Decisions, Decisions,....

[natanddaveg]

We are a group of 5 NR hunters who would really like to hunt bull elk this fall in Colorado. A bit of background, over the years we have "banked" our pref. points and going into this fall's application process, we have 16 pts. As my dad and uncle are getting up there in age, their chances of going on a wilderness hunt are nill! Therefore access to "huntable" units is perhaps the main question. I have looked mainly at muzzleloader hunts that we could draw, i.e., 23, 24, and 33. I dont believe we have a shot at 40 or 61. 76 seems, from all I've reads is more of a guided hunt or backpack DIY, which is out of the question for dad/uncle.
I have come to the realization that w/our number of points, we are sorta in a "no-man's land". Not enough for the great units, but too many for most of the OTC units. I really don't have a good idea where to look. And perhaps, any ideas for second season elk. I know that there is a new hunt for 61 (early elk), but i don't know even if we could draw the second season.
Any help or info would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking for anyone's secret "honey hole", just some ideas where i should start to look.

 

[fwagner]

www.gohunt.com.....go there.

 

[elkduds]

Consider 20 muzz, 66 or 67 muzz, 12 muzz. Sounds like you might be good candidates for a trespass hunt on private property, given the age range of your group.

 

[DeepCountry]

I don't want to sound like a know-it-all, but I noticed you referred to 'banked ' points. At the risk of telling you something you already know, Colorado NR group draws are based on the member of the party with the lowest number of points. Colorado does not average the points for NR groups. It's very annoying.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Why is it annoying? I believe it prevents abuse to the pp system.

 

[HighDesertSage]

We are a group of 5 NR hunters who would really like to hunt bull elk this fall in Colorado. A bit of background, over the years we have "banked" our pref. points and going into this fall's application process, we have 16 pts. As my dad and uncle are getting up there in age, their chances of going on a wilderness hunt are nill! Therefore access to "huntable" units is perhaps the main question. I have looked mainly at muzzleloader hunts that we could draw, i.e., 23, 24, and 33. I dont believe we have a shot at 40 or 61. 76 seems, from all I've reads is more of a guided hunt or backpack DIY, which is out of the question for dad/uncle.
I have come to the realization that w/our number of points, we are sorta in a "no-man's land". Not enough for the great units, but too many for most of the OTC units. I really don't have a good idea where to look. And perhaps, any ideas for second season elk. I know that there is a new hunt for 61 (early elk), but i don't know even if we could draw the second season.
Any help or info would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking for anyone's secret "honey hole", just some ideas where i should start to look.

I would not burn 16 points on 23,24, 33, o 76. Unit 40 may be a good option, but there is alot of private land. One more point and you could get a unit 61 2-4 rifle tag. That may be worth waiting another year, assuming point creep doesn't raise it. Good Luck!

 

[JohnCushman]

Why is it annoying? I believe it prevents abuse to the pp system.

I agree

 

[270elktaco]

I'm confused. Do you each have 16 points or do you have 16 points total for the group?

 

[270elktaco]

If you each have 16 I would look into
Unit 49 1st rifle or muzzleloader
Unit 66 muzzleloader
Unit 76 1st rifle
Unit 12 muzzleloader
You are several years away from drawing any unit 61 tag

 

[DeepCountry]

Why is it annoying? I believe it prevents abuse to the pp system.
It is only annoying because as a NR, putting in with someone who has fewer points than you have really makes it difficult to share a hunt with friends or family, especially if there is a big difference in point levels. I understand your point, but why is Colorado the only state that does this to NRs? It's their game, they can do what they want, but most other states have no problem with NRs sharing points. Personally, it does not affect me. It actually helps me, because I get to tell all the guys who want to be my 'friend' in Colorado to go pound sand. But, I would willing share my points with my 79 year old dad, but I can't. I get your point about abuse. Seems to be the way of things today. Sad.

 

[elkduds]

fair is fair

I understand your point, but why is Colorado the only state that does this to NRs?.

Because CO NRs get the same deal as residents, who can't share points either.

 

[natanddaveg]

Sorry for the confusion, each member of our hunting camp has 16 pts each.

 

[DeepCountry]

Hey Elkduds, I know that. But WHY are parties done that way? Just curious, because, like I said, I don't think any other states treat parties that way. Always wondered why CO does it. Just hoping for a good explanation or historical context.....

 

[270elktaco]

One other thing you might consider is only have 2 or 3 of your group apply for a tag. The others go along and help out on the hunt and the next year the others draw and help out. Spread the hunt out over 2 years, it will be hard for a group of 5 to find ,kill and pack out 5 bulls in one hunt.......

 

[Duck-Slayer]

One other thing you might consider is only have 2 or 3 of your group apply for a tag. The others go along and help out on the hunt and the next year the others draw and help out. Spread the hunt out over 2 years, it will be hard for a group of 5 to find ,kill and pack out 5 bulls in one hunt.......

This is a grand idea and you should take this into consideration....
Matt

 

[jvanhoy]

That's a great idea to spread it out. Especially if yall are new elkhunters. The first few years are tough. I learn more every year.

 

[JohnCushman]

If you all are new, I would come out a couple of years on OTC tags to learn the ropes before you dump a bunch of points on a primo units without knowing what you're doing and having a miserable experience.

 

[elkduds]

Country, I don't know the official answer about why. Point creep in CO is the 600 # gorilla in most tag allocation discussions, and if CO opted for sharing, creep would accelerate more. My first thought on reading your question was, Why do other states do this? As in, our way is right because its our way, and everyone else is wrong. There surely are pros/cons to both systems, right?

To add to Taco's idea, those who didn't apply for bulls the 1st year could draw deer tags, leftover cow tags, even bear tags in the unit, and still B Huntin'.

 

[DeepCountry]

Elkduds, I think you are probably right when it comes to CO. Given that the state runs a pure preference point system, creep would be compounded by point sharing. I live in a modified PP state, and creep is already bad enough. I just find it interesting, because the only constant to the ins-and-outs of western state draws is oddity. As you know, it takes a lot of effort to really understand some of these systems. That being said, I hunt OTC a lot in CO, and I always have great hunts. Just can't go wrong in your state!!

 

[natanddaveg]

We are not "new" elk hunters. We have hunted all over the west, Mt, Nv, Az, etc. for many years. The reason for this post was b/c I would have liked to get some info on some areas to hunt due to the fact that my dad and uncle are not getting any younger. Each spring, we apply to different states, hoping to be able to draw one in the fall. Located so far away is a huge drawback to learning about different areas, but we do not like to put all our eggs in one basket and only apply to one state. This fall elk hunt will probably be my dad's last hunt in the west. I was just asking for some good ideas where to apply w/that many points. Both my uncle and dad are not as mobile as they used to be and when hunting elk, as you all know, is a problem.