Stormay05

Hi to everyone out there im new to the forum and had a few questions i need some help with

My father and me have been wanting to elk hunt out west on public land DIY. We are leaning towards the south San Juan wilderness area for our trip.
So my question is where can you hunt is this wilderness area? The whole are or is it limited to certain places?

Any input is greatly appreciated

txhunter58

I am pretty sure all wilderness areas can be hunted 100%. I have hunted in more than a few and have never heard otherwise. Sometimes access to certain areas could be blocked by private land, so that could be an issue in some areas. Just remember that access is limited to your own feet or on the back of an animal (riding or packing). Can not even use a rolling cart with a bicycle wheel

Stormay05

Thanks for the info I know the wilderness are is in 4 different GMUs is any one better than the others

Alsatian

I recommend you phone the Colorado Department of Wildlife or Department of Fish and Game -- whatever the name of the state department is. They should be able to tell you what areas are open for public hunting. You need to match the hunting season you plan to hunt to the altitude you hunt at. In early rifle seasons, elk are high on the mountain; in late rifle seasons, the elk are driven down lower on the mountain by snows. Ask the folks at the Colorado Department of Fish and Game about research resources you can look into to find what are good areas to hunt: good numbers of elk, appropriate ratios of bulls to cows. There is some sort of big game CD that you can buy that provides good information. Ask questions of locals. It takes some effort to sniff out the information, but be diligent and you will get there.

Murdy

"is some sort of big game CD that you can buy that provides good information"

Do you mean purchase from the Colorado Department of whatever? If not, do you have any idea on how to track it down?

Big Uncle

Hunting Colorado is largely a matter of how many preference points you have. Colorado DOW has statistics available on their web site that will help you figure out what units you may be able to draw. This should narrow down your choices quite a bit. Once you have done this, and figure out which season and weapon that you want, you can get some useful opinions here.

I hope you and your father are in excellent shape with no health issues before you head into the high rough areas!

blueriverboy

the south san juan country is beautiful but rugged and very snowy in the late seasons. A good bet for archery or muzzleloader.