CO unit 74 4th season buck tag help.

TrophyHunter_colorado2130 · May 21, 2012

Drew 4th season buck tag for 74 I have only hunted muzzy up there, don't know if the deer even rut in the unit or if this is a good tag to have. I have called the biologist and left a message. Any help would be great, will trade info for info let me know. Thanks for reading

Founder · May 21, 2012

Horrible. My son had the tag a few years ago. I figured there should be a few deer in the unit at that time and he could maybe kill his first buck.....NOT!!! I think we saw a doe and a fawn on public land in 3-4 days. We did see 3 other deer in the unit, but they were in town in yards.

I can't believe they even offer tags for that hunt. Maybe I'm just a crappy hunter, but I thought it was horrible.

Sorry, but I'd say get your money back.

PS - I talked to a biologist and they told me that during that time of year, deer like to be at lower elevations and to look there...... LOL

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com

TrophyHunter_colorado2130 · May 22, 2012

That is exactly what I figured, I got the tag second choice so im really not out much. Did you hunt just outside Durango and all the way west to dolores? I thought that maybe it was low enough for a few bucks to be held up. It says they harvested 14 bucks last year but like you said I bet it was in grandpas alfalfa barn.

Well looks like I might be turning it in and get a landowner tag for somewhere. Thanks for the info man.

AntlerObsession · May 22, 2012

LAST EDITED ON May-22-12 AT 11:12AM (MST)[p]I've hunted Unit 74 the last few years, and have seen some monsters. Big bucks travel a long way to enjoy the rich forage and solitude offered by those remote peaks in the northern and central portions of the unit.

Due to the elevation, they do move down hard and fast once the freeze hits, mostly south and west. That being said, if you can identify their migration route, you will see deer in droves. There will be huge expanses of land with just a handful of deer moving through, and then you will drop into one particular canyon, and it will be crawling with deer, as they herd up and move lower.

PM me your email, and I can send you some pics of bucks we've seen.

txhunter58 · May 22, 2012

LAST EDITED ON May-22-12 AT 07:43PM (MST)[p]Were you hunting the 4th season when you saw those bucks?

If I could not get on private land, I would probably turn the tag back in. There is generally a reason why 4th season tags can be had as a second choice.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

txhunter58 · Jun 3, 2012

Trophy: I just looked at the drawing stats. They offered 5 tags for 4th season in unit 74 and had ZERO applicants! Should tell you something!

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

AntlerObsession · Jun 3, 2012

LAST EDITED ON Jun-03-12 AT 10:57PM (MST)[p]The bucks I saw were in the last few days of the 3rd Rifle, through the weekend before the 4th. Work was calling, or would have been there to see what the 4th rifle really had to offer.

I had a few buddies that hunted it though, and said there were realistic opportunities at 160"-175" bucks, but that the 2 bucks that might have gone 180"+ were about 2.5 miles away in 2' of snow.

The weather plays a large part in how quickly the bucks move down the mountain, and the big bucks are usually the last ones to come down. I was seeing animals as high as 8,500' in the 3rd season, and it will be interesting to see how conditions compare this year.

TrophyHunter_colorado2130 · Jun 15, 2012

Thanks for the replys txhunter and andtlerobsession!

Let me put my goals in prospective for this hunt. I know the unit produces big deer, I have chaced these buggers a couple times. I know that the unit has vary limited winter range if any at all. So my game plan was to obtain a 4th season tag while keeping all of my PP and still have the oppertunity to kill a big buck, and not spending a good chunk of change on a LO tag.

I know that weather might push deer out and all hope might be lost. I know that people have had a tough time killing deer the 4th season And I know that it might be a tough hunt. If they are still giving deer dirt naps in 3rd season then there is hope for 4th.

I will have 10 days off before the season and the entire season off to hunt. The plan is to locate a big buck and stay with him and if the snow pushes him off the mountain then it's tag soup for me!

I have killed some big animals on hunts just like I am going to do here. I think it will work, and if it dosn't then oh well, I will go take some frustration out on a Whitetail in Nebraska!