Colorado crowded vs other states crowded?

[ahatclif]

I've only hunted elk the last 3 years, in the same OTC public unit in CO. It has seemed busy each year but as a newer hunter I don't have much perspective to draw on. Unfortunately I think BRO hunted this same unit 2 seasons ago (and possibly 3 seasons ago, not sure about this year). I haven't seen them mention locations but that area is noticeably busier even in the last 2 seasons.

If I draw a tag in a state like New Mexico or Wyoming in a high pressure unit, how do the crowds compare?

Thanks.

 

[Felix40]

In New Mexico all you have to do is get a mile off a road to be away from everyone. Its a road hunting culture here. Archery season is usually not too busy, but rifle deer season can get pretty crazy in some units. We give out 2x as many deer tags as I would like to see.

Archery season compared to OTC archery in Colorado you will definitely have less pressure.

 

[kboatman107]

In New Mexico all you have to do is get a mile off a road to be away from everyone. Its a road hunting culture here.

This.

 

[Indian Summer]

In Wyoming the “pressure” ends a mile in. Some people will “hunt” the trails... but that has nothing to do with actual pressure.

I’ve never hunted Colorado but I have read and heard enough to know it’s not for me. I’d say the difference is night and day.

 

[JJBuck]

I've never hunted another state even close to as crowded as CO OTC units.

 

[tshunter]

I’ve hunted Colorado, and it’s not nearly as crowded as south east Idaho. I’ll never hunt there again. It was way overcrowded, and the elk were scarce. I think Idaho Fish and Game inflates elk numbers and success rates to sell us nonresident tags. I wasn’t impressed. I have had much better success and seen fewer other hunters in both Colorado and Utah.

 

[positivepete!]

Colorado is definitely got a ton of pressure. As a resident its difficult to watch all the places that usually have elk during the year get pressured out by the "out of staters". Most of the places that I hike and camp in the non hunting season and see very few people then get flooded during season. The trailheads fill up with trucks with out of state plates. I live here and keep thinking of going out of state just to escape the crowds of people with bugle tubes!

 

[JJBuck]

That doesn't sound very positive Pete...

 

[ahatclif]

Thanks guys, these are the comments that I was looking for. I'm the classic non-resident that everyone complains about. Things have been tough on my hunts in Colorado. The primary frustration for a new guy is that when elk encounters are scarce and pressure is high it is hard to learn while you are out there. I'd be frustrated if I were a resident hunter but right now Colorado is the one place that you can buy a tag every year.

I don't have much knowledge about the process but I would like to see some changes in CO even if it meant that I couldn't go every year. I'd like to see them split the archery season, move back the muzzleloader season and possibly institute a random draw for the OTC units where odds were still reasonably good.

 

[Jimss]

It's tough to beat Colo if you enjoy hunting OTC units with company! In fact, it can be a challenge getting away from orange even in the steepest and deepest country!

I've hunted Wyo elk quite a few times over the years. Even units that have limited bull elk tags generally have extreme hunting pressure by cow hunters. The WG&F offers hundreds of cow tags over multiple season dates. In fact, some units offer rifle cow tags that begin in September and last into January. I would definitely keep cow tag season dates and tag numbers in mind when deciding on a unit.

Generally speaking cow hunters don't wander too terribly far off roads but in units with open country and/or lots of roads cow hunting pressure can be fairly intense!

 

[eoperator]

Hunters were what I would consider scarce in Montana west general areas compared to Wyoming bighorns. Bighorns (Wyoming) felt similar to Disneyland even in the most remote areas. Never hunted Colorado.

 

[cnelk]

Want to really learn how to hunt elk? Hunt elk in Colorado every year in the otc seasons - archery or rifle.
After awhile you savor each and every encounter.

 

[FLS]

I hunted 1st rifle in CO 1st and a week in WY this fall. I saw twice as many people in CO and twice as much game in WY.
CO sells opportunity. It’s a place to go when you can’t draw a decent tag anywhere else.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I’ve hunted Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, and all over Montana. I have never seen the people like I did in CO this year. It was a draw archery elk tag as well. I was dumbfounded by the amount of people. I hunted Eastern Montana rifle mule deer during rut dates this year in Custer, known for crazy pressure, and it didn’t compare to what I saw in CO on an archery tag.

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

I've only hunted elk the last 3 years, in the same OTC public unit in CO. It has seemed busy each year but as a newer hunter I don't have much perspective to draw on. Unfortunately I think BRO hunted this same unit 2 seasons ago (and possibly 3 seasons ago, not sure about this year). I haven't seen them mention locations but that area is noticeably busier even in the last 2 seasons.

If I draw a tag in a state like New Mexico or Wyoming in a high pressure unit, how do the crowds compare?

Thanks.

My son and I did our first archery elk hunt in NW Colorado during the opening week. We didn’t have any issues with pressure from other hunters. Based upon my research we hunted in the area the second largest elk herd lived and has some of the highest hunting pressure in the state.

We were able to get into elk less than 1/2 mile from a major highway because we literally hunted where we were at least 2-3 miles from the nearest trail. We had to drop 900 feet into a drainage on only game trails through ferns from 4-7 feet tall. The hike to the bottom was only 1/3 of a mile and the hillside was so steep it took over an hour to get to the bottom.

The bottom line was we were willing to go where most weren’t. Get away from the crowds and you will find game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tdhanses]

If you hunt like 80% of the people you’ll run into 80% of the people. It isn’t hard to get away from people but it takes time to learn an area to do it.

 

[ahatclif]

If you hunt like 80% of the people you’ll run into 80% of the people. It isn’t hard to get away from people but it takes time to learn an area to do it.

I think this is my problem.

 

[menhaden_man]

Newest Elk Harvest Data - Comparison of Western States for 2019 Elk Hunt

I ranked the latest elk harvest data from the top seven western elk hunting states to compare the harvest data for the 2019 elk hunting season.

www.backcountrychronicles.com

 

[Dos Perros]

I’ve hunted two archery OTC units in Colorado over three seasons and have hardly run into anyone. And I’ve drawn my bow 7 times so it’s not like there weren’t animals. You do things other people aren’t willing to do and you’ll escape the crowds.

 

[justin davis]

Colorado is crazy. Way too many hunters. They give out too many tags in my opinion