RFW hunts

Anyone had a good experience with RFW hunts. If so tell me about them. I've tried a few and they have all sucked so far. I've done elk, deer , and antelope. Rich now I have 19 points for antelope and I am scratching my head trying to decide what to do with them and not just waste them.

I've had good and bad experiences with RFW. Each is a little different. Some require hunters to hunt a segment of the ranch while others open up the entire ranch. Some require hunters to check in and out each day, etc. You may want to read the regulations for each ranch you are interested in. With 19 pts I would expect you can draw just about any RFW or unit in the state. Some areas in Colo have had severe winterkill the past few years (NW Colo and North Park). Some units offer more tags and have more public land than others. Units with few tags and lots of public land so would be quality experiences. Colo isn't that well known for B&C bucks...if that's what you are interested in? You may have your work cut out for you searching for a 80+" buck in just about every corner of Colo. There is usually a reason why units take close to max pref pts to draw...you may want to concentrate your research on those areas.

I've taken several nice bucks that just missed the book, but that isn't what I'm after. I just want to hunt someplace where after spotting a herd you start to figure out a plan on how to get close and there is one or two people coming at them from the other side of the pasture. I sort of got myself in a fix with 19 points and I really hate to blow them on an average 14" buck. I've been applying in the high pressure areas but each time I decide on one area I find out that herd size is way down (like North Park). I wish the state would give me another chance to bank my points and I would split the 19 into 2 or three hunts till they are all gone. I'll be happy with an older buck maybe close to 15+ inches or at least something with some weight and/or nice prongs.

I hunted Big Gulch RFW in 2017 and was terribly disappointed. Lots of 12-13" bucks running the doe herds. I am guessing that the cream was skimmed prior to the public hunters coming through the gates.

The tag soup needed lots of salt.