Colo Landowner Tag Warning

jims

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I know there was an earlier post on this subject but I would strongly recommend anyone buying Colo landowner tags to check into it before flipping the bill for these tags! I won't mention any names, but there is a popular magazine that offers landowner tags to it's subscribers that last year charged in access of $1,500 for landowner deer tags in several units that actually were underscribed in the draws and had left-over tags!

Another example is that there is a listing this year for elk landowner tags for $3,500 and $4,000 for a particular unit that has been over-exaggerated as far as quality of bulls available. Nice bulls might be available on some of the private land but 75% of this unit is private! A guy would be extremely lucky to get a 300+ bull on public land in this unit and there is very poor public access. I would warn that even if the price of a landowner tag is fairly high this doesn't equate to a high quality hunt or animals!

I myself think the landowner tags in units with public land is a bunch of bull...especially when people who purchase these tags can hunt both public and private land. Every landowner tag is also one less tag that is available in the public draw. I think they are great in units such as the Eastern Plains where it is 100% private land and guides can get tags for their clients. I don't know about you, but I really think the landowner tag deal in Colo needs revamping! Some people are also taking advantage of the system to make a buck!

Do yourself a favor and do a little research before buying landowner tags!
 
Why anyone would pay big money for a Colorado Elk tag is beyond me. You can get a much better hunt in New Mexico for the same money. If you are after a mule deer, then maybe that is a different story.
 
I thought that "landowner" tags were essentially private-land only tags? It is ridiculous if people can get around the draw for actually hunting on public land this way.

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Private landowner tags are different than the generic landowner voucher Jims is talking about. If you get one of these generic landowner vouchers you can hunt the public land within that unit without burning your preference points or bypassing the system by getting a tag when you don't have enough preference points.

Since when are there no big bulls in Colorado :)

AntlerQuest Hunt Consulting
 
Just fyi, but I purchased a landowner tag from a friend that works for a guide service in Co, and I paid $500. I have wanted to elk hunt for years, but did not have the money to cosistantly put in for points. I was able to buy this tag that was not sold for a hunt in August and come back and hunt in Oct. I was fortunate enough to take a 7x6 on PUBLIC land and I would put this hunt at #1 of all of my hunts. It was the best hunt ever, and had I not had the chance to buy that landowners tag, I never would have experienced the awesome time of hunting bulls in Colorado. It was my first elk hunt and now I am hooked for life. It is the reason that I found this site,because i need the advise of those in the know, so good does come about from what others see as bad. Just my opinion though.
 
Colroado Transferable landowner vouchers are season, and method of take specific. I don't know of any season or method of take that is open from August to October....so maybe you can clarify how you pulled that one off and stayed within the regs?

In terms of the publication Jim mentioned, last year they used to give you the phone number of the person who held the voucher for sale, now....they list just the price and a home office number. Wonder how many middle men are actually taking a cut now? Lets see...the CDOW gets $480, the landowner gets $1000, the booking agent gets $1500, the publisher gets $1000. I am in the wrong business.....
 
Grasshopper,
Sorry for the clarification error. I purchased the voucher in August and hunted first season rifle. I guess that i found someone who still wanted to give me a chance to hunt rather than try to screw me and make a few $$$$.I got my first elk for less than a grand, and i did it on my own. I'll take that anywhere.State still got their money. Now lets hope that they use it the right way.
 
You guys might want to pull up the muley section of this hunter forum and look at 'Landowner Preference in Colorado'. That initial post was mine, and I wrote it to inform more hunters what actually is landowner preference, that landowners are today wanting a higher preference than the 15% they now have. My conclusions are a higher preference would result in fewer licenses to ordinary hunters and higher required preference pts. because more licenses in limited units would be removed from the public draws. Those to me are bad news for about 90% of the hunters whom hunt Colorado.

To be sure there are success stories with landowner preference, yet inefficiency is everywhere in how landowners use their preference (vouchers especially). Vouchers also I beleive have the effect of pumping up the cost to hunt, especially landowner access. Look at the internet under private lands hunting or landowner vouchers and you will see how control of vouchers so often ends up sold only within turn key guided hunts. We hunters mostly just need licenses, and we'll then decide whether we need the extra options. Vouchers I contend further a privatization and commercialization of hunting, both adverse long term to average hunter interests. What is hard to explain to outfitters and landowners is that many hunters need not any guide, and for so many we prefer to hunt public lands. As for private property access, one can still hunt on a handshake and presenting a good image in many cases. Money is not everything, nor required in every instance.

All ordinary hunters need is maximum unbridled access to hunting licenses, that being very close to the epicenter of hunting heritage.

Colorado Landowner preference in the present level of 15% can remain, yet in no way should we allow that landowner preference to increase. Though many would make money on wildlife and hunting, wildlife owes no one a living, and I have never seen a bull elk and buck deer carrying a sign saying I owe ----- $3,000 to Joe Blow.

Also, very troubling in Colorado preference are the vouchers good for the entire unit, essentially conveying authority as to whom would hunt public lands.

Stay tuned and make your opinion know to the Colorado Wildlife Commission by July. The LAG (License Allocation Group) Committee will be meeting June 17 & 18 for a 4th meeting, this one most likely finalizing recommendations on license allocation, of which landowner preference is #1.

Also, the LAG Committee is looking at other changes, one of which is that if one buys a bull or buck voucher, you lose your preference pts. There have been documented cases of folks getting a license thru the draw, then buying a voucher, then turning in their licence for preference pts. to be restored. Abuses like that almost require changes. Also, the advertising for vouchers blatently says, "preserve pts. and buy a voucher".
Welcome to preference pt. creep in unintended ways.
Also, easy returns of licenses may also change.

Colorado will always be fair with hunters, and has been to a fault. Applaud the DOW for that. The irony though is that some hunters are likely abusing the system most of us totally abide by.
 

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