Looking to try and draw this tag in 2024. Should have more than enough points for 3rd/4th rifle season. Looking to see if anyone has hunted mule deer here before and what your experience was in the later seasons. I have heard that they will work down toward private and this can impact public land hunters and skew the perception of success rates. Let me know your experiences!
511 Colorado Mule Deer
- Thread starter s10
- Start date
See a bunch of mule deer? lol
PikesPeakElkHunter
Active member
How many points will you have for the 2024 draw? 511 had 35 buck tags in 2023 for 4th season and 75 tags covering units 59/511 for 3rd season. You would need a minimum of 3 points for 4th season and 2 points for 3rd season and up to draw.
I live in and have been hunting this unit for 35 years. Some great deer if you're willing to put in a bit of work. Much, much better deer than what we found in unit 22 near Meeker a few years ago. Took 16 points to hunt unit 22. I had/have bigger bucks in my drive way. The buck in the image to the left is in my backyard during 4th season. I didn't have a tag that year.
3rd & 4th season is about finding the does. The bucks will show up. This includes public land. Last season my son drew his 511 4th season tag. We looked at over 20 nice bucks in the first 3 days of the season. He took a very nice 185-190 buck on Saturday morning.
Here is the draw recap link: https://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/Statistics-Deer.aspx
I live in and have been hunting this unit for 35 years. Some great deer if you're willing to put in a bit of work. Much, much better deer than what we found in unit 22 near Meeker a few years ago. Took 16 points to hunt unit 22. I had/have bigger bucks in my drive way. The buck in the image to the left is in my backyard during 4th season. I didn't have a tag that year.
3rd & 4th season is about finding the does. The bucks will show up. This includes public land. Last season my son drew his 511 4th season tag. We looked at over 20 nice bucks in the first 3 days of the season. He took a very nice 185-190 buck on Saturday morning.
Here is the draw recap link: https://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/Statistics-Deer.aspx
Shangobango
Well-known member
P
511 deer probably just creeped 2 points due to this post…
PikesPeakElkHunter
Active member
Same deer have been here for the last 35 years. Just like almost every unit in Colorado. The problem today is too many hunters watch YouTube videos and get discouraged because they didn't see or walk up on record bucks/bulls or even mature animals after "being in the woods all day". Not trying to be a smart a$$ either. ATVs, SxS, mountain bikes, hikers, are everywhere.
On average unit 511 takes 4-5 points to draw. Every year someone posts a picture of their "monster buck" at Sportman's Warehouse in the Springs or Hunttalk saying they got it in unit 511 whether they did or not. The following year draw numbers double or triple. The hunters that do draw can't find the "big ones" tied to every tree and the numbers drop again. People can't walk away from 10+ points accumulated in other units so point creep continues.
The deer have adapted and so are the elk. To be successful you really do need to spend more time in the woods you are going to hunt. 3rd & 4th season concentrate on finding the does only on public land. The bucks will show up usually early morning and just before dark. They may have been on nearby private property. We found areas where the natural soil contains minerals and salts that the hot does really seem to want. We found several locations like this years ago looking only for the does during the 3rd & 4th seasons. We NEVER see does here the rest of the year. We scout until we see these groups of does. Once we find them we get the wind right and don't move anywhere else as long as we keep seeing these groups of does. Eventually the bucks (often several at a time) will show up. Many are small or just young, But, the big boys do show up. Our biggest bucks we've shot near noon too! The does are bedded nearby and the bucks are now looking for them. Best live decoys in the world!
I have found very nice bucks in every Colorado unit I have ever hunted during 3rd or 4th season doing exactly this. Including the northwest units which I'll never get to draw a tag for during the rest of my life. An old Colorado guide taught me this trick when I first moved here 35 years ago. I spent the first couple of years walking many, many miles and scouting for these locations on public land. I have been going back to these same locations year after year whether with a tag in hand or a camera. I have never been disappointed. I have also only seen 4 other hunters in the same public areas over the last 20 years. In many cases I am less than a half mile off well used ATV & dirt bike trails.
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Thanks for all your info. I will have 4 PP for the ‘24 draw.
PikesPeakElkHunter
Active member
Let me know if you draw your tag. I may be able to suggest a few areas for you to scout.
I have heard that the pressure for elk there is intense! Of course being close to Woodland Park and Co Springs, I am sure it doesn't help. Just curious, what do you think would change for your 3/4 season strategy? Are you referring to elevation, forage, proximity to private? Thanks for the feedback.
PikesPeakElkHunter
Active member
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER! DOW changed the season dates. 3rd rifle now covers much of the time that used to be 4th rifle season in 511. The deer still rut based on the amount of daylight and not the date. We've been viewing many more bucks chasing does during 3rd season than previously. Especially the last few days of the season.
STK's comment below is exactly why you should concentrate on finding the does!
"Never hunted fourth season there, but I did spend a couple years at the Academy and saw very nice bucks chasing does beginning about that time. The does were there year round, but the big bucks were nowhere to be seen until mid-late November. They’d show up one day, chase does all over the base for about a month, then disappear until the next year."
LuketheDog
Well-known member
...and then creeped another 2 in the last 24 hours. You guys ought to take this one offline.
Shangobango
Well-known member
Jeez Louise...
PikesPeakElkHunter
Active member
Every unit in Colorado is creeping to the point where our youth isn't hunting because they don't want to wait 5 freakin' years to hunt! This includes a father and son or daughter hoping to hunt together in units 511, 59, 581, and nearly all other units across the state. Everything being shared has been known for the last 30 years about this and nearby units. Absolutely nothing new. We're mentioning hunting techniques that work regardless of unit.
I won't even mention the number of units in Colorado which have now become off limit to any hunter over age 50 due to the number of points needed to draw versus human life expectancy! That age is dropping every year across more and more units!
This info doesn't affect creep. What really affects our hunting and creep in these units is the poaching and vehicle kills. Deer and elk are in this unit. But, so are thousands of motorized ATVs, SxSs, mountain bikers, dirt bikers, hikers, etc. Along with all of the OTC elk tags and non-res hunters who switched from the northwest this year due to winter kill and CWD postings.
Most people don't even notice that units 511, 59, and 581 now have some of the highest levels of CWD for elk in the entire state. How is it they don't or aren't showing the same levels for the deer population?
MtnElk
Well-known member
guys stop... PM each other. Hunt Talked is indexed on google... posting pics, saying the unit is under recognized, etc is just plain dumb on a public forum when units are also mentioned
LuketheDog
Well-known member
Shangobango
Well-known member
As a matter of fact do everyone that is interested in hunting this unit a favor going forward and just delete the posts.
PikesPeakElkHunter
Active member
You've got to be kidding. Who ever suggested this unit is under recognized?
Units 511, 59, and 581 sit a 20-30 minute drive from a population of over 800,000+ people. Traffic jams every weekend on the highways and miles & miles of crowded ATV & SxS trails. OTC elk hunting in all 3 units too!
DOW publishes actual statistics on this and every unit. There are NO SECRET UNITS IN COLORADO!
HuntScore, GoHunt, Onx, TopRut, Hunttalk posts, Colorado DOW, Rokslide, Reddit, Bowsite, HuntingNet, LongRangeHunting, Muleymadness, Eastman's, Cabela's, Outdoor Life, and just to many more to list have been posting much more specific info about these units for over 20+ years. No secret any more than EVERY other unit in Colorado.
Thousands of OTC hunters and lucky draw winners have been hunting this unit for decades. The success rate hasn't gotten any better and the bucks aren't any bigger then before there was even a draw. There are just a few more of them.
We're following the forum rules too. Specifically rule #3. Trying to help the original poster get some of the information he requested.
If you have a question about this unit or another specific unit please post it. Maybe someone can/will help you too!
When I hunted Meeker for the first time several years ago another Hunttalk forum member was extremely helpful. Especially since we knew we would never be able to draw a tag there again in our lifetimes! His help made all of the difference in the world. We still had to do our own scouting and walk our a$$e$ off. But, at least we knew we weren't hunting ghosts after using 16 points to draw the tag.
Units 511, 59, and 581 sit a 20-30 minute drive from a population of over 800,000+ people. Traffic jams every weekend on the highways and miles & miles of crowded ATV & SxS trails. OTC elk hunting in all 3 units too!
DOW publishes actual statistics on this and every unit. There are NO SECRET UNITS IN COLORADO!
HuntScore, GoHunt, Onx, TopRut, Hunttalk posts, Colorado DOW, Rokslide, Reddit, Bowsite, HuntingNet, LongRangeHunting, Muleymadness, Eastman's, Cabela's, Outdoor Life, and just to many more to list have been posting much more specific info about these units for over 20+ years. No secret any more than EVERY other unit in Colorado.
Thousands of OTC hunters and lucky draw winners have been hunting this unit for decades. The success rate hasn't gotten any better and the bucks aren't any bigger then before there was even a draw. There are just a few more of them.
We're following the forum rules too. Specifically rule #3. Trying to help the original poster get some of the information he requested.
If you have a question about this unit or another specific unit please post it. Maybe someone can/will help you too!
When I hunted Meeker for the first time several years ago another Hunttalk forum member was extremely helpful. Especially since we knew we would never be able to draw a tag there again in our lifetimes! His help made all of the difference in the world. We still had to do our own scouting and walk our a$$e$ off. But, at least we knew we weren't hunting ghosts after using 16 points to draw the tag.
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PikesPeakElkHunter
Active member
No need to delete this post for the OP. If you're interested in hunting the unit, you can still apply for the unit too. You could be number 800,001 of the people who already know about the unit and explore this unit almost every day of the year.
I won't be deleting anything, good info for all that wish to go poke around. If this is enough information to guarantee a nice muley buck, people are in luck!
Shangobango
Well-known member
Absolutely no need to delete per Big Fin.
No thanks on applying for this unit. I am trying to focus on the "hidden gem" type units that goHunt is always alluding to. Apparently this one doesn't qualify.
