35k new applicants CO

[St.CroixArcher]

I’m one of the new applicants. Applied for a 50/50 unit with 0 points for an archery hunt. I‘m guessing it‘s not going to be 50/50 this year.

 

[Next Ridge]

That’s because 80/81 became a draw unit

That accounts for some of the decrease, but those that didn’t draw didn’t all run to OTC units, which they could have.

 

[Fisherhahn]

Me and two of my buddies are 3 of the new folks. We all got points for future hunt. We never shoot for top quality units, but counting on needing a few points as OTC options dry up.

 

[CMF]

I have hunted an OTC spot in Colorado the last few years and only bumped into one other individual. I get deep in the back country and am in plenty of elk. If you do some research you’ll be able to figure it out.

Hint: steeper, thicker, nastier country tends to have less hunters.


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Hey, stick to the narrative, lol. Everywhere is overrun and no elk are left.

My buddy and father in law have added 4 apps, deer(100%) and elk(25%) this year. They won't be every year hunters tho.

A new kid entering the draw likely adds 6 apps, even if just for pp. Deer, elk, antelope, and MSG.

 

[alindsey1237]

Hey, stick to the narrative, lol. Everywhere is overrun and no elk are left.

My buddy and father in law have added 4 apps, deer(100%) and elk(25%) this year. They won't be every year hunters tho.

A new kid entering the draw likely adds 6 apps, even if just for pp. Deer, elk, antelope, and MSG.

All I’m saying is everyone is complaining about hunting in just about every draw or OTC change in the west. The point creep is rough in every state. It is what it is. You can either complain about it or adapt. I plan on one decent tag a year either for elk or deer. Then I plan a couple other opportunity hunts.

I don’t always have a tag sometimes it’s about going with a buddy who drew a decent tag and helping them fill it. And taking opportunity hunts for myself.

Complaining isn’t going to change anything. Just adapt. Is all I’m trying to get across. Work a little harder then the other guy and you’ll be successful.


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[CMF]

All I’m saying is everyone is complaining about hunting in just about every draw or OTC change in the west. The point creep is rough in every state. It is what it is. You can either complain about it or adapt. I plan on one decent tag a year either for elk or deer. Then I plan a couple other opportunity hunts.

I don’t always have a tag sometimes it’s about going with a buddy who drew a decent tag and helping them fill it. And taking opportunity hunts for myself.

Complaining isn’t going to change anything. Just adapt. Is all I’m trying to get across. Work a little harder then the other guy and you’ll be successful.


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Yea, I was being sarcastic. I'm right there with you, there is no shortage of elk or opportunity if you put the work in and do the research. Last year was the first in 4 yrs that I actually had a true otc tag and that was cause I screwed up on leftover day. We spent most of the month hunting my wife and buddies tags and were consistently in elk. The few days I spent in otc, I heard or saw elk and that was 2 different units 70+ miles apart.

 

[5MilesBack]

Work a little harder then the other guy and you’ll be successful.

Success isn't always about killing. These days......having the place to myself in September is the greatest challenge. I value my seclusion there including around my base camp as my most important success for the season. That kind of success doesn't come easy these days, but that's not just because of hunters. There's more "general" recreationalists than hunters every year it seems, and those numbers are growing every year too. That's just the way it is. Finding elk and killing them is easy compared to finding complete seclusion these days.

 

[alindsey1237]

Success isn't always about killing. These days......having the place to myself in September is the greatest challenge. I value my seclusion there including around my base camp as my most important success for the season. That kind of success doesn't come easy these days, but that's not just because of hunters. There's more "general" recreationalists than hunters every year it seems, and those numbers are growing every year too. That's just the way it is. Finding elk and killing them is easy compared to finding complete seclusion these days.

That’s fair seclusion is nice. I will say though I rarely bump into others when I’m backpack hunting. Any time I’ve hunted from a road system though with a base camp I can’t think of a time in the last 10 years I’ve had seclusion.


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[Jkr61]

I’d like to know where I can buy a seclusion tag

 

[ReaptheHeat]

I'm most likely hanging up the archery this year to cut firewood and chase some sage grouse.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

From today's Paper (Denver Post)

 

[RyanT26]

From today's Paper (Denver Post)

View attachment 543555

Bull crap! We gave to continue to recruit new hunters otherwise a hunting will die just ask Newberg or Rinella. I mean we have to think who’s going to support all the high-end clothing companies if we’re not constantly recruiting new hunters. Who’s going to support the influencers. There has to be a constant new class of hunters willing to buy all the crap that you really don’t need.
Bro, think of the influencers, they’re really doing it for us.

 

[ChrisAU]

If seclusion is the #1 goal then get a badass camera and go camp and look for elk when a hunting season is not in.

If you want to kill one then get over the jealousy of someone else being there because they want to do the same thing you want to do in a place they have just as much of a right to be in as you do.

It is not going to get better.

 

[RyanT26]

If seclusion is the #1 goal then get a badass camera and go camp and look for elk when a hunting season is not in.

If you want to kill one then get over the jealousy of someone else being there because they want to do the same thing you want to do in a place they have just as much of a right to be in as you do.

It is not going to get better.

I think it will eventually. Tags are going to get harder to draw more so than they are already. I have no doubt Colorado OTC tags are going to be a thing of the past soon, that will help. I think (hope) enthusiasm for western hunting will eventually start to wane.

 

[CMF]

238,000 apps for 123,000 licenses. Do those license numbers include otc?

That's way better than the demand/supply in Wyoming.

 

[CMF]

If seclusion is the #1 goal then get a badass camera and go camp and look for elk when a hunting season is not in.

good point...

I also feel like finding seclusion is a little like finding elk, if you put in some time, it's not so hard to find. If only killing them was as easy....

I also value seclusion, and it's always a variable I'm considering when planning hunts. Limited units, hunting during weekdays, away from major population centers, etc. I picked up bow hunting here in MS for that reason: fewer people in the woods...

Interest beyond capacity is not news, It's the reason there's draw and point systems today.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

238,000 apps for 123,000 licenses. Do those license numbers include otc?

That's way better than the demand/supply in Wyoming.

No. OTC licenses are in addition to the 123k limited licenses available last year. OTC license numbers aren't as readily available, but I've seen some articles claiming around 94k in recent years. It's worth noting that of the 238k elk applications last year, 108k were for preference points (not for an actual license).

 

[sistae93]

I know they publish the draw recaps, statistics, and what not. Has anyone figured out a formula for the math between figuring out the preference points you have and how likely it is you get your first choice? Feels like it shouldn't take a degree just to weigh the odds as you're looking at the draw recap(s) from the past.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I know they publish the draw recaps, statistics, and what not. Has anyone figured out a formula for the math between figuring out the preference points you have and how likely it is you get your first choice? Feels like it shouldn't take a degree just to weigh the odds as you're looking at the draw recap(s) from the past.

There's no "formula" per se, but you can get a very good idea of your chances of drawing any particular tag at any particular point level by looking at the last few years of draw stats for that tag.

 

[CMF]

No. OTC licenses are in addition to the 123k limited licenses available last year. OTC license numbers aren't as readily available, but I've seen some articles claiming around 94k in recent years. It's worth noting that of the 238k elk applications last year, 108k were for preference points (not for an actual license).

Yea, but I think it shows that demand isn't even twice that of available tags. If the state went to something like Wyoming with a general tag, you'd be able to get a tag almost every year or every other year at the most.
It's not as scary compared to Wyoming which has like 4x or something like that of applications to available tags. (can't find the actual numbers now)