Help with Colorado area 54 / West Elk WA

[jefflee2k]

This year I will be carrying my brand new Unaweep into a new area. I am soloing with Jon Sund from Eagle Mt out of his Upper Coffee Pot drop camp. In my research, I came across some of the better hunt recaps I have ever read from Rockchucker and Nathan C, and was pleasantly surprised when they lead back to Seek's website.

It sounds like there is a group of people here that hunt the way I do and may know something about this area. I would appreciate any advice. Terrain wise, it looks very similar to the area I have hunted the last 4 years, just more of it. This will be my first experience with an outfitter, but I don't plan on spending many nights in the base camp unless I just happen to luck into huntable numbers near there. Not looking for gps coordinates for your honey holes, just general information.

- How scarce is water? Do most of the marked creeks hold enough to resupply in late September, or should I plan on camping near a source or caching?
- Any trail heads or drainages to avoid?
- Since I am getting packed in, I will be hunting in the general vicinity of Haystack and Porcupine Peaks. There seems to be plenty of timbered benches near parks and water. Am I better off focusing in on natural funnels and trying to catch elk getting pushed through the area on the way to private land, or covering as much ground as possible until I locate them and then trying to stay close? Where I have been hunting, any elk were just moving through on their way to private land or hay fields. They were never in the same area for more than 24 hours. That was rugged steep terrain, but much smaller and surrounded by private land. Thanks for any help.

[kevin_t]

I take it you are talking close to the 53/54 line by porcupine cone ? Water should be plentiful it had been when i was in there . Big elk population lots of areas for them to move around . I'm not sure you need to be that far back but generally hunting near unit boundaries is usually pretty good due to pressure from each side ... Especially if access is moderately easy. The DOW people and public lands people in Gunnison are really really helpful


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[jefflee2k]

Thanks for the reply. You are correct about the location. I know I don't need to be that far back, but I am getting packed in to a drop camp. The pack in and out are going to be a huge luxury, but the only reason I went with the drop camp was to get the local knowledge since I am going into a new area, and can't get up there for a preseason scouting trip. I got a topo with his camp locations marked on it, and the camp I'm going to be in is very close to one of the places I had targeted in my research

[jefflee2k]

I just realized how close to the border of GMU 53 my camp really is. The GMU boundaries weren't marked on my topo map. The ridge of the the line of peaks where he is dropping me off is the boundary between the 2 units. That puts all of the major North facing slopes in 53 and makes them off limits. I'll have to look for pockets on the minor peaks. It also looks like the better grazing areas are in in the wrong unit too. But by the time I get there in the last week of September, they will probably have already moved to the smaller isolated meadows to feed anyway.