Colorado Why build points
Elk
Ok I have 18 points going in and really don't see a reason to try to draw a tag and probably will never catch the NW units so what to do. I feel after 18 years of building points and paying to do so their should be better options. 76 and 61 are good units but are they worth burning 18 pts?
How old are you? Many are in the same boat. I expect those who stick it out will have better chances through attrition. But it may be years and years if not decades.
61 is a great unit for a DIY hunt. Maybe a step below 2-201 but still plenty of excellent bulls. Give yourself time to hunt, don't rush it and you'll have opportunities.
Yes put in for 61 until you draw. It's worth the points. You're probably 2-4 years away from drawing still. I would never wait to draw 2 or 201 when 61 is in reach in a few years. As a NR you may never draw 2 or 201. As you said there aren't a lot of better options.
CO could make more units trophy Limited Draw but that would be at the expense of sacrificing OTC opportunities for everyone including NR's. This would make the OTC units more crowded than they already are. It's a trade off.
I would not suggest shooting a bull in this canyon.
I would not suggest shooting a bull in this canyon.
Feeling in the same position you are, I burned 19 non-resident elk points in Unit 61 last year. My schedule forced me to go for third rifle season. Shot the 22nd bull I saw.
I think it would be a great archery hunt, but it appears you are still a couple years/points behind the point curve at 18 points this year.
I started back in 1993, would been in the game in 5 years for a ranching for wildife except they changed the rules , then it was some more changes and few more reallocations and tag cuts and whatever, perhaps this will be the year then again maybe not!!! In that time Coloardo was good to me I did draw unit 3 antelope, 2 unit 21 deer, and one mt goat. I may take my final elk application to the grave along with sheep.
I'm all in favor of turning all Colo elk units over to all draw for elk. There are proportionately so few limited elk units in Colo that point leaping is a reality. Obviously if there were more limited elk units it would spread applicants out over more units and tags would be easier to draw. Take a look at what converting over to all draw units did for the deer quality across the state! Most Colo deer units (especially archery and muzzy seasons) don't take that many pref pts to draw and there are lots of options for great muley hunts. Obviously the economic impacts on small town communities would take a hit and those that enjoy hunting elk in Colo every year would put up a battle.
Take a look at the neighboring state of Utah and the quality of bulls that are harvested there. Colo could potentially have the same thing. Even if tag numbers weren't severely cut it would definitely help the quality of bulls and the quality of experience. I am probably just dreaming but am hopeful some day this will catch on!
Colorado is great for OTC elk hunting but for points and elk AZ is tops. You can archery hunt a really great unit every 7 or 8 years. All units are draw for residents and NR. Its nice having different options for different states.
Not everyone is a trophy hunter. Colorado is a great option for many, many hunters. There are better states to bank lots of points.
Over the years I have collected Colorado elk points and drew GMU 10, GMU 61 and now this year I will have 5 PPs again. Thats 27 years of total points
In the years I dont draw, I hunt OTC which makes it a perfect situation for me.
I will always keep points as we just never know what the CPW will do and for $3/yr is a cheap price to pay
I guess we will just keep building till I can draw 61. From what I have been hearing 61 is a great unit for 300 to 330 bills but bigger than 330 are few and far between. Why is that with so few tags?
Let's not forget that resident elk hunters from those "trophy" states go to other states to actually hunt elk, since it may take years to draw in their home states.
CO is all about hunting opportunity, every year. We can argue the good and bad of that, but the fact is that anyone can hunt elk here every year while still building points here and elsewhere for greater "trophy" opportunities. I killed 18 while accumulating the 18 resident points to hunt unit 2. During that time my partner killed an OTC bull that was as big as our great unit 2 bulls.
We can argue the cost of NRs building points, as we enter our credit card numbers to buy points in every other state too.
Utah is pretty much opposite to Colo with deer and elk. They have gobs of general deer units and almost exclusively limited for elk. This coming year they kind of surprised everyone by requiring anyone that gets a general deer tag to use all their bonus pts.
What would happen in Colo if all units were a draw buy required everyone that applied and drew specific OTC elk units to burn their pts? This might actually help those that have high pref pts and actually want to hunt rather than aimlessly building points like so many people have mentioned they do in the posts above. I would expect lots of tags would go to 2nd choice applicants but it would make the better first choice units a little tougher to draw as first choice. I would expect some hunters would burn their points and it may make some of the limited units a little easier to draw rather than people just building pts.
I also think it is a mistake offering a pref pt code where hunters can apply for just pref pts. This is an easy out for people to just apply and build pts each year. I'll keep dreaming that some day Colo will convert over to all limited draw units. How it is now I will continue to hunt elsewhere the years I don't draw limited elk tags.
I have 19 points going into the draw and with the number of people that have been dropping into the draw with higher point totals it could be five years before I even have a chance to draw. Unfortunately with 18 going in you could be 10 years or more from even getting into the minimum points to draw 61.
Man reading this makes me very thankful here in NM were not on a point system. I would go crazy. Wish you the best Labby.
You'll be behind my dad....he has 20 I think and still not likely going to draw the tag he wants this year. When nonres are drawing at 23.....it hurts!
For what it's worth I've been in all of colorados trophy units, hunting with friends who've drawn. I'd take a 61 tag over all others. LOTS of big bulls in 61. You just need to pass a couple 330" to kill one. Building pts is a whole lot more "worth it" than hunting otc without a good spot. Now, building more than 5 pts is a bridge to nowhere; sad but true
I'm sitting on 5. Been gimped up 2 seasons now from a broke leg. Not sure when I'll be healthy & what I'll do when/if I ever am. I've got a unit I could draw a tag in & have a possibility at some really good bulls but they're hard to get to & I can't right now. My dad has 21 & is trying to draw 61. He used to hunt it with my grandfather before it became draw. I haven't looked at it in the last couple years but surely he's getting close! I've been telling him he is right there for about 6-7 yrs now... surely he's getting close tho... Lol
If your just starting to build point in CO the best advise is don't.
+1 otcWill, I hunted 61 in 2014 but didn't connect with either of the bulls I was chasing. I had my mind set on a 350+ bull. I had shot at a bull I figured to be 350+ and barely missed. A muzzy hunter friend who also drew got him as we hunted the same drainage's, the bull went 372gross net 366. Like otcWill I have been with friends in many of the other units and 61 just has more elk, through out the whole unit per the others. 76 is another good/great unit if you'd like to draw sooner, I think 76 is a bit more physically challenging than 61 if you want to find something bigger than 300+ bull, but it has a good number of bulls. It all depends on what your looking for. Best of luck to you no matter what unit you draw!
I've got 12 NR PP as well. Always wanted to do a unit 61 hunt, may have to settle for 76. What is the difference between 61 and 76 when it comes to number of Bulls and also size of Bulls?
--Mitch
More in 76 but avg MUCH smaller
As a 50-year-old man just starting to Elk hunt a few years ago as a NR coming from the Midwest. It makes me sad to know that I have probably never have a chance to hunt any of them great units. LuckyLeo
The root of the problem is there are only ~ 35 limited elk units and ~106 OTC elk units west of I25 in Colorado. Of those 35 limited elk units there are only 6ish that I would consider high quality, once in a lifetime type units. There are literally thousands of hunters vying for the few tags issued in those 6 units.
All 141 deer units are available in the limited draw West of I25. It's nice to have all 141 units available to distribute draw tags for deer over the entire state rather than only 35 limited units for elk!
I'll keep dreaming Colo will someday convert over to all draw units for elk.
Jims
I think your point has been made.
OTC elk hunting is the cash cow for the CPW. Dream on; ain't never going to happen jims.
I'm also a 20 point holder. The worse part about being one is we are sitting targets for unscrupulous legislators looking to screw someone in favor of easier fresh young blood money. Every western state I've ever applied in has cheapened my points in the past to profit from their point schemes. Consider yourself lucky if you have 5 or less points now. You haven't been screwed yet. Burn them now! It's no longer wise to target anything more than 3-5 point hunts.
I don't know anything about 40 I thought that was mostly private. How many points to draw it archery or muzzy
40 has a tiny area of National Forest that the elk are driven out of on day one onto private where the trespass fees are steep. 40 would cost as many points as 2 if had a lot more public land.
