35k new applicants CO

[CMF]

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.

Gohunt.com. look at the trends

 

[hawaiianstyle13]

Word on the street, 35k new applicants ( not all elk) in CO this year. Have your plan C-D and F ready. Wow!

I’m pretty sure the fact Wy closing the doors is flooding the CO market. OTC is going to be ugly. Really hoping I draw a couple long shots.

That's insane! More hunters, more wolves and less elk . The Northern Colorado highways are littered with carcasses this year

 

[sundance1]

As a resident of this great pot smoking, tree hugging, liberal state, the majority of this problem lies at the foot of the CPW. They had over 2500 archery hunters in the unit I hunt 4 years ago, Granted thats too damn many, but they let the herd numbers get to less than 50 percent of 10 years ago, and we bitched hard at them that they had a problem. So they put the southern third of the state on a draw....archery only....and didn;t touch Otc rifle tags. Why? Money. The come one -come all hunting mantra cannot be sustained...and they know it. But again, money trumps sustainability. No matter how you slice the extra apps, the underlying problems are still the same. We've got Cpw field officers who have quit, or would like to, because the Wildlife Commission does not listen to their advice anymore. Now if it's wolves or a special interest group, roll out the red carpet.

I have a sister who has a Phd in zoology , does impact studies and other funded bs. She made a comment 5 years ago that at the time i dismissed as political postulating, but she said that there are too many of us 2 legged upright's for Mother Earth to sustain, and in the coming years we would all begin to see it. I think she's on to something, and this increase can be partly attributed to the fact that there are just more people.

And yes, the career hunters are coming out of the woodwork. The Youtube generation is upon us and these career guys are creating a new type of hunter who conducts military exercises in the outback and when they get done with an area, the animals are either dead or 20 miles away. Seminars are a dime a dozen, with these career guys lugging around trophy heads and wanna be's leaving and salivating at the chance to get in the woods and try out their tactics, It's the commercialization of hunting and that's an oxymoron....and it ain't gonna stop,

 

[5MilesBack]

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.

Nice thought, but you can do that the rest of the year as well outside of September. But September is THE month to be in the mountains IMO, whether you're hunting or not. Which has become the problem.......everyone else has figured that out as well. So ya, it's never going to get any better. It's kind of like the 2nd law of thermodynamics.

I've been hunting CO since 1980, and have had some fabulous experiences. But I'm afraid my hunting days are winding down here. I'm less tolerant of crowds and "stupid" than I've ever been. I find bugling bulls every year regardless what unit I'm in, but when the sum of the overall experience diminishes below a certain level, it's time to move on.

 

[UncleBone]

Nice thought, but you can do that the rest of the year as well outside of September. But September is THE month to be in the mountains IMO, whether you're hunting or not. Which has become the problem.......everyone else has figured that out as well. So ya, it's never going to get any better. It's kind of like the 2nd law of thermodynamics.

I've been hunting CO since 1980, and have had some fabulous experiences. But I'm afraid my hunting days are winding down here. I'm less tolerant of crowds and "stupid" than I've ever been. I find bugling bulls every year regardless what unit I'm in, but when the sum of the overall experience diminishes below a certain level, it's time to move on.

Before you retire from it, I would love to spend a few hours with you in the woods. I never had a real dad, and after reading a ton of your posts the last year, I figured you had a lot more knowledge than a lot of guys put together. Then you got the daddy title, and it was confirmed. If I could adopt a dad, Id pick you or Tucker Carlson. Also hope that doesn't come off too weird. I mean it in good humor, and you are legit the man around here.

 

[prm]

The experience that has changed for me is the difficulty of having an annual hunt with family in familiar country that is not over-run. I don't think OTC is sustainable for elk or the quality of experience.

 

[rommesc]

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.


Sent from my iPhone

I'm also one of the new 35,000 applicants and planning on sticking to the steep/nasty stuff to get away from most of the crowd.