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Here comes the wahhhhhhhhmbulance!!!!! ;)
I burned all my Co Mule Deer points on an Eastern Colorado WHITETAIL hunt that required “0” points to draw and the hunt ended up getting cancelled. So, I feel your pain with the exception that you actually get to go hunting! ;).
So why not find a good hunt that takes 7 points for this year, then hunt with Wes next year?
Next year isn't guaranteed. He's an outfitter, he should have access to land vouchers. Get a voucher, buy a tag, keep your points. 99 is all private, he will have access to vouchers.
Sounds like you're getting at least a 7 point hunt quality wise Pat. Just look at it that way.
There’s no guarantee you will shot a bigger buck just because a unit took 7 points I say go hunt. I also had 7 points and shot this Buck in a unit that took 1 points well spent I believe.
Burn em or buy a landowner voucher. If doesn't have any, someone will. They are good on any property in the unit. First dibs on a nice property isn't common anymore. Unless you have a real specific goal for the points, I would burn them.
Oilcan - that is one of the most symmetric non-typicals I have seen. And, your taxidermist made his look really sad.
"I'll be the first person on this untouched piece of private ground. He's got several 180-200" bucks there."
Then it's worth more than 7 points. For some reason, people feel that for a hunt to be worth the points they've banked, that it needs to cost the points they've banked, and that the quality of the hunt should be incremental to the points totaled.
This is just not the case. The points needed for a particular unit have everything to do with demand, available tags, and the length of time that the particular state's point system has been in place and less to do with the quality of the hunt.
For some reason, people seem to think that a unit that costs 10 points should be twice as good as a unit that costs 5 points because it costs twice as much. Often times, the harder-to-draw units in a state are only slightly better, but the demand for "the best" drives their inflation.
A good example is elk unit 61 in CO. There are better hunts in WY that cost less points for the sole reason that WY has more quality LE hunts and their system is about a decade younger than CO's.
As far as losing more points than you have to on a given hunt, that's been tried: "Point banking" just causes more point creep and turns low-point units into high point units. There's still only so many tags. If people with more points start hunting more (by drawing more tags that cost less), then the cost of the lesser units just goes up.
180-200" deer seems like it would be worth 7 points if it was a 7 point unit. What's the difference?
7 deer points in CO are basically useless to a bowhunter. What unit would you save for? Burn 'em!
I quite the point game for deer years ago and I have not looked back. If you do your homework you can find big deer in most any unit that takes 0 to 1 points. I killed my biggest buck, 185 inches, on public land that is under subscribed.
Point-banking will accelerate point creep. Who wants that? CO has a broken system for elk and deer that shows the fallacy of rewarding "loyalty" by having max point pools launch in an arbitrary year so everyone becoming eligible to apply after that year is behind the 8 ball. The max pool sees odds no other pool will ever see again and is simply a way to reduce odds of every subsequent pool including the pool where you end up after draw your first tag for a species.
CO needs to make you lose all your points for a species if you get a tag. 1st choice, last choice, leftover, landowner, raffle or auction. If people refuse to burn points for leftovers then have to offer a better experience by lowering the price, moving the dates or creating a sub-category with its own point system when demand falls below supply for 3 consecutive years.
The result is you would see a more robust participation of hunters for species. I have never hunted elk in CO on a 1st choice and am just building points so am promoting point creep. I can hunt elk in CO every year, meanwhile.
Pat ,,,I feel your decision,,,I am doing the same in Colorado this year... i have 8 ponits too and the only difference is that I am going to do a eastern plains hunt with Comanche outfitters ,,,,
Use them and go on this hunt. Everyone agrees but, Ike said it with deep explanation. Because, tomorrow is no guarantee. Just another gift. Get it while the getting is good.
Lots of mountain deer units that take 1-10 points for archery season. But these are all Aug/Sept pre-rut hunts with low success rates on big bucks.
If you blow your 7 points this year, in a couple years you'll have 1 point and you can go hunt the November rut again on the plains.
Myself though, I'd get a voucher.
High point requirements in Colorado do not equate to quality. I have spent time in several high point units including the units requiring the most points for archery deer in the NW corner.
Based on spending a lot of time out there in 2, it is not worth any points.
Several of the better areas that do take a lot of points are up to over 160% of normal snow pack and we may lose a lot of deer again (damn global warming isn’t happening fast enough!).
I see far more deer and much bigger deer in 0-1 point units.
If you have a good place in eastern Colorado it is worth whatever it takes to get there! Landowner or in the draw!
Go!
If your outfitter can't guarantee you a landowner voucher before the draw just put in for the tag in the draw that way you are covered. Then start looking for a landowner voucher. If you find one turn your tag back in and get your preference points back.
I was in the exact same situation as you last year. I drew the tag but then was able to get a voucher. Got my points back.
You must be joking! Just kidding, but I agree with what the others have said and would not pass up this opportunity. Have a great hunt and don't look back.
Yeap, Quinn, was thinking that as well. I've seen unit 99 tags up for sale more often than not on craigslist. No brainer, put in, get the voucher, dump tag, repeat.
The voucher can be from any land owner, and it can be either a "unit wide" or private only. They usually cost less if you tell the land owner you don't want to hunt their land. There are also "brokers" that can help you find them. Just make sure it's done 30 days before the season starts.
Another way to gamble at getting the tag for "free" AND your points is to draw the tag, turn it back in, then wait for it to pop up on the Leftover (reissue) draw and get it again! That's risky, but has worked.
"I'll be the first person on this untouched piece of private ground".
Sounds like white privilege to me........:-)
Guys have already said what I would say, so all I’ll say is good luck! You’ve worked and taken risks in your life that enable you to have some great opportunities congrats and looking forward to following along on your hunt!!
I used 7 PPs on a 3 PP rifle deer unit awhile back. Shot a forky. But it was great a hunt and one I wont forget
East of I-25 the restricted LO vouchers (good only on private land) are transferable only to immediate family or youth. The rest of the LO vouchers (the only ones you can buy) are good unit-wide.
You have a hot property, private at that for mule deer and your worried about 7 pts? Here's your sign! lol
There are non-restricted private land only vouchers. There are also vouchers which are unit wide and good for immediate family and or youth. Just make sure you know what you are buying.
Buy a landowner tag for the unit 99 and save your points. I shot a 186" mulie on public in a unit saturated with hunters.
Several 200 inch unhunted mule deer. I think you just jinxed yourself ! We will be expecting results now. Lol hope you kill a pig, can’t wait for this bowsite exclusive.
I get emails from these guys. They do land owner vouchers. You can contact them and see what they have for that unit.
Can't wait to get hosed on another blood trail question in my state!
"I'll be the first person on this untouched piece of private ground". Sounds like white privilege to me........:-)
Wait a minute...Pats white?
Id suggest burning the points and then decide in the future if its worth the cost of a landowner voucher to return. If you save your points and buy a voucher this year then next year you wont want to burn 8 points in a 1 point unit...and unless you want to bowhunt one of the late gun hunts (if you even can) having a bunch of deer points may not be best thing anyway.
Use your points & go hunt!
If he draws the tag, then returns it to use a voucher, he will still only have 7 points since he will miss the point for this year by drawing.
Land Owners also have to put in for the draw to get a voucher, and don't know if they drew one until the same time as everyone else in the draw. They also have LO Preference Points, so they usually have a good idea what they will get every year. So you aren't going to find a voucher until about June.
Looking at DE099OA1 stats from last year, Landowners with 1 PP had a 70% chance to draw the "unrestricted" voucher and the "restricted" (PLO) was guaranteed as a 1st choice with a 29% chance as a second choice. Total 15 archery vouchers for 99
The advantage of knowing this now is if you can find a Landowner you can have them put in for the Archery tag vs a Rifle tag (which takes 4+ LO PP) and be pretty confident they will draw the voucher for you.
Go hunt Pat. There’s only one first opportunity. Before you know it you’ll have 7 points again.
Pat is 1/1024th native. He took a page from Elizabeth Warren, and has been using that to get access to the best hunting.
You could buy a landowner tag and keep your points
If you like your current points, you can keep your current points.
Is it possible to get a landowner voucher for a DIY hunt on public land? If so, how does one go about obtaining one?
I did the exact same thing this year with 8 points. No looking back .
