Ellwood pass
 

I am going hunting in colarado on ellwood pass out pagosa springs can anyone tell me about the elk in the area and the pressure

Snow up there can be rough at times in the rifle season. Wind drifts the snow and makes trails and roads impassable. It is good hunting but with a lot of walk in hunters being closer to the main road. There are some spots a person can get into away from people. If the weather is mild you can hunt near the divide trail with better results. I assume your talking first rifle season. Second rifle season the elk tend to move off to the south towards Pagosa and Navajo Canyon. It's good hunting the only draw back if the elk cross over the divide down into Unit 78 there's not much to bring them back. It's a whole other world once you cross the divide and that becomes a very physical hunt. Its really rugged on the other side. Hunt the north side of North Mountain near Summitville if you get lots of snow elk will be moving down off that side towards Del Norte.

I may have misunderstood your initial message. If you are hunting Unit 78 from the Pagosa side of the old Elwood pass road. Head up to where the Crater lake stream meets the road and head towards the ridge west of Crater Lake it's called Bear Creek just on the other side of that ridge to the west is a gem of a bench that see's very few people hunt but mind you it's rough and elk will move off into there from pressure on the Unit 80 side. I have hunted that a lot but it's not for the faint of heart. Make sure you anchor your animal fast I've had to tie them to rocks just to get them gutted and quartered so they don't slide way down the mountain. Have a great hunt

thanks for your advice i was on east fork last year and didn t see much. I will be going the second season this year again

What is the road like coming in from pagosa on east fork like.. whats the best way to travel it?

East fork road is accessable on the lower part and I would consider it a jeep trail most of the way up to elwood pass. Atv would be faster and safer way to travel in the later season if you camp lower and travel in and out. I have a feeling it will be a early winter on the Divide.

Thanks for all the info good luck to you ll

What's the weather like on the pass now and what are the elk doing you can send a private message on these questions