Flat Tops Wilderness

JP070192 · Apr 8, 2008

Does anybody know if there any good bulls in the Flat Tops Wilderness? Is there good access to the edge of the wilderness?

Rem308 · Apr 8, 2008

The Flat Tops hold a good number of elk ,with an occasional big bull,but most are the tipical Colorado bull. Alot of rag horns. It gets alot of hnting pressure ,because of the good access.Pack in a couple of miles and you lose the road hunters and makes for a nicer hunt.

nmelktrout · Apr 8, 2008

Depends on what your definition of "good bull" is. Lots of Colorado raghorns, maybe a couple of bulls pushing 300" taken out of this region every year, some nice 5x5s and a smattering of small 260" six points every year. The Flattop Wilderness area has tons of access points and tons of hunters regardless of how far back you get. If you are looking for big bulls you can do a lot better. If you are looking to shoot a bull then you can do your research and find a fringe area and do all right, but again, be prepared for a zoo. I grew up on the Eastern edge of the Flattops, my family hunted and outfitted in them for many years, and none of us will bother hunting them any more. Every out of state hunter reads about the Routt/White River herd and thinks they are "the place to go." Beautiful country, a good number of elk, but I've watched too many herds running from hunter to hunter, getting blasted at, until they finally make it through a break in the orange. Archery season is just as bad. Historically there were some monster bulls that came out of the Meeker side but I believe the last Boone and Crockett bull to come out of the Flattops was in the late 60s. I can't count the number of bulls I have seen killed in the Flattops but have only seen one legitimate bull over 320" come out of them in my life, although I had a buddy find a bigger winterkilled rack, but that was 20 years ago. If anybody out there has any recent pictures of big Flattops bulls I'd sure like to see them. There are some big bulls killed on surrounding ranches in the low country every year that are often talked about as "Flattops bulls" but most are from lower country and private ranches. The late season migration hunt on the West side absolutely hammers what small 6x6 bulls do make it through the general seasons....Anybody who has ever hunted Colorado has probably hunted the Flattops because it can be a quality hunt with the right weather in the right place but you will need to do your homework to find where the elk go when the shooting, snow, or pressure starts. Archery season is a bit better but there are still a ton of hunters, camps, and pressure. A beautiful area for a Western elk hunt with lots of access.

HKShooter · Apr 8, 2008

Archery or rifle? What is a "decent" bull to you?

PleaseDear · Apr 8, 2008

Chinese Wall trailhead..........our favorite starting point into the Wilderness.

Lots of mountain maggots grazing up there...everywhere!

Robb

4000fps · Apr 9, 2008

> There are some big
>bulls killed on surrounding ranches
>in the low country every
>year that are often talked
>about as "Flattops bulls" but
>most are from lower country
>and private ranches.

Yep.

HuntinFoo · Apr 9, 2008

I saw one last year that was about a mile into the wilderness, I judged him around 320. For the area I would say that is big.

JP070192 · Apr 9, 2008

Thanks for all the info guys. I'm just a new hunter to Colorado just looking for a good time, with the hopes that i can find a good representative. In the end we all know its about the time in the woods spent with friends with the hopes of harvesting a nice Colorado bull.

nmelktrout · Apr 9, 2008

JP, good luck and enjoy the hunt. If you get up there before you hunt and spend some time glassing up high you will find some nice bulls in some of the basins in the Flattops. There are some 320" class bulls scattered around up there but I would suggest finding them in August and keeping tabs on them up to the hunt -if you are hunting archery, otherwise they can and will move all over the place. Watch them go to their bedding areas and find which trails they are using. There are some old elk trails in some of those basins that the elk use like roads. Find one of these herd bulls with cows and you will most likely have a bunch of satellites in the neighborhood as well. You will see plenty of elk and sign down where there is easier country and around the roads before your hunt but the elk down low tend to either push onto private or high away from pressure. The snows are a huge help if you are hunting the rifle seasons as the elk will move and you can locate and get on them. It is amazing how many bulls are killed in the Flattops the morning after the first good snow storm hits....

HKShooter · Apr 10, 2008

Just a couple notes about the Flat Tops.

#1 Be careful with altitude sickness...read up on it. I'm from 4,500 feet and it messed with me a little.

#2 It is huge and I mean HUGE country...so go prepared.

#3 As said before, Colorado allows cattle in their wilderness, and they can really ruin a good hunt. I know, I know elk can be around cattle, but they can also bump them into the next county. Wilderness should not have cattle in it period. It's kind of like...well, the most beautiful, pristine country you've ever seen and having bellowing, stinking, crapping cattle in it.

#4 Bivy from canyon to canyon to find them and have fun.

#5 200 inch bulls are more the norm than 300 inchers. A lot of small 5x5s and an occasional (maybe rare) 300er. But I go for playing with a ton of elk, 'cause that's what I like to do. I'll kill a big one someday, but just driving home with any rack in the back is what it is all about for me.

................................................................

GO HARD KORE OR DON'T GO AT ALL

Rem308 · Apr 10, 2008

LAST EDITED ON Apr-10-08 AT 04:35PM (MST)[p]I totally agree,there should not be cattle in wlderness areas,they should be left wild,no livestock grazeing !