Gunnison Bucks question

schmalts

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I have a Gunnison Muzzle loader tag this year in CO. I did a bit of scouting last week on my family vacation (yea I had motives for taking a trip to CO LOL) and found very few deer above timberline where they normally would be this time of year. Has anyone in the area noticed the same thing or am I looking in the wrong places? There was a ton of snow later than normal up high and I am wondering if it effected the normal migration back up high or if the deer are still in big batchelor groups and I just missed them.
I may have to change game plans early in the hunt if I cant find a good buck but I was hoping to use optics over feet up high.
If anyone is Elk hunting in the area and has been seeing good deer I would appreciate a report.
Thanks, Pat


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I saw a monster on Sunday in a rancher's field by my place. Four bucks total and there was another shooter in the bunch. This is down low close to the river. I saw another whopper in GMU 65 the weekend before and he was in a creek bottom too. Much higher though. What unit did you draw?
 
I guide in area 54.... Spent all summer up in the high country scouting and doing pack trips and man Im sweating bullets right now as far as my muzzy deer hunters go. Been up there all summer and havent been seeing the numbers up high. I can count on one hand the shooter bucks I've found up high this summer.

Coloradoboy
 
Why do you think this is? Late snow?>I guide in area 54.... Spent
>all summer up in the
>high country scouting and doing
>pack trips and man Im
>sweating bullets right now as
>far as my muzzy deer
>hunters go. Been up there
>all summer and havent been
>seeing the numbers up high.
>I can count on one
>hand the shooter bucks I've
>found up high this summer.
>
>
>Coloradoboy


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Quality of habitat this year around western side of the state is above average this year. As I have been informed by numerous DOW biologist. As explained to me the animals are spread out more and not having to work nearly as hard at finding a quality food and water source as in other years. New springs are flowing and the forbes are out of this world this year.

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling
up anyway."
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-23-11 AT 10:05AM (MST)[p]I scouted the unit for 3 days for elk over the 4th, didn't see any deer above 9000, most everything was down low, green green though, plenty of food and water. Didn't see anything worth mentioning headgear wise.
 
I hunted 55 archery last year, mostly between 10-12,000 feet. I found a few young bucks, but nothing with any size and the overall deer numbers really seemed down to me. Judging from the comments above, it doesn't sound like this year is much of an improvement. Sadly, it may take the Basin a while to get back to what it was a half decade ago.
 
Three weeks ago I spent a week in Gunnison and the biggest deer I saw was 11 miles west of town just off the hood of my pickup. He was by the reservoir and bigger than anything I saw up high. They had great food and water down low why should they go up high when they already have an available food and water supply?
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-23-11 AT 02:55PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Aug-23-11 AT 02:54?PM (MST)

I also live in the area and also have a job as a guide (not hunting) that leaves me camping a bunch above timberline in the gunnison area.. I also spend just about every am looking around the camp before we head out for the day.

Sorry to tell ya that I have seen the same thing you have. Just got off a week long trip above timberline in the crested butte area - mostly in unit 55 and the big bucks are just not there like they were.

Good news is that there seem to be quite a few younger bucks that in 3-4 years should be whoppers but I think it is fair to say that the winter of 07' pretty much wiped out a age class of bucks..

Funny but the biggest buck I have seen this year was in a near by 0 point unit.

There are still a few great deer in the gunny units but it there are just not even close to the numbers that there used to be.
 
Make s a lot of sense. Maybe it is not the late snow, just no other reason to go high with great food low. One person told me that he thought the deer went high to get away from flies in the summer. You would think this is not anything that a wet year would effect. Oh well, I will make the best of it and have a good time either way. There is still almost 2 weeks left, they still may move up yet, and maybe some archery and elk hunting pressure migh put them up to climbing up there.
Not that it's a deal breaker, I just wanted to do an above timberline style of hunt again. I have not done it for a long time and was looking forward to being in that kind of element as I think it is a neat place to be when the weather is decent. When I was up there scouting I was thinking "damn this is so cool up here! I feel big!" as I was looking down on everything around me.



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Hey schmalts!

Kinda Weird there ain't a few Bruisers up High?

I'll bet there's a few!

A couple years ago I took a 20 Mile hike back in to a Wilderness Area thinking:There's gotta be a Bruiser or Two back in there holding Back/High!

Wow was I wrong!

Stomped some Nice Looking High Country,20 miles worth without even seeing a Deer,A few Bull Elk but NO Deer!

When I got back to my Rig that night at 10 O'Clock,the Danners had me Lamed up,so the Next day off in the Lower Country I decided I'd let my Feet heal a little and just look around(Yes I Road Hunted!)GEEZUS,I seen some Nice Bucks,but every one of them were on Private Property,Swear to GAWD them Bucks know where that Private Property is!

I often wonder how much Huntin pressure during Colorado's 2nd Hunt gets,it must be a bunch,but enough to push every Buck off & out,WTF?

Seems Funny to me there wouldn't be a few Big Boys following the Snow back?

Would it be Fair to say that Colorado's 4th Season Rifle Hunts have been taking one Hell of a Tole on the Bucks? Still can't believe they'd Hammer them that late in the year but they do!

Maybe the Colorado Bucks are gettin Tired of being Hunted like TARDville Bucks & are gonna take their chances on Private Property?

Good luck schmalts!







For GAWDS Sakes Guys,We Got Kids on this Site,Some of them are 65 years Old!:D

I don't care if they're big or small!
If they throw lead I like em all!
:p
 
B-bop, the only bucks I was above timberline were north of Silverton just south of a little town of Oaray (spelling)
and like they should have been they were feeding on willow brush and not worrying about what was going on below them too much this time of year. I stopped and used my big spotter many times all the way to Durango and never saw any other deer above timberline. I did see some deer along the road though but all does. The bucks are there, I just have to find em







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