Colorado Rifle Deer Season for "Above Timberline Only"

[windymtnman]

With the upcoming April 4th draw deadline approaching, I decided to look into my options of trying to get
a Buck tag for a rifle season. I know that I need at least 3 preference points to even have a chance to get a tag, and even then
it's not a given.
But what caught my eye, is a rifle season that's available in nearby GMU 82, which is an early season, Sept. 9th-17th. but is a season that is listed as "ABOVE TIMBERLINE". I've never seen, or noticed this season before, so don't know if it's something new, or if I just never knew of it? So, I wonder if the readers here have ever hunted under this season?
In that I've been a hunter since 1965, it's not like I don't know my way around, and I certainly know what generally "above timberline" means, but it still seems a bit obscure. GMU 82 is largely in the 14 teeners of the Sangre de Cristo range, but how does CPU define this legal hunting area above timberline? Obviously, you could hunt on barren ground, rocky terrain, but there's got to be a gray area between stands of timber and zero treeline. Often times the transitional areas between trees and barren/grassy cover is full of stunted growth and brush. Where is the bright line of where a hunter can find a Buck and still be considered to be above the timberline? It seems a bit confusing to me, unless CPW has specific definitions of what timberline is. I envision you could have a treeline of Spruce, and then perhaps a few straggler trees here and there, and someone could interpret a couple stunted trees in a vast area of being a violation in this hunt. What gives? Does anyone have experience with this season?

 

[TOGIE]

cpw probably has a more elevation based definition, i'd e-mail them. given the changes in timberline by latitude i'm sure they have some more specific info they can provide, and maybe it is dependend on the latitude of the unit. or maybe they took the approach of simplicity and set a legal timberline elevation for the state. some of these tags specify wilderness only, some specify an elevation, and some jsut say timberline. i dunno, i haven't looked into that question.

there are definitely some folks on here who have hunted those tags, but maybe not that unit. maybe they can chime in on that specific legal question.

they can be a pretty neat experience from what i can tell. but they are not a guaranteed hunt by any means. quite physically demanding too.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

It's been in there for at least 10 years, some units say 10,000ft some say wilderness area boundary.

they can be a pretty neat experience from what i can tell. but they are not a guaranteed hunt by any means. quite physically demanding too.

The draw stats are pretty funny they used to be really hard to draw but then some many dudes got their butts kicked the appeal dropped, ahem hushin.

 

[TOGIE]

btw, there are a chit ton of tags worth having at 3 points or even less. don't limit yourslef thinking it's hard to get a decent tag at 1, 2, or 3 points.

 

[Beignet]

We have an early season mule deer hunt near me that I’ve found intriguing. I might apply next year to hunt them high. I think our definition is “inside the wilderness boundary.”

Am curious to see what CPW’s description of the legal hunting zone is. Keep us posted! Especially if you get the tag.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I hunted one of those tags.

I will say I think the original intent was to give rifle hunters a chance to hunt velvet bucks but the date changes has kinda screwed that up. Year I went every buck was hard horned.

Definitely fun but I think the points on some of the units are wildly inflated.

Mule Deer - One Trip Pack Out - By the Numbers

Managed to find a little buck to take home with me after a week hunting the high country. I didn't manage to find a monster, as I was hoping, but I did take the time to note some specifics about weights and times and hopefully this info will be helpful to others hoping to find big hank. At no...

www.hunttalk.com

 

[windymtnman]

As the author of this thread, I'm getting some nice feedback. As for those that suggest the "Above Timberline" might mean the hunt boundary is in a Wilderness area, that doesn't seem to align with the Above Timberline definition. Some trailheads in the West side of the Sangres have Wilderness designations right at the trailhead. That designation may be largely so declared to enforce the regulations of foot travel only and the other usual restrictions, and have really nothing to do with the timberline that's miles above the trailhead. I can see the Sangre range from my ranch, and having ridden my horse there, Wilderness designated trailheads are full of thick, lush Spruce forests at the lower elevations and transition to less lush Spruce forests till you get up to barren rock summits.
If I drew a tag for this hunt, I'd pack a horse camp up to near timberline, and get a hunt started there. It isn't like it's a big deal to hike up miles from where I'd be parking. My horses and mules love that lush mountain grass.

 

[mtmuley]

We have an early season mule deer hunt near me that I’ve found intriguing. I might apply next year to hunt them high. I think our definition is “inside the wilderness boundary.”

Am curious to see what CPW’s description of the legal hunting zone is. Keep us posted! Especially if you get the tag.

Tough hunt. mtmuley

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

As the author of this thread, I'm getting some nice feedback. As for those that suggest the "Above Timberline" might mean the hunt boundary is in a Wilderness area, that doesn't seem to align with the Above Timberline definition. Some trailheads in the West side of the Sangres have Wilderness designations right at the trailhead. That designation may be largely so declared to enforce the regulations of foot travel only and the other usual restrictions, and have really nothing to do with the timberline that's miles above the trailhead.

The intent for the E1R deer is to be in the alpine, the hunt area is defined differently depending on the unit.

 

[TOGIE]

As for those that suggest the "Above Timberline" might mean the hunt boundary is in a Wilderness area, that doesn't seem to align with the Above Timberline definition.

nobody suggested that

 

[Beignet]

Tough hunt. mtmuley

I’ve heard it’s a doozy. Planning to spend some more time up there this summer to see if it’s something I’d even want to consider in the future.

Glad they kept it on the books. I believe they’d briefly planned to remove the tag in the last round of proposed season changes.

 

[mtmuley]

Best hunting is in the Wilderness anyway. I never bother trying for that tag. Especially since it can't be a second choice. mtmuley

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

As the author of this thread, I'm getting some nice feedback. As for those that suggest the "Above Timberline" might mean the hunt boundary is in a Wilderness area, that doesn't seem to align with the Above Timberline definition. Some trailheads in the West side of the Sangres have Wilderness designations right at the trailhead. That designation may be largely so declared to enforce the regulations of foot travel only and the other usual restrictions, and have really nothing to do with the timberline that's miles above the trailhead. I can see the Sangre range from my ranch, and having ridden my horse there, Wilderness designated trailheads are full of thick, lush Spruce forests at the lower elevations and transition to less lush Spruce forests till you get up to barren rock summits.
If I drew a tag for this hunt, I'd pack a horse camp up to near timberline, and get a hunt started there. It isn't like it's a big deal to hike up miles from where I'd be parking. My horses and mules love that lush mountain grass.

The USGS topo defines timberline pretty well with it's shift from green to white. If you call CPW I imagine that's what they tell you to use.

 

[GrantK]

I don't expect you would get any flack for being close to the line if you could reasonably justify why you would consider it "above Treeline" in the units that don't call out an elevation or boundary, my guess is that the rule is there to keep early rifle hunters from attempting to bushwhack big neighborhood deer in a bunch of ritzy subdivisions or the giant town bucks in a few of the towns in those units...

I'd argue that when these tags first started they were worth huge points, there were a handful of giant bucks that summered high and disappeared as soon as they shed velvet, never to be seen until the following summer, in all of those units.
Unfortunately, a resource like that is not going to tolerate really any selective pressure, motivated people with good glass and time on their hands could literally kill 4 out of the 5 biggest bucks in the unit every year, very shortly leading to a population that just doesn't have giants, or at least as reliably easy to find giants, therefore the drop in points required to draw, still a fun hunt but with the dates now there is a good chance your scouted deer is going to shed velvet and disappear before season opens...

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I don't expect you would get any flack for being close to the line if you could reasonably justify why you would consider it "above Treeline" in the units that don't call out an elevation or boundary, my guess is that the rule is there to keep early rifle hunters from attempting to bushwhack big neighborhood deer in a bunch of ritzy subdivisions or the giant town bucks in a few of the towns in those units...

I'd argue that when these tags first started they were worth huge points, there were a handful of giant bucks that summered high and disappeared as soon as they shed velvet, never to be seen until the following summer, in all of those units.
Unfortunately, a resource like that is not going to tolerate really any selective pressure, motivated people with good glass and time on their hands could literally kill 4 out of the 5 biggest bucks in the unit every year, very shortly leading to a population that just doesn't have giants, or at least as reliably easy to find giants, therefore the drop in points required to draw, still a fun hunt but with the dates now there is a good chance your scouted deer is going to shed velvet and disappear before season opens...

Plus they are the most egregious example of the stupid CO leftover system.

The vast majority of folks apply, scout all summer and then return the tag if they don't find the buck they want.

1- Because it's pref points people know they will draw
2- They can return the tag and keep their points.

I was tracking these units for a while and return rates were like 80% for some of the units.

2021 wasn't as bad as some have been...

#

 

[GrantK]

Plus they are the most egregious example of the stupid CO leftover system.

I was tracking these units for a while and return rates were like 80% for some of the units.

totally agree, after the first couple of years the only people holding the tag until season were locals who had a big buck nailed down or nonresidents who didn't really understand what they had drawn, I would bet some people had the tag for 3-4 years before actually hunting it or moving on to something else...not a lot of opportunity when someone with an obscene number of points wants to window shop for years.

Not to mention the impact that 10 tagholders and their posse's had on the opening week of archery season trying to keep tabs on a big buck so they could kill it the opening morning... I had some interesting interactions a couple of times archery hunting where people would be telling me I couldn't go into a basin or hunt huge chunks of public because "their deer" was there and they didn't want it getting bumped, all around just the kind of circus surrounding big deer that I despise...

Every once in a while there is some justice though, I had a friend who had his girlfriend pick one of the leftovers up with one day left in the season and she got a buck that scored 207, I hope whoever turned that tag in found out about it...

 

[sneakem]

When they say above timberline, its actually elevation (11K feet). If it's different they specify in the regulations the elevation, or note that its only valid in wilderness areas or both of the above.

 

[Smtn10pt]

I had an above timberline tag a few years ago. I believe it was defined as 10,000ft although that is below timberline in the area I was hunting. I wouldnt pay much attention to the harvest statistics because there is no mandatory reporting. For instance, the year I had the tag i knew two of the other tag holders, we all killed bucks but the harvest stats say only one was killed that year.

 

[Kiwi]

The draw stats are pretty funny they used to be really hard to draw but then some many dudes got their butts kicked the appeal dropped, ahem hushin.

Myself included lol

 

[tormenter]

totally agree, after the first couple of years the only people holding the tag until season were locals who had a big buck nailed down or nonresidents who didn't really understand what they had drawn, I would bet some people had the tag for 3-4 years before actually hunting it or moving on to something else...not a lot of opportunity when someone with an obscene number of points wants to window shop for years.

Not to mention the impact that 10 tagholders and their posse's had on the opening week of archery season trying to keep tabs on a big buck so they could kill it the opening morning... I had some interesting interactions a couple of times archery hunting where people would be telling me I couldn't go into a basin or hunt huge chunks of public because "their deer" was there and they didn't want it getting bumped, all around just the kind of circus surrounding big deer that I despise...

Every once in a while there is some justice though, I had a friend who had his girlfriend pick one of the leftovers up with one day left in the season and she got a buck that scored 207, I hope whoever turned that tag in found out about it...

I think I would have smiled and said thanks for the intel on a big buck. Chances are I would have found that buck later that day or harvested it if I liked it.