I've been gathering preference points for elk and mule deer there for quite some time. I still have a couple of years before I will be able to draw the elk tag in the area I think I want but I should be able to hunt mule deer in any unit I want next year.

I had always hoped that when I did cash in my points for deer it would be a backpack hunt up in the high alpine with a friend. Trouble is none of my hunting buddies were as interested as me and never applied for points. Now that I have the extra time and points it looks like I'll be going by myself. A solo backpack hunt like this might not even be practical so I'm considering other options too.

Does anyone have any suggestions which units I should be looking at for an overall quality hunting experience with 13 points.

Thanks,

OK JACK  I CAN HELP YA OUT HERE  IF  YOU HAVE THAT MANY POINT S   AS A FORMER GUIDE OF 26 YEARS IN COLO  I CAN TELL YA A FEW HOT SPOTS MY NBR 1 CHOICE  WOULD  HAVE TO BE THE AREA AROUND    DRANGO COLO JUST EAST DRANGO  NORTH OR SOUTH OF BAYFIELD COLO THE NBR 2 AREA  MY  OLD AREA  WOULD  BE CALIFORNIA PARK  NEAR SLATER COLO 3 RD PLACE   IS UP IN THE GORE RANGE AREA THERES   SOME HUGE BUCKS IN THERE  MOST OF THOSE ARE ON PRIVATE LAND   GET A COPY OF   THE HARCEST STATICE AND LOOK AT THE RECORD BOOK BOTH GUN AND BOW   USE THE STATICS FOR WHERE THEY WERE HARVESTED  AND   QUSTIONS GIVE ME A HOLLAR ILL TRY TO HELP   BUT  DRANGO WOULD BE MY FIRST CHOICE    BROCK

Jack,

You have been awful quiet lately...

I'd keep my points for a late season rifle tag and draw a bow tag on my second chioce for the next few years to learn the area real well.

You shouldn't need all those points to draw a good archery tag.

You know we are shooting on Thursday nights...7:30...I might have more info for you there    

If you do go archery, you BETTER go for the whole season...enjoy retirement you know!

Jack,
I hunted elk in Unit 61 saw some good bucks its lower county you can also hunt water or set up tree stands on trails. could of shot several great bucks while elk hunting it takes alot of points but you have plenty.
                 good luck Dan

Thanks Brock, I'll check out those areas for sure and probably be picking your brain for more info in the future.

Steve, I know they are shooting on Thursday nights but it is still deer season and I have a couple of tags left. Headed to Jackson County in a few hours to try and fill one of those in the next couple days.

I have only been keeping track of how many points it took to draw one of the best units for elk and didn't realize I could have drawn a good deer tag years ago. My plan was to wait until I retired before I went anyway so I could spend the entire season if need be. With my luck lately that is looking more like the case.

The hunting SE of Durango is good, but mostly pinyon-juniper with some ponderosa ... pretty dry open ranching country, and in recent years almost totally ruined by ATV invasion. The biggest bucks I've ever seen around here have been right inside the town of Bayfield. For a road-camp high country hunt, you might check out Unit 76, the Hunter Lake area north of Wolf Creek Pass on Hwy 160 between Bayfield and Pagosa Springs. You can drive to about 12,000', lots of dispersed camping, good elk and moose country with a strong population of big and nontypical muley bucks. And plenty of blue grouse for the camp pot. Only problem is that you're pretty much on top and will wild up hunting downhill, which means steep walks back to camp in the dark, and if you get lucky, packing out your meat uphill in thin air. I too have a bucketload of muley pref points, but it will just continue to get bigger because I can't bring myself to hunting anything but elk in Sept. Good luck, dave

if you dont feel like making it on your own id be happy to help you pack some gear in maybe film etc young legs here and id be happy to help if you wanted. just an option
Andy

On my September hunt near Walden I saw tons of high racked mullies.  If you look up my Colorado Elk hunt you will see a bad picture of a few.

jack  i will help ya out just give me a hollar  if ur hunting jackson county make sure go  up to gould,, colo state forest and head up to the rawah wilderness   area shipman park   i might even consider goin with ya for deer  got a hankerin to see my old country  thats true about the a t v s around  drango,  bayfield  but head up north trout creek way up high near enginner pass those areas  thats san juan wilderness no damn atv s  up there just me and my horse haha  brock    brock

Jack, PM Sent...BLM