Well, with the help of you guys I got the info I needed and applied for my Archery Mule deer tag for Colorado GMU 11 and 211. I will also be hunting Archery elk. I was hoping to get some good tips on which areas I should target for elk and which for mule deer. I'm trying to figure out the best area to rent a cabin at to cover both sides of the hunt. Any suggestions would be GREAT!

Any specific cabin recommendations would also help.


Thanks,
Kevin Miller

I have some friends that run a bed and breakfast in Craig - they usually fill up in advance - but they are the only B&B in town. But if you are hunting in 11 and 211 - your best bet is going to be either Meeker or Craig - there isn't much in Maybell. You have to know that both these areas essentially double in population through the hunting seasons but check with the chamber of commerce for both:

www.craig-chamber.com

www.meekerchamber.com

I wish you luck, these are both pretty successful areas, area 11 has produced some nice Bulls in the past, success ratios are pretty decent. If you go to the Colorado DOW hunting site, there are some interactive GMU maps to show elk populations, breeding and migration routes.

So far as elk - vs - deer, both areas are great, but you will more than likely find the elk towards the middle of these areas, the deer are all over, but I would concentrate the deer to either the Northern portions of these areas or the Western portion of 11 or the Eastern portion of 211.

I don't think you will go wrong anywhere in these areas personally as they are abundant with both species....I would get out and scout it though as there is quite a bit of private land and it gets hunted pretty heavy. Good Luck!

Thanks alot for the tips.

I've located a log cabin on 13 in Hamilton. I'm hoping that we can get some good Mule deer hunting walking out of the cabin. ???

We ended up drawing our muzzleloader Mule deer tags so we will be concentrating on deer the first week and archery elk the second.

Now that we know were we are staying any tips from hunting out of that area would be great.

Oh I have waterproof maps from HuntData that have the concentrations over layed onto topos. I hope they help out.

Thanks again,
Kevin

Right around Hamilton is failrly steep terrain. I was just back in there about 2 weeks ago and the cow elk are still for the most part down low eating off the lush grasses. I would imagine that they will be moving up pretty soon. I have seen elk down low all over. Up in that area I haven't been fortunate enough to see big bulls, however, I know they are in there as I have friends who have pulled them out. My biggest advice is to eat your Wheaties....the terrain is steep and rugged, if you are on foot which is how I usually go, don't be afraid to walk back in there, you will be rewarded. Hamilton area is pretty thick with elk from the White River herd which is by far the largest in the state - something like 40,000 strong. NorthEast and SouthEast of Hamilton is a breeding and Summer haven for that local herd, but they head over into 211 quite a bit. They weren't talking too early last year and we were pretty hard pressed to get any return calls- lots and lots of pockets of sattelite bulls in the area - I hope you are successful, I usually come away with something. Deer should be nice as well, lot of low spots for them to come down and eat....lots of deer in this area. Don't be surprised if you share a tree stand with a Mountain Lion or a Bobcat - they run the hills right near Hamilton - if you push South into the hills there are Black Bear - saw one there a couple weeks ago as well. This last part isn't meant to put a voo doo on you, I just want you to be aware that the beasties are in the area. If you keep heading West on 13 towards Meeker, look on a topo I believe there is a road that cuts from 13 back up North to a town called Lay- good deer country- there is also one that goes from Meeker up to Maybell. These roads surround a big coal mine. There are deer herds there and some good elk too, as you get on top you will be in quite a bit of pinion/cedar type hills, hard as hell to see these critters - water is somewhat limited so you will see some pretty good animal highways leading to the water. Over the years I have seen more deer than elk in this area, but the elk I have seen have been in pretty good numbers as well. Remember, you will be hunting at an elevation above 1 mile from sea level - drink lot's of water and allow yourself some extra time to get places - elevations puts a lot of folks in a world of hurt up here. I wish you luck, I think you will have a great experience, it will be a great time of year to see this part of the country.

A brilliant post Wiley Wapiti. A very comprehensive post full of interesting info. I'm sure that anybody planning a hunt in this region will find it useful.

I certainly enjoyed the read.

Cheers, Vince

Thanks Vince, I love the fact that hunters are looking ahead into the areas they will be hunting. By-in-large the greater portion of this part of the State's revenues come from hunters. We love having them and we love when they are successful. We do get a lot of folks that come here very UN-prepared for the elevation and weather conditions, as such, I am glad BIGGUN is looking into it now, as it will make his hunt that much more enjoyable.

Thanks for all the advice. I will definately be as prepared for the elevation as I can be. I've been there once before and know that you can get winded quickly.

It looks like we've chosen spots well on the maps we have. We were going to key on the northern tip of 11 for elk and on the BLM land that we could access from the small roads that you spoke of.....we only noticed one road on the map but haven't looked since reading your last post. Is the mine land that you spoke of open to public hunting?

You spoke of the water being scarce, is it like that throughout the entire area of 211 and 11? Our plan for mule deer was to try to hunt watering holes so the fewer there aare the more the deer would be forced to them. But if there are areas that are abundant with water I'd assume the animals would be more dense throughout that entire area. What do you think?

We were also looking at the mountain ridge that runs just west of Hamilton (mainly for elk) but weren't sure if we would have access to it because much of it seems private. Any suggestions there would be greatly appreciated also.

I really appreciate you sharing this info with me as it builds my confidence that we'll have an enjoyable if not successful hunt.

Thanks again,
Kevin

You might be right on the one road, as I think the other turn off is a private drive and I can't remember who owns it or why I was on that road. Water is scarce but not unavailable, I would have informed you better by saying that the water is mostly minimized to streams. You have the Yampa river running and criss crossing the Northern edge, quite a few streams pull to it - the water runs to the West on this side of the divide, you also have the Williams Fork river skirting the highway by Hamilton. I think your plans for deer are excellent. So far as your question on the elk, this is a tough one as most of this area sits in a valley of sorts from Hamilton out to the mine, I have seen elk criss crossing the low areas quite often, mostly cows, I haven't ever really crawled up on top of the ridge to know what it is like, but I think the elk come down off of there around dark and start moving back up by light, at least that is when I have seen the activity. The mountain itself is shown a private (Isles Mountain) but essentially the entire perimeter is BLM land, your toughest part will be access, if you take 51 road it jumps into 17 road which will bring you the best access to the majority of the BLM land for 211. If I were scouting the area, I would start somewhere around where 49 road drops South off of Hwy 13, DON'T follow the 49 road (drops into GMU 12), but that is a good jumping off point of reference to start working North, as it is the opening for a low grass vally, I have seen elk cross there quite frequently and I also have seen many small sattelite bull herds not far from the road, pretty good crossing for them. The mine will definately not let anybody go out there, mainly because it is a MSHA site (similar to OSHA but mine related) and it is a felony to have firearms on an MSHA site, besides, you won't get past the gate, we have tried. So far as GMU #11 - limited access to mostly trails - but just a ton of BLM in this area chock full of deer havens - gullies and draws up the wazoo!
On another note, I have on occasion called the game and fish guys, you will need to call the Meeker office and just ask for the guy who covers that area - I believe the main # is 970-878-6090 (it might be covered by Brent out of Craig - but they will get you to the right person)- these guys are great and they have always been eager to discuss any game questions I have had, they know the area better than anybody and they will tell you where your best chances are for different species, I don't think many people appreciate them or even think to call them - but they are usually my first call when I go into an area. Go ahead and PM me as it gets closer or if you need any more information - I hope I have helped and not talked you into a coma!

I never noticed, but I thought it sounded familiar - there are 2 different Iles Mountains - one is just South in GMU #12, the other is nearest Hamilton in #211 - this is the one I was referring to.

Thanks again.

I'll be leaving on Friday.

I PM'ed you.

Kevin

I got a freezer full of Elk & Deer last year And I'm going Elk hunting next month wish me luck

Welcome to the forums

Goodluck on your hunt Rengerizits

Dimitri

Welcome to this neat place...Where you hunting in Oregon. I'm a displaced Web foot.

Rengerizit wrote:

I got a freezer full of Elk & Deer last year And I'm going Elk hunting next month wish me luck

"Good Luck" ........... oh and welcome.......

Welcome regenerizit. You have found the best, or worst, kept secret on the net..HuntingNut.

Good luck with your hunt mate...wish I could hunt elk with you.....don't have them here in Australia.

Cheers, Vince