colorado gmu 44

Hello everyone I was lucky enough (well patient enough) to draw a gmu 44 o4 season tag does anyone have any advise as where to hunt, butcher, huntable properties, or places to stay. Also I was thinking of getting a left over cow tag is there a good amount of elk in the area.
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i live in 44 so the best place to hunt is on the eagle gypsum side. most of 44 is public land. theres alot of good huntable areas but your gonna have to work to get to them. its some of the best mule deer buck huntn in the state and has some monster bulls in the high dark timber.
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TheGreatwhitehunter
Not what it once was but still a good tag to have.

Give the warden and bioligist afor the area a call they may be able to help pinpoint what parts of the unit to avoid after a couple bad winters we had.
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actualy in eagle county that unit weatherd fine. the elk herd grew in size as with the deer herd. already ssen a monster 5x4 buck there doin better then previous years
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Hunt back in around West cross creek and East lake creek area Take in alot of Bug spray they are thick. Good Luck you should see some nice bucks in those drainages.
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primal215
Thanks that info is a good start and will help a lot any other info would be greatly appreciated. I talked to the biologist already and he pointed me in many directions and gave me some good info. He also mentioned the bad winter acouple years back but he said the bucks are starting to get big again, saying that last year most of the bucks taged were 24-26 inches wide so this year there should be a fair amount of 30 inchers out there. anyone know a property owner that charges a trespass fee or even better free trespass then that would be nice to know about.
Thanks everyone!
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primal215,
I've spent some time up in that unit & might be able to help out...I sent you a PM.
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just got back from a scoutn trip and came across 10 monste bucks and one over 30 in. and a heard of 200 elk from there
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primal215
Nice, what areas did u see those bruisers? Are you hunting 4th season deer also? That's great to know the big boys are back in there since I just used 11 points to draw this hunt
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unit 44 on the gypsum side
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primal215
Hey Coloradobuck have you been out doing anymore scouting
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primal215
Thanks for your help guys. If anybody has anymore info I would love to hear it. ::wel
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ill post some pics soon of the 3 bucks me my dad and brother harvested in 2007 in 44. i live in eagle and winter of 07 i had a huge monster walk right by the truck was a 7X8 go figure no tag. but i think this unit is great im sorry but i cant tell ya where the big boys are or id be given away my honey hole but the the unit does hold some big bulls and bucks. the bulls are a little harder to come by lots of dark timber to hunt but they are there thats for sure and the elk herds usually move to private land later in the season. i dont know anybody that charges a trespass fee or allows any free trespass but its always worth a try to ask. 4th season is a very tough tag to draw and props to you for gettin it. my opinion is get out ther 3rd season and scout as much as you can and burn some leather to find them. and that huge forker Coloradobuck was a huge fork on one side and a 5 point on the other but was amazing he hangs on private land alot and is hard to find out on public
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primal215
Thanks for the info guys and I cant wait to see those pictures, so post those asap please. Its nice to have a place like this that we can exchange info and help each other succeed with the best knowledge we can.
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yeah ill get those picks on here this week. :thumb
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Hi,

I grew up hunting in Unit 44 before it was a limited trophy unit or before he whole state was limited.

There are big bucks anywhere along the Gypsum Creek drainage - shooting is easier on Hardscrabble if you have a flat shooting rifle and a steady hand. Also consider hunting the hills overlooking the Colorado river west of Gypsum.

There is a good elk population in the area - your odds of running into cow elk or a raghorn bull are very good. A big bull will be very hard to come by unless the snow is deep!

You are likely to see two pretty distinct genetic lines - or at least I used to when I hunted that area more. There is a wide, bow shaped, heavy beamed, deep forked antler formation (I saw them more commonly on Red Table Mounain but not exclusively), and a taller not quite as heavy more angular shape that also has great forks (more often on Hardscrabble).

Watch the roads in wet weather - The power line road and the Cottonwood Pass road are impassible without an ATV unless it's cold enough to freeze the mud.

Good luck! Your opportunity will come - stay calm! LOL I've missed 3 bucks in that unit that would score 180-200 - so far the best I have actually hit only scores about 170.

Now does anyone know anything about hunting B zone blacktails in California?

I'm stuck here on the west coast wondering why the "big bucks" look like yearlings!
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primal215
Hey mosquitoman,
Thank you for the great info it will come in very handy on my hunt I'm sure. What size buck would you hold out for on this hunt. I live in northern A zone but hunt B zone and D5 there are some good bucks in northeastern B zones but you will be hard pressed to find a buck like in the rockies. I used to live in Montana now I'm here and very frustrated with the hunting, but hey its california what can you expect. A good spot to start hunting in B zone is the covelo area. I could recemend acouple other areas but B is huge so what part are you from or interested in.
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hey mosquitoman how long have you lived here i been in gyp since i was born actualy was born in my house on eagle st. lol haha
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primal215
Hey any of you guys have any scouting pictures or pictures of bucks that have taken from the 44 area so that I may have an idea of what to expect or to look for.
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Hi Primal215,
You should hunt for whatever you consider a trophy buck. You have a very good tag, but you can also go home empty handed very easily. I have gone home without a deer more often than not when I was trophy hunting.
But, IF I had your tag - I would be looking for a buck that would score at least 175. Look for width PAST the ears, heavy beams, and forks at least 7-8 inches deep. (odds are if the buck meets those criteria it will be significantly larger) The shape may be taller or wider - but I look for mass first - it takes 4-5 years to develop mass and most older bucks in that area are trophy size. You will know a trophy buck when you see it.

ColoradoBuck
I used to hunt up Gypsum Creek (Hardscrabble and Red Table) both rifle and archery since my first deer license (total of about 25 years). There aren't the deer in the area there were back in the 1980's but the elk population is a lot bigger. I never lived in the area - my Dad just liked hunting there so I kept hunting in the area. He's isn't able to hunt anymore but it holds a lot of good memmories!. I stopped hunting in the area for a few years when I lived in Cortez - there was good hunting a lot closer.
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there deer have kinda been on the down low far as size but the last two - 3 years the size of the bucks has dubbled and in some areas trippled theres a lot lof smaller bucks but them big boys are making a come back for sure and there are a crap ton of elk in that area. i might be mistaken but the frost creek herd is bout 150 200 strong
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hey primal
i meant to get those pictures up but my computer went down and the one i have now that im temporarily using wont let me upload them. but im gonna post the pics from my bucks in 2007
our 2 bucks together mine is wide and not very tall and had antlers more like a whitetail almost my dads is narrow and tall but they were both hangin out together we shot them 15 yards apart
our 2 bucks together mine is wide and not very tall and had antlers more like a whitetail almost my dads is narrow and tall but they were both hangin out together we shot them 15 yards apart
this buck walked right passed me on a 4th season hunt and i didnt have a tag big buck though pictures dont do him justice
this buck walked right passed me on a 4th season hunt and i didnt have a tag big buck though pictures dont do him justice
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TheGreatwhitehunter
Nice Bucks congrats
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primal215
Hey guys thanks a lot for the pics those are nice bucks. But I really want to thank you for all the info I'm sure it will come in handy. I'm Hitting the road tomorrow and should by scouting by sunday, only a few day before the season will start but when there rutting everthing changes day by day so it wont matter much. I'll post some pics If I'm able to find a good buck, and let you know how it went.
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primal215
Well I'm here in 44 and I scouted all day, I saw about 25 does and a 2x3 buck no shooters yet but it's just my first day of scouting and the opener isn't until Wednesday. You guys were right not much deer on the eagle side. Thanks for the info guys I'll keep u posted on any shooters I find
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eagle side if you got the time to scout try the upper kaibab area there is a decent buck that has been comin down by my house with a kicker on one side but is kinda weak on the front forks we have always had nice bucks come down from there and thats a good area to hunt cause you can get right above the eagle ranch pastures. and there are always bucks up there if ya want drive up the subdivision there right before sundown and you can find where they come from thats where i live
this buck was bedded down bout 50 yards off the road and my buddy Coloradobuck took the picture with his phone and spotlight but a nice buck
this buck was bedded down bout 50 yards off the road and my buddy Coloradobuck took the picture with his phone and spotlight but a nice buck
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primal215
Awsome! thank you for the tip I'll scout that tomorrow. I found a good 4 point today that that would go 175 or so he was up on cottonwood I took some pics but cant upload then until I get home. What do you think of the bellyache area should I check that out.
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pm bigantlergetter he will tell yea bout that area since he works in the area
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yeah primal215 shoot me a pm and ill give ya some info on bellyache that i would rather not just throw out on the internet :thumb
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primal215
Hey bigantlergetter, I took that hike today and hunted one of those ridges man am I beat. I hiked around there all day and I was able to turn up some deer. first I saw a forky walking in a very depressed looking manor, then I walked 100yds further along the ridge top and jumped 5 does and a buck(he ran to quick in the trees to tell how big but I'm guessing an average 4 point) I'm guessing the forky just lost his girls to the bigger buck. After that I kept working up the ridge (ridge on the left after trail levels out next to the creek) then I found 4 cow elk and a spike. I do have a cow tag but I was almost at the end of the ridge and I dont have horses with me so I let them go,I need to bag my buck first anyway.
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Yeah the big boys are good at hidin and now that we are gettin into the rut I have seen a lot of those big boys use the smaller bucks to keep a watch while they go find there does and feed glad you atleast seen a few and even some elk I'm sure you have seen a ton but findin elk in Colorado can be harder than ya think keep us posted and good luck tomorrow let me know if ya need any help packin out to I got a lot of free time and would love to help
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primal215
Well gmu 44's 4th season Is not going so well, I have been seeing and talking daily with the biologist (Craig) on the mountain and he is saying that this has been a very slow start for 4th season (and all of 3rd)He knew of only 2 elk that had been taken and 1 buck. The buck was bagged with a landowner tag and was a huge 200+ nontypical. I did hear 22 shots in a 5 minute period (I thought it was a bunch of idiots) while hunting back around Coffin mountain, when I hiked back to my truck I talked to a guy that said a group of guys found elk in third gulch (amazing) and bagged 4 or 5 (bad shootingat 5\6 shots per elk) of them. Well weather is on its way so hopefully everything will change tomorrow. Thanks for your offer to help me pack out if needed, If the weather dosen't change things I may have to go way far back in to fill a tag and just may need all the help I can get.
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well sounds like them guys either didnt know how to shoot or were doin something stupid to get them flushed out idk though. im hopin this weather sets in for you though that will help you out a ton i have hunted coffin in the past and seen some dandys but it always seems to be hit or miss in there. i havent heard of anyone in eagle or gypsum talkin bout havin a good 3rd season either. but just keep your head up and keep hunting one of the things i have learned huntin up here and some people might tell ya otherwise is i hunt all day long the bucks me and my dad shot were taken around 11 and i shot my archery buck this year at around 130 so i personally will hunt all day long. but good luck to ya and if ya really need help im always here. plus i got horses just incase you bag that monster and really need help gettin him out. GOOD LUCK :thumb
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primal215
Well after 6 days of searching for a big buck and passing up bucks I found this guy as far as anyone I talked to knows he is the only buck taken so far on this hunt, all the game is holding tight somewhere but who knows where. I must have hiked at least 50 miles this week looking for a good buck but on my way off the mountain and a 1\4 mile from the main road this buck walked infront of my truck so I jumped out and put him down.
well I tried to upload the pic but cant can anyone help me with that
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yeah if ya want to email me the pics ill try and put them up for ya
congrats on the buck and hope to see him
fishinghunter14@aol.com

where did ya get him at
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nice congrats on the buck. bout time someone got one lol
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primal215
"BIGANTLERGETTER" wrote:yeah if ya want to email me the pics ill try and put them up for ya
congrats on the buck and hope to see him
fishinghunter14@aol.com

where did ya get him at
 I took him at the public land access above the airport, I think its spring creek rd or something like that. Sometimes your good and sometimes your lucky, this time I was lucky. :thumb
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TheGreatwhitehunter
Primal sent you a PM

Still a lot of confusion out there as to "HOW TO" post pictures to the forum. Here is the simple 8 step process...


1. Your photo must be uploaded or Hosted on the internet first. Here is a FREEsite that you can register for that will allow you to do that...
http://photobucket.com/

2. You simply click the join now button as shown below...

3. Next your enter in your information as shown below...

4. It will then ask show/ask you a few questions about ADS, just click NO THANKS at the bottom and continue. You will then come to this page where you enter in your username and password...

5. Next click on the Choose file tag, it will then pop up a window and you simply find the location of the image on your computer. In my case the image is called 7base.jpg. Then click the submit button.

6. Your almost done, now you'll see a page similar to this with your photo now uploaded/hosted to the internet. You simply click in the bottom Img box, the one highlighted in gray shown here...then copy and paste that exact link into the website of your choice.

7. In our case we have pasted the Img tag into MuleyMadness forums as shown here...

8. Then simply click the submit button in the forum and WALLA your photo appears in the forum, and of course looks AWESOME!
Your done now, wasn't to bad eh? Enjoy!
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i see yeah there are some dandys up there but nobody really thinks bout it that area completely slipped my mind but congrats
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primal215
Here it is my 2009 buck!
http://s957.photobucket.com/albums/ae58/primal215/
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wow nice buck man congrats that is a nice buck for sure :thumb :thumb :thumb . glad you filled your tag and with one that is nice. whats his width and stuff
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holey moley what a hog i new 44 still had them big ones left
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primal215
He is a 4x5 plus eye guards and a 28 inch spread :)
thank you guys for all the help I have seen some great bucks and awsome country thanks to you guys, you are great guy's and I hope I can help you guys out on your hunts one of these days.
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yeah there still up there and primal i believe you earned this buck for sure. with all your preseason scouting and hikin you have done that buck will always be remembered for the sweat and pain you endured to get him. a big congrats to you and havin him walk out by the road is alot of luck but i think the sun was shinin on ya today and the good lord new how much effort you put into finding him. give us some more details bout the shot and all im always happy to hear of big bucks and bulls comin outa the areas around here congrats once again
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TheGreatwhitehunter
Here you go primal215 now we all can truly enjoy the Big Buck you knocked down.

Congrats on a great buck =D>

Primal215 Buck Colorado


http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae58/primal215/2009coloradobuck089.jpg" alt="" />
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nice buck primal :thumb
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MuleyMadness
WOW, dang beauty of a buck. Sounds like you put in lots of work and homework. Can't be all luck with that much effort. CONGRATS!! 10sign:
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primal215
Thank you guys, I couldnt have done it without the members of this great forum! 10sign:
You guys gave me great info that put me in some beautiful areas that I could see holding awsome deer and elk. I owe bigantlergetter and coloradobuck big time for there great advice and knowledge of the area. Bigantlergetter asked for more detail on the shot but there is not much to say , because I was driving off the mountain and literally a 1\4 mile from springcreek rd which is in the town of gypsum . I was thinking of what part of the gmu to hike into next when the biggest buck I have seen in all my 29 years crossed the road 50 yards infront of my truck so I quickly grabbed my rifle and started to jump out when I realized buck fever had taken over and I forgot to put the truck in park, so I quickly parked it and loaded my rifle. By the time I was ready to bag him another hunter(elk hunter) drove up which spooked him. The buck took off pouncing back across the road as fast as he could so I threw my rifle up and put the cross hairs on him before he could get it the trees then I squeezed the trigger right before he would have disappeared and he was hit. The shot wasn't the best do to running and buck fever but I spined him and I saw his rear half go limp so I quickly put one more round in his chest but at the angle I was in, it went through his chest and into his neck which finished him quickly. He was dead 20 yards of the road which made for a easy drag and a great show for all the hunters going by. For those interested in this gmu I would recommend waiting 2 years to apply for it because the herd is at half its objective and the deer are far and few between but I did see 4 pointers daily just not the caliber I was looking for. If I had points I would wait 2 years for the herd to rebound. I think this area has more huge bucks to small bucks then any area I have ever been so if you want a true bruser apply for this hunt in 2 years. If it wasnt for the bad winter of 2007 there would have been a lot of real trophies
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TheGreatwhitehunter
primal215 Congrats to you on a GREAT COLORADO Mulie Buck, your absolutely right about the waiting to burn points on 44. The area as a whole was hit hard, way harder then DOW is willing to admit as they do not to scare anyone away from Colorado. It will rebound, great units usually do and Colorado DOW probablly manages the states deer herd better than almost any other state. The thing about Eagle County is that the genetics are there to produce monster bucks and all we need now is a few years for the deer herd to rebound a bit. Eagle county has more book entries than any county in the Boone and Crockett books I just hope that the DOW stays on track keeping tag numbers down for 3-4 years to allow the area to make a come back.

Congrats again on a great buck. =D> =D>
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primal215
I had my dad drop the head off to get mounted and Ray at natures design taxidermy of cody,Wy. said it scored 184 6/8 so I'm very happy because I set a benchmark for this hunt of 180+ or nothing at all.

If anybody needs butchering in gmu44 then call Eric of Action Taxidermy & Game Processing, he is a good guy and did a great job :thumb 10sign:
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Great buck. Primal, what was the outside spread?
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primal215
Thank you, he is 28 inches wide on the outside.
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WOW thats really the great one
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how many points did it take? We have a house in eagle county, in vail. how far is gypsum?
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BIG R
Very nice :thumb
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primal215
That tag use to take 10 points but the same tag this year took 14 points, Im guessing a lot of members applied for that tag this year and the later dates for this hunt didnt help with the point hike either. Gypsum is just west of vail about 20-30 miles I think
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ARCHER11
"primal215" wrote:I realized buck fever had taken over and I forgot to put the truck in park, so I quickly parked it and loaded my rifle.
lol On my first deer hunt me and my dad came across a buck crossing the road. Buck fever also got the best of my dad. He tried getting out of the truck with his seatbelt still on haha its funny how worked up us hunters get over a set of antlers!

And congrats on an AWESOME buck!
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primal215
I think I will always get buck fever no matter how many I harvest. I did the same thing your dad did with the seat belt while hunting for a cow elk up in montana a few years back. I think we all live for that rush of actually being close enough to harvest that animal we have hunted so hard for.
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I drew a Unit 44 Muzzleloader tag and looking for recommendations. How's the hunting projected to be for 2011?
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