551 fourth season

O

on_target

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151
Not looking for special info I have heard this unit is pretty poor quality right now just looking for general info on quality and number of deer thanks
 
I hunted 551 during 3rd season 3 years ago. I was rather disappointed in the number and the quality of bucks seen. True it was warm and dry during my hunt but I just could not seem to locate any mature bucks. I kept tabs on several doe groups for a week but never did see anything mature show up. It might get a lot better if you can get some weather, especially during 4th season.
 
Makes you wonder why they felt the need to increase the tag numbers so much on a unit that is reportedly struggling with quality and numbers of bucks?
 
Yep, and in a unit with no CWD, real head scratcher isn't it. So what's their excuse for getting after the bucks in this unit, with the numbers already obviously down. That being said according to the fish and game it sounds like there is an over abundance of bucks, and the winter survival rates at least for bucks was higher than expected. Hmmm? Kind of contradicting to what people are seeing in the real world. Maybe there is just a secret sacred canyon that nobody knows about other than the people doing the counting and that's where all the deer are.
 
Not that all... CPW out of Gunnison has done a very piss poor job or managing its deer herds the past decade or so after the winter of 07/08. They have been selling a lot of make believes with their deer counts.

Coloradoboy
 
I often wonder why 551 doesn't get the same attention as its neighboring units. What is it about 551 that puts it on the bottom of the Gunnison list?
 
It doesn't have the winter range that 66-67 have. It has some winter range, just not as much. Harder to glass also. I'm not sure there was a need to increase tags in this unit other than revenue or reducing the buck to doe numbers to match the dwindling herd numbers.

Rich
 
I helped a buddy of mine on the 3rd season 3 or 4 years ago..It was warm.. Scouted for 3 days.. only saw a handful of bucks..biggest was a 24 inch 3by3..opening day in the evening we were driving on a heavily pined Jeep road and we got lucky a caught a huge bodied buck crossing the road heading to a feeding area .. he was a very old 27 inch 5 by 4.. scored 170.. sweet buck.. deer numbers seemed low in that unit, but with so few tags they can definitely grow old.. not an easy hunt, but with the right weather I bet that 4th season can be pretty dang good. Good luck!
 
>I often wonder why 551 doesn't
>get the same attention as
>its neighboring units. What is
>it about 551 that puts
>it on the bottom of
>the Gunnison list?


If I had a dime for a every time you've asked this I'd be a rich man
 
If I had a dime for a every time you've asked this I'd be a rich man

I guess it doesn't take much to make you a rich man?

I guess in your opinion only certain people can make comments on here or start another conversation about a GMU.

I would love to hear your comment Colorado boy
 
>If I had a dime for
>a every time you've asked
>this I'd be a rich
>man
>
>I guess it doesn't take much
>to make you a rich
>man?
>
>I guess in your opinion only
>certain people can make comments
>on here or start another
>conversation about a GMU.
>
>I would love to hear your
>comment Colorado boy

My sarcasm can get the better of me and folks on Internet forums.... honestly 551 is what you could call the red headed step child of the gunnison basin. It exists buts not as popular or as glamours as it's sisters. Lack of winter range, hard winters, increased tag numbers, low fawn survival rates can all attribute to why the hunt has been on a steady decline the past 10 plus years. The numbers of mature (4 plus year olds) bucks are very low anymore.

Coloradoboy
 
Thanks Tom and Cole for getting that cleared up. I hope I'm not hijacking this thread but maybe these conversations can help the OP and answer some of his questions.
The neighboring units, 55 and 67 both take about 20 non res points to draw.
551 can be had for approximately 12 points.
The things that Coloradoboy mentions that can cause a unit to go downhill could just as easily happen to 55 or 67. So there must be something about 551 that is a little bit different. Must be habitat and as mentioned lack of winter range. So with that being said maybe a hunter should concentrate on the boundaries of the neighboring units for the 4th season Hunt? Is that a reasonable assumption?
Again not to hijack this thread but the reason I am so interested is that I did also draw this hunt this year.
 
The boundary between 67 and 551 develops into a very steep canyon that is inhabited by bighorns. Not really where I would spend my time during third.

Rich
 
Just spent 6 days hunting elk in 67. We literally saw around 10 deer and 3 average bucks. I was just glad I didn't burn my deer points in 67. All of those Gunnison units are some of the most gorgeous deer and elk country I have ever seen, but the lack of numbers of both deer and elk were mind boggling. Maybe the elk will get rutting and it will get better the last week of season. Good luck in 551 I'm sure somewhere in that vast country there are some big boys.
 
I have been over there several times this summer and my opinions of the area are a lot different than yours? I'm heading over again next week for a few days to check some more spots out because i?m retired and have nothing better to do. I'm pleased with what I have seen so far
 
Thanks for the comments and advise I have put in for Colorado for a lot of years and don't want to waste all my points on a maybe I know there could be a sleeper in there maybe I need to take one scouting trip to see for myself
 
Yep eyes on is the ticket, Web infor will get you starting points only.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 

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