Which weekend of the season do y’all prefer to hit given the choice?

[backwoods baw]

I’m up in the air on how to schedule my pronghorn hunt this year. Colorado season runs Oct 3-11, starts on a Sat. I’ve waited quite a few years to draw this tag, so I want to be picky and spend some time if I can. But unfortunately, I don’t think I can take more than two days off work.

So that leaves me with these options: hit opening weekend Friday night - Tuesday. Or last weekend which would be Thursday - Sunday. I’m a resident, but my unit is about 3.5 hrs away.

The pros cons I think about are bigger bucks available first weekend, but you’ve got to fight the orange army. The second weekend, a good bit of the bigger bucks may have been taken out but it’ll be less crowded and those bucks have been pushed around all week. It’ll be me and 109 other tag members.

What do y’all lean towards on which part of the season to hit? I lean towards last weekend, I’d rather have to hunt harder and walk further if it means I’m not dealing with the orange army. I normally hunt pronghorn in the middle of the week and it’s great, will be the first time I include a weekend this year.


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[npm352]

You won't go wrong either way.

Keep in mind number of tags and amount of public in the unit. I have hunted openers in Nevada and Utah and did not see another hunter and covered alot of ground. I hunted 301 in Colorado last year on opener and there were alot of folks, but the season was short. Wyoming opening weekends are often pretty packed, but enough antelope to go around.

 

[TERMINATOR]

You won't go wrong either way.

Keep in mind number of tags and amount of public in the unit. I have hunted openers in Nevada and Utah and did not see another hunter and covered alot of ground. I hunted 301 in Colorado last year on opener and there were alot of folks, but the season was short. Wyoming opening weekends are often pretty packed, but enough antelope to go around.

Were you successful in the 301 hunt? How hard was it to dodge other hunters?

 

[Jimss]

It really depends upon the unit, how much public land is available, how many tags are issued, etc. If you are only 3 1/2 hrs away do both weekends so you have more time to be picky!

 

[Ol’ Cheebs]

I’d show up Sunday mid day.
Take off Monday and Tuesday and kill one. If it doesn’t work out, come back the last weekend and duke it out till the end.
I hate Saturday/opening day crowds. Mid week is a ghost town in a unit I try to hunt often in WY.

 

[REALWARRIOR]

Given your choices, The first weekend before they have established their escape routes. The pressure may push those antelope easily seen the first weekend to no where to be seen the second. Also, you'll be able to see where the pressure actually is and may be able to find a hidden gem. If you show up a week later you have no idea where the pressure has been & which herds have been pressured heavily. I would use Saturday and Sunday as scouting days, scouting pressure and scouting goats, with the plan of capitalizing on Monday or Tuesday. Who knows someone may run one on top of you while you're scouting.

 

[30338]

It appears the DOW has increased the tags dramatically in the NW units. Son burned up 10 or 11 points, whatever it was, on unit 3 last year. We scouted 2 full days, didn't see but maybe one 80" plus goat those days. Last light on Fri we saw one that was a shooter on public. Sat am had 4 other trucks in same area and several UTVs driving ranch roads on public. We hiked in a bit and actually had a nice buck find us. So it was successful but not something either of us would ever do again.