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Need help from the experts... I have 8 Colorado elk points. Would you use them up now? Get a couple more points and use.. or wait a bunch more years? I am very hesitant as the last outfitter I hunted with in eastern co had me burn up 5 deer points on a deer hunt. Only for me to find out later I could have hunted it with 1-2 points. My fault for not doing the research on the front end... thanks for any advice!
Use them now! I was in your same boat many years ago. I now have 18 points and still just as far from the unit I wanted when I started. I want out of the CO Elk point game.
That is interesting.. thanks for the input!
Here is a good website to let you know what is possible: http://www.toprut.com/
Just because a unit takes a lot of PPs doesnt necessary make it a better hunt than one that takes less.
I've left a few PPs on the table on a hunt and it in fact was a most memorable one. And wouldn't hesitate doing it again
Mooses,
How'd your Eastern CO hunt go and where'd you hunt? What outfitter?
8 points in CO is better than 0 points in CO. Just like a nickle is more money than a penny. But neither will get you a burger and fries.
PM sent.
I recommend burning them now. It had twice as many points two years ago and it was not at all worth the wait :(
Extremely easy decision. Burn them now. The biggest value CO elk points have is from 1 - 4 then there is a huge point hell from 5 to 20, where I am (20). On top of this CO has cheapened NR points previously so it's only a matter of time until they do it again. So the fewer you have, the less you stand to get screwed.
Use them now. And with regard to your eastern deer hunt...Just because you could have drawn a tag out east, doesn't mean you could've hunted it. I very seriously doubt you paid an outfitter to get you out on the tiny bit of public land available. If you did, you got screwed.
Im in the same boat with 6 points and I plan to use them in the next year or 2. I have a couple places to hunt that require 0-2 points and I plan to only hunt those in the future.
In regards to the eastern deer, its similar to pronghorn in that its really easy to get a tag but very difficult to get land access or find the animals on public land. I would expect the outfitter got you hunt access more than anything and kept you from having to pay extra for a landowner permit.
I have 0 now. Had 23 last year. You'll never get to 23 and if you do 46 is what it'll take to draw. Burn 'em.
Bowmania
A little off topic, but does anyone know how long you keep your CO preference points if you don't purchase one every year?
Colorado PPs are valid for 10 years
My neighbor is the Big Game Coordinator for Colorado. I asked him why Colorado didn't take points away after a couple of years like WY. He told me it's an administrative nightmare to manage it like Wyoming does with not applying in 2 consecutive years and clearing points. Still not sure why they do it either, I'm sure there is a reason.
The only reason to burn them is if you find a unit you want to hunt. If you don't have that, no harm in hunting over the counter and continue collecting. There isn't really much to do with them but its better to have them. What Colorado has in store for the point system may change someday and its probably better to have more than less. I wouldn't hesitate to burn them if you find a limited unit you want to hunt. I burned mine a few years ago and since I have been hunting a 1 point unit closer to home that I ignored while building points.
I've had some very good hunts in CO units that didn't take many points to draw. On one of those hunts I had 17 different bulls in bow range in 10 days of hunting. On another hunt in another unit I killed a 360" gross 7 x 6 in a unit that took a lot fewer points to draw than what you currently have. Personally, I can't imagine saving points for 20 years or more when you could have had 5 or more really good hunts during that 20 year period.
I realize that one of the reasons guys build points for so long is for the chance to kill a 350" plus bull. But if you hunt some of the other units that take fewer points you may actually have more than one opportunity to kill a bull of that caliber during that 20 year period.
I'm somewhat in the same position, but with only 4 points. Currently debating if it's worthwhile to chase unit 76 and draw that in a few more years or just do what I want now. Any input on that would be welcomed.
76 is good, but not worth waiting for. Too many other good options.
Vids, as a resident of CO, your situation is a completely different conversation than what people are talking about here. Looking at recent trends, you should be able to draw 76 once you're at 7 or 8 points if you use extrapolation to predict when you'll draw.
That's a far cry from the NR situation. If a NR had 4 points and if you look at the last 5 years, 76 has had 4 points of creep. Now, that trend obviously wont last forever, it could change one way or the other, but if it continued, it'd take 36 years to catch 76.
Needless to say, it's going to take a long time.
There's no way that any of us can predict how things are going to look in 10, 20, 30 years, etc. Some will say it'll get better because the baby boomers will be dropping out. Some say it could get worse as more and more people join the game. It could net a stalemate and end up staying the same. The only thing that can be said for sure is that no one can say for sure either way how long it'll take to draw.
My opinion, is that building points in CO is a lost cause and they should be burned early and often as a NR. And it's getting close to that situation in Wyoming as well.
Idyllwild - That's why I said "somewhat" the same position. :) There is no doubt the non-residents have it worse, but residents have choices to make too.
Idyllwild....can you explain the 4 points of creep in 76? I have 11....my son has 7. I'm thinking I'll wait until he can draw and we go together. But not if its hopeless. NR.
thanks
It's pretty simple. If you look back over the past 5 years, it's taken one more point to draw the unit than it did the year before 4 out of the last 5 years. And it's consistent if you go back a couple more years as well. Even at 11 points, the trend would not have you drawing for another 8-9 years. And that's without your son. 7 points in CO is a whole lotta nada. It basically goes from the 4 point units to unit 40 (trophy unit that is largely private land), to 76 with it's runaway point creep, to 61 with its even worse runaway point creep, etc.
When I started you could draw 61 archery Elk with 4 points. I now have 18 points and think I am still 2 points from drawing the tag. That is point creep. I have had the luxury of huntin many different states on OTC tags (Utah and Wyoming) while building points and I have had a few phenomenal LE Elk hunts along the way. Once my CO points are done...I won't build Elk points in CO again.
I wish I could sell mine!
I have 19 nonresident points and have been one to two points behind 61 archery for over ten years. I have never rifle hunted elk before but I have started putting in for second season there because I just want to be done with the point chasing. Every year more and more people with higher point totals keep droping-in so I figured I better put in for the first chance I have to draw 61.
JH,
I am in the same boat.
I have 18 deer and elk points and at age 69 I know I should consider some kind of packing assistance so will probably go with a drop camp. Problem is they want a minimum of two and no one I know has CO points. I'm probably going with 76. I haven't ever killed a bull elk with a rifle or muzzleloader and have considered going that route.
What I dislike is the time limits. I hunt with a longbow and it can take quite a few failures to get and elk. The 7 days offered just seems like to little. I'm not even thinking I will ever get to 61's point level.
