Colorado unit 74 newbie

D

dustin862

New member
Aug 14, 2017
11
Was hoping I could get some information on this unit from someone who has hunted it. Not looking to steal a sweet spot, but would like some overall General info. Will be hunting way up RD204 past monument hill. I will be there late October. Thanks I. Advance for the help.


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Been there, based on your timeline i'm guessing you're looking at the 2nd rifle season....


IMO it's a better unit than 75/751/77/78 but you'll still see some traffic. I don't remember it being as brushed in as it is further to the east of you. If you have the means and drive to get into the east side of the Hermosa, it'll help you lose some crowds. Closer to durango on the south and telluride on the north you can expect more day traffic. Good elk country, get >3mi in and 90% of the people will be behind you.


Without digging out my maps and notes, I can't tell what area you're focusing on (204 sounds familiar but I'd have to go back and look, might be the road we went in off of)... What specifically were you looking for?
 
The area we are looking to hunt is on the south west side of hermosa creek near monument hill. We want to walk in 2-3 miles to get away from the Orange army. I was told by the game warden to stay away from the east side because ATV's have taken it over. I was hoping to find out where I might get into elk on the west side of the hermosa or what to look for there. Should be post-rut. Any kind of info is greatly appreciated.


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I think the west side of the hermosa is in GMU 71, I'm sure the NF boundary is overrun with quads but they can't go in the designated wilderness. Both 74 and 71 are OTC units and your tag (if you're doing the 2nd rifle) should be good for both. I never went into 71 but the wilderness in 74 is really attractive elk habitat. We didn't run into as much outfitter traffic in there as we have in the wem or south san juan, I'm sure it's there in areas but not where we went in. We hunted in there for a few days(4  i think, it's been a few years), hiked out and hunted the surrounding NF for the remainder of season. We hunted NF that either didn't allow or didn't lend it'self well to 4-wheelers, I can't remember which and the designation may have changed but we didn't run into them. If we would have went with cow tags we could have filled. We didn't pull a bull out but they're there. The nastier the country, the more likely you'll be to find elk. Odds go up in the wilderness area.... If it were me and I were doing it over again I'd find some areas on GE/NF Maps a few miles in that you can park along 204 and hike in.... I don't like competing with atv traffic so wildernesses have become my 2nd home.


**Edit- I just looked on top rut and it looks like the western boundary of the wilderness is the boundary of gmu 74. For some reason I thought the hermosa was bigger and extended into 71. Regardless if I was heading back there I'd probably focus on the wilderness and stay out of major drainages and off major trails, that's where you're most likely to find outfitter camps.
 
Great info. When you say wilderness, which area do you mean? I'm very familiar with the map but never saw wilderness, unless your just speaking about hunting away from easy access. I greatly appreciate all your your info and hopefully I have better luck and drag out a bull elk. We are really looking forward to hunt more so than a kill so should be a blast either way.


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unit 74 has hermosa creek wilderness area in it.... Some NF lands have designated wildernesses in them which have a seperate set of rules but to summarize nothing mechanical can enter (i.e. game carts, bikes, atv's etc...) pretty much limited to foot or horse traffic.


google both wilderness area and hermosa creek wilderness for more info. Where you're looking at going is right on the boarder of the designated wilderness. 204 virtually parallels the southern boundary from what I can tell
 
I'm an idiot and completely know what your talking about now. It looks kindve like a boot and we plan on hunt in the bottom part of that area a mile or 2 in. I can see several base camps in a ways and if we are felling like setting up a satellite camp we might trek in 4-5 miles north into it. It's good to know that 4-wheelers cannot drive in there. That should help us some. That's some steep area from what I can see on a topo but hopefully that does not deter us.


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I'll be hunting North of Durango around 74 during 3rd season, but I'll be using a bow
 
Sweet. Yeah I plan on taking my Xpedition in the woods with me. My brother will have his rifle. You hunting around engineer mountain??


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That's the plan at this point, but to be honest I haven't been to the area yet. My brother lives up in Denver and I was told fit a DIY Colorado hunt, this area was really good hunting. I'll be out there with my dad in a month or so to do some scouting. If you have any tips or Intel you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd be way more than grateful! It's my first elk hunt as well. Always wanted to get one
 
Heck yeah. There's plenty of room out there for both of us. Plus you will be out later than I will [emoji6]. If you wanna shoot me a PM I could shoot you the info I have.


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i will be in the unit for 3rd rifle with another guy backpacking. everything i have read and looked at says the area around monument is good. engineer may be a little high at that time of year . would like to talk more with you guys pm me so we can.
 
I'm planning my first elk hunt as well for next year. I'm going to do some scouting next month down in 71, 74, 77, & 75 areas. I've got a few areas picked out on Google Earth. Hopefully I'll find a decent spot away from the crowds. I'll be archery hunting. Good luck to you guys!!
 
Sweet! I'll shoot both of you guys a PM and maybe we can all help each other out.


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