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Researching hunts?

Was a member of GoHunt in the past, honestly I'm not sure it was worth $150 for me-im sure some really use it and good for them.

I'm paying for my wife to go to school, and honestly just dont have the additional money to throw at a research tool when I'm also saving up for optics.

What's a good resource for researching mule deer units in Colorado? I'm going to hit their website hard of course, just wondering if there were a NJ y other resources I could use.

Thanks

Toprut has some good info. They have a free section or you can pay a yearly fee of $9.99.

I don't know about the value of those sorts of tools because it seems like as soon as they publish their ranking of units, or whatever, the hunting pressure ramps up accordingly. Example: I used to like to rifle hunt pronghorns every few years for a diversion. My unit reliably took 5 points for a resident. Then a couple of the research tools outed it as having big bucks and lots of public land. True. Now it takes 17 points, creeping by one point a year, and it's not worth that.

CPW website is a good source. But understand that some units with good rifle success aren't good for archery, and vice versa. The interactive maps showing summer range, migration routes, and winter range are as valuable as anything. Then its up to you to find the deer. Good luck!

I need some additional info about that. Can you upload it here, please? Hope to see it soon.

I need some additional info about that. Can you upload it here, please? Hope to see it soon.

TTT

Toprut is your friend. I've had GoHunt and there's no way it's worth the additional cost, for me.

I found the best research comes from basics not a computer program that spits out an answer. Analyze kill data from game & fish departments, talk with area biologist, talk with Outfitter references (both successful and unsuccessful), network with other hunters who have hunted the area of interest and look at P&Y and B&C record books to see where trophies have been taken.

Success and trophy animals as seldom taken easily- they require planning and preparation to put you in the area of opportunity.

Word of mouth! Talk to people. COs, biologists, bowsiters who's opinions you trust, locals in the areas you're scoutn, business owners, taxidermists, butchers, landowners, etc. It's crazy what people will just offer up if you talk to them. So few are willing to reach out and ask informed questions but the ones that do end up with success. No Stone Unturned. Follow this simple advise and you will get what you're looking for. Good luck!

There is good info on the Colorado website. They do not tell you if the animals were killed on public or private land, so the success rate can be very misleading.

As mentioned above, not only can B&C and P&Y record books be used to identify areas where good numbers of quality animals have been taken in recent years, state record programs are a good source of such information as well. Sometimes state record books break down the information in much smaller detail than do the big programs like P&Y and B&C, which only list the county in which the animal was taken. For example, Arizona's bowhunting record book lists each animal taken by hunt unit. Since western states sometimes have very large counties, which may contain a half dozen different hunting units), it's nice to have the data broken down by unit. Colorado has its own bowhunting records program, as do several other western states, although I'm not sure what detail they use to show the location of kill for each entry. For those interested in researching Arizona for future bowhunts, I've attached a link to their very reasonably priced book.

Marvin...I like the new AZ record book a lot. Tons of good info in it. Congratulations on a job well done compiling, editing etc. Good luck on the Rio and Bison! Kurt

Plenty of basic information on GoHunt and similar others to start your searching. Which for newcomers is most often the hardest barrier to entry experienced. Great tool to at least understand which units you can draw, access, and general terrain features along with how to purchase the tags which is a nightmare in and of itself.

Sites like this, are what I would consider a tool more suited for general tactics. We're able to learn from one another's stories, and most importantly each others failures. I don't know about you folks, but I like learning stuff from you cause the alternative means I'm learning on the mountain. Learning that you shouldn't backpack hunt without a mattress of some sort during a 10 day hunt into the Weminuche is a tough one. Even at 23, that one hurt. Lots of great information on this site that will literally save you sleep at night.

But to understand the habits of the local herds, experience in the unit, near the season you intend to hunt is crucial. I know that's a tough sell for a lot of us if we don't have a tag.

At the risk of sounding like a shameless plug, I've loved the leftover list just for that reason over the last decade. I know the only way that I'm going to learn a unit is if I have a tag for it. So I picked up easy to get tags in units that had a reputation, to see if I wanted to continue building points (ie doe tags, archery tags). Or I picked units that had a ton of leftovers that I thought I could learn and just spent some time out there. Leftover day has been good to me over the years.

Honestly, before last year I had never been lucky enough to snag a reissued tag. I only knew about them through places like Bowsite and Monster Muleys reading stories about guys getting lucky refreshing their browser all the damn time. My regular job prevents me from being able to monitor the list and to be quit frank it pissed me off. I wanted to get in on the action, but couldn't find the time every few minutes.

I created the Leftover Watch app so that anyone of us can still be apart of those opportunities. At the end of the day I feel like $9.99 doesn't exclude anybody, and I love hearing the stories of how people got tags last year. Grocery shopping, driving, business meetings, in bed, driving. If you get on my app thinking that you'll snag a highly coveted tag, you're probably gonna be disappointed. I see what everyone is searching for, and there's a direct correlation with the amount of people watching a unit for a reissued tag, and the number of preference points that code takes. Add in the fact the vast majority of reissued tags are 0-1 point hunts, those big ones go FAST.

With that being said, I've always envisioned people using the app to try and get an easy to draw tag and go learn the unit. If you get lucky and grab a big one consider it your lottery moment. Otherwise, try for the codes you've always thought about but never wanted to burn points for.

Our logo buck is my buddies 205" he killed in a 2 point unit that a certain someone who officially scored my buck this year pulled a 4th season tag last year using the app. Much to the chagrin of my entire hunting party. I burned my 10 points there two years ago on the 4th season hunt, ate the tag, and have zero regrets. Tons of units just like that are out there and you just need to get in there and learn.

We sent notifications for thousands of licenses from 0-25 points and the guys that got the most tags picked up 0-2 point tags. Simple supply and demand. Which in my mind becomes just one more tool and strategy for us to use in order to get in the field.

Good luck in your search! Plenty of the adventure is just learning. Luckily hunting can provide a lifetime of lessons if you let it.

Edit to that last: Just remembered, I did kill a buck on that 4th season tag the very last evening of the hunt. He was a great meat buck that my wife and I loved eating. I'd post a picture, but it was a rifle kill.

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