41, 42, 421

shootem

Active Member
Messages
684
Drew 3rd season deer was hoping to get some general advice on good places to camp. Also, for those that have experience with these units what should I expect for buck quality if I hunt hard for the entire duration of the hunt? Any areas to stay away from? Thanks for any information anyone is willing to share.
 
I'd stay away from the Gaggin Wheel restaurant in Mesa.

There is a lot of public camping in any of those units. There are good genetics in 421 and 41 but it gets hunted hard enough that few reach their potential. Hasbean
 
It has potential as every unit in the state. 150ish is par for the course unless your name is Brett Ross or something....

Coloradoboy
 
Thanks for the feedback. How is access to public land? Is there any landlocked areas I should be aware of?
 
Get on x maps on your phone or buy the chip for your gps and learn how to use it and you will have zero issues finding your way around.

Coloradoboy
 
Any 2nd season hunters have any suggestions on these units. Just making my way into wonderful Colorado now and am looking for any last minute advice. Thanks!
 
Update!! Day 1 was a bust. I hunted high and low and could not even turn up a deer. Gonna go high tomorrow. If anyone may know where the deer are in these units, please let me know. I covered a lot of ground in unit 41 today. It is so thick and cant do much glassing.
 
Shootem,
Were hunting 41 as well. Been high and low and we are seeing more deer down low but no decent bucks. Small bucks and does. You seeing any rut action?
 
I found buck down low in the p @Js north of lands end road. Theres some migration patterns that down out into sageflats.
 
I wanted to give an update and also like to thank all who gave advice on where to hunt. I am leaving wonderful colorado with the tag still in my pocket.

My buddy and I went into this hunt with high Hope's and with expectations on seeing some deer and possibly taking a buck in the 140-150 range. I have hunted other units in colorado before, but I must say this unit was the worst area I have stepped foot in. We hunted 6 long and hard days covering ground and hiking/glassing till our feet and eyes hurt. Much of the unit is unglassable due to thick juniper trees, however we did the best we could.

During those 6 days of hard hunting, I saw a total of 14 does and 0 bucks. My buddy saw 10 does and 2 bucks, a 2x3 and a small 4x4 that he chose to pass on probably in the 120" range.

We both understand that hunting is just that, hunting, but we feel like this unit is absolutely pathetic when it comes to deer hunting. For those looking to come to Colorado to hunt deer, I will warn you now, stay away from units 41, 42, and 421. We mainly hunted in unit 41 because of the public access, but did hunt in parts of unit 42 and 421. I feel blessed for the opportunity to hunt in a beautiful state and look forward to hunting colorado in the future. I know deer numbers are struggling all over the west, but colorado DOW really needs to take a close look at the units that are struggling and make better management decisions for the mule deer, otherwise there will be nothing left to hunt in the future.

Good luck to all those who still have tags for 3rd season as well as the 4th season hunters.
 
We also hunted this unit and was extremely disappointed with the lack of deer this year. I've hunted this unit for 10+ years and have never seen this few of deer. The one thing I did see lots of is humans. People on top of people. According to wardens guys we're fighting and calling in complaints on each other. The wardens were also baffled by the lack of bucks. I talked to a few ranchers and they are blaming the low numbers on bears and lions. We did cut several lion tracks in the snow and even jumped one. This unit is gone downhill and I'd definitely not recommend it to anyone.
 
Yes we were able to kill a few bucks and 3 cow elk. That being said, our camp only had 30% success when we are usually around 80%. We hunt hard and hike 8-10 miles a day, so our success is higher than most who drive the roads.

For those who may chime in, I'm not complaining. Just stating facts and observations.
 
I'll throw my two cents in....
I've spent majority of my life living in, around and hunting in these units and have witnessed it take a severe nose dive the past 3 to 4 years. I see two big issues when it comes mule deer;

1. Wayyy to many predators. The bear population is absolutely absurd. Bears are damn hard on mule deer fawns along with elk calves. Whatever?s left lions take care of. CPW is ?trying? their best In allocating liberal numbers of bear tags but these bears need hunted in the spring; baited, hound hunted whatever means necessary.

2. Wayyy to many tags and to much pressure on mule deer. I would bet if the tags were cut 50 to 60 percent and we put a royal a$$ whipping on the bears and lions for a couple years we would see great improvements in mule deer numbers and quality.

Coloradoboy
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-19 AT 05:59PM (MST)[p]Yup. Same story down here.

Bluehair
Splitting my time time between the winter and summer range......
May you live long enough to cash in those preference points. Amen
 
Coloradoboy how many more tags have they issued for this unit? When I looked I thought this was one that did not have an increase.
 
It's not just 41, it's pretty much all of Western Colorado. I'm watching a nice 41 buck out my back window right now while sipping coffee....

Hasbean
 
I know this is a 4/5 year old thread but man I hate reading this as I have a private land mule deer hunt booked for this year in unit 42/421 ! This will be my first time ever hunting Colorado. As with everything else in our country I’m sure nothing has improved in the last few years!
 
Last edited:
I know this is a 4/5 year old thread but man I hate reading this as I have a private land hunt booked for this year in unit 42/421 ! This will be my first time ever hunting Colorado. As with everything else in our country I’m sure nothing has improved in the last few years!
If only everything was as good in CO as it was in 2019!!!
 
Depends on the size, elevation and location of private land. Could be a great hunt. Especially if you get some snow
 
I don’t have the exact location but will be staying in rifle CO , the property is around 6k acres and the elevation is between five and 6000 feet,
 
If I were to pick one spot in these units for a big buck it would be on private along the Colorado River up near Rifle. You could do very well there.
 

Colorado Hunting Guides & Outfitters

Rocky Mountain Ranches

Hunt some of the finest ranches in N.W. Colorado. Superb elk, mule deer, and antelope hunting.

Blue Mountain Outfitters

Unit 10 trophy deer and elk in Northwest Colorado. Guaranteed tags. Call Kent (801) 562-1802

Frazier Outfitting

Great Colorado elk hunting. Hunt the backcountry of unit 76. More than a hunt, it's an adventure!

CJ Outfitters

Hunt Colorado's premier trophy units, 2, 10 and 201 for trophy elk, deer and antelope.

Allout Guiding & Outfitting

Offering high quality mule deer, elk, bear and cougar hunts in Colorado units 40 and 61.

Ivory & Antler Outfitters

Hunt trophy elk, mule deer, moose, antelope, bear, cougar and turkey on both private land and BLM.

Urge 2 Hunt

We offer both DIY and guided hunts on large ranches all over Colorado for archery, muzzleloader and rifle hunts.

Hunters Domain

Colorado landowner tags for mule deer, elk and antelope. Tags for other states also available.

Flat Tops Elk Hunting

For the Do-It-Yourself hunters, an amazing cabin in GMU 12 for your groups elk or deer hunt.

Back
Top Bottom