Unit 201 archery elk or Unit 61 muzzleloader elk

Next year I will have 20 points for elk in Colorado. I could draw a Unit 61 muzzleloader elk tag next year (2012), but the muzzleloader season will be September 8-16, and that is the earliest it has been since 2007. On the other hand I have a 1 in 3 chance at a Unit 201 archery tag. What are your thoughts on these earlier dates for muzzleloader next year in Unit 61. Is the rut normally in full swing during the Sept 8-16 dates in 61? If those early dates are risky, I might just hang in there for 201 next year.

I have just returned from three weeks of bow hunting Colorado Unit 201. You will see numerous bulls every day if you are up and out for the first and last two hours of the day. At daylight they will usually be in grassy meadows below the aspens and then they will move up through the aspens and bed in log pole tickets.

Early in the bow season the bulls were mostly in bachelor groups with a few bulls with the cows. By September 20th the more dominate bulls had taken over the large cow herds and broken them up into smaller groups. The satellite bulls were then really moving around and coming in to cow calls. Of course the dominate bulls were reluctant to leave any cows and respond to cow calls. However, the larger bulls were really bugling and it seemed to me that they expected any free cows to go the them.

I don't know about the elk density in Unit 61 but Unit 201 is a very special place. I saw cougars, bear, moose, antelope, mule deer and elk. I saw more bulls in one week there than 30 years of hunting Oregon.
Sandman- Bend, OR

Umpqua Hunter,
I spent three weeks bow hunting Unit 201 this last September but I don't have any experience in regards to Unit 61. In 201 you will see bulls every day if you get out of camp. Up until muzzle loader season, they were in mostly bachelor groups. During the muzzle loader season, the larger bulls moved into the big cow herds and by the 20th, they had broken them up into much smaller, bull dominated groups. By the 20th they were really bugling and satellite bulls were very active and coming into cow calls. The larger bulls tried to sound like the biggest, meanest, critters on the mountain and I got the impression that they expected cows to come to them.

Up until the 20th, most of the activity and bugling was the first two hours of daylight and the last two hours before dark.
Water was everywhere and when they did happen to come into a waterhole stand, it was usually after it was too dark to see my pins. Imagine 40 elk with a half dozen good bulls 30 yards away, pushing each other around and too dark to shoot.

If you are a true bow hunter and have the time, you won't regret hunting Unit 201.

Sandman
Bend, OR

Sandman: Thanks for a great reply. I live just over the mountain from you in Glide Oregon on the North Umpqua River. I drew the Unit 201 archery tag in 2010 and had to turn it back in due to scheduling conflicts. Everything I have heard about 201 has been awesome. Sounds like you must have filled your tag about the 20th. If so I'd love to see a pic. Thanks again!

Umpqua Hunter,
You are correct that I filled my tag with a satellite 6X6 bull on the 20th. However, I was coming down with a bad cold and I switched from being a trophy hunter to a meat hunter and I decided to take the next 6X6 that was dumb enough to come close to me so that I could pack up and go home. It was very warm and I did not take any pictures of the elk in the field because it was getting dark and I was worried about getting the meat off the elk and back to camp.

However, I do have pictures of the horns in my garage plus many others from the hunt but I haven't been able to copy and paste to this formate. Do you know if we are allowed to send an email address? I have been able to send the pictures by email to some of my relatives.

Also, if you are serious about hunting Unit 201, you could come over to Bend with your maps and I could really give you some good information on how to hunt 201.

Sandman

Umpqua Hunter,
I didn't think that the picture was going to attach but apparently it did.
Sandman

Sandman...thanks. I would like to get in touch and put your contact info in my notes. I am taking off tomorrow for Wyoming. I will try to drop you a line when I get home.