CO 2nd Season Impressions

[jmav58]

Hunted 2nd season mule deer this year in Colorado and thought I'd post and see how other people did during the hunt. I hunted outside of Kremmling and camped around 9000'. I glassed from 10,000' down to 7800' and found all of my deer on the valley floor essentially. I only found does and small bucks and ended up shooting a fork buck Monday night about 3 miles from the pickup. I didn't see any older class bucks and I'm not sure if I needed to be higher up (11,000'+) or if they were just timbered up. Overall, had a great time and look forward to other's experiences.

 

[Patton]

Hunted CO 2nd season and shot my first muley. Saw 3-4 bucks that were bigger but wasn’t able to make it happen on them for various reasons. The snow made for an awesome hunt and very cold camping conditions.

 

[Popcan]

I've hunted 2nd season for the past 5 seasons. I've seen similar things. I don't believe that there are no big bucks, but I haven't a clue what they are up to. My only deer encounters have been down low. That being said, I'm no expert. I have zero applicable knowledge or experience. I have seen a boat load of people, most seem to be chasing elk. My hunch is that has something to do with it.

 

[Steelruger22]

Just got back from my 2nd rifle hunt out there. Compared to past years I saw more people and less animals. Out of 4 other camps I talked to, 3 had never hunted that area before and were only down mid state (551) cause of the fires up north.
With that said I saw does everyday but only saw 3 different bucks from Saturday until Thursday when I was fortunate enough to harvest my best buck to date. Needless to say that this season has had its share of highs and lows

 

[Marble]

There wasn't enough snow to push those older big bucks out or the high country. Saw plenty of bucks above 10k and they will stay there for a bit. The does and smaller (less then 4.5 yoa) bucks will hang out and feed, bed and travel together.

IME, 2nd season in CO, the big bucks stay until they are forced to go. I have even seen them feeding down real low at 9,000-9,500, then blaze up the hill to deep snow (10,500 plus) and bed down. They stay all day and come out last few minutes of light.

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[Marble]

To find those big bucks you have to have a glassing point that can see a large area that you can hunt and would actually hold deer. Im talking being a mile or several miles from multiple areas you could hunt. Then, just because you saw a big one, don't rush in. If you can see him a few times and get an idea of where he hangs out, then you should go after him.

If you look at it and think, "Jesus thats gonna suck." The. You are probably glassing the right area.

Seems like every 2 to 3 years in the area I hunt I find a buck that I can pattern and go after. I can alway find small bucks, but the bigger 5.5 year olds is what I'm looking for.

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[Steelruger22]

I think your right. The lowest we were was 9800' and I killed my buck this year at 10400'. 4.75 miles in, He was all by himself. Came up on him while side sloping the dark timber. He was on the ground at 1530. Was a great hunt.

 

[Jaden Bales]

To find those big bucks you have to have a glassing point that can see a large area that you can hunt and would actually hold deer. Im talking being a mile or several miles from multiple areas you could hunt. Then, just because you saw a big one, don't rush in. If you can see him a few times and get an idea of where he hangs out, then you should go after him.

If you look at it and think, "Jesus thats gonna suck." The. You are probably glassing the right area.

Seems like every 2 to 3 years in the area I hunt I find a buck that I can pattern and go after. I can alway find small bucks, but the bigger 5.5 year olds is what I'm looking for.

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This. I like this advice. We weren't in Colorado, but hunting Wyoming units that were open at the same time and this was crucial. Sit back and look at lots of stuff. It's pretty easy to be glassing 2000' of vertical hillside from one knob with a good spotter. You'd be able to look at low country at 8k and high country at 10k+.

Planning the same game plan in 3rd Colorado this weekend!

 

[Lytro]

I hunted elk last year during first season and saw a lot of does around 10K the entire hunt, but not a single buck. Hunted 2nd season elk this year for the same unit and my girlfriend drew a deer tag. She killed a buck the first morning of our hunt (9.5K), and we saw a ton of deer (bucks and does) every day of the hunt at elevations from 8K to 11.5K. Most deer were seen feeding in open areas around 10K feet on south facing hillsides. There were A TON of deer on the prairie below the mountains though. Groups of 20-40 deer with plenty of quality bucks on their own or in bachelor groups.

We did see a little bit of pre rut activity as well with a set of bucks fighting for about 15 minutes straight until a bigger buck came in and chased them off.

 

[Dirty Mike]

I got mine near Kremmlinga around 8,200', was in a group of 30+ does with three other bucks. Not the biggest guy, but my second public land animal and second mulie. I'm freaking stoked!