Advice for a NR new to Colorado?
- Thread starter scottw
- Start date
I would spend a lot of time on the CPW website. There is a ton of information on there that you can use to help make intelligent decisions about where and when to hunt whatever species you are interested in. The hunting atlas map on the website can save you a lot of time by narrowing down potentially good areas.
Katoom
Active Member
- Messages
- 556
Where are you from? Have you been out west before? Age? Ability? Species you'd like to chase?
Most people will recommend a WY antelope tag for your first western hunt. They don't just give them away, most are sold out in the draw, so you have to do your homework and maybe go for a lesser unit, including for a doe tag, to get your feet wet, probably get an animal, and still have time to scout around other areas for the future.
In CO Elk OTC bow units a hard working whitetail-experienced hunter can get away from the trailhead and find a fair chance of success in September in just about any decent National Forest. Camping weather is often awesome, but could be wet and cold too. Probably 10X harder (at least) than any antelope hunt would be. Might be 10X more fun depending on your tastes.
OTC ELK rifle can be a bit trickier, elk might have moved about, some to private, and weather is random and fickle - warm to freezing. Dry to wet to snowed in. You need to up your preparations. But the opportunity is there for you. Just expect a tougher hunt and probably more people per square mile.
There's no OTC deer or antelope (other than OTC archery antelope - tough units and/or low access) but you can probably draw a lot tags with few or no points in some areas - just be sure there is public land there waiting.
Good luck.
Most people will recommend a WY antelope tag for your first western hunt. They don't just give them away, most are sold out in the draw, so you have to do your homework and maybe go for a lesser unit, including for a doe tag, to get your feet wet, probably get an animal, and still have time to scout around other areas for the future.
In CO Elk OTC bow units a hard working whitetail-experienced hunter can get away from the trailhead and find a fair chance of success in September in just about any decent National Forest. Camping weather is often awesome, but could be wet and cold too. Probably 10X harder (at least) than any antelope hunt would be. Might be 10X more fun depending on your tastes.
OTC ELK rifle can be a bit trickier, elk might have moved about, some to private, and weather is random and fickle - warm to freezing. Dry to wet to snowed in. You need to up your preparations. But the opportunity is there for you. Just expect a tougher hunt and probably more people per square mile.
There's no OTC deer or antelope (other than OTC archery antelope - tough units and/or low access) but you can probably draw a lot tags with few or no points in some areas - just be sure there is public land there waiting.
Good luck.
You're gonna laugh. I'm from Arkansas. Been hunting swamps and sloughs my whole life for ducks and deer.
I'm 30, big guy, decent athletic shape. I've never hunted out west, but I have been hiking/fishing and skiing several times in CO so I know elevation is a booger.
I know people say this a lot, but I really want the experience more than anything. If I shoot a buck/bull, that would be awesome, if not then maybe next time.
I really want to chase some mule deer, but elk would be perfectly fine as well. I definitely would rather have a rifle in my hands.
I'm just now really starting my research for a hunt in 2020. Thanks for the info!
I'm 30, big guy, decent athletic shape. I've never hunted out west, but I have been hiking/fishing and skiing several times in CO so I know elevation is a booger.
I know people say this a lot, but I really want the experience more than anything. If I shoot a buck/bull, that would be awesome, if not then maybe next time.
I really want to chase some mule deer, but elk would be perfectly fine as well. I definitely would rather have a rifle in my hands.
I'm just now really starting my research for a hunt in 2020. Thanks for the info!
ruger1022
Active Member
- Messages
- 249
My advice is to go hunting as much as you can. I wouldn't wait around building points in CO. Almost every unit in CO has potential of a great buck. Sometimes I think you have a better chance of taking a nice buck hunting a unit that takes a point or two to draw every couple years over hunting a top tier unit once in your life.
>My advice is to go hunting
>as much as you can.
>I wouldn't wait around building
>points in CO. Almost every
>unit in CO has potential
>of a great buck. Sometimes
>I think you have a
>better chance of taking a
>nice buck hunting a unit
>that takes a point or
>two to draw every couple
>years over hunting a top
>tier unit once in your
>life.
I definitely don't plan to wait around. I might try to build some elk points, but I'll be trying to hunt every year if I enjoy it (and I'm sure I will).
>as much as you can.
>I wouldn't wait around building
>points in CO. Almost every
>unit in CO has potential
>of a great buck. Sometimes
>I think you have a
>better chance of taking a
>nice buck hunting a unit
>that takes a point or
>two to draw every couple
>years over hunting a top
>tier unit once in your
>life.
I definitely don't plan to wait around. I might try to build some elk points, but I'll be trying to hunt every year if I enjoy it (and I'm sure I will).
Wow wish I was 30 again ! I'm 72 now & been hunting since '55 when I was 8 years old with a .22 Remington single shot rifle in Central Texas.
I go along too with " hunt now" & learn . Build points now for every species you want to,hunt in Colorado. But try to get tags & learn the hunting ropes in units that don't take tons of points-- you can grow old (like me!) chasing the darn points & playing that game & missing those experiences & learning the areas. The Hunt Planning guys at CPW in Denver can be big helps getting started out. They are normally very helpful. Talk to them & keep good notes. Even low point areas can/do offer good hunts if you can draw the tags first go round. But you have to be in the game-- field-- with a tag ! Keep in mind that weather & winters can change the hunting big time for deer & antelope too. Not much for elk-- they are tough !!
You'll need to do lots of contact work with CPW personnel to learn about the areas & game there to know what /how to enter all the draws. It takes time to be ready well before the draw deadline yearly in very early April. Check,& double check everything. I enter the draws in Colorado, Wyoming, & Arizona-- but only because I once lived in AZ ! It's too costly to enter yearly unless you like to throw $$ to AZ .
The future is NOW ! Message me if I can assist. I'm an antelope nut from way back, know Wy well for them. Glad to help any way I can.
Jerry Gold -- Cell /text : 307-772-1623
Fort Collins, Colorado
E M: [email protected]
I go along too with " hunt now" & learn . Build points now for every species you want to,hunt in Colorado. But try to get tags & learn the hunting ropes in units that don't take tons of points-- you can grow old (like me!) chasing the darn points & playing that game & missing those experiences & learning the areas. The Hunt Planning guys at CPW in Denver can be big helps getting started out. They are normally very helpful. Talk to them & keep good notes. Even low point areas can/do offer good hunts if you can draw the tags first go round. But you have to be in the game-- field-- with a tag ! Keep in mind that weather & winters can change the hunting big time for deer & antelope too. Not much for elk-- they are tough !!
You'll need to do lots of contact work with CPW personnel to learn about the areas & game there to know what /how to enter all the draws. It takes time to be ready well before the draw deadline yearly in very early April. Check,& double check everything. I enter the draws in Colorado, Wyoming, & Arizona-- but only because I once lived in AZ ! It's too costly to enter yearly unless you like to throw $$ to AZ .
The future is NOW ! Message me if I can assist. I'm an antelope nut from way back, know Wy well for them. Glad to help any way I can.
Jerry Gold -- Cell /text : 307-772-1623
Fort Collins, Colorado
E M: [email protected]
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