Bowsite.com

Which state for Elk and Mule Deer?

So I have an idea. Living in the east, one of the biggest obstacles I have to hunting elk and deer every year is simply having a vehicle out there. So, I have decided to purchase a cheap pickup and park it at a RV park somewhere. If it works out I could upgrade to a small RV in the future. I can just fly out, take an Uber, and be in my rig (which will be packed with backpacking gear), and head to the mountains for a few weeks every September. So, my question is, what state would you choose? I am considering Utah because I can also ski in the winter and fish in the summer, but I am unfamiliar with the ability to hunt over the counter on a year I didn't draw a tag. I could also do Las Vegas and be able to drive to Utah, Wyoming, Montana, etc...plus you can always get a cheap flight to Vegas. Thoughts?

Only starting a vehicle’s engine every 6 months is not a good idea unless you are going to travel with the battery or ship it back and forth.

Utah’s OTC opportunities are pretty limited. I agree with Mule Power that leaving a vehicle sitting is not a great idea. Have a buddy that keeps a rig in Albuquerque for fishing and flies out but his son keeps it running.

Not sure which state would be best, but Grand Junction might be a good hopping off place. Close to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona, and New Mexico.

might be cheaper and more reliable to rent a truck each year ?????

I think I'd just continue to rent. You can rent an SUV pretty cheap if you book it along with your flight.

Plus the risk of leaving hunting/camping gear in a truck and hoping it hasn't been broken into the next time you show up to use it.

Double on the leaving it sit being a bad idea. I did it for years with a buick and a Chevy pickup.

Once I showed up and the buck's transmission fluid was on the ground. Filled it and it's still running. Have had A/C problems, oil leaks and all were related to months of sitting in Montana's super dry climate.

Just decide what state you want to hunt and ask a fellow bowsiter is they have a place to park your rig and ask them to drive it once a month

Good luck with leaving a lot of gear in a truck that doesn’t move for months. I’d consider other options.

I think the state you are looking for is Colorado. OTC elk and archery deer tags generally do not take a lot of points

leaving a auto sit for six months theres a good chance you will have problems. And if you leave gear in it I would be surprised if it was there when you came back. My son was going hunting stopped at a grocery to pick up couple cases of water in store about 15 min came out windows nocked out all gear gone.

I would not leave it sitting the whole time. I have a friend that does this very successfully...it is in a private RV park that is constantly monitored and part of his deal with the park owner is that he drives it to town every few weeks... I find renting a car just does not work for me...not to mention I am talking about at least 2 maybe as much as 4 weeks in a year, driving backroads and such. I know there could be problems, but I see it as a great way to get to know an area.

What I am basically looking for is a jumping off point where pretty much every year I could hunt on some over the counter tag...elk, mule deer, antelope, etc...and when I am lucky enough to draw a limited entry tag, go there. Does Utah have over the counter elk and mule deer units for archery?

Colorado. Fly out there, rent a truck, shoot the animal, process it, freeze it, and fly it back in coolers.

What's this about a 5 year moratorium in Colorado?

If you look for rental deals with unlimited miles, it can be really reasonable. I used to rent all the time. Especially on long road trips. I once put 500miles on a car and returned it that day for 35$

5 year moratorium for CO - I think he is referring to no out of state hunts in CO for 5 years.

There is no plan for five year moratorium in Colorado. And you do not need points to get a tag in an otc unit. I would just rent a truck and a small storage locker for my gear.

Having tags from a east coast state on a vehicle and you asking for more trouble than I can type in a sentence. IMO, having the states tag on you truck where your hunting is worth the rental fee alone.

Try having California plates.

Yea im sure you get all kinds of publicity with CA plates!

Actually in much of the west many ranchers prefer the out of state hunters to the locals. So many locals feel entitled and dislike ranchers, farmers and larger landowners in general. Ranchers and farmers are tired of being called land rapists etc, and of course there is the ongoing feud between hunters and BLM grazing. Never seems to end. First thing I would do is introduce yourself as a non resident hunter, you will likely have a better opportunity.

Utah would get you elk tags otc but I don't think they have any NR otc deer tags. You would be able to draw a decent deer tag every 2 or 3 years I think.

CO would give you otc elk and zero point deer tags you could get every year. Skiing isn't bad in CO either.

Mike, I sent you a text. UT would be a poor choice.

Register here to reply to this topic