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Elk Hunting in Colorado GMU 11 - Moffat and Rio Blanco Counties

The large elk herd occupies all available habitat. The later seasons are usually better, especially on public land, due to snow and hunting pressure pushing the elk out of the adjacent units. The success rate is very good on late cow elk hunts.

GMU 11 - Moffat and Rio Blanco Counties

Scores

Ease of Drawing
69
 
69
Success
0
N/A
Trophy Potential
25
 
25
Public Access
65
 
65
Ease of Terrain
65
 
65
Room to Breathe
62
 
62
Opportunity
60
 
60
Convenience
0
 
N/A
Ease of Effort
0
N/A
73
HuntScore

Access Notes

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Bounded on N by County Highway 318 and US Highway 40; on E by Deception Creek-Strawberry Creek Road; on S by White River; on W by Wolf Creek, Coal Creek, Winter Valley Gulch to Drill Hole to Elk Springs Ridge to mile marker 38.3 on US Highway 40, Twelvemile Gulch Road, Yampa River and Little Snake River.

Overall access is easy and 4WD is not necessary in most areas. Hunting pressure is heavy.

County

Moffat, Rio Blanco

Size

611 Square Miles (390,732 Acres)

Land Ownership

35% Private, 65% Public, 61% BLM, 4% State

Latitude/Longitude

40.3084, -108.2220

Wildfires

Check for current or recent wildfires in this area.

Amenities

There are 0 hospitals, 0 hotels, 0 campgrounds, and 0 grocery stores within a 20 mile radius.

Elk Notes

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The large elk herd occupies all available habitat. The later seasons are usually better, especially on public land, due to snow and hunting pressure pushing the elk out of the adjacent units. The success rate is very good on late cow elk hunts. Axial Basin CRM is a hot spot for hunting, but crowding is significant.

The best bull hunting will be on private lands.

HuntScore Tip

Public land and private land percentages can sometime be misleading. A unit may have 80% public land, but a particluar species may only occupy 20% on the entire area. And that 20% species distribution may lie 100% within private lands. Does that sound confusing? Just remember that there are always exceptions to the rule, and land ownership is just one piece of the puzzle.

Management Plan

Elk Management Plan

State Agency Website

Visit Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Other Species in Unit

Deer, Pronghorn, Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Turkey,

Photos and Terrain Notes


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The lower elevations of 6,000ft consist of sage and sage steepe. piñon and juniper cover the upper elevations up to 8,500ft. Expect zero to light snow cover in 1st and 2nd seasons. The later seasons may bring moderate snow and a potential for near zero temperatures.

If the weather is mild, deer and elk will not be present in high numbers until the later seasons.

Elk Drawing Stats (2019)

Total Quota
13,616
Licenses Drawn
8,343
Licenses Surplus
5,273
Resident Quota
4,492
Nonresident Quota
3,851
Landowner Quota
0
Youth Quota
1,095
72.1%
Average Draw Odds
Choose a hunt below to take a deeper dive into quotas, drawing odds, drawing trends, and harvest data.
Stats Apply For Sex Manner Season
EF011O4R
F
R
O4
EM011O1R
M
R
O1
EF011W6R
F
R
W6
EF011W4R
F
R
W4
EF011W3R
F
R
W3
EF011W2R
F
R
W2
EF011W1R
F
R
W1
EF011P5R
F
R
P5
EE011O1M
E
M
O1
EF011O3R
F
R
O3
EF011O2R
F
R
O2
EF011O1R
F
R
O1
EF011O1M
F
M
O1
EF011L1R
F
R
L1
EE011W2R
E
R
W2
EE011W1R
E
R
W1
EE011P1R
E
R
P1
EM011O4R
M
R
O4
HuntScore Tip: Nonresident allocations are determined by the average number of preference points a Colorado resident needs to draw a specific license during a 3-year period. For hunt codes that require six or more points for a Colorado resident to draw an elk or deer license, up to 20 percent of licenses may go to nonresidents. For elk and deer hunt codes that require fewer than six points for a Colorado resident to draw, up to 35 percent may go to nonresidents.

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Elk Harvest Stats (2018)

Total Hunters
637
Total Harvest
357
Harvest Male
78
Harvest Female
252
50.3%
Average Success
Manner Season Hunters Harvest
R
W0
222 175
R
L0
97 67
M
M
62 9
R
EP
137 28
R
L0
97 67
R
D
22 11
HuntScore Tip: Ever hunt a unit with a 100% success rate and not see any deer? If you're nodding your head to any of these scenarios then you're one of the people who knows that statistics are a good guide, but they aren't a guarantee.