3rd season Colorado first timer

[rbnhood]

Just got my first rifle a couple months ago and I'm planning on burning my points in my home state of Colorado. I have only archery hunted elk OTC for 3 years, so I am looking forward to using my points I have built up. I am a first generation hunter and pretty much self taught. So, this not only being my first mule deer hunt but my first rifle hunt is there anything you wish you could have known for your first few rifle mule deer hunts? I've been researching gear and scouting on the computer in the unit, have a decent pair of binos, and feel I'm in pretty decent shape. I will be able to make it out to scout the unit a couple times this summer, any tips on what to look for in July with the hunt being in November?

 

[Travis Hobbs]

I would scout winter range and migration routes.... Learn the road systems and glassing points. I have hunted multiple new units during 3rd season (I just tryto get any tag in my pocket) and always wish I would have spent some time in the summer learning roads and glassing areas. And one thing I will give Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The public data they post on winter ranges and migration routes can be unbelievably accurate or really can get you in the ball park!

Good luck

 

[Back Country Hunter 2]

Great advice ^^

Find multiple spots to camp at different elevations depending on the weather. You never know what the weather will be like. I’ve had sunny and 75, as well as hard wind and snow in the single digits. Once the season starts, find the does and the bucks won’t usually be far way.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Practice shooting that rifle as often as possible. I don’t know what you got into, but a very common theme lately in the long range custom rifle world is people buy these guns thinking they can easily make 400-800 yard shots because the manufacture says so and they fail. No your limit whether it’s 300 yards or 600. Practice in different conditions and terrain in the prone position and leave the bench rest at home. Then scout all summer! Good luck

 

[sndmn11]

I am a first generation hunter and pretty much self taught. So, this not only being my first mule deer hunt but my first rifle hunt is there anything you wish you could have known for your first few rifle mule deer hunts?

I am just like you. Nobody in my family hunted and I have bow hunted until two years ago when I got a rifle mule deer tag because my wife wanted to start hunting so I thought I would give it a go on my own before she joined. I had a third season buck tag, and it was in a unit that I have bow hunted for a decade or so.

I learned that the first thing you need is patience. I saw the back end of one buck exactly where I thought one should be after glassing the little 1/2 acre spot for 15 min from a few hundred yards away. I wanted to crest the hill on the opposite side of the little spot and was confident it was animal-less. I was wrong.

I found a good amount of bighorns around the highest part of the unit )10500'), but no deer. I found no deer mid elevation, I found bighorns in the lowest part of the unit (6000') and never found a deer glassing, or any sign that was encouraging. I was walking back to my truck in the afternoon and out of the corner of my eye I saw something standing on a rock. It turned out to be the dumb deer in the area about 300 yards away.


He stood there long enough for me to take some pictures, get settled on my pack and bipod in the dry creek bed, and I even unloaded and dry fired a couple times to confirm my comfort. He never moved so I shot him. The walk up that hill was very thick and steep, and took a whole lot longer than a normal 300 yards.

So, I learned to be patient and to understand that my purpose was to learn. I also think that after having hunted the same area for deer and elk with my wife this past season, that a mule deer buck is pretty darned content in not moving when they think they are in a safe spot. I ended up finding a few other dozen deer in the sand bottoms in the dark, but I didn't bump any around during the day at all.

The above post about winter range, migration routes (if one occurs), roads, and glassing points is spot on. If you can figure out how to get to where you want to be easily AND how to observe it without disturbing it, you can eliminate possible places. My experience was opposite of the typical find does, or hunt in X elevation until it snows, then Y after that. I think the biggest thing that I have learned after being out in the past two rifle seasons, is that second guessing my own instincts that I developed bow hunting and trying to fit my hunting into a cookie cutter might be the biggest detriment.

 

[Fatcamp]

First and last light count for a lot. Really, don't sleep in, don't go back to camp. You have all year to take naps and snack.

 

[rbnhood]

Thank you guys so much for the advice! I honestly really appreciate it.

 

[street]

• Be in better shape than you think you need to be in.
• Plan meals optimally.
• Camp in best spot you can get.
• Find the does.
• Confidence in your rifle.

 

[justinspicher]

I would say have a back up plan if the weather doesn't cooperate with your current plan. Be ready to be cold, the mountains will win if you're mentally prepared for the cold and the longer nights at that time of year.

 

[IrkedCitizen]

If it was me, I would gain another point this year and hunt 2021 3rd season. In 2020 Colorado 3rd season is 11/7-11/13 where 2021 3rd season is 11/13-11/19. So it is a full week later and the big bucks should be chasing does.

But that is just me.

 

[Jbehredt]

If it was me, I would gain another point this year and hunt 2021 3rd season. In 2020 Colorado 3rd season is 11/7-11/13 where 2021 3rd season is 11/13-11/19. So it is a full week later and the big bucks should be chasing does.

But that is just me.

Sshhhhhh

 

[street]

I wouldn't wait until 2021 to burn points. Going to be a lot of bucks killed this year with the season dates pushed back. Jmo

 

[197]

Be on your glassing point at first and last light. Hopefully that point will allow you to shoot 300 yards, but also to see deer farther that you need to stalk. Remember the sun comes up in the east and it can be a pain to glass into the sun...pick your spots accordingly and watch the weather for cloud cover where you can hunt those spots and not worry about the sun. Pick your glassing point based on where the does are and where the roads are...you want to be near the does, but away from roads. Sometimes this is hard to do.