mattys281 Report post Posted February 9, 2007 I'm planning on a DIY hunt for some of those over-the-counter elk & mule deer in Colorado this fall. The areas I'm researching are the San Juan Wilderness, the West Elk Wilderness, and the Weminuche Wilderness. I choose these for their size & the fact that they're in the southwest corner, which makes it more accessible for preseason scouting from Az. Does anyone know these areas? Any tips would be appreciated. So would a carpool partner, if someone can swing it. Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted February 9, 2007 I'm planning on a DIY hunt for some of those over-the-counter elk & mule deer in Colorado this fall. The areas I'm researching are the San Juan Wilderness, the West Elk Wilderness, and the Weminuche Wilderness. I choose these for their size & the fact that they're in the southwest corner, which makes it more accessible for preseason scouting from Az. Does anyone know these areas? Any tips would be appreciated. So would a carpool partner, if someone can swing it. Thanks. Mattys, I lived on the edge of the Weminuche at Vallecito Lake for 3 years and guided hunters in the wilderness. I know it very well since I've traipsed over about every mile of trail in it on horseback at one time or another. I also guided elk & deer hunters north of Durango in the Hermosa Creek area of the San Juans behind the ski area. I don't know anything about the West Elk, though. If you hunt the wilderness areas, do you plan to pack in and camp, or....? -TONY Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted February 9, 2007 Mattys, I lived on the edge of the Weminuche at Vallecito Lake for 3 years and guided hunters in the wilderness. I know it very well since I've traipsed over about every mile of trail in it on horseback at one time or another. I also guided elk & deer hunters north of Durango in the Hermosa Creek area of the San Juans behind the ski area. I don't know anything about the West Elk, though. If you hunt the wilderness areas, do you plan to pack in and camp, or....? -TONY It kind of depends on my girlfriend at this point. If she goes, so does her son (8 years old), so we'll be setting up base camp just outside of the wilderness area & making 2 night probe trips in & out with a day or so for the boy to rest between. Obviously, we can't get very deep like that, but you make accomodations where you have to. If I go alone, I'll be hiring a packer to haul meat & heading in as far as I like. I'm not real concerned with seeing huge antlers, I just mostly want to see abundant game and scarce hunters. Can I get that out of these areas? I've read that the Weminuche gets hammered w/ backpackers, but at half a million acres, I don't imagine it could possibly be crowded?! As far as I know, your allowed to camp in the Nat. Forest for 14 consecutive days and I'll be there for every bit of it, so time isn't much of a concern. At least I'll have that on my side. Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DesertBull Report post Posted February 9, 2007 I went to the Weminuche once. It was a zoo. Traffic jams at every trail head, a constant string of pack horses on the trail, and a sea of orange. That was the first rifle season though, maybe the archery season is different. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted February 9, 2007 It kind of depends on my girlfriend at this point. If she goes, so does her son (8 years old), so we'll be setting up base camp just outside of the wilderness area & making 2 night probe trips in & out with a day or so for the boy to rest between. Obviously, we can't get very deep like that, but you make accomodations where you have to. If I go alone, I'll be hiring a packer to haul meat & heading in as far as I like. I'm not real concerned with seeing huge antlers, I just mostly want to see abundant game and scarce hunters. Can I get that out of these areas? I've read that the Weminuche gets hammered w/ backpackers, but at half a million acres, I don't imagine it could possibly be crowded?! As far as I know, your allowed to camp in the Nat. Forest for 14 consecutive days and I'll be there for every bit of it, so time isn't much of a concern. At least I'll have that on my side. Thanks. If you do the bit with your girlfriend and her son, you might as well forget the part about "scarce hunters." The edges get hammered, especially from the Lemon and Vallecito Lake areas where numerous campgrounds are located. Plus, the Weminuche is pretty rugged country once you get off the main trails. Coupled with the 9,000+ elevations, it can make for tough hiking for folks who aren't accustomed to that altitude. The backpacker situation is more a problem in mid-summer. The crowds pretty much dissipate by late August and early Sept., when the archery season takes place in Unit 751. But even earlier, as you say, it never appears crowded. The backpackers normally stay on the trails and camp in the more popular areas around the various lakes and such. The horse packer option is your best bet. There is at least one based at Vallecito that I know about. They will haul you and all your gear to the spot you pick, then come back and haul you back out. Not sure if it's still the case, but the packer there also used to offer a drop camp option, which saves hauling all your own gear and includes a wood-burning stove and cut wood. The ride into some of the better hunting areas is anywhere from 5-10 hrs. If you walk the same distances, it would take at least twice as long. Also, although the archery elk licenses for that unit are over-the-counter and unlimited, I believe you now have to draw an archery deer tag. Anyway, if you have more questions or need suggestions on where to hunt if you opt to camp within the Weminuche, just holler. Here are some older pix of the Weminuche high country. -TONY Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 I got a copy of their regs from the website & for '06 the deer tag was still o.t.c. Haven't seen the regs for the '07 season yet, though. Thanks for the advise. It's appreciated. I'm already planning a scouting trip for this summer. How early do you think I can get in, without having to trudge through five feet of snow? Thanks again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted February 12, 2007 I got a copy of their regs from the website & for '06 the deer tag was still o.t.c. Haven't seen the regs for the '07 season yet, though. Thanks for the advise. It's appreciated. I'm already planning a scouting trip for this summer. How early do you think I can get in, without having to trudge through five feet of snow? Thanks again. Hmmm, where did you find that the deer licenses are OTC? This from the 2006 regs in the Big game deer section: DEER LICENSES LIMITED All deer licenses are limited, available only by drawing for specific units. Only legal hand-held bows can be used during archery season. Only legal muzzleloading rifles and smoothbore muskets can be used during muzzleloading seasons. 75 Archery Aug.26-Sept.24 Either sex D-E-075-O1-A License valid in units 75, 751 Much of the snow is gone from the lower, south-facing areas by mid-June. BUT...my horse has waded through 2' drifts on the north sides at higher elevations as late as mid-July, and in some places the snow is never gone. But that's generally where no one dares tread. And...if you hike in early, you'll be fording quite a few creeks that are swollen with run-off. That said, unless you're just scouting to find a camp, I wouldn't put too much stock on where you find game in late spring or early summer. The critters move progresively higher as the temps go up and will likely still be at those higher elevations during the archery season unless a sudden, early storm forces them to move down. Some of the biggest bucks I've seen in the Weminuche were hanging out above timberline in August. If you look at a map of the Weminuche trail system, search for the Continental Divide Trail. The photo with me and my son on horseback overlooking Donut Lake was taken about 200 yards from the trail itself. The mountains in the background are a couple "14teeners." The other photo of my buddy with the packhorse is also near the CD trail. It doesn't look much like deer country, but believe me when I say they are there. Of course, it's not a real good place for a bowhunter since it's devoid of trees and has very little cover. Plus, it's a LONG way from the major trailheads I mentioned. A couple other decent areas are along the Rock Lake trail and the Johnson Creek Trail off the Vallecito Trail that goes up to Columbine Pass. Lots of goats up JC, too. I'm not sure if it's still available, but "A Backpacking Guide to The Weminuche Wilderness" by Dennis Gebhardt has excellent maps of the trail system in it. -TONY Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 You're right on the deer tag. I've been reading through both the Co. regs & the Idaho regs & got them mixed up. What do you suppose the draw odds are for an archery tag? Guess there's one way to know for sure. I've got it set in my mind that I want at least two scouting trips. I'll go early just to learn the land a little bit & then again in August, a few weeks prior to the hunt. I'd like to check out the San Juan Wilderness too. It's not nearly as large, but I've read that it's the only place in Co. where they think there are still Grizzlies. Supposed to be real remote. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted February 12, 2007 I thought that was still the case with deer tags. If I recall, the entire state went on the draw system for deer in either 2003 or 2004. Now, I'm only guessing here, but I imagine the odds of drawing an archery tag for deer in the Weminuche are pretty darn good. I can't help you on the San Juan at all because I've never been there. I heard it's pretty rugged, though. One thing to keep in mind, however: You will have to decide LONG before you do your scouting if you plan to put in for the drawing. I think the application deadline for limited licenses is sometime in early April! Lastly, I googled the Weminuche book I mentioned above and found a bunch of copies available at various web sites. -TONY Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 Now that I know it's a draw, I'm going to put in for those three, the Weminuche, West Elk, & South San Juan. It'll be up to the draw gods from there. If unsuccessful, then Idaho is the back up plan. I much prefer Colorado though, for it's close proximity. I'm not sure how many selections you get to put on an app. up there, but I know they allow a couple choices. Didn't you say you're familiar with the WEst Elk Wilderness? Could you post some pics from there, if you've got them. Also, which area do you think is likely to produce the largest populations? As I said before, antler size would be nice, but I'm mostly concerned with just seeing lots of game. Thanks for the info. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted February 12, 2007 I don't know much about the West Elk either. I did hunt deer & elk in the national forest adjacent to it about 12 years ago. Didn't see a lot of game but saw enough to pass a on few small bulls and bucks because I was hunting only trophy-class stuff. Given that I'm not familiar with two of the three areas, there's no way I can make any comparisons about the quantity of game for all three. I've also hunted the Selway-Bitterroot in Idaho via Hamilton, MT. It's rugged country, and you won't see near as many people in it as you do in Colorado. But if you like to hunt with a rifle, you can do it there during the elk rut. Not sure about archery tags, but the gun tags are by draw if I recall. I had no problem getting one because I hunted with an outfitter friend there, and they have a set-aside for their clients. Photo below. -TONY Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted February 13, 2007 With country that beautiful and remote, I don't see how you could have a bad trip. Really seems like a win/win, even if you only come home with some great photos and good memories. I appreciate the tips and thanks for sharing the photos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRAYLIGHT Report post Posted February 14, 2007 Amazing country.... Thank you for sharing pictures of your adventures... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZP&Y Report post Posted February 14, 2007 Matt, My lungs are hurting just thinking of the 9000 elevation in the wilderness... It truely is majestic up in the Weminuche!!! If I don't draw an AZ archery elk tag I may join you in Colorado. We can saddle my HUSKY! Doug azp&Y Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted February 14, 2007 Hey Doug and Tony, those pic's are awesome, but to tell you the truth.......they only make me really appreciate my favorite FLAT elk country here in AZ! That stuff looks STEEP and DEEP! Beautiful country though, thanks JIM> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
