Packing the last food and getting ready to leaving early tomorrow morning. 3rd season opens Saturday and me and my hunting partner each have an elk tag and I have a deer tag too.
Packing and Heading out
- Thread starter Colorado Cowboy
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JimP
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dan maule
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gonhunting247
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Mr Drysdale
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mallardsx2
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Man there is a lot of snow. I2 to 18" where I start up the mountain! Snowed all day to day and more coming today and tomorrow. Came home today and going back Saturday.
JimP
Administrator
Your weather forecast isn't looking good for a few days but if it clears up you should have some fantastic hunting.
JimP
Administrator
I'll have a coffee royal for you come Saturday morning while I am snug as a bug in a nice warm house.
But then there is a big part of me wishing that I was out in the elements with my trusty rifle also.
But then there is a big part of me wishing that I was out in the elements with my trusty rifle also.
Well I'm home!!
We left home early Wednesday and the further east we went, the more it snowed. We went via Chama, NM because Wolf Creek Pass was solid ice and a mess. It wasn't much better from Chama to Antonito. We got there about 2:00 PM and there was about 12" of snow on the ground and it was snowing and the forecast was for 10 to 12" Thursday and the same for Friday. I drove via the county road to where we start up the mountain on BLM roads. There was about 15" on the ground and in spots the road was not visible. We turned around (and that was a real task towing my 20" hunting/utility trailer)and got a room for the night in Antonito.
Thursday was worse and we couldn't even get down the county road because it hadn't been plowed. I talked to the local Game Warden who I know pretty well and he said there was no way we were going to be able to get where we wanted to camp and then further up in the BLM/NF. We decided to come home. The 2nd and 3rd choice areas were in the same shape or worse....snowed in! There is no way very much snow is going to melt next week (or until next spring IMHO). I still think I am going to drive to Antonito (about 200 miles) late next week and check it out. I am not giving up yet!
We left home early Wednesday and the further east we went, the more it snowed. We went via Chama, NM because Wolf Creek Pass was solid ice and a mess. It wasn't much better from Chama to Antonito. We got there about 2:00 PM and there was about 12" of snow on the ground and it was snowing and the forecast was for 10 to 12" Thursday and the same for Friday. I drove via the county road to where we start up the mountain on BLM roads. There was about 15" on the ground and in spots the road was not visible. We turned around (and that was a real task towing my 20" hunting/utility trailer)and got a room for the night in Antonito.
Thursday was worse and we couldn't even get down the county road because it hadn't been plowed. I talked to the local Game Warden who I know pretty well and he said there was no way we were going to be able to get where we wanted to camp and then further up in the BLM/NF. We decided to come home. The 2nd and 3rd choice areas were in the same shape or worse....snowed in! There is no way very much snow is going to melt next week (or until next spring IMHO). I still think I am going to drive to Antonito (about 200 miles) late next week and check it out. I am not giving up yet!
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JimP
Administrator
I've been watching ATV's on trailers that are all chained up and covered in mud. The trucks are just covered in mud, the hills look like they are miserable.
According to the forecast it is suppose to clear up for a couple of days before we get hit again.
Sounds like you made a good call by getting out of there.
According to the forecast it is suppose to clear up for a couple of days before we get hit again.
Sounds like you made a good call by getting out of there.
It's just a little snow . Endeavor to persevere 
JimP
Administrator
This video was in Utah a couple of years ago when some hunters took a trailer into a area where they shouldn't of.
Winchester
Veteran member
I have at least two feet of snow here in Woodland Park. I was supposed to be hunting today too … but I’m just plowing snow.
Maybe I’ll get out later in the week.
Maybe I’ll get out later in the week.
minn elk chaser
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- Jan 6, 2014
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In the late 1980"s we were hunting at the head of the Greys River in Wyoming. It started raining during the night and temps were dropping.
We had 50 miles of mountain road to get to the payment so decided to get out while we could. The rain switched to snow and kept up for a couple of days. They got over 3 feet of snow and the road was not passable. Everyone who decided to stay had to be rescued by snow mobile and had to leave everything there until spring.
We had 50 miles of mountain road to get to the payment so decided to get out while we could. The rain switched to snow and kept up for a couple of days. They got over 3 feet of snow and the road was not passable. Everyone who decided to stay had to be rescued by snow mobile and had to leave everything there until spring.
JimP
Administrator
Same thing happened here in Colorado in the late 80's. A storm dumped 3 feet + of snow north of I-70, the Governor at the time ordered the National Guard out to get the hunters out of the back country and ended up helicoptering a number of hunting camps out. Some hunters wanted to stay, telling everyone that they were prepared for the snow but it was you are either coming out now with us or you are coming out NOW with us. All their vehicles and camping gear was left until the following year when they could get back in to recover them.
Luckily for us the storm was before hunting season. If we would have been our camp area, we would have been in deep Do Do! The road has some spots that are pretty bad and the snow covering them up would make it pretty bad.
Winchester
Veteran member
You may be thinking of the Christmas Eve blizzard of 1982. We got 4 or 5 feet of snow along the front range. I was flying helicopters for the Army out of Fort Carson at that time. On Christmas Day the storm broke and it was sunny and cold. The state policy asked for our help and we were alerted on Christmas morning to go to work. We flew to Memorial Park and landed to coordinate with the police. They gave us sectors to search and their handheld radios.
We flew all day Christmas Day finding stranded motorists and radioing the police so they could get snow plows to go get them.
There were clear blue skies and snow covering everything… it was very beautiful.