Unit 61 or RFW

[Crazy4Elk]

I have 10 PP's and am having a hardm time deciding what to do. Been thinking about putting in for unit 61, but then talking to a buddy he told me to try a RFW tag. I just want a fun exciting hunt and a decent bull that will look good on the wall....heavy 5x5 or a nice 6x6. What would you all do?

 

[contender]

I would wait a couple years and go RFW at Three Forks Ranch. They are a class act.

 

[elks96]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-07-14 AT 02:35PM (MST)[p]>I would wait a couple years
>and go RFW at Three
>Forks Ranch. They are
>a class act.


I hope your kidding. 3 forks is a nice place but they are hunting the same elk that always end up on public land.

IMO most RFW tags for residents are a joke as they house the same animals that can be found on public lands. Not to mention the RFW is a joke and really is only meant to make wealthy owners more wealth. There have been many public hunters disappointed in their RFW hunts.

Not to mention 3 forks is about as crocked as they come. I have seen them hot wire their property so elk will not.eave it when a hunter shoots. I have seen them spine a bull and let it lay on the ground flopping around for over an hour while the guide and hunter just sat and watched. They waited until the herd fed over the ridge before putting the bull down for good. It was a full hour. Only guess was they did not want the herd to run off the property from shooting too much. On another occasion hunting a property adjacent to 3 forks, had a herd heading onto public land from their property. I was 200 yards onto the public from the county road. The elk were just about to cross onto public, like 80 yards from the line. Then suddenly a truck showed up with out plates and threw a batch of black cats out the window that went off like a machine and sped away. The. 300 head of elk ran the other way....

2 other times I have been hunting public ground and ended up a
Most in a fist fight with a 3 forks guy claiming I was on private.... Also have 4 different times where someone had posted public on land on their boundary as private.... That all happened in about 4 years I hunted around the area. I am sure it gets worse. They finally wrote a ticket to them on my second round, but not for harassing me but for having a loaded gun in the vehicle while hunting....

Sorry but RFW has only hurt hunting in CO

 

[r270]

61all the way!! Don't know what season you are looking at but you will find everything you want in 61 .I do not know anything about RFW but i like to hunt on my terms ! If you would like any info on 61 just drop me an email and we can talk i spend a lot of time in the unit during the fall..

 

[contender]

Holly smokes Elk96 or what ever you are. Sounds like you need some meds or just hunt on the other side of the fence. Yes Three Forks Ranch is a class act for the RFW hunter. They don't blow smoke about their success rate. They provide a free guided hunt for no charge, yea how crooked is that.

 

[elks96]

>Holly smokes Elk96 or what ever
>you are. Sounds like
>you need some meds or
>just hunt on the other
>side of the fence.
>Yes Three Forks Ranch is
>a class act for the
>RFW hunter. They don't
>blow smoke about their success
>rate. They provide a
>free guided hunt for no
>charge, yea how crooked is
>that.


That is fine... But I told exactly what I had happen to me in just the 5 years I spent hunting in the area. They made my hunt and other people I know hunts miserable on more than one occasion. I had a buddy stalking a small group of elk on on the public. It had a decent bull in it. He spotted the group and bull from around a mile out. Made a 2 hour stalk. When he got on the same ridge about 500 yards out a guy on a horse shows up across the canyon. Dis mounts, empties a 30/30 into the ground turning the group back into 3 forks property. Could not prove it was a 3 forks guy, but not sure why else a person would show up like that at last minute and empty a gun into the ground. When reported it was the 3 rd complaint from that same property they had that year.

They may be great as far as hunting on their property but when big money and greed get involved the line can get blurred really fast.

Yes it freaking suck. Oh and one the truck that drove up and tossed out the fire works. I got pictures, but there were no plates on the truck.

No matter how you cut it, the RFW screwed over the vast majority of hunters at very minimal benefit., all in the name of profit for a few big name outfitters. It is a bad program.

 

[Adventurewriter]

Don't know a thing about three forks but I do know Elks 96 is one of the most soild guys on this site...just my 2 cents

 

[contender]

That's fine but the OP didn't want to know what happens if you don't have a RFW tag. I guess if I were on the outside looking in I would have an apple cart full of sour grapes too. I too have hunted elk in places where (I assume) landowners tried to herd the elk back onto private. It's not fun but I am not out to slander anyone or any ranch.

 

[elks96]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-07-14 AT 11:48PM (MST)[p]>That's fine but the OP didn't
>want to know what happens
>if you don't have a
>RFW tag. I guess if
>I were on the outside
>looking in I would have
>an apple cart full of
>sour grapes too. I
>too have hunted elk in
>places where (I assume) landowners
>tried to herd the elk
>back onto private. It's
>not fun but I am
>not out to slander anyone
>or any ranch.


No slander there at all. None of the things I claim are false... They all happened. Thus not slander. Things could be different now, but this happened. Unfortunately each time it was reported there was not enough to go on. Beyond my specific issues that happened to me first hand a good buddy, the overall effect that RFW has had in NW Colorado has been negative.... Hence the reason why I will not hunt RFW. As it has hurt my hunting and several others...

I could careless if the animals are on the private provided they are there and stay there on their own. But I will not excuse people herding, using hot wires, etc...

 

[contender]

Read my post again I didn't say you slandered anyone. The ranch that the issue happened to me shall remain nameless.

 

[sneakem]

>
>
>No slander there at all. None
>of the things I claim
>are false... They all happened.
>Thus not slander. Things could
>be different now, but this
>happened. Unfortunately each time it
>was reported there was not
> enough to go on.
>Beyond my specific issues that
>happened to me first hand
>a good buddy, the overall
>effect that RFW has had
>in NW Colorado has been
>negative.... Hence the reason why
>I will not hunt RFW.
>As it has hurt my
>hunting and several others...
>
>I could careless if the animals
>are on the private provided
>they are there and stay
>there on their own. But
>I will not excuse people
>herding, using hot wires, etc...
>
I don't know what happened to you, or if you even thinking about the right ranch... I guided there for 18 years... long before it was even the current consolidation of land that is now three forks. There has never been a hot wire around the ranch, no use of horses(all hunting is accessed with trucks and foot), no herding with black cats...

Those elk wouldn't leave that property if you were shooting at them with a howitzer. The only reasons they ever leave that place is the snow... Its a disneyland elk hunt. There are literally thousands of elk...

I have as much of a reason to hate that place and wealth tags as anyone...believe me. I'm calling BS... no offense, I just know better.

 

[BeanMan]

I hunted three Forks with a cow tag around thirteen years ago. Overall it was a good experience. I shot my cow out of a group of about 500 elk. But, it was not much of a true hunting experience and I did not apply again (it used to be easy to draw a cow tag there). I was first in line that morning and was driven to where the elk were and shot mine. The elk was gutted and loaded into the truck and back to the office for the next hunter in line. If you want to fill your tag this is your place. Their site used to have pictures of the happy hunters but I wouldn't say the bulls were all the great back then. maybe that has changed. Certainly not what one would hope for with that amount of points or money spent.

 

[Crazy4Elk]

I have been thinking about the Big Gulch Ranch, but I am really leaning toward unit 61. Really just wanna do it all on my own.... no help.

Bring on elk season!!!

 

[goldhunter]

61 is a great place to hunt early. I hunted the archery about five years back. You will not regret it if you like DIY and can walk. Might want to line somebody up to help pack.

 

[md2015]

r270,

I am interested in 61 for Muzzleloader Deer this year. I have 8 Res pp. What are your thoughts? I am also pouring over data about the early high country rifle tags too any info on those?

 

[Elkduds]

Of course, any discussion of RFW is moot unless U R a resident.

 

[WVHUNTER]

I think elks96 may be correct on some of the RFW you will just be hunting the same 5X5's that everyone else is hunting on the surrounding public land. But that isn't the case with all of them but the high end ones like the Hill Ranch take 20 points or more to draw. Three forks takes 15 points so you don't have to concern yourself with that one either.

You may want to find out which of the RFW you can draw and start researching from there. There may be a pretty good one you can draw.

If you choose 61 you will be limited to 2nd, 3rd or 4th season rifle with 10 points. Archery, muzzleloader and first rifle are the high demand tags for that unit but you don't have enough points for those tags.