Colorado 3 year plan

MTGomer

MTGomer

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I have been doing a little research on Colorado Mule Deer. I plan to come within the next few years, so I will be able to accumulate a few points but not many.

Things I want.

-Wilderness -

-High Country

-places to get 5+(hopefully more, alot more) miles from any motorized accessible road/trail

-A fair chance at a mature 175+ buck. I don't mind working for it. It doesn't have to be a super high density deer area. Just a reasonable chance of locating a killer buck. Prefer quality over quantity. And the quality of the hunt won't be determined by the kill. I'm used to not killing things.

This will be a backpack hunt. Maybe with a partner, maybe solo. Not sure yet. I could get away for up to 10 days to do it, and would like to just do a expedition type backpack hunt the whole time, as opposed to bouncing from spot to spot with the truck.


I don't mind hiring an outfitter to pack out a game animal if its too super far in.
If it could be combined with an elk hunt, that would be okay, but main priority is mule deer. I can find big bulls in Montana (killing them is a different story.) I struggle to locate high caliber mule deer here.


I'm not asking for anybody's honey-hole, or even which river drainage etc..
Maybe just unit numbers you think would be good, which Wilderness area etc...
Looking at statistics, there are alot of the Aug 27- sept 25 archery hunts that can maybe be had with 0 points and quite likely had with 1 or 2. I'm just not sure where to even begin researching.

Any and all input is welcome. Again - not asking for any info you think is sensitive.
 
You might have to wait and see how bad the winter is in different regions. But the obvious areas are Gunnison and Eagle. Be aware, it's not a secret that those are the top regions either.
 
Thanks for the advice. I was wondering how winter was looking. Could be a tough one up here if it keeps up, that's for sure.

Weminuche looks intriguing. Big country.
 
The flat tops wilderness has some isolation. You may not be able to draw in the weminuche. The holy cross wilderness would be a good hunt. There are a lot of smaller wilderness areas that may not fit your bill.
 
My version:

MTGomer said:
I also been doing a little research on Colorado Mule Deer. I don't mind not coming for a few years, I've got 10 points.

Things I want.

-A big buck -

-Really big buck

-places to stay within 5 (hopefully less, alot less) miles from my truck and beer cooler.

-A fair chance at a mature 200+ buck. I don't mind working for it, provided I don't have to walk too far and can make it back to my truck for a nice warm meal and cold beer. It doesn't have to be a super high density deer area, but I want to see a lot of deer, and lots of bucks. And again, just a reasonable chance of locating a killer buck. Prefer quality over quantity, but still want to see a lot of deer, and some big old ones. And the quality of the hunt won't be determined by the kill, but wait, I want a big one. I'm used to not killing things, but I don't like that.

This will be a backpack hunt, but 2-3 days away from my truck/Yeti tops. Maybe with a partner, but preferably not. Not sure yet. I could get away for up to 10 days to do it, and would prefer not do do a expedition type backpack hunt the whole time, I'd like to be bouncing from spot to spot with the truck, using my window mount and glass, and only taking off on a big hike if I spot something BIG.

There is now way I'd pay an outfitter to pack out a deer. I can handle that, so long as there's beer at the end.
No interest in CO elk.

I'm asking for your honey hole..
Start with a unit number, then drainage, then GPS coordinates.
No time for research here, or statistics, just point me in the right direction, and if you've got trail camera photos of some giants, pass them along.

Any and all input is welcome. Again - please send all sensitive info my way by PM.
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like maybe you should call Jeff Caldwell. He'll do all the leg work for you, just pay him and be done.
 
Early archery or muzzleloader season has produced well for us.Unit 12/24 and 15 both works for us. And once in 231. You do not need a ton of points to draw and the bucks are there,just got to find them.
 
This isn't going to help much but the nice thing about Colorado is that you have a fair chance of finding a quality buck in just about any unit west of I-25. You seem like a good candidate to become an insider at gohunt.com. There are a plethora of filters you can set and one of them has to do with trophy score. Enjoy the search.
 
nrpate05 said:
This isn't going to help much but the nice thing about Colorado is that you have a fair chance of finding a quality buck in just about any unit west of I-25. You seem like a good candidate to become an insider at gohunt.com. There are a plethora of filters you can set and one of them has to do with trophy score. Enjoy the search.
Click to expand...

Nailed it. There's plenty of muzzeloader hunts you can do and 2nd season rifle deer units where there are OTC elk at the same time. I see elk every time I don't have an elk tag. PM me if you want some ideas.
 
Gohunt is very impressive. Assuming their info is correct (I am) that is the tool you need. How they can build that platform and accumulate that much info for the price is a mystery. It is truly a machine for filtering dreams. Start there.
 
I don't know who Jeff Caldwell is, but I'll just give him what it costs to apply, if he can just deliver the completed shoulder mount to my door by the end of the year. No reason to go down there myself it sounds like.

If I did go, I may have to alter my strategy a bit. Greenhorn seems to have it figured out. (Maybe he is Jeff Caldwell?)



Should probably buy a gohunt subscription. Is there a lot of difference between GoHunt and HuntinFool?
 
OP mentioned the winter death toll. Is there any way of predictably knowing which units will be hit hardest? Do yall know of any resources that track this? Thanks!
 
I dropped HF and went to Go Hunt a year or so a go. It's good for researching draw odds and preliminary info. It doesn't go hyping units like HF, which would crash the draw odds or tell everyone about "sleeper" units and ruin them. Plus if you wanted to cross check info you had to keep a stack of magazines lying around.

Not sure what HF has been up to the last year or so, but i'm sure someone on here can comment with their thoughts.

Go Hunt is well worth the price IMO and I can look at it anywhere with an internet connection - like the bathroom. They're draw odds calculators appear to be really good.
 
beginnerhunter said:
OP mentioned the winter death toll. Is there any way of predictably knowing which units will be hit hardest?
Click to expand...

The ones starting at the Utah state line going east to the Kansas state line...:eek: Google snotel Colorado. All Basins in the state are at 145%-165% of snowpack and its January...
 
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