Welcome back to those of you who followed us in 2018, and welcome to those of you new to joining us on our adventures. This will be my 9th year journaling our season, which I have been attempting to do since we moved to Colorado. The site I have posted these adventures on has changed over the years, looking for the right internet home. We've been here on Hunttalk for the past 3 seasons.
Link to 2018 Season
Link to 2017 Season
Link to 2016 Season
Our goal last year was mentoring. Things did not quite work out as we had planned, but I was able to help my dad take his first archery bull elk, and FireTiger helped another of our friend's take his first elk. We also introduced two people to pronghorn hunting.
I think the goal this year is to simply relaxed and have a good time. If others want help planning or help on a hunt, we'll try, but we're not going to go out of our way to push others into getting into it. We can be a bit intimidating for a new person who does not have the same commitment level as we do.
Season Schedule
Its too early to tell yet, as draws have not even started here in Colorado, but we do know and can assume a few things.
February
TX Hogs ( Vanish, FireTiger )
April
CO Limited Spring Turkey ( Vanish, FireTiger )
May
CO OTC Spring Turkey ( Vanish, FireTiger, Dad )
August
CO OTC Archery Elk ( Vanish, Dad )
September
CO Archery Bear ( Vanish )
October
CO Rifle Deer ( Vanish, Dad, predicted )
CO Plains Whitetail ( FireTiger, predicted )
NE Archery Deer ( Vanish, Dad, FireTiger )
Thoughts and Plans
Pronghorn is a big hole in our schedule. I am proposing archery, as it starts with two full weekends before elk season this year, which doesn't happen very often. I am leaving the choice to FireTiger though, as she has at least one point and I do not, and it is the animal she likes hunting the most. She will also have a chance to draw in Wyoming.
FireTiger is still working out what she wants to do for elk. She likes the late hunts where we glass them in the snow, but she's not sure where she wants to do it this year. She gambled on reissues last year, lost and went with plan C. We were not greatly excited by that tag. Additionally, the tag she's been saving her point for no longer looks like the way to go.
I talked about doing an alpine archery hunt for mule deer in the future, but I still just cannot get around giving up elk hunting to hunt deer. I really like the hunt I am planning on putting in for, so I've decided to stop worrying about it being a rifle hunt. Theoretically I could use my bow during the rifle season, but its a small huntable area and blowing a couple of stalks could easily end the hunt.
Unlike many on this forum, we don't really put in for out of state draw tags. I have some WY points for elk and deer ( from before this decision was made, and now I feel too invested to "opt-out" ), and FireTiger wanted to do one more WY pronghorn hunt. We are happy enough with the tags we can get here in CO, and don't feel the need to chase the trophy units in other states. I did look into New Mexico as they have hunts for Barbary Sheep, Ibex and Oryx, but I just couldn't make the numbers work out in a way that made me happy. There are a few lottery tags we will put in for, but otherwise that money is going to a traveling hunt fund, most likely for hunts outside the lower 48. We're both more interested in chasing something you can't chase here at home as opposed to having a chance at a "better" hunt for something we hunt every year.