Taking my Son and Daughter to Colorado for first time

Dnkies · Jul 20, 2021

Hi everyone. After years and years of promising to take my son and daughter on an out of state mule deer hunt, I finally took the time and saved the money to do it. My son is 19 and my daughter is 14…neither have ever shot a mule deer although my son has shot a few nice CA black tails. I only had enough money to get them tags so I will be their guide LOL. We are headed to Unit 33 3rd season (rifle). Can anyone point me in the right direction for good public land with good deer numbers? We aren’t super picky and definitely not trophy hunters, but we will shoot them if we see them LOL. I just want to spend some quality time with my kids and hopefully see a few bucks. I’m getting older and already wishing I had done this more with them. Thanks in advance for any pointers and info. God bless.

1989Cohunter · Jul 21, 2021

unfortunately saying the words 33 and good deer numbers are an oxymoron.

Dnkies · Jul 21, 2021

I was hoping that wasn’t going to be the case. Never been to Colorado so I took a stab. Is there a better easy to draw unit than 33? Thanks in advance.

El Gringo · Jul 21, 2021

33 is known to be a bit tough, but if you’re just looking for legal bucks, it can certainly be done. I’ve been in there a bit and have seen some great bucks. Make sure you have OnX maps, and hunt the boundaries of private land down low. Often in November a lot of deer will feed in the private fields at night and will move uphill onto public to bed. Word of caution, you have to KNOW the boundaries of private, as the burden is completely on the hunter. Landowners are not required to fence, or post their land, and they will prosecute trespassers.

Stick to hunting low to mid elevations, which is where the majority of the deer will be by 3rd season. Good luck!

For future years, try 11/211, 4, or 3/301 for high deer numbers but very low numbers of mature bucks.