Some words of advice for 551 hunting this season. 1. The deer hunting should be excellent. Leave the ATV in your drive way though, as this country is not(thank god)as ATV road ladden as other parts of Colorado. Once you understand that, and if you don't mind walking, I would recommend Tomichi Dome, a monsterous volcanic dome you can access off of Hwy 50 on a BLM road coming right off of Hwy 50 directly south of the Dome. The road is a bit rough, yet any 4x4 would make it, and I have seen non 4 x4s there too. Another access to the Dome is off of the road to Waunita Hot Springs, that road paved coming off of Hwy 50 closer to Gunnison. When on that paved road you can proceed about 8-9 miles as I recall to the north end of the Dome where the state land parcel is adjacent to small reservoir and dam (Waunita Lake), about a mile and half before you get to Waunita Hot Springs Lodge. Get a Gunnison Forest Service Map to see where the national forest land is as well as the BLM lands. The state trust section has signage. This is TOUGH country, yet there are good #s of deer,especially walking in a bit. Walk in about 2 miles from the lake (going south) into the Dome and hunt the westerly side along rock slides and aspens. You might also pick up an 'over the counter' elk tag, as there are good #s of elk around. As such, hunt with a packframe as you will not getting your animal out whole, for sure. I would recommend the hunting lower on the Dome, along the aspens where they intermingle with rock slides. Again, this is rough counry, so if you are not ready for a rough hunt, then another option would be hunting the more open Saguache country to the south of HWY 50, closer to Parlin then southeast from there. In the late season the bucks come into these winter range open sage hills sprinked with patches of pines and various clusters of oak brush. Any cover here can hold bucks. My advise for 551 is to walk, and forget the ATV or getting close to your hatrack via 4x4. Guess you know how I feel about off road vehicles. No mind, the deer think just the same.
Good Luck. I'll be accompanying my daughter hunt 551 the same season, on foot.
Good luck.
You should have no problem finding a buck. As for the elk, they are where you find them. They're in the same country though.