Colorado Elk 4th Season GMU 11/211

[tydurand14]

Hey guys, my friend and I are planning a DIY public land hunt in CO for 4th Rifle Season in GMU 11/211. I have a couple of questions that would help us out in planning this hunt.

1) Are there good sanctuary areas in 11/211 where we will be able to find those bachelor groups of bulls? or are these unit primarily areas for cows? Not sure about applying for the cow vs bull tag.
2) We are looking into hunting the Cross Mountain area, does anyone have any information on this area? I know that approaching that range from the east you can camp at Cross Mountain campground but would need to cross the river and then hike to get into elk country. Approaching from the west may be a lot more pressure due to the road access.

We have also looked into the ranges on either side of CO RD 7 heading NW from Meeker.

Any information on these units would help.

Thank you guys! Love being a part of this wonderful group of outdoorsman!

 

[HighDesertSage]

You'll find bulls and cows on that hunt, but everything depends on the snow. Last season the elk didn't com down until well after 4th rifle.

 

[tydurand14]

If the snow doesn't come are you still able to find bulls/cows in the eastern parts of 211? I know its a bit tougher to find the patches of public land on that side of the unit but OnXMaps really helps get past that obstacle.
Thanks for the feedback!

 

[teej89]

was in 211 last year in the third season, locals said it was the worst year of hunting they've ever seen. We didn't tag out but if I had a cow tag I coulda tagged out a couple times. We were NW of meeker and some of the shots these guys were talking about were jaw dropping, 600-800yds.... If they get a good snow and the elk start migrating it can be pretty good. The one guy has hunted/assisted in hunting every season 1st-4th for the last 10yrs and he hasn't hunted anywhere else he said.

 

[IK-NWhunter]

How did your hunt go tydurand14? I just submitted my CO applications ahead of the deadline and put this same season in as a second choice for a bull tag. I’ve got some of the same questions you asked above. Was the river too deep to wade across in chest waders? I’m curious how many elk you saw in the wilderness study areas? Feel free to PM me if you’d rather respond off-thread.

 

[Lyfter1013]

How did your hunt go tydurand14? I just submitted my CO applications ahead of the deadline and put this same season in as a second choice for a bull tag. I’ve got some of the same questions you asked above. Was the river too deep to wade across in chest waders? I’m curious how many elk you saw in the wilderness study areas? Feel free to PM me if you’d rather respond off-thread.

Just a tip if you click on a persons forum
Name here it shows their most recent activity this guy hasn’t been logged on since March of 2017.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

You don't even need to click on it. Just hover the mouse pointer on the name.

 

[dbachman_50]

I would note that I hunted this tag in 2020. We showed up just after a spine surgery and Covid 19! The question was "Are there good sanctuary areas in 11/211 where we will be able to find those bachelor groups of bulls? or are these unit primarily areas for cows? Not sure about applying for the cow vs bull tag.
2) We are looking into hunting the Cross Mountain area, does anyone have any information on this area? I know that approaching that range from the east you can camp at Cross Mountain campground but would need to cross the river and then hike to get into elk country. Approaching from the west may be a lot more pressure due to the road access."



I do not want to give away secrets as it is more fun to find them on your own. I shot a bull I will include pictures of. This was a leftover tag on public land. I am more of a whitetail hunter by birth, so I did lots of scouting and made lots of phone calls. That is my first tip.

To answer the question, I would say, yes, though finding a sanctuary is hard with LOTS of hunting pressure. We did hit the Cross Mountain area, and my opinion is that it was not good for fourth season at all. There was a group of about 500 elk right across in private land near there, but no access of course.
This year, I will exercise more ahead of time and plan to go deeper into a different unit I am hunting. I am going with Dad and we are taking pack horses; then on another Mule Deer hunt I am packing in to stay for a week.

 

[IK-NWhunter]

Nice bull, especially for a leftover tag dbachman_50! I drew 3 other tags in addition to this one and my wife just accepted a job in Alaska. It's going to be tough to fit in my other hunts before the move. This was the last one on the calendar, so I had to turn in the tag for a refund. I'm not complaining given all the opportunity I'll have up there, just a little bummed I'll never get to hunt the unit. Thanks for the tips anyway!