each day hunting steep and deep near Tomichi Dome, ultimately harvesting a true monarch buck near Old Monarch which made for great banter around the campfire.

The best thing you can do is bring chains, shovels, straps and everything your vehicle needs to go where others won't.

This is the gospel truth. My truck bottomed out on forest service “roads” a lot in 551. I was driving around sage and boulders to get through roads I had no business being in.