New Hunter with Questions About GMUs and Private Property

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1
Hello,

I hope I have found the right place. I am a new hunter (I just completed my hunter's education course a few weeks ago) and am somewhat overwhelmed with the upcoming April deadlines for tags.

My goals for my first hunting season are fairly simple. I just want to get out there as much as possible, make mistakes, and learn from them. If I end up having to field dress my first animal that would be a huge bonus.

The prospects/logistics of being out in the back country are overwhelming to me at the moment, so I would like to focus on "day hunting" at first and in future seasons add in the elements of "roughing it". In terms of species, I am currently focusing on pronghorn and/or mule deer, since I will more than likely be hunting solo and these species seem to be more manageable than the potential problem of having to pack out an elk.

I should also mention that I am going to be bowhunting (I am currently taking archery lessons and will be practicing throughout the year). As a result, ideally I would like to draw a mule deer archery tag and then hunt pronghorn OTC.

I live on the SE side of Denver, so I am looking at primarily GMUs that are an hour or so of a drive away. What GMUs are worth going in for with zero preference points for mule deer? I am currently looking at 104, 105, 106, 29, and a few others. I would prefer public land (i.e., west of I-25), but for OTC pronghorn, it seems like I'm out of luck there.

Given that the eastern plains are primarily private property, I'm wondering how I would go about talking to property owners and gaining the privilege to use their land. I am a computer programmer, so I have very few if any social skills. The thought of approaching a stranger on their porch scares the crap out of me. Do you just drive up to their house and knock on their door? If anyone knows of any property owners in GMU 104/105/106 or nearby GMUs, please let me know. I would be willing to pay a reasonable fee and/or exchange year round IT services for land access and/or some hunting mentoring.

Also, would it make sense for me to find a local outfitter given that I am totally new and have no idea what I am doing? If so, who would you recommend for GMUs 104/105/106 or nearby? It seems like the going rate for a three day pronghorn hunt is a few thousand dollars, which to me is a significant investment and I'm not sure if I will learn that much versus just making a ton of mistakes myself.

Thanks in advance for the advice.
 
You might have some luck finding a property to shoot a pronghorn if you're deft at working with landowners. But for mule deer, those guys in the units you cited know very well the value of those hunts, and most will not offer free access, considering the money they could otherwise make leasing to an outfitter. An archery mule deer hunt sells for 5000-7000 on the plains. If I lived near Denver like you do, I'd do all my archery mule deer hunting west of I-25. You can be guaranteed a license with no points, and have access to millions of acres of public land. Most everything you need to know about units can be found on the CPW website in their hunting guides section.
 

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