Hungry Horse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gi6uY94Plc Here is a video off RT 133 showing side road action, here he calls them detours. I like D, Cr 3 that he takes towards the Marble Quarry I believe. The area surrounding the town of Marble is Unit 43 I believe, and the Ragged Wilderness area once you get high and back in there aways. If you go into Marble past the small lake, and take the 4x4 Rd to Crystal Mills, you will be in the Lead King Basin area, that is a beautiful area. I believe the route D taken...just misses the town of Marble and goes toward the Marble Quarry. If I remember correctly, there is a state campground right at the beginning of Cr # 3 off Rt 133. It is pretty nice. This is right before McClure Pass and several miles before Kebler Pass Cr 12 in Unit 53 Unit 521 and Unit 54 by Ohio Pass. Pretty country. Route C up Coal creek looks nice also, I see lots of horse trailer rigs on that road. HH

https://www.myscenicdrives.com/drives/colorado/west-elk-loop Some good information on the West Elks and the area from FB and www.myscenicdrives.com/ This would be Unit 53, 54 521 55 63. HH

Perhaps as the year enters spring and folks get out to scout, more activity make comes to this thread. The original thought was a OTC Unit, so there is still time for a decision, and a gathering of folks who enjoy elk hunting in Colorado may come . Tags for OTC Units can be bought much later. In this thread silvertip_co has added links to buy your tags, and a link to receive a Colo hunting regulation booklet. They seem to be slow with the delivery, as I am still awaiting mine for 2017. Just scroll back to find his thread with the links. HH

Congratulations Jeff, I hope you and your old ex boss have a great and successful hunt ! HH

https://coloradooutdoorsmag.com/2017/02/27/video-gunnison-launches-big-game-baiting-program/ A Video from Colo FWP on Gunnison Colo area & on the wildlife's condition. ( deer & elk ). HH

Dawg: Thanks for the reply, glad it worked for you. East coast folks costs will be more, and if you draw Non Res deer as well as elk tags, it is even more. I feel they are cutting some involved cost in the article... but perhaps not... if you do it all their way. HH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Q3yVVyJDY Another train ride, must be fro Chama NM to Cumbres Pass on the Cumbres Toltec train. This would be the southern section of Unit 81 in Colo. HH

Jeff I agree, would be a great opportunity to hunt elk or deer off the train, if it passes through some good hunting lands. On 24 hour campfire myself and a few others had discussed the chance to hunt the Weminuche Wilderness Unit 75, off the Durango Silverton train ride. They are geared for stopping at Needleton and Elk Park for hikers and hunters I understand. Your hunt gear goes in the cargo car, and I understand the elk, if taken needs to be in coolers ( elk meat ) and placed in the cargo car also. No blood from the carcass is allowed on the car floors. Ex Biologist I refer to in the earlier posts, and I, had a discussion on this and the % of harvest success on elk a few years ago. I did read a article from a Philadelphia fireman who had success bowhunting elk this way off the train and I have a friend from Bayfield Colo back many years who shot ( bowhunt ) his mtn goat that way. Said it was a tough hunt on the 14,000 ft Mtns. I think killing it was not all that hard... getting it out was ! I PM'd the Philadelphia fireman about his hunt but he never replied. He did kill though. Thank you for the reply, it seems quite lonely on here ! : ( HH

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/11842339/1 Alamosa from 24 Hour campfire forums, elk section, posted up some elk & deer photo today from the Sangre De Cristos, the west side of them I am assuming, still some elk and deer left in the San Luis Valley. HH

So.... between the offerings of silvertip_ co, texastrophies, and Hungry Horse, what information do you folks want to make a Realtree gathering work in 2017 ? I agree there is a lot more that could be offered, but what specifically do you Realtree members want to see ? HH

https://www.facebook.com/Elk101/videos/ A very short video of the effectiveness of the frontal shot on elk, if close. This could be YOU ! Again all the videos loaded again, click more videos, and see the frontal elk shot video below. HH video credit elk101.com/ Enjoy all the videos. A broadside shot is best, but sometimes just not available to you. HH

https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoParksandWildlife/videos/ Hopefully a video of the deer and elk being feed to get them through the winter in the Gunnison River Valley. Scroll down to the Bobcat being loaded beginning of the 2nd line. It did not load the specific video, but rather the whole video page . Enjoy any of the other videos. HH

Ok, watched the video. My findings... Engine 484 leaves Antonito Colo, 000-14:00 all sagebrush prairie, 14:45 Aspens begin, 22:00 to 27:00 1st stop Sublette for water stop, 30:20 valley view, 33:30 High point of train ride it seems, nice views, 39:44 to 42:26 nice views, 43:59 to 44:35 Tunnel, 45:12 nice views, 46:40 valley view, 47:22 valley view, 49:58 views open country, 51:10 Osier station 2nd stop, 55:40 snowing at Osier, and seems as the 484 Chama bound train pulls out and video maker get on the rear of the approaching Antonito bound train, 1: 01:40 we have a train pull out from Osier and I think it is headed towards Antonito Colo. But at the end of the train ride, Engine 484 pulls into the engine house, but where? Little confused ! But the video allows you to see the terrain along the Cumbres Toltec RR and of Unit 81 southern portion close to New Mexico. If the train would stop and allow you acess off the train and a later pick up, days later, that would be nice for a elk hunt in Unit 81. Of course... you would have to be prepared to bivy camp while hunting. Just my thoughts. HH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1WFTUOcENI The Cumbres Toltec RR from Antonito Colo to Chama NM. This is in Unit 81 in the southern area. It is a long video 1 Hr 33 min. This will show you the sagebrush prairie to the high mountain passes. I am not certain if the train has stops where you can leave the train and hunt & hike and be picked back up days later, as on the Durango Silverton Train ride from Durango to Silverton. Sure does pass through some pretty areas. HH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9IqpfuPxEo A backpacking video of Unit 81 and the South San Juan Wilderness. It is a beautiful area. See the panaromanic shot at 12:58 through 14:40, beautiful country ! They saw 4 elk at 10:45. They had hiked to Conjeos Peak and the Continental Divide. If you have a Colorado Atlas & Gazetteer you can find the lakes they have passed. Blue lake. Glacier Lake, Tobacco Lake, Bear lake and finally Roaring Gulch. They are above Platora Reservior, a hunt location of the Realtree camp in 2013 I believe. Just a video for a visual of the country in Unit 81 above Platora reservoir. I found this on www.youtube.com/ HH

http://blog.eastmans.com/western-big-game-deathtrap-winters-cold-cruel-wrath-its-upon-us/ Mike Eastman from Eastman's Hunting Journal thoughts on big game with the bad winter of 2016 2017. HH

http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/EHU.aspx From Colorado FWP, Elk Hunting University, each Chapter has many lessons, Click on each Chapter, and then read the many lessons concerning elk hunting. A excellent learning tool for all elk hunters offered by Colorado FWP. If you are a first timer or an experienced hunter, a very good read. HH Richard

http://www.elkcamp.com/get-smart-on-elk.html 24 good tips from Jay Houston on Elk Hhunting Tips, some excellent tips ! Go to the website and scan his collection of good articles. www.elkcamp.com/ HH Richard

Too late to edit, but it is a old thread from biggamehunt.net forums talking about Unit 53. Ex biologist is a biologist for Colo FWP now. You will find him posting on www.24hourcampfire.com/ forums now. Sounds like deer numbers have fallen since the thread. This winter Jan Feb 2017, is deep snows in Unit 53, Unit 54, so possibly a larger winter kill due to deep snowfall. Elk will survive better than the deer. I did see on Facebook that Colo FWP is feeding the game in the Gunnison Valley In all honesty... I do not see a Realtree gathering happening this fall. There is still time to obtain OTC elk tags for Unit 53 54 521 55 63 but I do not see the interest from the membership. Good Luck to all. You are welcome to any videos or web links I have added to this thread. I am allowing this thread to die here and probally will have no more input. HH Richard

http://www.biggamehunt.net/forum/co-gmu-53 A discussion of Unit 53 and a map showing unit 53, the dark colored line inside the blue line is the West Elk Wilderness area in Unit 53. HH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Acbsu5SA8g For those interested a VIDEO in the above link for Lake Irwin Campground.

http://www.backcountrychronicles.com/diy-western-elk-hunt-for-1000-budget/ On a budget, you can hunt Colorado. Click the link to see how it is done. Colorado Non Res hunt on a $1, 000 budget ?

Jeff: You are welcome. Rt 133 from Carbondale is a nice drive, passes through some good hunting locations. Enjoy the videos www.youtube.com has some good videos. www.vimeo.com also. Just use the search box to find what you want. Charlie: Thanks for the updated info on Unit 54 and the new pink color. Unit 54, 53, 63, 55, 81 ...elk are where you find them. That elk might have been taken in 4th season, but don't tell Dawn. Let her keep her hopes up ! HH

http://www.backcountrychronicles.com/colorado-otc-elk-tags/ Another good article on choosing a elk hunting unit. I believe that article is by Mike Eastman. Read the article as well as the Question & Answer section for good results. HH