Looking for a general idea on how many points one thinks it takes to get into a decent unit. Just looking for areas that are better then the OTC tags and how many points one should save? I am trying to make it where I can hunt the a different state every 2-3 years and wondering if that would be enough to draw a decent tag in CO?
Deer/elk how many points?
- Thread starter lostriverproductions
- Start date
JPSeveland
Active Member
Yes that is plenty good enought to get into some good hunts for deer and elk antelope would take you around 5+
Slugz
Veteran member
WRT elk....Depends what you are looking to do (horn, meat or action)....how easy or hard do you want to hunt........with the proper amount of homework you could hunt some very good units for 2 or less, even zero points depending on what you are looking for......and shoot and or see animals.
As far as deer I would agree with the 3-5 point range for a half decent hunt.
That being said....plenty of quality leftover tags available every year IMO. Granted I don't have to travel.
As far as deer I would agree with the 3-5 point range for a half decent hunt.
That being said....plenty of quality leftover tags available every year IMO. Granted I don't have to travel.
kesand72
Active Member
Slugz, can you recommend an area or unit group and season for guys in the 3 to 4 point range that want an action packed hunt with lots of elk and not overrun with hunters a mile or 2 from roads?
Wyoming has been good to me, and i am trying southwest Montana for the first time this year, and Colorado is in my near future.
Wyoming has been good to me, and i am trying southwest Montana for the first time this year, and Colorado is in my near future.
Slugz
Veteran member
Thanks guys, looking for a good overall hunt. Would like a good chance at a decent animal. And not specific on weapon, Would be nice to be in the same unit every 2-3 years to help with learning it as well.
Slugz
Veteran member
Plan and hunt the fringes of limited area hunt GMUs.....combine the OTC options with the limited and you can execute your plan......very easily IMO.....the animals don't pay attention to the GMU borders
Predatore
Member
It looks like you already received a few good pointers. I think you'll find that there are a lot of great units and hunts, but it really comes down to personal preferences (hunting style, access, proximity, quality/quantity, etc). Something to consider (if you haven't already)- the Colorado Parks and Wildlife publishes hunt statistics every year. Since CO is a preference point state for deer and elk, there will be a minimum amount of points required to draw, and anything less has a 0% chance. You can find all of the stats from here: http://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/Statistics-Deer.aspx . Click on the "Draw Recap Reports" for last year (or any year prior) for the species of interest and you will find a wealth of info.
Ill use unit 44 as an example. For DM04404R (Deer, male, unit 44, 4th season, rifle) you see that the tags were "Drawn out at" 15 preference points meaning that any amount of points under that will definitely not draw a tag. However, if you go over to DM04402R (2nd season), there was an 89% chance of drawing it with only 3 preference points, or for DM04401M (1st season muzzleloader) there was an 89% chance of drawing with only 1 point! And of course these tags draw out at the first choice, so you are wasting your time listing a hunt as 2nd choice if it requires any preference points. Sooo, once you hone in on a unit, you can put the odds in your favor of drawing a tag. Also, if you have no idea where to start, you can look at preference point minimums and get a good idea of which hunts are highly prized and produce high quality deer. Hope this info helps!
Ill use unit 44 as an example. For DM04404R (Deer, male, unit 44, 4th season, rifle) you see that the tags were "Drawn out at" 15 preference points meaning that any amount of points under that will definitely not draw a tag. However, if you go over to DM04402R (2nd season), there was an 89% chance of drawing it with only 3 preference points, or for DM04401M (1st season muzzleloader) there was an 89% chance of drawing with only 1 point! And of course these tags draw out at the first choice, so you are wasting your time listing a hunt as 2nd choice if it requires any preference points. Sooo, once you hone in on a unit, you can put the odds in your favor of drawing a tag. Also, if you have no idea where to start, you can look at preference point minimums and get a good idea of which hunts are highly prized and produce high quality deer. Hope this info helps!
Slugz
Veteran member
Great example by Predatore on " doing your homework" .......lots of options in Colorado.