Unit 44 Colorado

I have drawn a fourth season unit 44 Colorado deer tag. I am a Colorado resident but I have never hunted this unit. I have read some previous posts but nothing from the 2010 season. I heard through the grapevine that some very nice bucks were taken in 2010. Any information on this unit would be greatly appreciated as I have three young children and will have very little time to scout.
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TheGreatwhitehunter
I see this is your first post well let me say ::wel to Muley Madness.
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Congradulations on your draw. I have never hunted unit 44 before but we have muzzle loader tags for that unit this year. We also have 8 preference points built up for deer and plan to hunt unit 44 as soon as we can get drawn. If I can remember, after our hunt I will let you know what we find because we will be scouting for deer while we are hunting elk however the deer will most likely be in a totally different location by the 4th season.
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TheGreatwhitehunter
I dont know much about hunting 44 as I never hunted it but I used to work in unit 44. It used to be a HOT unit .but harsh winters have hurt the deer population there is however still some big bucks coming out of the unit still. I would get ahold of the warden and bioligist for the unit and get their opinions on where to concentrate. There is a few members here that have hunted it in the last few years be patient and as I am sure they will help you out.
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dahlmer
I haven't hunted that particular unit, but have heard that it carries great genetics. If you look at the record books they are full of bucks from Eagle County. My understanding is that deer numbers are way down in the unit after several years of hard winters, but I do believe that there are still some very nice bucks to be found there.
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i know this unit like the back of my hand lol i live in it. its got alot better then years past already seein some monsters! its tough to hunt in the 4 th season tho lot of snow usually but its still some of the best huntn. let me no if ya need any help with it like i said i live in 44 in gypsum so if ya need some help im just down the road lol
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Hey there Coloradobuck. I got that muzzleloading elk tag for unit 44. Are you ready for a steak dinner. I was looking at Google earth at some potential spots. According to what I saw there is a road just southwest of Sylvan lake called Powerline road and off that there is one called Leeman Gulch road. Do you know if these roads are open and if they are passable with a truck or ATV only.
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i know the power line really well. but you got to be carfull there. your right on the boarder of 44 and 444 but i know a spot called frost creek were i can put ya on some elk but its a bit of a hike like i said before but dam good huntn same with bucks
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Sounds good, Maybe we can make contact with you when we get there and talk about it over that steak dinner.
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Thanks for all the replies. I am new to forums and my wife informed me that I am an idiot because no one uses their real name. Oh well, we are all hunters. I took the family to Sylvan Lake this weekend for a camping/scouting trip. I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of prime looking Mule Deer terrain on the North half of the unit. It is a massive area to try to cover in a 5 day season. I will contact the warden, thanks for the tip.
Colorado Buck, any information would be much appreciated. I am not sure how I can return the favor other than I have killed a couple of 170 class deer in unit 20 (easy draw) and I photographed a 46" wide mule deer there a few years ago. I am also considering an archery Elk hunt/scouting trip to unit 44 in late September and would be happy to add another Steak dinner.
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haha im gonna have to post on here bout unit 44 more often with all these steak dinneres ;) haha but seriously i like to help people i know others here that wouldnt think to help. but to me hunting is not just killn an animal its also helpn other hunters harvest theirs. so any help you guys need i will be glad to help out
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TheGreatwhitehunter
Thanks for all the replies. I am new to forums and my wife informed me that I am an idiot because no one uses their real name.
 Not true, more than a few people use their real name, the rest of us hide behind our alter egos lol
Again ::wel to the Madness and I hope you stick around and enjoy one of the best hunting sites on the net.

I see you mentioned unit 20, I spent some time in that unit, living in Fort Collins it is very close by.

I have friends that live in Unit 20. Do you live up in that area? I always found that area hit and miss depending on weather it can be productive depending on where you are hunting.

Colorado buck grew up in 44 and knows it well, there is also a few other memebrs here that have hunted it the last few years. Yes the deer numbers are down but the units still holds some dandy bucks they are just a bit fewer and farther between than past years. Hunt hard and stay alert and you should do ok. At the gas station in gypsum, I heard that if you buy Colorado buck desert after a nice steak dinner he will show you his honey holes lol
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TheGreatwhitehunter
Ronald, you back up in Gypsum or you still living in the Springs?
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im back in ol gypsum couldnt find work in the springs so was forced to come back up here and yes a nice piece of pie and i'll show you the family honey hole..(least close to it ;) ) haha
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4th season buck is easy hunt usually just gotta know where they are at the big boys are smart though and they will not be in the same areas as they are during archery and 1st and second they are to smart for that
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970bowhunter
Hey guys new to the forum, Thanks for such a cool forum, helps feed my obsession. I drew a 44 archery deer tag this year. first time with a tag in the unit but was with a friend on a very successfull muley hunt up there last year. he shot a 192 stud out of there. like most have said the numbers arent huge but there are still some awesome bucks out there. scouting hasnt shown much but weather and moon havent helped much. ill let you guys know how things look so itll help with your 4th season hunt
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TheGreatwhitehunter
::wel to the Madness
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Hey 970bowhunter, seen any elk on those scouting trips. I am going to be there for muzzleloading season. not trophy hunting just looking for something legal.
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970bowhunter
I havent seen any yet. A couple of my buddies had really good luck up there last year during archery season.
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killerbee
geeze, this post is making me hungry!
anybody want to come hunt in oregon?
i just want a steak dinner lol


i just hope you guys asking for help are nice enough to return the favor, and make sure to post when you hunt is done. the ratio of guys signing one for info and then never hearing from them again is pretty high-
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Hiker
"killerbee" wrote: i just hope you guys asking for help are nice enough to return the favor, and make sure to post when you hunt is done. the ratio of guys signing one for info and then never hearing from them again is pretty high-
 Very true!
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The local warden gave me a few areas to focus on, mostly on the Gypsum side. He says the weather is key to driving them down to the lower areas. I have seen some photos of deer taken in 2010 up there, very impressive.
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heres my '10 unit 44 buck. may not be a big buck but its a typical size for the unit
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hound_hunter
Sweet buck CB, that right side in gnarley, I like big 2's
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There is a very good thread on this forum I found a couple years ago on this web site. If you can find it in the archives it is full of good info from someone who grew up in gypsum and hunted it for many years.
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oakbrush
Here is the post. Good read actually..

http://www.muleymadness.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8848


oakbrush
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Thank you Oak Brush. I'm good at the search bar and not much else as to computers.That should help out a lot.
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haha i remember that post lol love unit 44! nice to have been born and raised in it!
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I took time to read the post and thats not it, though it is full of good info as well. The thread I am speaking of ends with the fellow from gypsum asking for help with ca. b zone blacktails in return for his help with gmu 44. I have it saved on my computer. I will try to post it here.
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I actually found this site from a google search and that post came up. It was very enjoyable reading Primals full story. I would love to see the post from the local also.
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TheGreatwhitehunter
Quote by Codyca:
If you can find it in the archives it is full of good info from someone who grew up in gypsum and hunted it for many years.
 That would be Colorado Buck
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Not to take anything away from colradobuck but this guy was a bit older and goes into descriptions of the different antler configurations between the bucks on hardscrabble and those on red table mt. saying red table holds wide heavy beamed bucks with deep forks and hardscrabble held bucks that were more narrow and tall also with good forks. Then says buck hunting is also good anywhere around the gypsum creek drainage. He asks for help with b zone black tails at the end of his post as he was in california at the time. Colorado buck I have read some of your posts and they are very informative. Hope you get those dinners. And hey nice buck. I have the post saved for future reference but cant find what folder I put it in. Sorry, I will try harder to find it. :thumb
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Less than 1 month away and I am thinking about the hunt constantly. It feels like the seasons are running a bit late in Colorado this year. The Elk are still bugling in many areas. It seems that early snow is very important for this hunt and my fingers are crossed. My focus will be on the Gypsum side but does anyone have experience on the East side(Hardscrabble)?
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both sides are about the same you gotta walk to find them hunting these areas can produce anywhere jus get off the road and walk
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I did end up taking this Buck on the last day of the season. I saw a couple larger Bucks while scouting the day before season. Great hunt but you have to work to find the big ones.
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dang that is a nice buck congrats. I'm thinking of trying for 44 this year. =D>
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thats a pretty nice buck right there for sure congrats on a nice buck
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Muleys 24/7
Nice one, I'd be happy with it!
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primal215
Real nice buck! And good job holding out. That unit is worth the wait and the work, it has some dandy bucks if you can hold out for them and pass on the smaller 4 points.
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primal215
That buck looks to have identical horn structure to the one I shot in 44 a few years back other then the 5th point on one side and slightly larger horns mine had but the way the points bend, there length, and mass compared to other points is identical, it must be directly from the same genies. Did you have a biologist age it for you? I wonder if those genies are just realy strong or if it's my bucks off spring or if my bucks daddy was still getting does that year or the year before. I'm guessing your buck is about 3.5 to 4 years old from what the biologist there told me about mine and how fast this areas horns grow. Anyway good post, great buck, and keep up the hard hunting.

Did you get the rack scored?
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I did not have him scored but I estimate 175-180. I read your post and I think I shot mine in the same area you shot yours and you are right, the antler structure is almost identical.
I also saw three different deer with a 3" kicker off of their right G2.
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Hey guys I drew a third season tag in 44 this year! Just thought I would throw out a question and get your thoughts on what to expect? I have heard some good reports as the deer are starting to come back, would you guys recommend some places to start? Places to avoid thanks in advance and good luck this fall!
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There are good deer throughout the unit. Snow will benefit you in finding them tremendously. The deer were primarily in the scrub oak in the 4th season in 2011. The 7 hermits, Bellyache Ridge, Salt Creek, Spring Creek and Red Mountain all had good deer. Scout hard and cover a lot of the unit.
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primal215
Listen to coloradobuck he knows the area well and can point you all in the right direction or you can PM me and I'll give you the low down on the area. The buck in my avatar is a third season (the year before they offered a 4th) 185 buck from unit 44 but read my blog on 44 first. Good luck guys you got a golden ticket in your pocket
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last year during 3rd season i was focused on elk had a ton of snow that season and fourth season but i did see some nice bucks. but they were all hiding atleast a 30 minute hike off the road. all the 7 hermit deer, salt creek deer an frost creek deer were stayin to the private land or real close to it. the guys i new with tags had a hell of a time filling tags an they were locals. suggestions scout hard, walk a lot and keep your eyes open.
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I live in 44 pretty much and know some great where some mulies that would score 200plus not even ten miles out of eagle. Just my phone number is 719 640 3598i
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