Ranching for Wildlife tags

[Colorado Cowboy]

I saw Colorado's RFW mentioned in another post and it brought to mind my experience hunting RFW ranches.

The RFW program (for those who don't know) is a program that private ranches can get tags for most big game species. They can dispose of them as they see fit. In return for this privilege, they must let a certain number of Colorado resident hunters access to their land to hunt. The unattached hunters apply for the tags in the regular draw. The ranch sets their own rules for the successful hunters.

I drew elk tags twice for RFW properties. It cost me quite a few points with mixed success. None of the ranches that I am aware of allow scouting, have lots of restrictions where on the property you can hunt, most don't allow camping on their land and they set the times and dates when RFW hunters get access.

The 2 ranches I hunted only allowed RFW hunters access AFTER all of their own hunters had finished their hunts. Both properties had been pounded pretty hard and myself and my hunting partner had mixed results. On 1 ranch we didn't see many elk and were not successful. The only elk we saw were on a part of the ranch we couldn't hunt because of livestock present. On the second ranch I got a small bull and my buddy got a cow. We got the only elk for 20 RFW hunters. Again the ranch was heavily hunted prior to our hunt.

I am finished hunting RFW because of the conditions that exist on the hunts. The very best RFW ranches take a lot of points to draw and the conditions may not be what we experienced. The ranches we hunted treated RFW hunters like as a necessary evil they had to endure to get their tags for their hunters. I complained to P&W to no avail.

 

[JimP]

Back when I had enough deer and elk points to hunt just about any RWF ranch I looked into them. The restrictions that most of them had were enough to make me forget about them. My biggest problem was that they wanted you at the ranch headquarters at 6 am to check in. I like to be where I am hunting at 6 am. Then there was the rule that you could only bring one other person not to mention that on some of them that you drew locations to hunt after the ranches guided and paying customers had already gone out.

I understand that there are a few that others have had good luck with but I quickly forgot about all of them and decided that they were just not worth the amount of points that it took to draw the hunts.

 

[BKC]

I have hunted RFW properties twice. My first time was a deer hunt and I was allowed to scout the ranch from roads or two tracks only. The hunt was as I expected but I was in there in October in a T shirt and I couldn't find the big deer that show up in November. I wound up shooting a smaller deer. I was able to hunt the entire ranch. The second time was a terrible experience. I was hunting an antelope doe with the express purposes to scout it for elk. I told the ranch manager that I probably wasn't going to shoot an antelope and that I just wanted to wander around his higher ground. He told me I was not allowed to do that. At the time, in the regs., It stated " the entire enrolled ranch must be available to hunt" ( paraphrasing). He would not allow me anywhere but where they have "seen" antelope. ( total B.S). I had another discussion with a ranch manager on another ranch for another species. He said that they could limit me to areas to hunt based upon their cattle operation. That sounded like they could make up the rules for access on a daily basis.

The things I notice, especially on elk ground, the habitat that they are improving looks very similar to the beetle killed, wind blown, forests that I can hunt on with over the counter tags. Yes, some of these ranches have logging operations happening at the time you hunt but the elk are not there with all that activity and trucking happening daily

I am still looking into opportunities for two species which I have a ton of points for that RFW properties may work out. Now that I understand a little more about the games that are played and who the players are, I will be more cautious of how I consider these hunts. I would say for someone, especially a non res., that these hunts are less than average and should only be considered after a lot of research and laying your eyes on the land first.

 

[Winchester]

FYI, From the Colorado Big Game Brochure:

Ranching for Wildlife (RFW) licenses: Licenses that are available on certain ranch properties for Colorado residents only.

 

[ScottR]

I imagine it is like anything, there will be good and there will be bad experiences. If it were a straight outfitted hunt there have been plenty of times I have heard from people that they had a tough experience, but other times the trip of a lifetime.

My gut says the trick is to do your due dilligence and if an RFW hunt is the ticket for the experience you want, then go for it. If not, well you know what kind of experience you want on a public land hunt.

 

[JimP]

One thing about the RFW tags for a Colorado resident is that you can see and read the rules before you put in for the draw so you should know just what you are doing

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Remember one thing....the ranch isn't allocating the tags for RFW because they want you to hunt on their private ranch. It is because they have to in order to get their own tags for their clients and/or their outfitter.

 

[Granby guy]

This is the worse program for hunting in the state. Like CC said, they don’t want you there and they allow access only because they have to. I hunted a ranch once about 15 years and got a nice bull but that was enough for me. I have since been on a few different ranches with friends that have drawn and I am not impressed. Too many rules and limited access on some of the ranches.

 

[Slugz]

Ive never heard of a good one. They dont let you shoot a big one. When on a cow hunt they usually drive you to a ridge walk 50 yards and shoot a cow. Makes no sense at all the points required.

I agree one of the worst programs out there. Id rather see it go away. The ranch can still get tags but a percentage of the cost of the hunt should go back to CPW

 

[COLOelkman]

Thanks for the feedback as I've been considering one for my deer hunt. What i'm seeing here is kinda what I was fearful of so I think I'll steer clear. I do know a friend that knows of some of the higher end RFW units and said some are pretty good hunts but sounds like those may be the exception to the norm.

 

[jimss]

I think the RWF have come a long ways from what they were when they first started. Obviously it helps to shop around and know all the details of each hunt. Some ranches can be loaded with cow elk hunters the same dates as bull. Some ranches may be the toughest time of year to hunt a particular species (deer in October as an example). Some may not allow access to the entire ranch and you may be assigned a "zone". Some may be incredible opportunities that open doors to amazing lightly hunted private land. It definitely helps to talk to a game biologist or someone that is knowledgeable about the particular ranch.