Thoughts on Colorado point creep

schoolhousegrizz · Nov 9, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-19 AT 07:36AM (MST)[p]I have a dilemma now that Colorado does not post their results until the Wyoming deadline has passed. I could draw a pretty good hunt in Wyoming next year. Then in 2021 put in for Colorado when the season dates are very late. The unit in Colorado that I want to draw takes eight or nine points. I would have 10 in 2021. Do you think point creep would get me in 2021? What do you think about point creep in 2020 in Colorado? How bad will it be compared to 2021?

littlebighorn · Nov 9, 2019

It's my guess that everyone who has banked points in Colorado, are going to be putting in with the later hunt dates. I personally think CO point creep will get slammed. Ultimately nobody knows, but that's my prediction.

opbuckslayer · Nov 9, 2019

That's gonna be like predicting the weather. I would guess there is going to be some large number of people dumping points before these late hunt dates & another possible winter kill decimate western Colorado deer herds.

schoolhousegrizz · Nov 9, 2019

I'm thinking a bunch of people might put in in 2021 and wait for it to go super late and next year won't be so bad. I don't know, maybe I should try for next year in Colorado instead of 2021.

fullthrottle · Nov 9, 2019

^^^thats what I would guess^^^

SlinginLead · Nov 9, 2019

I plan to dump my points in 2021, possibly in "20. Sitting on 18 points, time to cash in. I'm getting to damn old!

schoolhousegrizz · Nov 9, 2019

Slinginlead, just curious on what the unit you are looking at takes to draw point wise as of now?

DW · Nov 9, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-19 AT 02:04PM (MST)[p]>Slinginlead, just c3urious on what the
>unit you are looking at
>takes to draw point wise
>as of now?

zero.

#livelikezac

HiMtnHntr · Nov 9, 2019

Take a look at the last few years of recaps. As long as there's no quota change that will give you an idea. That's all you can do.

jims · Nov 9, 2019

Keep your fingers crossed there is no winterkill in the area you plan on applying. It would be a bummer to wait so many years and draw a tag after a super bad winter that may take years to produce old age class bucks that may or may not currently be present. A later season tag may be moot if there aren't mature bucks present?Bad winterkill likely also means fewer tags issued.

As mentioned numerous times above, there will likely be an explosion of hunters that apply for tags rather than accumulating points with later season dates.

Loner · Nov 9, 2019

The size of the point creep jump depends partly on how often this is brought up on-line between now and then. haha

scopenstalk · Nov 9, 2019

Well not to state the obvious but about every person who has any points is going to be trying to hunt 3rd season in 2021. So don't be surprised if point creep goes nuts in 2021. Next year the dates are decent but not as good as they will be in the following 4 years so I bet next year is similar to now.

Then once the hunting starts to hit rock bottom for big bucks 3-4 years down the road, who knows what the point creep will be. Guys with a lot of points aren't going to know what to do with them after the mature bucks all get smacked in the first 2-3 years of this. Since the country is so big there will probably always be a few bucks that get big but with this management strategy Colorado is going to be the new Tardville as far as deer management is concerned.

I hope I am wrong.....

SlinginLead · Nov 11, 2019

>Slinginlead, just curious on what the
>unit you are looking at
>takes to draw point wise
>as of now?

I'm looking at a 4th Season Tag when I put in.
I'm not sure yet of the unit.

sageman · Nov 11, 2019

I just returned from Colorado 3rd season and it was a very slow year for us in numbers of deer and poor quality of bucks! So who knows what the future holds? My guess was that this year was going to be good??? Not so!

goforbroke · Nov 11, 2019

Point creep is legit, the bigger problem is not nearly as many big deer as 5 years ago. I am at 14 points and wish I would have cashed in at 7 -9. I wanted to do a gunnison basin hunt, but the guys I know that have hunted the last 2 years didn't see anything 180+ and came home with 150 type bucks. Nice deer, but not what I am hoping to be able to hunt.

fullthrottle · Nov 11, 2019

I wouldn't be surprised if after the wave of the late season come and go 2021, 2022, 2023 if we don't see a drop off in guys wanting to come and hunt muleys in Colorado. After all hunters go there for the reasonable chance of finding a big buck, if that quality fades away who knows. That's a lot of money to spend on a poor hunt, or a hunt for 1-2 year old deer. Colorado deer are already trying to crawl out of a hole, and the later dates aren't going to help that recovery. Lots of die hard hunters, hunting some good units came home with tag soup this year.

fullthrottle · Nov 11, 2019

I hunted gunnison basin this year 8 days going hard. Granted the weather was terrible, but it was a major disappointment. Nothing even close to big. Lots of hunters leaving Disappointed with nothing or settling for dinky bucks.

sneakem · Nov 11, 2019

Funny things is that we had snow packs of 280%-750% statewide into late April and May. Winterkill already happened, there just wasn't much talk of it. Notably after speaking with a couple DWM's there was also CWD prevalence of up to 18% in the tested deer in the NW units. Deer herds are struggling, they've added more tags to eliminate older age class deer as they have the highest infection rate of CWD. It wasn't just warm weather and the moon that made the deer hunting tough this year...

http://fenderimages.com

scopenstalk · Nov 11, 2019

>I hunted gunnison basin this year
>8 days going hard. Granted
>the weather was terrible, but
>it was a major disappointment.
>Nothing even close to big.
>Lots of hunters leaving Disappointed
>with nothing or settling for
>dinky bucks.

That's super frustrating. That's the tough thing about if you're a non-resident and have to wait however many years it is. By the time you get the tag it might be a crap year. I hunted a low point unit for second season and came home with a mature buck.... He isn't a giant (Little over 170) but I only burned my 3 points to get him. There are going to be a lot of guys who don't draw what they want in 2021 or 2022 and then they will have no idea what to do..... The buck hunting already isn't great right now.....

The_Coloradoboy · Nov 11, 2019

I think the next couple years with the season structures are going to potentially cripple an already struggling herd along with a serious point creep. I feel a lot of people are going to be trying to get out of the Colorado preference point witch hunt while the getting is still going. This fall has honestly been hard on my faith in the future of Colorado mule deer. It's flat out ugly out there. Between piles of pressure, low numbers and even lower number of bucks, let alone mature bucks. I should be excited sitting here with a damn good 4th season tag in my pocket but I honestly have low expectations of turning up something I feel worthy of the tag. I wouldn't be surprised if I join the die hard tag soup eaters club....

Coloradoboy

littlebighorn · Nov 11, 2019

Well good luck Cboy!
At least you are still hunting, and if anyone can turn up something, I suspect you can.

roadrunner · Nov 11, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Nov-11-19 AT 07:26PM (MST)[p]Pool jumping may be a bigger issue. Those who put in for your hunt that never have based on the "loathesome" point creep for the hunts they put in.

The intent of points was to guarantee a draw every 2 to 4 years and now it is nearly a OIL pursuit.

Deerlove · Nov 12, 2019

Well if the want to cull a few mature bucks out, start the muzzy hunt earlier.

BrianID · Nov 12, 2019

Point creep is hard to predict but I'm guessing 3rd season will see more point creep than average with the later dates. I wouldn't be surprised if you could draw some units with less points next year because others are holding their points another year for the later dates.
Point creep could get really bad in the future if Colorado decides to follow other states and limit nonresidents to 10% of the tags.

>Well if the want to cull
>a few mature bucks out,
>start the muzzy hunt earlier.
>

ORIONTHEHUNTER · Nov 12, 2019

I wouldn't worry about point creep there won't be anything worth shooting by 2021. Pretty sad what has happened to not only our numbers but also quality. I can't believe CPW didn't cut tags after the winter we had last year. I also don't understand their thoughts of shooting out CWD. There is going to be a bunch of depressed high point holders in 2021 when they struggle to even see a buck over 140.