Unit #61 deer - 3rd season

rmanwill

Long Time Member
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6,179
I'll be taking my son over to Colorado for the 3rd season deer hunt in Unit #61. I have done quit a bit of research and spent 12 days in the unit seven years ago.

The problem I have is the year I was in the unit was the year of the perfect storm. It snowed a couple feet two weeks prior and drove everything down towards the winter grounds and then the weather warmed up for the hunt which made travel great. The deer never went back up and I spent all of my time between Nucula and south of Grand Junction/the notch area.

Spent time from Pine Mtn, Flat Top Mesa all the way through these mesa's to Blue Mesa and Atkinson Mesa. We seen numerous deer. The does were all down and the bucks would hang out in the cedars on the edges and more bucks would show up each morning in the mesa's looking for the does.

It was the perfect season and we did very well.

However, I know it was special that year and most years will be completely different. My 12-days will probably do me not alot of good. I'm sure the deer will be up between the mesa's and the divide road.

Any information would be appreciated on area's to scout. Right now planning on the northern half east of the notch and up the far north road that go's off the mesa's to the divide road and south of Grand Junction down towards Good Spring and Utah Mtn.

I have also heard about Black Canyon and Horse Fly Mtn area. I just know towards the south end we ran into checkerboard private/public out of Nucula area.

Any info/PM messages appreciated. I try to help otehr out when I can and have info on unit in Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.

Thanks for any PM's or info and happy hunting this fall.
 
I had the tag two years ago. Conditions weren't the best. We saw a lot of deer. I ended up taking a high 170's buck the last day. How old is your son?
 
He is 21. Been putting him in for ten year. Should be a great time with great memories. Hopefully he can bag a good 170-180 buck!!!
 
Thanks Phantom Hunter. Look forward to talking with you after my trip to Wyoming. I will fill you in with everything I know and what I see in three weeks in the unit you are headed to for antelope this year.
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-04-13 AT 02:25PM (MST)[p]Thanks for your responce. Hit both of these while scouting a few days before the hunt on my last hunt several years ago in #61 and I'm kind of familiar with them. Is the low land mesa's going to still be a good place if there is no weather on the third season. The year we went it snowed early and had everything pushed down.

Is it weather that gets the deer moving or do the deer move to the lower mesa's (winter/rutting grounds) in this unit prior to the third season anyways?

If the mesa's are good in third season I have a good feel for them. If no weather and the deer stay high I will need to learn that area between the mesa's up to thedivide road this year.
 
I don't know 61, but I had a 21 third season tag two years ago and we had some early weather that helped. The longer the hunt went the more we saw bucks beginning to rut low with does. I think patience is key.
By the end most does had bigger bucks hanging around them. The big boys seemed to spend most of the day in the cedars close to the does and then would wander out early and late.
Overall it was a blast but we had to stay mobile and keep checking different areas. In the end we made it happen with a dandy.
Best of luck to you and the boys!
 
manwill, My limited experience is that the bucks will follow the does down that time of year. BUT without weather, they are pretty nocturnal.
 
I haven't been up in 61 but all of the west slope is wetter than usual. We've had some big rain in the last two weeks. The snow line is fairly high on the Grand Mesa, around 9000' but this weather has to be a good thing.
 

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