Unit 40 expectations

M

muzzle

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My brother has an Elk muzzle loader voucher for unit 40 that starts next week end. As my either post suggested, I am not familiar with any Colorado units, what I want to know is the caliber of bulls in this area. I think he has his mind set on 375+ but I think he may be a little to optimistic. What do you think, is this a definate possibility for this area?
 
There are some big bulls in that area but I am not too sure of that big. I have seen some bulls of that caliber come out of there but I hope you have some private land access.
 
375+? Is that all?;-)

I have seen a ton of bulls come from Unit 40 private and 375+ would be stretching it. I think they have killed a couple that big, but 320-330 would be more realistic from what I have seen and I have seen about 15 bulls a year for 10 years.

If he is dead set on 375 he may go hungry this winter.
 
He would be hunting on a private ranch and they claim they have been watching some 380+ bulls this year but I have not heard of that size coming out of that part of the state. I guess if we get lucky I'll let you know!
 
I have hunted 40 off and on for the past 15 years and 300-320 would be considered above average for hunting the public land hell canyon country that you would need to backpack into. If you have access to the gobs of private land on top you may luck into a 330 to 340ish bull. Now that there is no RFW in 40 hopefully there will some larger bulls in the future? Once in a while they get something bigger than that but 340+ would be considered an outrageous bull in 40! Anyone that says there are a lot of 340+ bulls in 40 needs their head examined! I'd love to see photos of the 380+ bulls mentioned above...I have a feeling they don't know how to field judge bulls! A 340 bull is a giant when you are used to seeing 300 tops!
 
Ten or twelve years ago a legitimate 400 inch gross nontypical was taken in unit 40. That being said if your brother gets an opportunity at a 340-350 bull HE SHOULD TAKE IT. I am guessing he has a lot of money invested in the voucher and would like a big bull as a result. Keep in mind the following...

For @ 15 years Rick Schroeder operated a 15 thousand acre RFW property in 40. His clients paid large $$$ and quite a few took really nice bulls. Quite a few of them also settled for 300 inch and smaller bulls.

The King ranch was RFW, leased long term to the same outfitter and the same client base. They hunted September with rifles and were fairly proficient at taking the best bulls. A 350 was quite an accomplishment with a 375 being a RARE event.

The vast majority of the elk hunting is on private property. Most landowners get to hunt bulls on their own property two or three times a decade. Even the "selective trophy hunters" rarely pass a 320 bull.

If you've heard unit 40 is stacked with 375 inch bulls consider the source. There are a few high fence elk ranches in the Grand Junction area. The clients go "elk hunting outside of Grand Junction" and by the time they fly home the story of their elk hunt has evolved from a Crawford elk ranch to a unit 40 RFW ranch.

Best of luck and I hope the experience is a good one.
 
Uphill, very well put! I was in a pretty bad mood when I posted above and apologize! As noted above the RFW hammered the best bulls during the rut with rifles for quite a few years and the quality seemed to decline every year in 40 until it was getting pretty tough to even find many 300"ers on public land! Now that the RFW are gone (hopefully for good!) I am hoping the quality will return to what it was 10 to 20 years ago! It may take a few years to get age on the bulls in that unit but if the CDOW remains conservative with bull tags it may get better than it has been the past few years! How it currently stands, if you see a 320+ bull on public land in 40 you better be shooting!
 
The Schroeder ranch has been divided in so many pieces RFW on that ground is gone for good. I would not plan on hunting it though.....
 
I hunted 40 on the second season deer hunt last year and saw one
of the best bulls I have ever seen in my life. I had him at 200
yards with my spoting scope on him. This bull had it all, mass, width, and was strong on every point. He was a typical 6x6 with
two kickers on one side and one on the other. I am no expert on
scoring but I have hunted my entire life and have been on many premium elk hunts and I am confident this bull was over 380 if he was an inch. I was hunting in the only chunk of forest in the unit.
If you want any more info, let me know.
 

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