CO Area 75 first timer

[SemperFiHunter]

Gents,
I have applied for CO Area 75 Elk and Mule Deer for this year.
This will be my first time hunting Elk and Mule Deer, as well as my first time hunting in CO. I have hunted blacktail in Ca, pronghorn in NM, and have been hunting deer in Texas since I was a kid, still-hunting,so I am not a beginner. But I am smart enough to know that I don't know jack about Mountain Hunting. I have been reading the posts here for several days and feel like a lot of you guys are the kind of experts that I need advice from.
I have applied for the 2nd rifle season and I plan on making one trip this summer to scout. I am prepared to backpack in as far as necessary. Although I have not hunted in CO before, I spent 10 years in the Marine Corps, and I know a little about humping up and down mountains.
Any and all advice (other than hunt Utah or Idaho, haha) will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[rocketman]

I am very familiar with unit 75. Good for elk but most deer
are down by Durango 2nd rifle. Very dependent on weather this unit. The Silverton area is very high and the Durango end
is much lower. Email me at [email protected] and we can
go further.

 

[chambero]

I hunted 75 from 1990 until my last trip there in 2000. You will basically wind up hunting a place called Missionary Ridge, unless you go to the extreme north end of the unit near Silverton. Missionary Ridge and much of the area to the east got burned off 2 years ago. The primary access road has been closed ever since, but is supposed to open back up late this summer. Hunting pressure in this unit has been much lower since the fires and this should be a good year to go to this unit. You can get up to date info on the area on the USFS San Juan NF website. I am most familiar with the area up around Henderson Lake or around Burnt Timber Creek (look at the topos). This is pretty high altitude hunting. Hunt the dark timber second season. You will be wasting your time on meadows.

 

[SemperFiHunter]

Rocketman and Chambero,
Thanks for the responses. You guys are helping me do my homework and I appreciate it.
August is probably the only month I will be able to come up there to scout. Will there be any benefit to this other than a chance to begin familiarizing myself with the terrain?
Thanks again.
John

 

[chambero]

It would be very good to go scout it out, especially if the Missionary Ridge Road is open. You will see elk out in the open that time of year. They will still be there come October unless you get heavy snow, but they will be hiding in the heavy timber. Take a guided jeep trip in either Durango or Silverton, the guys giving them usually guide for hunters in the fall and they can give you tips for a nice tip.

 

[dutch]

Main Missionary Road MIGHT be opening back up this year, however the salvage logging has been on hold due to soft ground. So it is kind of dependant on that. I would be curious to see how many hunters will be up there if the road does open, could be a circus up there. But there is lots of country to get away from the road. Missionary has always been pretty decent in the past for elk, deer are there but harder to find.