Colorado Mule Deer Unit, 19 NR PP?s??

Jmw280

Jmw280

Member
Messages
70
First post to forum, thanks in advance for your input.
I have 19 Non Resident Colorado Mule Deer Pref Points and was planning on going 4th season this year. After some research, it appears I may be short on PP for the top units? I would appreciate any input, and thoughts on trophy units.
This will be my once in a lifetime use of substantial PP?s, as I am 53; so I want to make an educated decision.
Thanks.
 
It appears that you have done some research and probably know which units you have a shot at drawing this year. Don?t forget to allow a point or two for creep As there are a lot of us that are wanting to get out of the points chase as soon as possible.
Is there any chance you can get out to Colorado and take a look at the rangeland on some of those units from you're research. Talk to fish and game folks and as many locals as possible. You may see a lot of deer or maybe not but at least you'll get a lay of the land and have an idea what the units look like.
 
Yes sir, I've been studying on it a few years and as you say, the point creep is alive and well.
I am planning on coming out to get the lay of the land and get familiar with tye unit if I draw.
Thanks for the help.
 
>Yes sir, I've been studying on
>it a few years and
>as you say, the point
>creep is alive and well.
>
>I am planning on coming out
>to get the lay of
>the land and get familiar
>with tye unit if I
>draw.
>Thanks for the help.

I sent you a PM
 
280
Eight years ago I cashed in 18 NR points for what was then considered a top unit in Colorado. I felt like it was my best chance to take a monster. But after scouting and hunting hard I came to the realization that regardless of how long you have waited, cashing in points only gives you a chance at a trophy and there are no guarantees.
Weather plays a huge factor in late season hunting and so does dumb luck. So at this point you have no sure bets in any unit.
If I learned one thing from my hunt, it was to go with realistic expectations, hunt as hard as you can, and have a good time, regardless of the outcome.
After hunting hard and holding out, I ended up taking a buck of a lifetime, but I could have just as easily come home with something much less. Ultimately, our attitude combined with real expectations determines our success. So regardless of what unit others may tell you to choose, go with your research and gut instinct and have a great time.
 
Thank you for the feedback and help. I know weather and luck play a big part too.
One of my main concerns is public access, and expected road/travel conditions late season. I have my units narrowed down, just trying to plan logistics.
I won't be disappointed if I don't kill a big deer, just want to have a chance at one and have an enjoyable hunt.
Thanks for the help.
 
Great attitude, and an enjoyable hunt is what you will have.
Regardless of the unit, late season road conditions, at least where the big boys live, will almost surely be dicey. If you have 4WD and a 4WD ATV you can usually go on most any road. I had snow and mud on my hunt but we were able to get where we needed to. Chains are also very valuable.
I wish you the best. Let us know how it goes.
 
Thank you,
Yes I'll bring my 2011 4x4 Toyota Tacoma. I can borrow an ATV if needed and bring it too. I appreciate the feedback....
 
Call me crazy but I'd look more towards a 3rd season hunt....

1. Having 9 days to hunt is a lot better than having 5.

2. I've had multiple 4th season hunts where weather hits and a 5 day hunt turns into a 3 day hunt really quick.

3. You points will go further towards up the upper tier units...

4. I've personally taken and help take more big deer in the 3rd seasons by simply having those 9 days to grind it out. Some times you hit the jack pot in 4th season and a couple days is all you need. This past year 3rd season was amazing, while 4th season turned out to be brutal tough.

Coloradoboy
 
Thank you. Your points are well taken, I've thought about exactly what you are pointing out to me.
I was focusing on 4th season to gamble on the rut and hope that the weather would cooperate.
I don't have enough experience mule deer hunting to really know what call to make regarding 3rd or 4th season. Maybe I'll consider 3rd season now, since it's a longer season.
Thanks for taking time to give me your advise.
 
You should not go 3rd season if you have enough points for 4th. Hardly anyone afield 4th. 3rd season is a zoo.
 
As mentioned above there is likely a lot more hunters during the 3rd vs 4th season. Also keep in account if it's a OTC elk unit there will likely be an army of hunters during the 3rd elk season. All elk units are limited the 4th season. Take a look at different units and how many elk plus deer hunters (cow, bull, doe, and buck) are hunting in past years. As mentioned it's nice having more days to hunt the 3rd season but there may be a trade off depending upon when it snows, moon phase, and other factors in the particular unit you are hunting.
 
4th is limited less hunters...kind of. Don't forget Colorado rewards incompetence. Youth hunters who's parents are not very good elk hunters get to roll their unfilled tags in to antlerless tags and keep "pounding" all the way through 4th. The last week end of forth their is a bunch of them out there. The youth are in the back seat asleep or on their phone's "like I am right now". I supported this when it started but it has evolved into parents letting sports, social life and school get in the way of their kids education. The last 2 days of forth can look like the opening 2 of 3rd.
 
Here?s what you should do.
Put in for a 4th season. If you draw you should get out there 4 or 5 days early and start looking around.
By opening day of the fourth you should have a good idea of what the deer are doing And where you want to focus your efforts.
Five days of hunting should be plenty of time if you're in the right place.
 
All great points to consider from everyone. Looks like 4th season is a full moon opening day too. Third season moon is better at the opening of that that season.
Would it be better to hunt third season due to the moon phase or go fourth for the rut? I'll be in the unit scouting several days before the season opens.
Thanks
 
4TH season Could be great with snow up high on top to the middle of the range. But have in your back pocket a way to have a way to get a snowmobile or something along those lines in case some of the roads get a foot or more on them.Some deer hold up higher might have made it down where you can reach them yet. Depends when the snow hits.
Like they say it's still a roll of the dice.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
I didn't think about looking into a snowmobile for a backup plan. Sounds like 4th season can get tricky with heavy snow.
Thanks
 
Hey 280,
Your choice is really a "crap shoot" depending on the year, but in my mind Coloradoboy is not "crazy". My long awaited hunt was actually a 3rd season season and I saw plenty of rutting going on, especially toward the end. I too, would not rule out a 3rd season possibility.
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-12-19 AT 03:08PM (MST)[p]>I didn't think about looking into
>a snowmobile for a backup
>plan. Sounds like 4th season
>can get tricky with heavy
>snow.
>Thanks


The snowmobile is a little excessive.... if you need a sled to get to where your hunting the deer probably have left it....
I've taken a Tacoma chained up on all 4s places most wouldn't just fine hunting lions and late season elk/muleys. Besides everything for 10 miles can hear you coming on a sled.
Coloradoboy
 
I thought about the sled and have decided I'd probably hurt myself on one anyway!!!!
What tires and chains do you run on your Tacoma?
Thanks....
 
Have you thought about an early high country rifle hunt? A lot easier to have your deer prescouted on an early hunt. Its a more physical hunt usually. You don't have to pray for snow or the rut either.

Just another option to look into.
 
I thought about it, but was focusing on 4th and then 3rd and bid by company vacation accordingly.
If I don't draw this year I'll study on early season again for next year.
Thanks for the opinion.
 
Early high country hunts can be a wild card. A lot of the hunts have be restructured and the dates have been pushed back typically sandwiching you in with muzzy hunters, bow hunters, goat/sheep hunters. Typically when bucks begin to strip velvet the time clock goes off in their head and they fall out of the basins and become nocturnal timber dwellers. Especially if they've been pushed around by bowhunters early in the bow season. Not saying it can be a good opportunity at a good buck but it can be dang physical hunt in some of the toughest/steepest country in all the lower 48.

Coloradoboy
 
Sounds like a lot of good information and advice. I'm in same boat with 20 PP's trying to decide when and where to cash them in. Good Luck on your decision.
 
I would pick something that is not weather dependent,If you need weather you could wait 10 years for it , or you could have a 5 day storm.I would go with something that starts with the deer there,and the tag # are down. I haven't hunted a third yet that did not have rut activity.In good weather it keeps a large amount of the tag holder on the road which I prefer,you would not want them all on foot,But tag #s are always more important to me than weather when I have a choice.
 
Lots of fantastic help and information in this thread. Very cool.

Those 4th season hunts can make for a more enjoyable hunt because there are so few people afield compared to the 2nd and 3rd.
But, by the 4th season, lots of bucks are already dead and 5 days isn't a lot. You would want to show up early, I know I would.

I'd like to do one of those early rifle hunts personally, just because I'd like to invest 10-12 days in scouting and know where one lives before the hunt. But those are usually pretty demanding hunts.

I'm thinking unit 43, 74 or 82 early are the best..?? I don't know though. Once they stop me from hunting Wyoming, I'll have to get after it in the CO high country. ha ha

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
@mm_founder on Instagram
LIKE MonsterMuleys.com
on Facebook!
 
>Lots of fantastic help and information
>in this thread. Very cool.
>
>
>Those 4th season hunts can make
>for a more enjoyable hunt
>because there are so few
>people afield compared to the
>2nd and 3rd.
>But, by the 4th season, lots
>of bucks are already dead
>and 5 days isn't a
>lot. You would want to
>show up early, I know
>I would.
>
>I'd like to do one of
>those early rifle hunts personally,
>just because I'd like to
>invest 10-12 days in scouting
>and know where one lives
>before the hunt. But those
>are usually pretty demanding hunts.
>
>
>I'm thinking unit 43, 74 or
>82 early are the best..??
>I don't know though. Once
>they stop me from hunting
>Wyoming, I'll have to get
>after it in the CO
>high country. ha ha
>
>Brian Latturner
>MonsterMuleys.com
>@mm_founder on Instagram
>LIKE MonsterMuleys.com
>on Facebook!


Pretty much what ol mike brownlee did.
 
I would say unit 74 is the best early high country rifle hunt in the state. However it takes a minimum of 15 or 16 nonresident points to draw.
You already have Jeff Coldwell doing scouting packages on those hunts.
Also point averaging doesn't work in Colorado as they take the lowest point holder in the group on the application.
 
Here my picks for 19 NR points take it or leave it;
Early rifle; 65 or 74

3rd season; unit 66

4th season;

Units- 67, 35/36, 63, 55

Coloradoboy
 
> I would say unit 74
>is the best early high
>country rifle hunt in the
>state. However it takes a
>minimum of 15 or 16
>nonresident points to draw.
> You already have Jeff Coldwell
>doing scouting packages on those
>hunts.
> Also point averaging doesn't work
>in Colorado as they take
>the lowest point holder in
>the group on the application.
>

I've got 16 points I believe it is.

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
@mm_founder on Instagram
LIKE MonsterMuleys.com
on Facebook!
 
>>Lots of fantastic help and information
>>in this thread. Very cool.
>>
>>
>>Those 4th season hunts can make
>>for a more enjoyable hunt
>>because there are so few
>>people afield compared to the
>>2nd and 3rd.
>>But, by the 4th season, lots
>>of bucks are already dead
>>and 5 days isn't a
>>lot. You would want to
>>show up early, I know
>>I would.
>>
>>I'd like to do one of
>>those early rifle hunts personally,
>>just because I'd like to
>>invest 10-12 days in scouting
>>and know where one lives
>>before the hunt. But those
>>are usually pretty demanding hunts.
>>
>>
>>I'm thinking unit 43, 74 or
>>82 early are the best..??
>>I don't know though. Once
>>they stop me from hunting
>>Wyoming, I'll have to get
>>after it in the CO
>>high country. ha ha
>>
>>Brian Latturner
>>MonsterMuleys.com
>>@mm_founder on Instagram
>>LIKE MonsterMuleys.com
>>on Facebook!
>
>
>Pretty much what ol mike brownlee
>did.


Hahahaha so true
 
23 points here- all the units above mentioned are great choices but, which units have older age class animals(5 1/5 to 7 1/2 year old bucks), how is the snow depth around Vail, and the basin, how many elk hunters are in the field at the same time. Some of these units propose a problem of Deer migrating through public to private. The last thing I want to do is Hoover over fence lines. I just went to Idaho?s game and fish meeting last night, they came right out and said the people of Idaho want to hunt every year, they do not want waiting periods. So the game and fish is going to manage for quantity not quality, they are pushing for over the counter tags and the only law they are required to enforce is to protect the private landowner. I brought this up because I see Colorado not far behind,and they will be pushing first for the (new green deal). There are 1 or 2 good bucks in the the top tier units and I really hope some of you MMS connect on them. Good luck
 
I like Coloradoboy's picks. I would probably go for 55 4th or 66 3rd. If you don't have to cash out this year I would pick up a 3rd season elk tag or just spend 3rd season in the unit you think you might want to draw and see if you want to put in there the next year. Do the research, put in some time, and then talk to some hunters in the field during the hunt. Those tags are hard to draw. The guys with tags might be willing to give you a little info if you offer to help since they will probably not be back again. But you might be branded as an evil party hunter!
 
I could be wrong but with your points I think you would only have a shot at a third season in 66 anyway
 
3rd because you don't have enough for 4th. 3rd has some up sides like being longer. Some years if there is no weather 4 season is just looking at 3rd season leftovers.
 
You could bow hunt the Colorado high country every fall!

[font face="verdana" color="green"]
Jake Swensen
>Lots of fantastic help and information
>in this thread. Very cool.
>
>
>Those 4th season hunts can make
>for a more enjoyable hunt
>because there are so few
>people afield compared to the
>2nd and 3rd.
>But, by the 4th season, lots
>of bucks are already dead
>and 5 days isn't a
>lot. You would want to
>show up early, I know
>I would.
>
>I'd like to do one of
>those early rifle hunts personally,
>just because I'd like to
>invest 10-12 days in scouting
>and know where one lives
>before the hunt. But those
>are usually pretty demanding hunts.
>
>
>I'm thinking unit 43, 74 or
>82 early are the best..??
>I don't know though. Once
>they stop me from hunting
>Wyoming, I'll have to get
>after it in the CO
>high country. ha ha
>
>Brian Latturner
>MonsterMuleys.com
>@mm_founder on Instagram
>LIKE MonsterMuleys.com
>on Facebook!
 
Good info I'm in the same boat but not quite as many PP.

So how much would a landowner tag cost in one of these top units - 3D or 4th - say 55 for example.??
 
I cant fathom waiting 19 years to hunt a good unit... if u can get far enough away from crowds, they are almost all good units! It seems like guys think waiting forever is gonna raise the chance at a big deer - hard work raises your chances MUCH more!

"There are 1 or 2 big bucks in top tier units"... what are u smoking Hawk?!!! There are big bucks that turn up in units none of us think of each year.

YOU MUST WORK HARDER, NOT WAIT LONGER.
 
Just wanted to post that I did not draw unit 67 fourth season or 66 third season mule deer with 19 PP.
Thanks to all for your input anyway.
All the best everyone.
 
Wow! Sorry to hear you didn't draw. Point Creep has really gotten out of hand even with the increased tag numbers. Crazy!
Thank God I drew my fourth season tag even if it was just unit 551.
 

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