Public Hunting Areas

Big Game Hunting Locations in Colorado

Flat Tops Wilderness

SPOT 01: Skinny Fish Lake Area

To get to this spot, from Trapper's Lake take Trail 1812 to Trail 1813 (about one to one and a half miles) to Skinny Fish Lake. Go to the southwest, you can spot elk in the morning and evenings in the open meadows surrounding McGinnis Lake. The elk concentrate on the north side of this lake and are very responsive to both bugles and cow calls.

SPOT 02: Upper Skinny Fish Lake

Above Skinny Fish Lake are some beaver ponds and open meadows which attract game. Hunt the drainage. The elk should be bugling in there quite heavily during athe archery and muzzle loading seasons. If you do not see anything by the beaver ponds, you can try walking up a bit higher.

SPOT 03: Lost Lakes

Take Trail 1812 as it branches off the trail to Skinny Fish. The mountainside will become very steep. There are a couple of switchbacks as you walk up the side of what they call "the rim." Above the rim are the Deep Lakes.

Once you get above the rim, travel is much easier, except for the areas that have a lot of downed timber. To the north is one such area which in spite of the difficult walking, is a very good spot. There are a lot of game trails through the fallen logs. Because the game is forced to walk those trails rather than continuously jump over logs, they are great places to intercept deer and elk.

SPOT 04: Between Deep Lake and Dynes Lake

This sopt is located in an open area between Deep Lake and Dynes Lake. There is heavy timber directly between the two, but if you walk to the south 400-500 yards it will open up at the base of the peak. Sit on the edge of the timber during the morning and evening and glass the fields for elk and deer.

SPOT 05: Round Lake

This spot is located in the big open meadows by Round Lake just off of Trail 1119. Pay close attention to the dark timber that sticks out into the meadow to the south and east of Round Lake. You can walk through the timber heading south and push the animals out of the woods and into the open. Where the timber ends, you can sit on a hill and have good positioning on two large meadows and one hillside that has a creek running at its base.

SPOT 06: Upper Dead Mexican Gulch

This spot is located at the upper headwaters of Dead Mexican Gulch on the northwest side of Devil's Causeway. Devil's Causeway is a narrow rock rim that rises 100 feet straight out of the Flat Tops. You can walk a trail over through a small passage in the causeway and drop down into the gulch (8 mile walk). In the past, the dark timber at the top of the gulch has produced world-class bull elk.