Colorado 75

Hunting unit 75 for first time.will be hunting off of county rd 682.Anyone have any advice on this area.Hunted unit 15 in the past.

Alright, you are going up Missionary Ridge. The last time I hunted that was in 2000 if I remember correctly. There was a fire which consumed 60 plus square miles in the La Plata Mountains. The area is one of the steeper areas to hunt. You did not say what season you are hunting. The elk on that Mountain will flood off that mountain to the Apple orchards and meadows along Hwy. 550 at the first sign of pressure. I don't know what the habitat looks like since the fire, but I will give you the areas that in the past I killed elk or saw them in numbers.
Henderson Lake, the valley just above it is good as is Burnt Timber Rd. area. If you follow the roads to the boundaries of the Weinemuche (MSPL) there are many areas you can Google Earth for meadows to sit on as when the Great Pumpkins push the Elk all around the Mountain. Durango for all the Welcome Hunter signs is not what I consider a hunter friendly town. We had confrontations with Peta types followed by the old rancher types that want the elk shot out, real strange! I hope this gives you some help you can use. John

Going second season.I was looking at going to grasshopper area..With the weather pattern being warmer than normal and continues this season the elk will be in the higher eleavation

I live north of Durango. I can see Grasshopper from my house. PM me if you want to.
BTW, there are good elk in Grasshopper/Crazy Woman, but it can be a B*&^% getting in and out. Fun and challenging. You might see some other hunters and definitely one outfitter in there.

BrokenArrow said:

I live north of Durango. I can see Grasshopper from my house. PM me if you want to.
BTW, there are good elk in Grasshopper/Crazy Woman, but it can be a B*&^% getting in and out. Fun and challenging. You might see some other hunters and definitely one outfitter in there.

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Thanks for information.I was thinking grasshopper area because of the hunting pressure and maybe north of Henderson lake.I was also wondering if shots up to 400 yards are possible in that area.I was looking at the map and it looks like mlssinary ridge rd could get a little roughed and narrow after Henderson lake. I appreciate any advice you are willing to give.Also is there any good fishing in that area.

Any advice on locations in that area to scout would give me a good start. In your opinion which will hold more elk with above normal temp and hunting pressure,grasshopper or north of Henderson lake. Also want to do some fishing in that area.

I PM'd you.
Just for all to know, Unit 75 is a typical public land CO hunt just like every other unit. You will work your ass off to make it happen. CO is not that easy anymore. Elk are extremely good at what they do. Don't be afraid of it, just know you'll earn every pound if meat. Listen to your intuition and keep your plan flexible, it will be your greatest asset.