Colorado 2025-2029 Big Game Season Structure

[realunlucky]

Averaging PPs in Wyo doesn’t increase creep

Sure it does. Letting people cut in line without waiting keeps everyone else in line waiting. Yep they get another point

Those points could of been used on one tag instead of two

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[cnelk]

Sure it does. Letting people cut in line without waiting keeps everyone else in line waiting. Yep they get another point

Those points could of been used on one tag instead of two

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Cry me a river

 

[OXN939]

Can someone make early season deer in CO make sense to me?

Aug 15th - New first season archery
Sep 2nd - "Normal" season archery
Sep 7th - Early rifle
Sep 14th (moving target, but this is where it falls this year) - Muzzleloader

Why would anyone hunt these alpine units with a muzzleloader when the deer have already been shot at with scoped rifles and are likely moving down by that part of the month? Is starting my season two weeks early for archery worth it when the draw odds are likely going to be worse and I have less days to punch a tag?

Making the early season dates for elk and deer the same is really, really stupid if your goal is to provide good hunts for all manner of take.

Is that legit? If so, does anyone know any other western big game season structure that puts rifle before muzzleloader? Wild take by CO if that's the case

 

[AG8]

Is that legit?

Ehh, sort of. Early rifle only applies to a handful of units, with a handful of tags valid only in specific alpine areas of those units

 

[Hnthrdr]

Early alpine archery is a huge win for mule deer hunters if it sticks

 

[Ynothunt41]

Wow, I am shocked they want to keep the rifle OTC (I guess I shouldn't be as they love the money). I guess they are not worried about point creep as guys can get a point and still get a OTC tag like before.

 

[fishslap]

Is that legit? If so, does anyone know any other western big game season structure that puts rifle before muzzleloader? Wild take by CO if that's the case

Someone already answered your first question (very limited special season). For your second one, Nebraska.

 

[Mcribs]

Early alpine archery is a huge win for mule deer hunters if it sticks

Very true, almost enough to make up for the other stupidity

 

[CodeMonkey]

Ehh, sort of. Early rifle only applies to a handful of units, with a handful of tags valid only in specific alpine areas of those units

Exactly what units do you think will be getting the early archery tags given that it's implemented as an additional season in certain units (the same way early rifle is)?

 

[CodeMonkey]

Early alpine archery is a huge win for mule deer hunters if it sticks

Except the way it is being implemented is asinine. Just move the start date of archery deer to August 15th to all units west of I-25 and call it instead of this unit by unit thing with an additional tag/season.

I predict that the early archery deer tags will be the hardest archery deer tags to draw in the state and take 4-5 points as a resident.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Except the way it is being implemented is asinine. Just move the start date of archery deer to August 15th to all units west of I-25 and call it instead of this unit by unit thing with an additional tag/season.

I predict that the early archery deer tags will be the hardest archery deer tags to draw in the state and take 4-5 points as a resident.

True, yes I think that will be a huge draw for units that have huntable populations in the alpine, hell as primarily an archery elk hunter it gets me excited that I could chase deer with a bow and not mess up my elk season. But yes I think points will be steep for those tags

 

[CodeMonkey]

Is that legit? If so, does anyone know any other western big game season structure that puts rifle before muzzleloader? Wild take by CO if that's the case

The bigger issue is that muzzleloader always starts on the second Saturday of the month whereas everything else has a fixed date. That means that muzzleloader is sometimes good timing for deer and sometimes good timing for elk. IMO, they need to revisit the dates completely and decouple deer/elk.

 

[CodeMonkey]

If I were king for a day, this is how the early seasons would look like west of I-25. I could give a toot about the plains since I don't have $8500 to shell out to an outfitter for a muley. There are absolute monster bucks just a ten minute drive from my house but they will only be chased by white collar "hunters", but that's a different rant entirely.

Deer:
Archery: Aug 15 - Sep 15
Muzzleloader: Sep 1-10
Keep Early Rifle As Is

Keep Elk Dates As Is

Everyone with a deer or elk tag gets a bear tag for free in the unit (yes this means that bear season now starts 15 August to offset the fact we don't have a spring season) if the bear population is at or above desired population.

Keeping elk/deer dates the same doesn't make sense and adding a new archery deer tag for certain units is a very minor fix to the larger issue that deer and elk dates are married to one another.

 

[dirtytough]

Averaging PPs in Wyo doesn’t increase creep

Please just stop. You spread enough misinformation about Colorado. No need to spread misinformation about basic math.

 

[cnelk]

Please just stop. You spread enough misinformation about Colorado. No need to spread misinformation about basic math.

Thanks for being an admirer and follower.

Again. Averaging PPs in Wyo doesnt create point creep.
Newberg does.

 

[dirtytough]

Averaging PPs in Wyo doesn’t increase creep

Thanks for being an admirer and follower.

Again. Averaging PPs in Wyo doesnt create point creep.
Newberg does.

Try to keep up. No one said it created creep. It increases creep. Basic math.

 

[ColoradoV]

Early alpine archery is a huge win for mule deer hunters if it sticks

No no it is not…. It is a huge loss for most high country mulie guys.

In any unit that has an early start the rest of the archery deer tags will basically be worthless. After 2 weeks of pressure anyone who actually hunts knows mule hunting up high is not even close to the same.. By muzzy the pressure will have moved almost every single buck from the high country.

Either all the deer tags need to start on Aug 15 or none of them. Making a few early will make it impossible to draw and by the late season archery the bucks will have moved. This only helps high point holders and outfitters while screwing the rest of us over.

Short sited and a terrible idea by guess who = the cba that may gain a few political points but will hurt most deer hunters while only favoring a few select hunters w high points. Terrible idea that was not thought through.

 

[chanson_roland]

If I were king for a day, this is how the early seasons would look like west of I-25. I could give a toot about the plains since I don't have $8500 to shell out to an outfitter for a muley. There are absolute monster bucks just a ten minute drive from my house but they will only be chased by white collar "hunters", but that's a different rant entirely.

Deer:
Archery: Aug 15 - Sep 15
Muzzleloader: Sep 1-10
Keep Early Rifle As Is

Keep Elk Dates As Is

Everyone with a deer or elk tag gets a bear tag for free in the unit (yes this means that bear season now starts 15 August to offset the fact we don't have a spring season) if the bear population is at or above desired population.

Keeping elk/deer dates the same doesn't make sense and adding a new archery deer tag for certain units is a very minor fix to the larger issue that deer and elk dates are married to one another.

I must admit, I was not familiar with your level of game.

I don't bear hunt, but this is low-key the best hack I've heard for creating a "late-spring/Summer" Bear Season. The type of thing that you could sneak by anti-hunters and most wouldn't notice. Might even be a workaround for other states.

 

[TheCougar]

Looks to me like the rifle deer seasons are also headed back to the earlier dates of the 2015-2019 structure

Damage is done, though.

 

[Hnthrdr]

No no it is not…. It is a huge loss for most high country mulie guys.

In any unit that has an early start the rest of the archery deer tags will basically be worthless. After 2 weeks of pressure mile hunting up high is not even close to the same.. By muzzy the pressure will have moved almost every single buck from the high country.

Either all the deer tags need to start on Aug 15 or none of them. Making a few early will make it impossible to draw and by the late season archery the bucks will have moved. This only helps high point holders and outfitters while screwing the rest of us over.

Short sited and a terrible idea by guess who = the cba that may gain a few political points but will hurt most deer hunters while only favoring a few select hunters w high points. Terrible idea that was not thought through.

I spoke out of ignorance, I thought it was going to be for all archery deer tags… yeah it will just turn into the early rifle tag essentially which becomes a 7-15 point tag real quick… that does stink.