South east Colorado muzzy season

[Sailor_Nate]

Me and a buddy put in for tags this year both of our first pronghorn hunts. I have been looking at everything i can for the units we put in for its a lot of ground until the draw results come out. Just wanting whatever general info you guys can give me on escouting rut timing and anything else that could help a few first timers on an antelope hunt. been reading everything i can find on tactics and finding hunting them. Plan on being there a few days ahead of time and trying to find at least one solid shooter before opening day and know where a few more are. Really any info yall have on the SE Colorado area that could be helpful would be awesome.

Thanks in advance
Nate

 

[Ucsdryder]

Did you draw?

 

[Sailor_Nate]

Dont know yet just trying to be ahead of the game and get some general info.

 

[ToolMann]

What unit(s)? SE Colorado is a big area. I can maybe help if I know the units you put in for. I'll have a muzzy doe tag this year as I start the point building process again for my next buck rifle tag.

 

[Sailor_Nate]

sorry I haven’t been on here to reply. I work offshore and then decided to wait for the draw results. We ended up drawing unit 130 tags. That gives us 130 136 137 138 143 144 and 146 for muzzleloader season. What is the best tactic for this time of year? For what I read this is during the rut and can make for more aggressive bucks. Do decoys actually work well enough to send the money on one? Or are we better finding water and sitting on that? How is the terrain around there?

Thanks for your responses
Nate

 

[Fitzwho]

For Muzzy season I would plan to sit water in a blind of some sort (pop up, make-shift, natural). There will be some rut activity, but from my 2018 muzzy hunt, I would say the bucks are more likely to gather their does and bail than to bother come to a decoy. Especially with a guy wearing blaze orange a few yards from the decoy. Pretty sure Antelope see in color. At least blaze orange. I tried stalking and never got closer than about 400 yards except on one small buck that more so snuck up on me than the other way around.

Don’t overlook a cholla flat, almost every buck I found seemed to be using the thicker/denser spaced cholla cactus flats to help them keep their does herded up. I wasn’t in your exact units, but in a bordering unit.

I lost my rear peep sight on a stalk on the 2nd or 3rd day of my hunt, so make sure your sights are tight.

 

[def90]

Looking online it looks like 144 is your best bet as far as public land goes, 130 looks like your second best choice for public. 138, 146 and 143 have next to nothing, 137 has some on the southern end. Anyway, a lot of country for you to cover.

 

[30338]

In decent terrain I can typically get to 100 yards on them. Patched roundball does fine for me. Actually have 7 points saved up now and looking towards a 2023 antelope hunt. Best of luck to you and don't be afraid to put the sneak on them.

 

[Sailor_Nate]

Looking online it looks like 144 is your best bet as far as public land goes, 130 looks like your second best choice for public. 138, 146 and 143 have next to nothing, 137 has some on the southern end. Anyway, a lot of country for you to cover.

Yea that’s what it looks like. Going to try and get there a few days early and scout. Just don’t know much about antelope so got to go watch learn and try our asses off. Just learning there behavior at that time of year will be interesting in it’s self. Thanks for the advice so far guys.

 

[KTL715]

Hunted 144 with muzzie a couple years ago. Mostly involved driving section roads, glassing then moving to the next. You’ll find them, just gotta cover some ground. Def not an expert but here’s a couple thoughts:

Can’t hunt over water effectively/reliably if there is a stock tank every section.

Bring some leather gloves and knee pads for belly crawling. I belly crawled a half mile total a couple years ago and was torn up.

My buddy made a decoy by painting a buck on a large piece of cardboard. To our surprise we had bucks leave their girls and run at us only to hit the brakes and turn around about 150yrds out, not quite close enough. Maybe with more practice/prep we could get one closer? Tried a moo cow decoy too, needs some work…

We tried to stalk them and just bumped them for days. Instead, try to find them, figure out where they’re headed, get there way before they do, hide somehow, and let them come to you. If you can get the sun in their eyes all the better, ultimately that help us be successful.

Some decent mule deer around too. Also saw a bear, in the middle of the prairie, go figure. Finally, watch for the big tarantula migration that goes through there that time of year.

Good luck!

 

[ToolMann]

I'll be in 135 but also picked up the 130 tag that includes 144. Both doe tags while I build points again. If I was hunting 144 I'd probably start near those pivots opening morning and try to pattern them coming off food and adjust from there.

 

[Sailor_Nate]

Hunted 144 with muzzie a couple years ago. Mostly involved driving section roads, glassing then moving to the next. You’ll find them, just gotta cover some ground. Def not an expert but here’s a couple thoughts:

Can’t hunt over water effectively/reliably if there is a stock tank every section.

Bring some leather gloves and knee pads for belly crawling. I belly crawled a half mile total a couple years ago and was torn up.

My buddy made a decoy by painting a buck on a large piece of cardboard. To our surprise we had bucks leave their girls and run at us only to hit the brakes and turn around about 150yrds out, not quite close enough. Maybe with more practice/prep we could get one closer? Tried a moo cow decoy too, needs some work…

We tried to stalk them and just bumped them for days. Instead, try to find them, figure out where they’re headed, get there way before they do, hide somehow, and let them come to you. If you can get the sun in their eyes all the better, ultimately that help us be successful.

Some decent mule deer around too. Also saw a bear, in the middle of the prairie, go figure. Finally, watch for the big tarantula migration that goes through there that time of year.

Good luck!


View attachment 445705View attachment 445707View attachment 445709

Thanks man this is awesome information! Congrats by the way!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sailor_Nate]

I'll be in 135 but also picked up the 130 tag that includes 144. Both doe tags while I build points again. If I was hunting 144 I'd probably start near those pivots opening morning and try to pattern them coming off food and adjust from there.

Yea that was going to be my first stop as I’m coming up from Texas and hunting near them paid off last year for mule deer in Nebraska!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tmoz]

I'd be careful with decoys in open country, but it'll help pull them into ML range. Definitely agree with knee pads and gloves. Elmers glue will help get the fine-haired cactus out.