mount zirkel wilderness hunting pressure

[sfh761]

For those who have hunted Zirkel I'm curious what hunting pressure was like. When I hunted there a couple of years ago I was surprised to see 15 vehicles at the trailhead upon opening of elk archery season, some with horse trailers. When we left a week later there were even more! Is this your experience or was my experience a fluke? We packed in a few miles and only saw one camp so I know several people had the same idea as I did and packed in even further than I did to get away from the crowds. No need to divulge your personal hunting location. If you want to send me a PM that's fine.

[hawkeye n pa]

Your experience mimics mine.  I headed for some of the rougher, steeper areas on day trips and seen no one.  Did get into elk, but didn't get any shooting.  Seen a lot of bear dung!

[ron w]

I hunted near there but a bit south. In one week I only saw 2 other hunters. This was 3 years ago.

[Matty]

I spent quite some time there this year. It was rediculous crowded this year. Second week in our plan was to park hike 4 miles in and hunt from camp. WE LITERALLY COULDNT PARK THE CAR!!!  We drove all day from the northern perimeter clear down to teal lake and literally could not park anywhere to hike in to hunt. The last weekend was best there was no one there but no elk either.

[Homebru]

It's hard to tell if the parking lots are full of hunters or hikers.  Either way, the Zirkel is a busy place.
homebru

[Orion]

What side of the mountain do you come in form? Haven't hunted there in several years, but used to come in from the north/Wyoming side.  Always plenty of folks at the trailhead, except for the last week of season.  Lots of dead standing trees there now due to the beetle deforestation. Makes it difficult to find a safe place to camp. Even the trailhead was closed one year for safety reasons until they could log the timber there.

[savage1]

Steamboat is a beautiful place no doubt but personally I wont back pack into the zirkle again.
Muzzle loaders cover most of that ground on horse back. Ive had days that Im alone but not trips.
You want bear sign thats the place not a lot of cattle.
You can find Elk but mostly scant never seen big bands. Most of the ones I found were 3/4 up Burn creek. Bear creek can be a nightmare to get up.
Its the luck of the draw as to how many people you WILL see.
I had a few close calls but couldnt get er done. Theres something to be said about having a calling partner when it comes to Elk.

Lou

[huntsfairchase]

We've hunted the Zirkels for 20+ years and hunting pressure has been hit or miss for the most part until the last 5 or 6 years. I finally threw in the towel last year and decided to move on to other things than elk hunting. Getting to be too much hunting pressure. Time to move on...

[MnFn]

Hmmm, good to know.  We thought about trying it this past year but decided against it.

But the area we tried wasn't any better.  Lots of hunters.

[Matty]

Good thing you passed it up. We saw 3 bears in 3 different spots this year. Most I have ever seen, in one month elk hunting. Ever.  The on,y thing I'll ever do around the zirkles is go fishing.  I lived in steamboat in the late 90s through 2000 and it was a much better place back then. The beetle kill has been devastating.

[savage1]

The west side of clark is no better. Of the two I'd go east of Clark along the river then up. Great place to practice your camping skills.
The largest herd is in the Flattops. Lol, the tops
Dont have much flat to them. I have heard good things about the San Juan mountains. Thats where I would look.
I sure miss the good old days in Idaho. You wouldnt believe the numbers. I quit them about 5 years ago.

Lou

[Gil Verwey]

We backpack in pretty far. One year I saw two hunters walking on a mountain across from where I was. The next year I ran into 22 hunters in the backcountry.

The trail head where we go in the first year had few vehicles, the second year you couldn't get a parking spot.

We go the last two weeks of the season. I think our first trip was a fluke.

We are going to find a different spot the next time we go. Where we went in Zirkel the pine beetle devastated the forest and the majority of the trees were dead. We are going to a different spot where the pine beetle hasn't affected the area. The problem is finding an over the counter area that still has elk.

[Orion]

Gil:  If you stay in Colorado with an over the counter tag, it will be just as difficult to find a spot that isn't overrun with hunters. Good luck in your search.

[Overspined]

Homebru and I have hunted together some and find hunters in the easy access areas and not in ther rougher areas. Seems elk aren't usually closer than about a mile from any access I've hunted.

[jhg]

One problem with this wilderness area is the management of the public lands that surround it. Mt Z wilderness is a wonderful area surrounded by a parking lot. Since it is fairly narrow in section and access has been "enhanced"  its boundry is mostly drive up and park. Along with access from both sides, it gets over-run. Public lands surrounding wilderness areas need to be managed as  buffers for them, not as a "improved" and "easier" access roadway/parking  for them.         Otherwise they become city parks.                                                                                                                                      On the Z's east side they even built a quad road, with a major bridge. This road runs a major portion of that boundry. When they decide to "enhance" access to a wilderness area in this fashion kiss solitude, a back woods experience and meeting like minded fair chase hunters goodbye. Write the district  and let them hear your concerns.  Joshua

[monterey]

About 20 years ago I read an article about wilderness areas in general.  In that article one of the Zirk managers was quoted as saying to the effect that designating an area as wilderness is a sure way of having it over run by users.

It's tough for non-RES hunters to wade through the info available and select a hunting area.  

I have found the most solitude in OTC units by studying maps and simply heading for the larger inaccessible portions.

[Missouri Sherpa]

Never hunted the Zirkle area so I cannot comment on that area specifically.  

I have hunted several other wilderness areas in Colorado over the past 20 years, and would agree with monterey on heading for the most inaccessible areas you can find.   In my experience if you can get 6-8 miles in from the nearest parking lot you will rarely if ever see anyone that far in.  I have not been hunting in Colorado the past 2 years so I cannot say with certainty things have not gone to Heck since my last trip but I doubt it.  

I have used llamas, horses and mules to pack with and enjoy making those trips almost as much as the hunts, but that is another story...

[jhg]

The Zirk is really the only place I've seen being over-run. As I pointed out, its that areas section and the ease of access for those who don't want to work too hard. Regarding our public lands in general. Get used to the pressure. There are more of us every day. So leave it as you found it and embrace your fellow hunters and huntresses who have hiked into the deeps, just like you.  You share a common bond. Joshua