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0 pt CO vs 2 pt WY

Im in a bit of a unique situation and REALLY want to chase mule deer this fall. I have 2 Colorado points and my dad has none so our group is a 0 point average. In Wyoming I have 3 points and Dad has 1 so we have a 2 pt average. Im going back and forth between a bow or a rifle hunt since Im by no means a purist and just would like a decent chance at a good hunt. I wondered what state you would pick in my situation if you had never been on a good mule deer hunt. We would both be happy with a decent deer and are more concerned on finding deer since my last hunt int the Flat Tops of Colorado didn't produce a single buck sighting. Opinions?

Great question! Unfortunately I am of no help to you at all but am really interested to see what those in the know would say. Hope you and your Dad have a great hunt either way and next year you'll have more points in whatever state you don't choose so there is that. That may even have a bigger influence on this years choice.

Put in for both states, including others, hunt the best tag and turn in the others where available.

What kind of hunt do you want? Can your dad handle hiking at high elevation? I can only speak about CO, but archery hunts are typically up high above timberline and then when they shed their velvet (mid Sept) they'll drop into the timber. In my experience, they are harder to find between mid Sept and 3rd/4th rifle season. Towards 3rd/4th rifle season they'll begin rutting and will be lower in sage brush country more than before. It's pretty easy to find a good hunt with 0-2 points during archery, but the later rifle seasons in good units will take points (like 5 or more).

I'll take 0 in CO. Lots of great deer hunting here even on a second choice. I took my 81 yr old father on his first muley hunt this year and he killed a nice buck on a second choice tag.

We are looking primarily at a lower elevation hunt in the sage or flats. Something that we could just day hunt rather than backpack 5-10 miles deep. If we do rifle hunt it would be 2nd season since 3rd is right in the middle of our whitetail rut.

I'd go archery before 2nd rifle. You can still find some deer down low, figure out some areas adjacent to private where they may be feeding and hunt the public uphill from that. In general, the valleys in CO are private surrounded by National Forest or BLM. IMHO 2nd rifle deer is tough, unless you really know the area. They're just too scattered until the rut hits.

Also, you certainly don't need to hike 5-10 miles in to hunt high country. There are some places you can drive to above timberline and hunt from there. If you can hike a mile or two that opens up a lot of alpine basins to hunt.

Check the Colorado DPW site for draw, harvest and population stats to help you narrow down a unit to apply for.

In your situation, I would go with Wyoming.

There are some great fun hunts in Wyoming with 2 points! The really cool thing is that you draw a deer tag and can hunt in archery and rifle. Some areas have longer rifle season dates that you can have enough time for the deer to settle down after the opening day crowds and have pretty empty country. Those Wyoming deer always seem to be out in the sage brush.

Second season Colorado is an awful time to hunt and way overcrowded! Those lower point units can be very tough!

If I was taking my dad and looking for a low country hunt I would definitely do WY. 2 points should get you into plenty of deer.

Wyoming all day. As has been said above, there is so much pressure in Colorado anymore that Wyoming is a no-brainer.

I love to see everyone going to WY

Thanks so much for all of the replies. I have looked at draw odds and success odds for what Im able to do in both states via Gohunt. Colorado has far fewer options to me than Wyoming does so it seems as overwhelming. Any thoughts on a push in the right direction on figuring out a unit?

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