Colorado Thinking ahead?
Elk
Just curious on input here, currently I have 2 points in Colorado with no real goal. Colorado OTC, Wyoming General, and New Mexico draw is essentially my yearly plan with that being said do you all think there is good opportunity in the 2-5 point range in Colorado or is it more of a long game. Keeping in mind I am still a rookie I have yet to score despite multiple close calls. An elk is still my target cow or bull, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Have a great day!!
In the exact same boat and I'll be cashing points within the next couple of years.
As a nonresident it may become more difficult to draw an elk unit with 2-5 PP. Currently the allocations are 65% residents and 35% nonresidents (after some youth and land owner preference) . The allocations might change in three years, (new 5-year Big Game Season Structure) to 75/25 %.. Another possibility would be that all archery elk licenses might go all limited draw. And recently, a few good draw units lost limited elk tags because some bow hunters complained of "overcrowding". "Overcrowding" seems to be the new buzzword. Sort of like, "the sky is falling".
Keep an eye on the increasing wolf numbers and where they are. that is going to have a big impact sooner rather than later.
OP, Opportunity for what?
The reality of elk hunting is there are more and more hunters and less good tags available.
Maybe consider this; The lesser point units can increase your odds of killing a small amount…but you can do that on your own by becoming intimately familiar with a spot. You can’t do that hunting a spot every 4 years.
As Paul points out, no way to know what the future brings as far as available tags. As of today, yes there is good opportunity at 2-5 points. Its worth it for just to have less pressure. There are 2-5 point units that have not experienced huge point creep. That could change any year.
With your 2 points you are too far behind to play the "long game". Quite frankly there isn't much out there in what would be considered the medium game. Research the units you can draw, pick one that you like, and hunt it.
If a Cow is fine, you’re wasting time trying to draw a WY gen license.
“‘Overcrowding’ seems to be the new buzzword. Sort of like, ‘the sky is falling’".
IME, the overcrowding thing is 100% Real - when you were accustomed to having a drainage to yourself, and then you find three or four wall tents set up in the area which you can easily identify on Google Earth?
I guess “over“ is subjective, but when there are literally at least four times as many hunters in a given drainage as there were 25 years ago, it’s definitely a lot MORE crowded than it was.
In the funky little drainage that my brother and I have hunted all this time, the real problem is not necessarily overcrowding by bow hunters but the increase in year-round traffic of all kinds. Trails which were barely identifiable as footpaths have now been worked over with shovels and pick axes to turn them into hard-core downhill mountain biking venues, made accessible primarily with the assistance of electric motors.
So the Elk have taken up full-time residence on a ranch about 3 miles down River. The guy who bought the place is complaining about having hundreds of them on his property, but I don’t expect he’s encouraging very many folks to come join him in thinning them out.
2-5points is good enough since a cow is good enough. I agree its gonna be difficult to play the "long " game. I have 2 points now and look forward to using them next season.
2 points would guarantee you a tag for our draw unit. Very high success rate on our guided Archery and drop camp hunts. Flattopsadventures.com
At his point I would not look at longterm points game. I started gaining points in the 80's. It took my 22 years to draw a Unit 2 archery tag that now is most likely 28+ points. It will in the 40's by the time you may ever catch up. These days I grab 2-5 points and hunt a better then OTC unit.
to OP, assuming you are passionate about hunting elk, and by "rookie" you mean you are a younger person and do not have deep roots where you currently live, i would suggest you consider moving and becoming a resident in one of those states.
otherwise, my advice is to hunt when you can and do not focus so much on the points game and how you intend to use them in the future. i think you risk missing out on some opportunities.
The long game is not necessarily out of the picture if you are young. If you are say 20 years old you have a good chance of getting a coveted unit before you're 65. I know that sounds ridiculous but for some it is worth the wait.
There are tons of people with more points than you but every year a % of them die off along with their points. In 45 years how many current 30 year olds will still be hunting and still collecting points?
AG well like most young men I did not give much thought ahead I am 22 years advanced of say 20:) Thanks for the advise from all, really just looking for something that decreases amount of people in meantime it will be OTC, and waiting on other states. Where I sit now in Wyoming as well as Colorado I should be able to put myself in good position over next couple of years. Thanks again to all!!!
"Overcrowding" seems to be the new buzzword. Sort of like, "the sky is falling".
Are you serious?
I'd be interested in hearing what you mean by that.
There are a ton of people in the woods in September - bowhunters are only a fraction. There are mountain bikers, hikers, mushroom pickers, and all kinds of lookie loos. Add to that the muzzleloader hunters for deer and elk and the rifle bear, deer and elk hunters and it gets really crowded. In every instance that I have seen, the CPw has put more limitations on archery hunters whenever the issue of overcrowding comes up.
So being relatively new to hunting elk on public land in the west I will say that the internet paints a pretty doom and gloom picture. If seeing a lot of trucks at trail heads and camp grounds was determining factor for me I would not go again. Even in areas with a lot of people I have noticed that a few miles of hiking and I rarely run into anyone. Could also be explanation of why I have yet to kill an Elk, maybe I just go where there are no elk or people. My experiences have been great thus far. Will always look for opportunity to shorten the curve and Bowsite has defiantly done that. As far as Colorado goes I can defiantly say I see more people during summer scouting trips than when in the woods but just a novices two cents for what its worth. Thanks for all the insight and look forward to more feedback!!
