For some it’s a viable commercial activity, for others simply a way to get out and observe wildlife. Mountains. But if you venture out in search of sheds, it’s important to remember that it is both illegal and unethical to harass wildlife, and it’s easy to do so accidentally in early spring when elk are recovering from winter and more accessible at lower elevations. These are considered the best moose hunting areas in the state. You require to complete is hit upon the right game managing units in Colorado, and you’ll know how to fill up the freezer. Male deer and elk shed their antlers annually. 5 Best Places to Find Shed Antlers Just walking around in the woods trying to find shed deer antlers is a low-percentage deal. Unit 65 intersects to Gunnison, Montrose, also Hinsdale provinces. Ron Velarde, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s northwest regional manager, says big-game animals lose as much as 30 percent of their body weight in winter, and the loss is magnified by human pressure, exponentially so when it includes the use of loud, fast off-road vehicles and dogs trained to hunt sheds. Because of that, we got the point to bring together the best place to elk hunt in Colorado of the Western United States. The snowstorm generally compels your target to travel to the minor provinces of this hunting unit. The cow to bull percentage is roughly 80%-20%. The 2020 Colorado Outdoors Photography Issue is available now. They carry their horns for life. This unit 13 has huge inhabitants of elk and deer. (Photo by Brian Strickland) October 30, 2017 By Brian Strickland. Shed hunting locations will change from season to season because the travel patterns of elk and deer will vary. And given that I was scouting around the 9,000 to 9,500 foot level, I didn’t expect to come across many (if any) elk sheds. Some times it simply feels good to know that a year of planning, researching and preparation can pay off. Big game seasons have ended and spring turkey seasons have not yet started. The region is best place to elk hunt in Colorado by any means. The unit has the most achievement rates and entire harvests. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. For every 1.1 bulls in the particular region, there’re more than five cows. During elk hunting in Colorado you may need some hunting equipment like Climbing Tree Stand to know more you can check out our blog about it. By Adam Parr. Quick Tips: Gearing Up for a Wilderness Fly-Fishing Trip. A fun page to share pics from successful shed hunting trips. Early 90’s, last time I hunted New Mexico , fish and game charged by the pound on sheds and deadheads. Whether you’re an experienced hunter or a novice, you’re looking to bag a trophy or just want to fill your freezer, here’s why Norwood should be on your list of places to hunt in Colorado. Off. Denver. You may, conversely, mark from the highway (please do not attempt it if you are driving your car!). 9 Tips and Places for Shed Hunting . “In all deer species, antlers are biological ‘luxuries.’ No matter how genetically blessed a bull or buck may be, only after the animal’s primary nutritional and health needs are satisfied—bone and muscle growth, the healing of injuries and infections—will ‘leftover’ nutritional resources be channeled into exceptional antler growth. Several hunters also have a tendency to stop thinking about the essential detail that hunting is a knapsack game. Learn how your comment data is processed. New antler growth begins almost immediately thereafter. Shed Hunting: From Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Of course, Coors is the largest and most well known in the area, but there are several craft breweries, including Wynkoop Brewing Company and the Great Divide Brewing Company. The Lincoln and Santa Fe National Forests hold good elk populations along with the Magdalena and Mount Taylor ranger districts in the Cibola National Forest. As with anything in life, the more you practice and the more time you put in, the better you will get. Colorado's state animal, the bighorn sheep, are in the rut now and are putting on a show in the Poudre and Big Thompson canyons. As most big-game hunters know well, elk are from the Cervidae family—ruminant animals that include moose, deer and caribou. Been hunting Colorado for over 45 years. Even though unit 22 has large numbers of unrestricted property, there’re regular gas businesses that are placed in the region, besides these possibly will reason some barriers. With more than two hundred fifty-thousand elks surrounded by its boundaries, Colorado is residence to more or less 40% of the animal’s inhabitants in the USA. The whole harvest in unit 22 was almost 84 in the year 2015. If I stumble into a shed or deadhead, I shouldn’t have to have a license to keep it. With general hunting grounds located to the north, GMU 14 offers great elk hunting during the summer range, and limited hunting during the winter. Concentrate your efforts in these five areas to up your odds of owning more bone. Finding Hunting Spots . If you want to use the classified land for your hunting, it will need you to permit the additional hunters to be familiar with your actions. Thus are big antlers indicative not only of good genes and longevity, but also of an exceptionally efficient foraging strategy.”, According to American Hunter contributor Bill Buckley (in “The Great Wapiti,” Aug. 2009), “During the summer months, elk antlers can grow an inch per day and can exceed 5 feet in length, reaching optimum size (and weighing up to 40 pounds) when a bull is 6 to 8 years old.” David Petersen adds (in “Racks: A Natural History of Antlers and the Animals that Wear Them”): “An average mature bull will have six points total, a main-beam length around 48 inches, an inside spread of 30 inches or less and a Boone & Crockett total score in the neighborhood of 260 to 290.”. Take a look at the best bachelor party destinations in Colorado. Just like in most cases in life, there will always be a small number of people willing to do anything for a set of antlers. Experienced hunters who want to challenge themselves should hunt in northern Wyoming. 6. More often than not, they’re in the uneven fractions, and these animals are positioned pretty deep. In other times of the year, the elks are far away from each other and a smaller amount in the figure. One of the best aspects of elk shed hunting is enjoying the spring time in elk country. You should stay outside the highways in so far as possible because these big sport in Colorado (also nearly all states) is more often than not found further outside the highway. According to Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW), the best places to view mountain goats along the Front Range are at Mount Evans and at Grays and Torreys Peaks. For this unit, it’s most excellent to hunt throughout the 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. But did you know, Norwood and the surrounding Wright’s Mesa offers some of the best big game hunting in the state? Further west, mountain goats can be spotted near Independence Pass and at Cottonwood Lake (near Cottonwood Pass), both in the Sawatch Range, and near the Million Dollar Highway in southwestern Colorado. Follow game trails and use Binos to save boot leather. Deer 5 Best Places to Find Shed Antlers. If you lack experience in the world of shed hunting, sometimes you can feel overwhelmed when it comes to getting started. With shed hunting season well underway in Colorado, I thought I would offer up a few tips for the novice shed hunter looking to find that precious prize. 2,018 likes. Deer will generally lose their antlers between late December and late March depending on several variables. I built up 8 years of preference points in order to hunt the Uncompahgre (unit 61) in Colorado. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. transition wild. CPW aquatic biologists studying Bear Creek after survey shows troubling decline in population of greenback cutthroat, Colorado’s state fish. It’s better to find to the backwoods sooner than morning and anticipate for the target to leave feeding at some stage in the daylight hours. In “A Man Made of Elk,” Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers founder David Petersen details some pertinent antler facts. The snow has finally melted and it's time to get out and do some scouting. Spend your time in a big city with a vacation rental in Denver. They shed their antlers every year, unlike animals that sport “horns,” which include antelope, sheep, cattle, buffalo and rhinoceros. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Scouting in the same general area Wednesday morning, I picked up a 5x elk shed, but no matching antler. Never miss a post! 7 Best Action Camera for Low Light: Reviewed With a Complete Buying Guide, 7 Best Trail Camera for Home Security: Review with Complete Buying Guide, 7 Best Fish Finder for Crappie: Reviews and Complete Buying Guide, 8 Best Waterproof Camera for Kayak Fishing: A Complete Underwater Fishing Camera Guide. The rule of thumb that I have used over the years, and one that I find to be consistent is as follows: 20% of bucks will drop in January, 60% will drop in February, and 20% will drop in March. Antler collectors and all people recreating in Colorado are reminded that shed antler and horn collecting is prohibited on all public lands west of I-25 from March 2 through April 30. Find the best hunting times for game in North America. Enjoy page after page of stunning photography, featuring some of Colorado’s most beautiful wildlife and landscapes. Mentally, I had almost conceded that this was simply not going to be my year. We’ve listed some of the best places to find shed antlers below. If you are a passionate hunter, then surely Colorado is your much-loved state for elk hunting by a considerable margin. The hunting Colorado Elk Unit 13 is typically classified as land that covers just about 363 square miles. And during the years I’ve hunted this area, I have never found an elk shed, although focusing on elk hunting in September or October vs. shed hunting in April or May is an entirely different animal. In Colorado, shed hunting is restricted Jan. 1 through April 30 with additional restrictions in the Gunnison Basin that run through May 15. Colorado Shed Hunters. At this point, let’s enjoy our top five places: This unit extends crossways the regions of La Plata along with San Juan. Harvest as the whole in unit 74 is roughly a hundred. Good places to find shed deer antlers is a mountainous scrub and brush territory with expansive lines live near foothills... 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