Hey, been doing some research and looking to drop my 5 pref points in a second season hunt in 2024. Been looking into Unit 30 pretty hard and was wondering if there are possibly better units to try with 5 points. Living on the east coast i unfortunately can’t take an earlier trip and scout other areas so im limited to e scouting and lookin at the numbers from states website. Not looking for any honey holes just general info and what to expect if drawn for 30. Understood if you don’t want to post info on here but a PM would be much appreciated.
Colorado 2nd season mule deer
- Thread starter Kevn
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oldmossback
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What caliber of buck are you expecting?
From PA avid traveling turkey hunter and archery whitetail hunter. Have hunted mulies twice in Wyoming and looking to get into more western hunts.
The_Coloradoboy
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30 is going to be a toughie
HntHrdr
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Nice man, well in general guys don’t love blowing up units in their backyard, especially on the World Wide Web, but… there are some good resources here to help you figure out mule deer. With 5 pts as a non resident I’d look at the draw odds on the cpw website and make an educated decision. Pick a season you can draw, ps tag allocations will change slightly in 2024 so be careful, 35% to 25 % for non res, realistically you could find a buck like that in a lot of units in Co just hunt hard for 5-7 days and it will happen
BasuraBuck
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Expect plenty of OTC elk casuals driving around. I'm not personally familiar with that unit but everywhere I've been during an OTC rifle season has been an absolute cluster.
callsalot
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Agree with Hunt harder. Any unit you can draw with 4 to 5 non- resident points can produce that caliber of buck. Just make sure that there is plenty of public land to hunt and you success rates show close to 50% or better would be my thoughts. I haven't had much issue in CO with this but have in WY so worth considering. Then pick it and go.
liecabucks
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150 is definitely doable in 30 but 150 is definitely doable on any 4-6 pt unit in Colorado so those are pretty realistic expectations if you’re not wet behind the ears, with two left feet.
oldmossback
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What if I'm wet behind the feet with two left ears...
liecabucks
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Incest
Kevin, try researching GMUs 54/55 right outside of Gunnison. I hunted elk in there and saw mule deer that will meet your expectations. I haven't looked at the statistics yet (recco you check for yourself before applying) but 5 Non-Residents points could put you in either for deer.
Last winter was a tough year and survival numbers are a bit lower than previous years so you may have a better chance if other NRs avoid applying there for that reason. Good luck!
Last winter was a tough year and survival numbers are a bit lower than previous years so you may have a better chance if other NRs avoid applying there for that reason. Good luck!
WannaB
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If you are coming from the East, just make sure you are in good shape...especially if you hunt 30. Some of the most demanding hunts I've been on have been on 30. You can stay low and avoid the steep...but your are far less-likely to kill a decent buck that way. As mentioned, lots of OTC elk hunters in that unit as well...which could be an advantage if you play it right.
Jerkychaser
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30 is big country, if you get rain you will want to have a quad of side by side to get to the top of the mountains, also consider buying a otc bull tag.
Mountain_Mayne
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I can't offer any advice on 30. As others have said, do your research on stats, consider other things like terrain, access, etc. Someone on here mentioned 54/55, those are both pretty different units as far how they are laid out so just do your DD if you go that route. They are also very hit or miss IMO. I'm also not sure if 5 will get you in there with the new allocations next year they will definitely go up.
On a side note, with those points I would also consider an archery/muzzleloader hunt in a premium unit. Everyone always focuses on 2nd/3rd but man I see huge mulies almost every september when I'm chasing elk around and this is in units that can be drawn fairly easily.
Good luck
On a side note, with those points I would also consider an archery/muzzleloader hunt in a premium unit. Everyone always focuses on 2nd/3rd but man I see huge mulies almost every september when I'm chasing elk around and this is in units that can be drawn fairly easily.
Good luck
Any advice for utilizing the OTC elk hunters as an advantage?….hunt the draws as escape routes (kinda like whitetail getting pushed around) or network with them and see if they’re seeing deer. If drawn for the unit I’m looking to spike camp areas away from the roads for 3 days at a time and be mobile until I find deer. I don’t know if that’s the proper way to hunt that area or just find a good glassing point and stay put
For most of the days
HntHrdr
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You can try, some of the issue is depending on the unit, elk hunters can be everywhere, and often are doing things that make zero sense, but not a bad thought to use them as pressure, I wouldn’t rely on them for intel though, can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen guys are trailhead or on roads that spout some BS to me and then I go back and find deer or elk where they said there were none
AMann
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Are you certain you live out East? Shooting one of our up and coming 150” 4 points on the western slope is a very flat bill U-tard thing to do. If I was a NR holding 5 points and wanted an unforgettable deer hunting experience in CO I’d be hunting the eastern plains with an outfitter. The highest scoring mulie killed in CO last year was nowhere near the mountains and bested the governors buck by several inches... I wish you the best of luck but implore you to keep an open mind instead of falling victim to confirmation bias when researching your hunt
Mallardsx2
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Thats interesting. There must have been a lot of U-tards that became Colorado residents in the unit that I hunted a few years ago.
Those rotten transplants (with Colorado plates) were packing out a lot of bucks a hell of a lot smaller than 150". lol A couple of them were even fully decked out in Kuiu gear so I know they must have been serious hunters.
I thought you said earlier you haven’t seen a 140inch buck in unit 30 for years so why would you be concerned if a 150 gets shot when they aren’t there
deerslayer64d
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I guess I’m going to be one of those NR u-turds , having never hunted CO or much MD I’d feel blessed to harvest a 150” class MD this year when I hunt there ( private land ) .
SureShot
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Speaking of bias...
HntHrdr
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For most guys a 150” is a good buck. Especially since 4 years deep into the “kill all mature bucks” season structure. Now if you are some insta-famous hero hunter that touts 200 or bust but then dumps an up and comer for content on your 5th mule deer hunt that year, they suck but for your average dude a 150 will probably be a buck of a lifetime for them… I do agree that most of the real monsters in Co reside out east on private these days
Joe2Kool
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While on a 2nd choice elk tag a couple years ago, that may have had OTC cow tags as well, I was surprised at the number of hunters. Couldn't sit down without seeing orange, and I was hiking in 2,3,4 miles at times. Then again, with the terrain, you could still see hunters a mile away. Eastern WT hunting in big woods, other hunters can be 200 yards away and you'd never see them.
Anyway, with all the elk hunters, I was still seeing deer. I don't think there was a deer season at that time, and I didn't have a tag, which is probably why! We've all been there!
Even though I was seeing deer, not sure I would have gone into it with a deer tag knowing there were that many elk hunters around.
Here's a link to my "semi live" updates and some distant pics of the type of deer I was seeing.
Full disclosure, that was my first DIY elk hunt so my experience is limited.
www.monstermuleys.info
Good luck!
Anyway, with all the elk hunters, I was still seeing deer. I don't think there was a deer season at that time, and I didn't have a tag, which is probably why! We've all been there!
Even though I was seeing deer, not sure I would have gone into it with a deer tag knowing there were that many elk hunters around.
Here's a link to my "semi live" updates and some distant pics of the type of deer I was seeing.
Full disclosure, that was my first DIY elk hunt so my experience is limited.
DIY TN Hillbillies Headed West! | Elk
Truck is packed. Food, wall tent, heater, guns, ammo, binocs, and a Colorado 2nd choice tag. Probably packed about 342 other things we won't need or use!! For the record, I've been on one guided elk hunt 11 years ago. Rick went on a DIY last year. Thanks to MM'ers who have chimed in with...
www.monstermuleys.info
Good luck!
Gadjet
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Damn! Now that's funny! And oh so true!
ORIONTHEHUNTER
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Haha that is classic better keep that HUSH hush
HntHrdr
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You help me get my 1 point left over this year and I mums the word
haha
ORIONTHEHUNTER
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We'll see. I hear the reissue process is on some upcoming meeting agendas I'm hearing rumblings of a change of process coming againYou help me get my 1 point left over this year and I mums the word
HntHrdr
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Would be interesting to see what changes they have in store, I could see it coinciding with the 2025 changes but maybe they will rework it again
Gadjet
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Exactly who I thought of.
ORIONTHEHUNTER
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Word is going back to random and/or a push for resident only and nonresident only purchases of reissue tags. So resident turned in tags can only be bought by residents and non resident for non residents.
WannaB
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I wouldn't over-think it. Just take note of where the Elk guys are camped/parked and assume they will be heading out on the nearest ridge/spine and walking the ridge/spine top out. Finding a canyon or draw that is adjacent without easy access that a buck might be pressured into. Assume they stay in the brush except the magical 30-mins before and after sunrise. Glass hard.
Hunting adjacent to private in tough access areas is also a good tactic. Check the private roads on your maps and try to predict where they may push into the edges of public.
Depending on how hot it is, hiking into some of the lower country below all the elk pressure can produce good results as well. Some of that unit burned a couple years back and has opened up some great feed areas as well as great visibility. Again, find those areas and glass, glass, glass.
AMann
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take it back... that cuts deep
AMann
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OP, burn your points on the topography you want to hunt. 99.9% of people wouldn't be able to tell you the difference b/w a 180-220", let alone a 150" deer. Find the type of hunt you would like to remember for the rest of your life and jump on it.
WannaB
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Definitely disagree with this. Especially in Colorado; there may be an area with really awesome topography, but if the weather isn't right or the hunt pressure changes...there may not be any deer. There is a lot of moving from top to bottom during rifle season. It is more prevalent in 3rd/4th season, but can definitely occur in 2nd. There is a lot of great habitat that doesn't regularly hold deer.
Also, any decent hunter will know the difference in a 150" and 200" deer. I'm sure you're one of the 1/1,000 hunters that knows the difference...
