2024 Plans Utah or CO?

[HighCountryHill33]

Southern Utah doesnt have low or no point general season ALW deer tags. Unless we are now classifying 4-7 points as low...

Based on some of the proposals for southern units in Utah, if approved, those draw odds are going to get worse.

PREACH... lived in SW Utah for 4 years and units were easy to draw for non-res (2 pnts tops). Didn't get drawn on a GENERAL rifle tag with 7 points last year. Same unit was a gimme with 0 points as a resident. Only "loophole" is to take out a second mortgage and go Non-res dedicated, but you wont draw that without preference points either.

 

[CorbLand]

PREACH... lived in SW Utah for 4 years and units were easy to draw for non-res (2 pnts tops). Didn't get drawn on a GENERAL rifle tag with 7 points last year. Same unit was a gimme with 0 points as a resident. Only "loophole" is to take out a second mortgage and go Non-res dedicated, but you wont draw that without preference points either.

Utah is doing a pretty good job at making it so general season becomes limited entry, limited entry becomes once in a lifetime and once in a lifetime becomes how much money do you have?

 

[Foldem]

Definitely Utah. Colorado is over-rated.

 

[rcb2000]

I've been on a bunch of units in Utah this season and deer numbers are noticeably down.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

This,, insanely low numbers this year. Winter kill was rough on them.

 

[roadrunner]

UT is in a deer debacle right now trying to figure out how to increase "the herd"...

 

[RT84]

My unprofessional opinion is CO. Utah is in rough shape right now. Areas I’ve hunted in northern Utah for 10+ years that have consistently produced, are no longer producing. I think it’ll be a few years till we see a rebound, if we see one.

 

[adbowhunter]

Depends on what type of experience you're looking for...I would say colorado is going to give you more opportunities for sure, but things are going to change in the coming years. Too much pressure and too few animals along with predation...CPW will have to make some changes.

 

[wildwilderness]

Get a NM landowner tag. They have a milder winter

 

[Jaquomo]

Noticeable difference is you are hard pressed to find anything over a 2.5 year old in a lot of the state after the rut hunts for 4 years have bashed any age class that we were cultivating…

CPW is openly trying to kill off the mature bucks in CO in yet another futile attempt to "control" CWD (which is a PR problem, not a biological problem..) They admitted this in Sportsmans Roundtable and other public meetings. In another couple years, mature bucks will be a thing of the past in most places.

 

[Hondo0925]

They both suck. Colorado has had tough winters, wolves, overcrowding, blah blah blah.
And Utah has AVB!

 

[Lando]

I grew up in So. Utah and just hunted it for the first time since 2001, I cashed in 6 points to hunt muzzleloader. Though I ended up harvesting a decent 4x4 in the end, it was only the 2nd buck I saw the whole hunt and the other was a small forky. In 2001, I used to see 20-30 bucks a day.

 

[Muleybucks34]

Southern Utah, like all of Utah has gone way down hill. The dwr are finally realizing the condition of the deer herds and looking at options to help save the herd. It maybe too late…

 

[ccoffey]

I knew I could come here to get some spirited answers haha

 

[JakeSCH]

Do both. A lot of times the season's but up next to each other.

 

[ELKMO]

Utah.

 

[Pistolpete28]

Tough decision

 

[Jaden Bales]

I knew I could come here to get some spirited answers haha

Yeah if there's one thing you can count on with this forum, you'll find there are no deer left in any state and all states suck at what they do.

Related to your post, I was debating as well, but landed on CO for 2024 because I am not sure more points than a handful will do a guy much good. Inversely, a guy can still have room to unlock some other opportunity, and I only see an improvement for deer numbers coming in Utah (probably peaking/coming to fruition around 2026) with the great moisture from this year.

 

[ccoffey]

Yeah if there's one thing you can count on with this forum, you'll find there are no deer left in any state and all states suck at what they do.

Related to your post, I was debating as well, but landed on CO for 2024 because I am not sure more points than a handful will do a guy much good. Inversely, a guy can still have room to unlock some other opportunity, and I only see an improvement for deer numbers coming in Utah (probably peaking/coming to fruition around 2026) with the great moisture from this year.

That’s a pretty reasonable way to go about it. My home state is looking pretty good for next year but I’m in the final years of friends getting married and I’ve got 2 weddings in early October….I think I’m going CO third season.