CO Preference Point

[HuntTalk Freak]

You can always come to AR and hunt whitetails. Very economical and tons of public ground with nobody on it. Shoot 3 deer in a weekend. Very few trophies tho. Just stop by on your way home after striking out in CO.View attachment 103229

I just looked at license prices and they aren't bad plus you can hunt bear and get six deer tags if you buy the year license. Not too shabby. I didn't look at the WMA or hunt area info though.

 

[iHunt]

This may have been answered already but I was confused on the Moose, Sheep and Goats PP in CO. Are each PP for those three charged $100, or is it just once, or is it just if you don't buy the small game license that you get charged $100? I guessed that it was for each PP and elected not to pay $300 for those 3 points.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

$100 per point, so $300 for all three in addition to the small game license.

 

[NC2CO]

What is the sweet spot for points in CO? Meaning, is there a level where another couple of points won't open up very many more units? Looking over Toprut, you have to be in it for the long haul once you get over 4 or 5 elk points. I'm too old to wait around and will burn mine by then. But deer seems to be some benefit to accumulating points after year 5. But I'll still burn before then.

Someone should publish a sweet spot article for each state.

If I were starting over in CO, I would be tempted to build points for deer and antelope. If I'm investing $100 to buy a point for one I may as well add 10% and buy the other. WITH THAT SAID - If I could make it happen, I'd be hunting both deer and antelope with 0-2 points invested in the tag as often as I could. You can likely pick up an OTC elk tag when you deer hunt in most cases.

 

[Keeptrying]

I honestly dont understand Nonresidents coming here to hunt elk. The tag cost too much, the crowding is unreal, the success rate on bulls is low, and the quality is low too. (see Randy's OTC Colorado videos).

When folks as me about elk hunting, i always say that unless you are hunting private land, I wouldnt recommend Colorado for elk hunting.

So what's your recommendation?

Your post reminds me of a particular poster that shows up in every thread about a particular unit and bashes it. On every damn forum on the internet, including this one. No deer, bad access, hostile landowners, MENSA level antelope. The only problem is I have been to that unit and he is dead wrong.

Most of us just want to hunt. If sitting in your truck on private waiting to haul off your elk makes it good for you carry on, but for me I just want some public land, a tag, and a decent population of game. Colorado gives me all of that.

 

[BrokenArrow]

I've been building elk and deer points for a few years now. I'm seriously considering burning the elk points next year and keep building the deer for a few more and then concentrating on OTC archery for elk from then on. I can definitely understand how this may be pricing some people out in the long run but like stated above, you gotta pay to play.

Hey Tikka, I'm really not trying to stir the pot here and create rumors, but I have heard quite a bit of chatter from folks in this state (CO) about OTC Archery Elk going away next year or the year after.
****I cannot confirm this from any regulator or CPW officer, and it is by no means a fact!****
I am curious what other CO HT members have heard about this???? Can anyone confirm???

I bring it up because it could mess up yours and others plans if true. It would also change my plans in the future as I have hunted OTC archery for 18 years running and build points with my first choice in the draw.
If true, it would mean that statewide OTC archery units could end up capped statewide, capped regionally in mutliple unit blocks, or single draw units.
This might require your first choice in the draw be a dedicated draw unit or regional choice. It would allow you access to hunt, but you would not build a point if this was your first choice on application. If you could not depend on building a point and hunting OTC, then you might have to find another option like OTC rifle, assuming this doesn't change either. Remember that high animal populations and low harvest success rates for archery should keep tag numbers high per unit or region and large numbers should be allocated providing high success in the draw, at least for the first few years.
Most likely these tags would be attainable as second choice in the draw or possibly leftover after, but it seems access is getting tougher to engage every year and planning for the future has taken some real turns lately.
If this scenario plays out, what are the long term outcomes? I know a model of capped/limited archery in CO might not affect you in the short term, but every discussion on every forum seems to touch on the long term implications of hunting and our access to it. What if we get to a point when it takes 2-3 years/points for nonresidents to hunt archery here in CO?

 

[danwolf]

I honestly dont understand Nonresidents coming here to hunt elk. The tag cost too much, the crowding is unreal, the success rate on bulls is low, and the quality is low too. (see Randy's OTC Colorado videos).

When folks as me about elk hunting, i always say that unless you are hunting private land, I wouldnt recommend Colorado for elk hunting.

Randy's OTC CO videos...consensus is he used hunting pressure to his advantage.

Anyway, as TX Resident driving beyond 1200-1400 miles is discouraging, so unfortunately CO is one of closer drives with a lot of elk. I just bought a preference point this year and will be hunting OTC Archery season.

 

[jvanhoy]

Hey Tikka, I'm really not trying to stir the pot here and create rumors, but I have heard quite a bit of chatter from folks in this state (CO) about OTC Archery Elk going away next year or the year after.
****I cannot confirm this from any regulator or CPW officer, and it is by no means a fact!****
I am curious what other CO HT members have heard about this???? Can anyone confirm???

I bring it up because it could mess up yours and others plans if true. It would also change my plans in the future as I have hunted OTC archery for 18 years running and build points with my first choice in the draw.
If true, it would mean that statewide OTC archery units could end up capped statewide, capped regionally in mutliple unit blocks, or single draw units.
This might require your first choice in the draw be a dedicated draw unit or regional choice. It would allow you access to hunt, but you would not build a point if this was your first choice on application. If you could not depend on building a point and hunting OTC, then you might have to find another option like OTC rifle, assuming this doesn't change either. Remember that high animal populations and low harvest success rates for archery should keep tag numbers high per unit or region and large numbers should be allocated providing high success in the draw, at least for the first few years.
Most likely these tags would be attainable as second choice in the draw or possibly leftover after, but it seems access is getting tougher to engage every year and planning for the future has taken some real turns lately.
If this scenario plays out, what are the long term outcomes? I know a model of capped/limited archery in CO might not affect you in the short term, but every discussion on every forum seems to touch on the long term implications of hunting and our access to it. What if we get to a point when it takes 2-3 years/points for nonresidents to hunt archery here in CO?

This will throw a huge wrench in my plans. Interested to see what some of the in folks from CO on here have to say. Thanks for the heads up

 

[jlmatthew]

Randy's OTC CO videos...consensus is he used hunting pressure to his advantage.

Anyway, as TX Resident driving beyond 1200-1400 miles is discouraging, so unfortunately CO is one of closer drives with a lot of elk. I just bought a preference point this year and will be hunting OTC Archery season.

Good luck on your hunt! I'm actually looking at Texas as a place to increase my hunting oppotunity. 9 day rifle season here aint enough.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I have s

Hey Tikka, I'm really not trying to stir the pot here and create rumors, but I have heard quite a bit of chatter from folks in this state (CO) about OTC Archery Elk going away next year or the year after.
****I cannot confirm this from any regulator or CPW officer, and it is by no means a fact!****
I am curious what other CO HT members have heard about this???? Can anyone confirm???

I bring it up because it could mess up yours and others plans if true. It would also change my plans in the future as I have hunted OTC archery for 18 years running and build points with my first choice in the draw.
If true, it would mean that statewide OTC archery units could end up capped statewide, capped regionally in multiple unit blocks, or single draw units.
This might require your first choice in the draw be a dedicated draw unit or regional choice. It would allow you access to hunt, but you would not build a point if this was your first choice on application. If you could not depend on building a point and hunting OTC, then you might have to find another option like OTC rifle, assuming this doesn't change either. Remember that high animal populations and low harvest success rates for archery should keep tag numbers high per unit or region and large numbers should be allocated providing high success in the draw, at least for the first few years.
Most likely these tags would be attainable as second choice in the draw or possibly leftover after, but it seems access is getting tougher to engage every year and planning for the future has taken some real turns lately.
If this scenario plays out, what are the long term outcomes? I know a model of capped/limited archery in CO might not affect you in the short term, but every discussion on every forum seems to touch on the long term implications of hunting and our access to it. What if we get to a point when it takes 2-3 years/points for nonresidents to hunt archery here in CO?

Quoting myself on another thread here:
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As far as CO OTC archery, I would avoid it if your goal is to be alone in the woods... archery is the fastest growing season in terms of popularity. I see 10 times as many hunters in the field as any other time, it's an easy time to be in the woods since it's warm and social media has made it the cool thing to do.

Case in point
Subjective: Hunted an OTC unit for archery (buddy was hunting I was calling) we saw 21 hunters in 3 days most were backpacking in we never got away from other people, came back during rifle season saw 5 hunters I was the only one backpacking and easily got away from them after the first morning.
Objective:
If you look at the hunting stats for unit 53 (just picking a unit) there were 406 hunters in 2005 for archery in 2018 there were 841 a 207% increase. For second rifle there were 530 OTC hunters in 2005 and 427 in 2018 so only 80% of the pressure there was 13 years ago. You also have to add in that muzzy season runs concurrently with archery so that is another 132 hunters for that unit and then you have to add in limited bear hunters. There is a concurrent rifle bear with caps season during second, but those hunters have to hold a elk or deer tag so there are no bear only hunters in the field.

I understand that archery season is long so in theory it should break up the pressure but I've found most residents hunt every weekend till they get something and that NRs seem to concentrate peak rut, last weekend, and the first weekend. Your experience may very but if you are willing to hunt in the snow and especially backpack hunt I think that you will have a much better experience during the rifle seasons than archery.
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The idea I have heard put forth has been been to make OTC part of the draw and for specific units, they would still be unlimited and I think could be put in as a second choice so you could still build points.

Your app would be something like

1. P99-999-999
2. EE-028-O1A

Likely there are a number of different iterations of this idea floating around. I don't think anyone wants to make it so it takes 2-3 points to draw a archery tag, but to my comment above assuming hunting in CO continues on it's trajectory, which it may not we could be at the apex, in 10 years would you rather have a 2-3 year wait or 1600 archers in unit 53?

There really are only two courses

Keep it the same and let either the experience or resources be degraded. It's possible with 1600 archers in a unit the elk will just hide in the really really thick stuff deep in the unit, hunters will be on top of each other, and success rates will just be super low and elk numbers will remain the same. Also it's possible things get worse, then people lose interest and hunter numbers decline and it gets better.

or

Make some changes the limit access to a scarce resource so as to allow more participation. Examples could be: close of roads during hunting season so there is more walk in only terrain, make all units a draw, split archery into multiple season, make part of archery a stick bow only season, drop a rifle season and make it archery, put caps on units, etc. There are trade offs with every one of these.

Honestly CO doesn't have OTC deer tags, yet it's possible to hunt deer every year and build points... so I'm not really sure why that idea is so devastating to some people.

 

[jvanhoy]

The only scenario that would affect me bad would be having to use points to draw. Right now I hunt otc every year I can while building points to draw a better tag every 3 years or so. I completely understand if it gets worse they will have to do something but if the tags are still unlimited and can be drawn as second choice how will that decrease pressure in the problem areas?

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

The only scenario that would affect me bad would be having to use points to draw. Right now I hunt otc every year I can while building points to draw a better tag every 3 years or so. I completely understand if it gets worse they will have to do something but if the tags are still unlimited and can be drawn as second choice how will that decrease pressure in the problem areas?

I think it would effect residents the most: 1. You would have to plan on hunting and couldn't just roll up just before the season 2. You couldn't take 5 days off work and hunt one unit then if you didn't get something hunt another unit closer to home every weekend. Also it would actually give CPAW the ability to identify units that were with tons of hunters and down the road make that a limited unit if they thought it was getting to much pressure. CPAWs hunting pressure/harvest data is currently a joke.

 

[cedahm]

I think it would effect residents the most: 1. You would have to plan on hunting and couldn't just roll up just before the season 2. You couldn't take 5 days off work and hunt one unit then if you didn't get something hunt another unit closer to home every weekend. Also it would actually give CPAW the ability to identify units that were with tons of hunters and down the road make that a limited unit if they thought it was getting to much pressure. CPAWs hunting pressure/harvest data is currently a joke.

I concur with #2.

I often do exactly that - hunt 'my' spot in GMU X primarily, but spend a few days here and there at my nephew's camp in GMU Y. And those units would never be combined in a hunt code as they're 90 minutes apart. Certainly wouldn't be the end of the world and probably not even significant for the majority of archery hunters, but I like being able to move around.

I would be more than happy to fill out an online survey and designate the time I spent in each unit. Adding more hoops to jump through is never fun, but with the amount of people in the woods these days and technology being what it is - it could be designed to be easy and un-intrusive (see also: New Mexico). I hope there has been discussion around post-hunt data collection as part of the Season Structure meetings.

 

[Blackcats06]

I get not being able to just roll up and hunt but man make the archery a draw and make the hunting and experience better. Why not make everything a draw. The reason I've heard it may go to otc is because people focus on one part of the state where the herd is within or below objectives and other parts of the state where the herds are above objective no one hunts. So make it all a draw, cpw can dictate where people hunt to distribute hunters better and make it a better hunt.

My biggest question is will guys who have 3 plus points be spending them on archery hunts that are better because of less people.