I seem to remember the new system being rolled out last year, at least partially implemented. There was a bunch of issues as a result.

This year there are new fees, and a change in point charges for the Big 3, so I'm sure that is messing it up some. It just seems like they could communicate better: i.e.- deer on Monday, Elk Tuesday, etc... Cant be that hard to plan a linear flow to things, instead of all this where different people are seeing different results at different times.

But, at the end of the day, I suppose they aren't terribly concerned if people are nervous because they talk to others online. It will all shake out by the end of the week or so

Maybe in the future they could just go to a powerball style lotto drawing- do it live. Make it an event! Market and profit baby!!!

Yeah, I agree. It's strange/frustrating how things haven't happened sequentially, but they technically said June 3-7 for results. As long as it's all straight by Friday, they have fulfilled their obligation and the rest is just us being impatient.

OK- it's official for deer for me now. I surprisingly got the muzzleloader deer tag again!!!

Deer Season overlaps with my sheep season- so I might have to figure out a way to hike both rifle and muzzleloader up to my area- because there are some MONSTER bucks where I'm going to sheep hunt. Or, maybe I just sheep hunt with my muzzleloader... because that's a LONG freaking way to pack in an extra 10lbs of gun and Ammo. Hopefully I'll be making that brutal hike down a couple times with plenty of meat on my back!

Probably time to earn a favor from a buddy with a horse it looks like...

mneisch said:

---

Just received the email confirming that I successfully drew my first choice deer tag.

---

Awesome! Congrats brother

Awesome! Hope you've got some heavy trips back down too! That's a tough call on lugging up both.

No draw surprises for me. Drew my doe antelope and 2nd rifle buck tag. The rest will be OTC and gambling on the leftover list. Still accumulating points on everything this year. Waiting to hear if my dad drew his elk tag or not.

Just got the message my dad and his buddy drew their elk tags. So pumped to take them on their first elk hunt!

lazuras_dc said:

---

First Elk hunt!

---

Awesome! What area are you headed?

AgEng06 said:

---

lazuras_dc said:

---

First Elk hunt!

---

Awesome! What area are you headed?

---

he's sworn to secrecy

let's just say it's a unit where I've had pretty good success, considering that it's shockingly close to Denver

Fair enough. Good luck to you guys!

NRD09 said:

---

AgEng06 said:

---

lazuras_dc said:

---

First Elk hunt!

---

Awesome! What area are you headed?

---

he's sworn to secrecy

let's just say it's a unit where I've had pretty good success, considering that it's shockingly close to Denver

---

Haha you gave away more than I would have =P
I'm super pumped.

OB meat pole is gonna be good this year!!! Congrats guys

wasn't a surprise but still nice to officially draw our 1st rifle elk hunt near Telluride.

Water Turkey07 said:

---

wasn't a surprise but still nice to officially draw our 1st rifle elk hunt near Telluride.

---

That will be a beautiful hunt if nothing else

Got my CO mule deer tag! Will be our 5th year going with same group.

Just an FYI, AZ deer applications are due on the 11th. So anyone looking to chase tiny Coues Whitetails doesn't have much time left.

Trigger06 said:

---

Just an FYI, AZ deer applications are due on the 11th. So anyone looking to chase tiny Coues Whitetails doesn't have much time left.

---

The grey ghosts are on my list to do someday. Does AZ do points or just lottery? I can't chase them this year, but need to get in the point game if they have one

I drew my cow tag so I get to go spend time with BradMtn346 again.

AZ does bonus points.

I had a friend draw 1 rifle elk in unit 76 (Colorado), with only 10 points!

Another buddy pulled a 385" bruiser out if there 3 years ago. There are some freaking monsters in there

Pulled a second choice tag out of the hat.

75/751 Muzzle loader mule deer buck tag

LiveOak said:

---

Pulled a second choice tag out of the hat.

75/751 Muzzle loader mule deer buck tag

---

Nice! One of my favorite CO hunts

Hunted that unit last season. Rugged.

If it's anything like 77, and I assume it is, then I've got the ol dead fall two step down.

Season is pretty tight to a family obligation, so trying to decide if I can swing it. The draw odds as second choice were somewhere in the 20s, so not awful, but def some luck.

Cup you hunt MD with muzz in that season? What's the hunter pressure like with overlap of elk archery and muzz?

LiveOak said:

---

Cup you hunt MD with muzz in that season? What's the hunter pressure like with overlap of elk archery and muzz?

---

I hunted deer in 77/78 last year with muzzy. In all honesty, the pressure was... intense. First of archery elk isn't bad. We call muzzleloader season "orange week" for a reason. Sure, you can find places no one else is- but it ain't as easy as it was even a few years ago. Seems like there was 2X the number of hunters last year as the year before. Most were elk (OTC tag)- but many are still bumbling buffoons traipsing though without a clue. And most of the guys lugging smoke poles are within a mile or two of a road, though. But you will see people no matter how far back you go- at least in our unit. Took a guy 9 miles back in on foot last year, to some elk I had pegged in a valley- only to find an tent and a campfire smoking right in the middle of the freaking meadow the elk were feeding in... disappointing was an understatement. We ended up killing a nice 6x6 within a mile and a half of the truck- but up an incline no 2 legged being has any business being on.

Last year, I didn't have time to spend a week in the high country on deer. So, I flipped the script. I killed in unit 78, about 600 yards from the highway. I found a road that lots of people drive up and hunt way back in, and I parked down low and hunted a narrow strip of National Forest that runs alongside a private ranch. So narrow, no one ever pays attention to it. So low, most people drive right past it (and push the deer right down into this right drainage). But the margin of error was zero- as any bumped buck would just hop over to private land and never return.

This year, I will be spending quality time at altitude trying for a different class of buck.

Hey cupofjoe04, I read your post from last November that the Sig BDX scope is colorado legal. I was planning on hunting elk in Colorado this year (with the bdx on my .300 win). Anyway you still have that email from the CO Division of Wildlife enforcement ? If Id really appreciate if you could forward it my way, I'd love to have it
in my back pocket just in case! Thanks, my email is bachmann007@gmail.com

Sent

If anyone else is planning on using a Sig BDX scope in CO this year, and wants a copy of the email I received from CPW saying that it is (at this time) legal- let me know and I'll forward it to you as well.

Reminder that AZ apps for deer, sheep, etc are due tomorrow at midnight.

I'm currently struggling with the idea of putting in for points this year (I won't be hunting). I'm starting to grow weary of all of the point games in each state since I only got started a few years ago. I'm just not sure if the money/time to play the game is worth it.

Posting this here too... A backpacking gear spreadsheet I made a few years ago. Need to update it with new geae. Hopefully the Google drive link works and it makes sense.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzErnfaYLudfSDVwMldyZXhKak0/view?usp=drivesdk

First rifle elk CO 71 here!

Getting ready to go up Monday to hang some cameras and do some reconnoitering. I had to clear a bunch of pics off my cameras from last year.

...including a lovely photo of the bull that I did not kill last year. Ruined my morning.

Let the hate fuel your efforts...

Have fun. Buying a house has screwed my plans for this month sadly.

I have been shooting a bunch more than usual this spring.

There will be no mistakes this year.