Colorado 3rd OTC season is basically 4th season from 3-10 years ago...

[ScottATU]

I went back and checked the harvest info on the fourth seasons from 2012-2019 (these dates are close to what 3rd season will be this year), and there were some pretty high success % numbers. There were also quite low hunter numbers compared to a normal 2nd or 3rd OTC season.

Anyway, I searched online and couldn't find the reasoning for game and fish to move the dates. Are they trying to increase the elk harvest? Or am I looking too far into the data?

Either way, it seems the chances to harvest an elk will be higher now in the OTC seasons, right?

 

[Hondo0925]

It’s just a cycle the game and fish department does. I believe they explain it somewhere on their website. They pushed all the seasons later I believe as of 2 years ago and for the following 5 years will run at those later dates.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I think some of the reasoning is complaining of warmer weather later, also I believe they want to kill off bucks to help curb cwd… it is hit or miss though, 2 years ago, freezing and snowy during 3rd, last year was 55/60 and sunny and dry. It is on a five year cycle and has 3 more years with the later dates

 

[Marble]

It has a lot to do with putting larger breaks between seasons so lower the sustained high pressure. The elk basically get chased mid August through late November.

It ruined my hunt. 2nd season used to have a great mule deer opportunity in the high country. Above 11k. Now it's going to change. Maybe for the better but not my choice to hunt that way.

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[cnelk]

It was a couple factors that pushed the seasons back

1- The standard Sept 2 start date. Years prior the start date varied a day each year as it would start on the last Saturday of Aug each year.

2- Like Marble mentioned above, the CPW wanted larger breaks between seasons to let the animals settle down from the hunting pressure

 

[Marble]

I do think the rational for longer breaks is a good thing. But maybe the seasons could have been altered a little less to keep them in the same time slot.

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[Hnthrdr]

I agree, I’m kind of torn, on one hand 3/4th season are ridiculous rut hunts for muleys and getting all of sept for archery elk is fantastic.

On the other hand, you lose the best 1.5 weeks of archery deer hunting and it seems like if the stars align and Co gets some good weather in Nov a ton of deer will get killed off which isn’t awesome for a mule deer population that isn’t exactly exploding

 

[trophyhill]

I went back and checked the harvest info on the fourth seasons from 2012-2019 (these dates are close to what 3rd season will be this year), and there were some pretty high success % numbers. There were also quite low hunter numbers compared to a normal 2nd or 3rd OTC season.

Anyway, I searched online and couldn't find the reasoning for game and fish to move the dates. Are they trying to increase the elk harvest? Or am I looking too far into the data?

Either way, it seems the chances to harvest an elk will be higher now in the OTC seasons, right?

Rut deer with a rifle. Like fish in a barrel.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Co gets some good weather in Nov a ton of deer will get killed off which isn’t awesome for a mule deer population that isn’t exactly exploding

That's the whole point, CPW is actively trying to kill off the deer in the name of fighting CWD. They've stated that their CWD management strategy is to kill off the bucks and November is certainly the best time to do it.

 

[cnelk]

Yeah. I can’t wait.
My daughter drew a 4th Season buck tag this year with her 9 PPs.

Bang!

 

[Hnthrdr]

Yeah. I can’t wait.
My daughter drew a 4th Season buck tag this year with her 9 PPs.

Bang!

Good luck, should be lights out, I have a 3rd rifle tag in my pocket and nothing is more fun than not knowing what kind of buck is going to show up, my unit isn’t a great unit but there are monster everywhere

 

[OneShot]

I went back and checked the harvest info on the fourth seasons from 2012-2019 (these dates are close to what 3rd season will be this year), and there were some pretty high success % numbers. There were also quite low hunter numbers compared to a normal 2nd or 3rd OTC season.

Anyway, I searched online and couldn't find the reasoning for game and fish to move the dates. Are they trying to increase the elk harvest? Or am I looking too far into the data?

Either way, it seems the chances to harvest an elk will be higher now in the OTC seasons, right?

Last year was the first year of this later season madness! There are a lot of forum post on multiple sites about the new 5 year plan. Sounds like the main reason was to hunt later, during the mule deer rut, to kill off the mature bucks because of CWD.

 

[Poser]

It has a lot to do with putting larger breaks between seasons so lower the sustained high pressure. The elk basically get chased mid August through late November.

It ruined my hunt. 2nd season used to have a great mule deer opportunity in the high country. Above 11k. Now it's going to change. Maybe for the better but not my choice to hunt that way.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

You would routinely see mule deer above treeline during 2nd rifle?