Unit 61 Elk last minute ideas

Danny_Ocean · Aug 16, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Aug-16-19 AT 07:40PM (MST)[p]I have an archery tag, been up there a few times over the last couple years and think I'm ready. I could always use some out of the way places that might be overlooked or has produced in the past. Any tips are welcome.

I'd prefer a message direct.

elkantlers · Aug 17, 2019

I was up there last weekend scouting 62. We drove the divide road in the evening and all we saw was cattle. Didn't see much sign up high either. I think they are down in the canyons next to water where it's cool.

yeff2 · Aug 17, 2019

Tabeguache creek area is good, carry on from there onto the Houser rd also has some good stuff. Windy point also, I think my brother ended up killing his bull around Red Canyon just off Highway 90.

oilcan · Aug 17, 2019

Can?t help any but good luck

Comules · Aug 18, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Aug-18-19 AT 07:16PM (MST)[p]Yeff2 Has given you a lot of good info on hunting GMU 61. Might also look at Cotton Wood Crk below the radio towers.

Comules · Aug 18, 2019

PM sent

gopher1 · Aug 18, 2019

take a look at cottonwood canyon and... pine mountain on the western side of the unit, pay attention to the secondary benches away from divide rd

Danny_Ocean · Aug 19, 2019

Thanks for the info guys, I appreciate it. I'm going to make one more trip up this weekend, and then most likely hit the last two weeks of archery.

Still open for recomendations via PM.

Longshot349 · Aug 20, 2019

Hmmm, for what it's worth, I spent several days in Cottonwood canyon last year 2nd season and found more hunters than elk. I did hear some bugles there and found a mediocre bull. But cottonwood let me down. Nice country and prolly good some years though.

Find Boyden road and walk in to the break. That's a friggen Bull travel zone there. My biggest regret is not finding it until I tagged out... Another place worth looking is the giant hole just south of county road 90... I saw a whopper in there but never got in range. Take your fork and eat him where he falls though, cause it's a hole.

There were elk in the Tabaguache too but I never found a good one.

FrontRange · Aug 20, 2019

PM sent

Danny_Ocean · Aug 22, 2019

I wanted to thank those that sent me a message or two. I thought I'd get flamed.

Pretty simple goal. I want to have fun.

Longshot349 · Aug 24, 2019

Yep, some guys can get sideways about giving out info sometimes... But 61 for ELK is a once in a lifetime deal for me,so if I can help a guy score, I'll do it.

Good luck.

Joe2Kool · Aug 26, 2019

>Take your fork
>and eat him where he
>falls though, cause it's a
>hole.
>

Now that's funny!

I think I killed a whitetail in there. Well, maybe not exactly there, but in places I wished I had 3 friends with me. Never considered the fork option!!

Good luck and post pics!

hs156 · Aug 27, 2019

You will have fun...I know that I did!

FrontRange · Oct 27, 2019

Curious how the archery hunt went.
I think several of us offered up advice.

Danny_Ocean · Oct 27, 2019

Sorry for the delay. It was a fun hunt, way more pressure/people than I expected in the areas I was hunting and I wish I would have just waited until the last week to avoid all the ML hunters.

In the end, I got in the middle of three bulls going crazy, and shot a 6x5. I didn't see one bull over 300 but I should have moved areas but got lazy I guess. I didn't even get to my target area which is the only regret.

If I have one tip for archers, I'd go first week, and get on one of those secluded water holes and kill a good one. I have some unreal spots I found that don't show up on the map. I guess if I ever pick a tag up on the turn in list, I will know where to go. I found one area that looks like a dozer was in it with all the elk rolling around. No regrets at all, now back to my old faithful OTC and low point units which was my plan.

Thanks to all that supplied input on the unit.

BeanMan · Oct 27, 2019

I'm going to try and shoot a cow in 61 third season...

Hasbean

Gadjet · Oct 28, 2019

I spent the second season helping a friend with a bull tag. We saw lots of hunters also. Way more than I've ever seen in 61. My guess is that they gave out way more tags than usual. We weren't able to turn up a bull that would even break 300. Tough conditions in there this year!

Elk247 · Oct 29, 2019

>I spent the second season helping
>a friend with a bull
>tag. We saw lots of
>hunters also. Way more than
>I've ever seen in 61.
>My guess is that they
>gave out way more tags
>than usual. We weren't able
>to turn up a bull
>that would even break 300.
>Tough conditions in there this
>year!
Just curious which area of the unit you guys focused in North or South. I had a tag for second season and saw lots of elk, very vocal and few hunters. Three very nice six points and I ended up harvesting a decent 6 point.

I seen two other hunters that took their bull also both small six points. Your right though lots of small bulls in that unit.

1989Cohunter · Oct 29, 2019

I was there bear hunting and saw lots of elk just small bulls

Gadjet · Oct 29, 2019

Elk247, don't get me wrong, we saw a fair amount of elk. We just didn't find the caliber of bulls that I'm used to finding in 61.We spent our time in the central/north part of the unit.
Congrats on taking a bull! Can you post a picture?

Elk247 · Oct 29, 2019

Here he is not the biggest one I saw in three days of hunting. One was much bigger. The other two nice bulls I seen were around his size. Otherwise lots of small five points.

cmbbulldog · Oct 29, 2019

Nice bull, congrats!

12pointer · Oct 29, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Oct-29-19 AT 11:32AM (MST)[p]Good bull, congratulations. Got to be friends with a man hunting 61 while I was hunting 62 first season and in 5 days he never saw an elk.

He hunted between Mesa creek road and Atkinson creek, dropped into most of the canyons in that area and saw nothing.

Only thing I can figure is that fire has messed things up. There is still a lot of gray-black-soot most everywhere that fire burned, very little new growth yet.

Elk247 · Oct 29, 2019

>LAST EDITED ON Oct-29-19
>AT 11:32?AM (MST)
>
>Good bull, congratulations. Got to be
>friends with a man hunting
>61 while I was hunting
>62 first season and in
>5 days he never saw
>an elk.
>
>He hunted between Mesa creek road
>and Atkinson creek, dropped into
>most of the canyons in
>that area and saw nothing.
>
>
>Only thing I can figure is
>that fire has messed things
>up. There is still a
>lot of gray-black-soot most everywhere
>that fire burned, very little
>new growth yet.

Maybe first season was a little different, but it's funny you mention those areas because that's the same area I was hunting second season. Where I killed my bull it was 2.1 miles from the road.

12pointer · Oct 29, 2019

>>LAST EDITED ON Oct-29-19
>>AT 11:32?AM (MST)
>>
>>Good bull, congratulations. Got to be
>>friends with a man hunting
>>61 while I was hunting
>>62 first season and in
>>5 days he never saw
>>an elk.
>>
>>He hunted between Mesa creek road
>>and Atkinson creek, dropped into
>>most of the canyons in
>>that area and saw nothing.
>>
>>
>>Only thing I can figure is
>>that fire has messed things
>>up. There is still a
>>lot of gray-black-soot most everywhere
>>that fire burned, very little
>>new growth yet.
>
>Maybe first season was a little
>different, but it's funny you
>mention those areas because that's
>the same area I was
>hunting second season. Where
>I killed my bull it
>was 2.1 miles from the
>road.

He camped on the tongue and opening morning had one bugling several hundred yards from his tent right there on the flat. He started to go after it when he heard a gunshot, somebody beat him to it, a nice 6 point.

Before the season started I saw a nice 6 in the bottom of Atkinson creek.

Said he'd wished he'd spent his 13 points somewhere else, told me him and his son had rifle hunted the same area a few years back and saw lots of bulls.

Gadjet · Oct 29, 2019

Elk247 I'm glad that you were able to locate some mature bulls. I knew that they had to be in that country somewhere, we just ran out of time before we could locate them.

Comules · Oct 29, 2019

Here he is not the biggest one I saw in three days of hunting. One was much bigger. The other two nice bulls I seen were around his size. Otherwise lots of small five points.

Nice Bull! Congratulations on a great hunt