Step One

TrainingWheels · Oct 18, 2018

Colorado resident here, 29 years old, fisherman and bird hunter, have a hunting license and looking to get into big game hunting next year. Not looking for your secrets, but looking for some advice in how to get started and get some experience.

Obviously OTC elk hunting on public land is on my radar. It seems the success rates for pronghorn and deer are significantly higher, but I have no preference points. There are all those leftover tags though? Any advice for how to get started, application strategies for points/units/species, picking a unit vs. taking a leftover tag for whatever is available. Kind of paralyzed by all of the info out there. One thing that is obvious from my research is that A LOTTTTTT of out of state residents come to Colorado to hunt. Would I be better off just driving to NM, Nebraska, Wyoming to get my feet wet?

Not interested in giving a guide $4k plus tip.

hossblur · Oct 18, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Oct-18-18 AT 11:36AM (MST)[p]Couple things.

Pick a spot. Go for a walk next summer. Go for a few. Realize that like baseball, the best guys fail 3 times more than they succeed. Average guys more than that.

Look at gear in the long term. Your first time our, or your first kill, will teach you more about what you DONT need than any article or show will.

Take pics. Not just of kills, but of the people your with, areas you are. Hunting seasons are short, winter is long, those pics become priceless.

Remember its supposed to be fun. Discomfort is part of it, but misery and stress shouldn't be.

From the party of HUNTIN, FISHIN, PUBLIC LAND.

HIcountryman · Oct 18, 2018

If there s a leftover deer tag available close to home, even a doe tag, maybe buy it and go out on a low expectation/low stress hunt? It will teach you about whats out there, how you feel, etc.
Take a friend for company if you can... maybe ya ll can learn together and from online resources. Ask more questions here after you get yer feet wet instead of the general "how do i get started?"
What part of CO are you in and where do you wish to hunt?

It takes time so get ready for a long learning process, but you get better every year and its a lifelong pursuit. You may even get a healthy dose of beginners luck! Try to talk to someone with some experience - if you meet a hunter and get the feeling that he/she is willing, be sure to offer something in return for their knowledge. I can tell u firsthand it is no small task to help teach a newbie, but it can be worth it for everyone if the right attitudes are there!

TrainingWheels · Oct 18, 2018

Anyone have a recommendation for first species or hunting in nearby states rather than colorado? Seems like an elk would be a lot to take on for a rookie, but then again they're OTC. If I were teaching someone how to fish I wouldn't recommend they go out for muskie on their first outing...

HIcountryman · Oct 18, 2018

Doe deer close to home

Gator · Oct 18, 2018

Winter is coming on so if you don't mind alittl cold and snow buy a Foxpro caller and see if you can thin the coyote numbers around where you live.

"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/]

TrainingWheels · Oct 18, 2018

>If there s a leftover deer
>tag available close to home,
>even a doe tag, maybe
>buy it and go out
>on a low expectation/low stress
>hunt? It will teach you
>about whats out there, how
>you feel, etc.
> Take a friend for
>company if you can... maybe
>ya ll can learn together
>and from online resources.
>Ask more questions here after
>you get yer feet wet
>instead of the general "how
>do i get started?"
> What part of CO
>are you in and where
>do you wish to hunt?
>
>
> It takes time so
>get ready for a long
>learning process, but you get
>better every year and its
>a lifelong pursuit. You
>may even get a healthy
>dose of beginners luck! Try
>to talk to someone with
>some experience - if you
>meet a hunter and get
>the feeling that he/she is
>willing, be sure to offer
>something in return for their
>knowledge. I can tell u
>firsthand it is no small
>task to help teach a
>newbie, but it can be
>worth it for everyone if
>the right attitudes are there!
>

I live in the far southwest corner of littleton, right in GMU 51. As to where I would like to hunt, I can't figure out where to start. Do I pick a species and then research the best unit that I can get with low points, do I just focus on the closest OTC elk units to gain experience, do I go out of state for higher success rates and maybe easier draws, apply for everything I can and just see how the draw turns out then go from there? I don't mind driving. Would need to be public land, but anywhere from Craig to Lamar, doesn't make a difference to me.

SHB · Oct 18, 2018

What do you love?

Why are you here?

What gave you the Idea you'd like to be a big game hunter?

What's the animal that gets you excited?

Leave your ego at the door, look inside, what do you love?

SHB · Oct 18, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Oct-18-18 AT 07:03PM (MST)[p]If you love it you'll teach yourself.

Don't confuse the outdoor marketing machine with reality.

Don't confuse the social media machine with reality.

Just realize that most of the machines have about as much credibility as CNN.

Do your own thing, analyze, adjust.

iluvrax · Oct 18, 2018

No need to go out of state...
Your already 1 up living in Colorado!
Great elk and mule deer opportunity!!!

HIcountryman · Oct 18, 2018

Have you ever shot a deer? You keep mentioning elk, going out of state... if you have no big game experience, let me tell you its alot of work to quarter and pack out an elk! You wont get one in an easy place, near the road... Try to kill a doe and you can imagine what youre getting into.

As far as going out of state, be my guest- but colorado has a ton of opportunity to fill a tag. You'd be better served going an hour or couple of hours away multiple times than one big trip 6 hours away.

Go shoot some coyotes like suggested! It ll get you out in woods, you can be scouting an area you researched for future opportinity.

HIcountryman · Oct 18, 2018

There s areason there s a ton of otc tags available. Look at success rates and cost of nonresident tags.

littlebighorn · Oct 18, 2018

+1 on staying home. Colorado is a much better place to get started than most neighboring states.
Also, I believe local information is way better than anything most of us can offer from afar. I'd try to find a neighbor or a co-worker that is a hunter. Don't be afraid to ask around about someone close to where you live that can help. You never know, someone may even allow you to tag along. Just like learning to fish, watching a good fisherman gets you into it much quicker than trying to figure it out on your own or from asking questions on a forum.
If you were my neighbor and you approached me about wanting to get involved, I'd be all over helping you get a start.

Best of luck!

TrainingWheels · Oct 18, 2018

>Have you ever shot a deer?
>You keep mentioning elk, going
>out of state... if you
>have no big game experience,
>let me tell you its
>alot of work to quarter
>and pack out an elk!
>You wont get one in
>an easy place, near the
>road... Try to kill
>a doe and you can
>imagine what youre getting into.
>
>
> As far as going out
>of state, be my guest-
>but colorado has a ton
>of opportunity to fill a
>tag. You'd be better served
>going an hour or couple
>of hours away multiple times
>than one big trip 6
>hours away.
>
> Go shoot some coyotes like
>suggested! It ll get you
>out in woods, you can
>be scouting an area you
>researched for future opportinity.

Yeah thats kind of my point, an elk hunt seems like too much to take on, but as far as I can tell they're the only over the counter tag you can buy in colorado (for rifle). if i wanted to start with a deer hunt i think i have to build up preference points first. I don't know how long that takes, could be years, but i do know that a TON of out of state hunters come to colorado for our over the counter elk tags which make the success rates extremely low. thats why i would consider maybe hunting a nearby state if they'll allow me to do a deer hunt. i can be in nebraska and wyoming within a couple hours. kansas, utah and new mexico within reasonable distance too.

i think what I'm really looking for is info on other hunters experience with the draw process, point accumulation, strategy to get into good units ASAP and strategy to start getting experience ASAP without biting off more than i can chew initially (since elk is the only OTC tag in CO). sounds like maybe looking for leftover deer and/or pronghorn tags in units with mostly public land is the way to go and possible doing an OTC elk hunt if i feel up to it.

Frosty · Oct 19, 2018

Get some good boots,
Glass,
Go pound the hills!
See what you can find and who you can meet.
That's how I started

BluffGruff · Oct 20, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Oct-21-18 AT 02:10AM (MST)[p]Easy starting point would be for leftover doe pronghorn this December in SE corner of the state. Pick a unit that has accessible public land.
For the draw, I would tend to want to hunt something every year, apply for a 0 pt muzzy or 1st rifle season tag for elk, and either a second or third rifle deer hunt that is also 0 pts. Elk are really only fun to not shoot if you hear bugles, so only get a OTC elk tag if you already have that deer tag bc 90% of people go home empty handed.

jims · Oct 21, 2018

The more time you spend in the country you'll be hunting the better off you'll be during hunting season. Scout, shed hunt the winter range, backpack during the summer, etc. The more time you devote the more you will learn about access, country, glassing points, required gear, clothes, etc.

You'll likely find that there is often a reason there are left over tags for units. Possibly gobs of hunting pressure, lots of private land, few deer in the unit or tough to find during a particular season, etc. Take a look at whether the unit is OTC for elk and how many cow and doe hunters are in the same area during the season you choose? How much public land is available....and public land with deer. You'll also learn that where there are 2 track roads or trails in units that are OTC for elk there will be gobs of hunters! Colo may offer great options for tags but you will likely earn every critter you harvest...especially on public land, easy to draw tags.

nontypical · Oct 22, 2018

Don't start with elk. They are BIG. Make sure you have a system for getting the animal to your vehicle. This will take a few trips if you're by yourself.

I recommend starting smaller; deer or antelope..

joesikora · Oct 28, 2018

Hi David and welcome aboard.
I don't know how I found this web site I either stumbled on it or a MM member gave option to me.
Check out StartMyHunt.com it looks like a cool way to learn about CO.
Let me know what you think of the site

Good luck

Joe

"Sometimes you do things wrong for so long you
think their right" - 2001
"I can't argue with honesty" - 2005
-Joe E Sikora