I am moving to Colorado - Denver in particular. So blows the wind of the oil business.

I just received the Colorado Big Game application book - all 64 pages of it.

I have applied for a lot of permits over the years in various states. I even have pref points on many species in various states. I have realized that I will never live long enough to draw something that requires a pile of points.

So, in reading this incomprehensible mess of an application book, I am feeling too stupid to even put in for the right animal in the right area. Coupled with the preference point fee going to $100 per species and the action $9 per species fee just to have the privilege of applying in Colorado - I am thinking, forget this and just pay up for the landowner tags in the areas I want to hunt and go on guided or semi guided hunts.

The overall hassle factor of trying to sort out the various states systems is a pain and expensive. I used Larry Altimus to help with applications and points but found myself spending $2500 per year and getting nothing other than a pile of useless liscences and receipts.

So, is anyone else out there in my situation not wanting to mess with points and endless, mind numbing applications? What do you do or would you suggest?

I have punted for 2019 and am going on a couple of hunts using landowner tags on private ranches. I am applying New Mexico as they do not have pref points system and the fees are much lower. So I am opting out of the draw system.

Am I wrong or too stupid to figure this out? What do you do?

goin to Brighton?

get there and settle in and focus on some local areas [like near rifle and meeker] you can scout out yourself.
use your local network of co-workers and get a feel for the area.

your moving to another world not just another state, so let things settle in for a bit then work through the system a little bit at a time.

You are not wrong...there's a strong argument to utilize "non-public" systems such as landowner tags, ranching for wildlife etc...
Western hunting (depending on species and trophy quality desired) has become an insurmountable game of "point creep" for most....
Truth is now...pay for guided or semi guided hunts when and where you can....the $3.500-$5,000 most basic threshold eliminates 90% of the public
You have the means to hunt Ethiopia and such, which means you have the means to avoid the lowest common denominator

So, is anyone else out there in my situation not wanting to mess with points and endless, mind numbing applications? What do you do or would you suggest?
Yes, kinda, when I finally use my accrued Colorado points, have already used them in Utah, I will just buy landowner tags or vouchers. Being past 50 yrs old,
I think it’s too late for me to start over on points for trophy type hunts.
It sure makes it more convenient to plan ahead and to book other hunts, not relying on the whims of the draw.

I was too ignorant to use the Colorado system, so just hunted private land with a guide. It worked:

The big one got away!

I also know a good taxidermist in Colorado City and he and his college age son know the territory there - archery and gun. He also regularly comes to Texas to hunt exotics with us(also on private land). Have a exotic cull hunt near Hondo coming up March 10 if you know your way south of the Red River.

dogcat,
At the recent DSC show in Dallas, I learned that OK is considering approving hunting bear with rifles - seems the archers just are not taking enough bear and like hogs, too many black bear soon become problems. Also met an outfitter with 45,000 acres of Indian land to hunt along with a new lodge. Looks like I will be going back to OK for more than just Boars Nest trophy hogs and bird hunting near Hugo.
BTW, the owner of the Boars Nest already works his bear dogs in SE OK.

Not a bad idea but FYI a landowner deer voucher plus NR tag cost $1200 in our 3rd season Colorado unit last year

Word was a 4th season voucher was fetching over 2k plus licence

Sounds like a lot of changes since I've
been able to hunt here. Need to get a
copy of the regs since they've quit mailing
them to me.

Last I applied was in '11. Too sick to go, so I
just stopped messing with it and lost all the
bear and special points I had.

Mostly I've just got OTC for deer and elk. But, I've heard all deer out here are now draw
tags.

I've been told I was full of shit just read the regs, they're easy to understand". You and I know better, right?

See if you can print your OP off and mail it to CPW, they need to get about 10,000 copies of it. still doubt they'd pay attention.

Lots of open public lands here in CO. Just buy a tag and go. Usually in the high country it takes heavy early snows to drive 'em down. So later seasons are better most years.

Good luck,
George

I applied in a couple of states myself for game tags. Bighorn sheep in Wyoming. Last time I did, had to send in the full $2,000 tag price and whatever to apply. always got the $2,000 back, but figured at the rate I was going would be too old to climb hills to hunt them. In Maine was doing the same, for a Moose tag there, then found I could get one right now, in BC Canada and just go. Sometimes is better to bite the bullet, as we, me at least, aren't getting any younger. Sometimes things sneaked in and if you haven't kept up with current regs can be blindsided like GeorgeLD. Deer hunting in Colorado several seasons, and can only shoot a buck the first couple days of the season. Who, from somewhere else wants go all the way out there, to shoot a doe? Just suck it up, so to speak, and go with a landowner, or reservation tag. Unfortunately, some of us don't have that kind of money (reservation tag).

Do you still have my number? Call when you get here and I can help you out. Just let me know

Drummond

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
Not a bad idea but FYI a landowner deer voucher plus NR tag cost $1200 in our 3rd season Colorado unit last year

Word was a 4th season voucher was fetching over 2k plus licence

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
Not a bad idea but FYI a landowner deer voucher plus NR tag cost $1200 in our 3rd season Colorado unit last year

Word was a 4th season voucher was fetching over 2k plus licence

That’s cheap for 3rd and 4th season vouchers anymore

This may or may not be a help to you, but there is a web site - www.gohunt.com - that is a good resource for demystifying the western application process. Buying a membership gives you access to their vast database of draw odds, success rates and info on various units.

It's a neat tool. The downside - it's expensive.

I have lived and hunted in Colorado since 1980.

Over the years, I have watched the hunting regulations become more complicated and more restrictive.

That is just a fact of life in Colorado (the Dems have moved here from CA over the last couple of decades and are now screwing up the hunting here, just as they did in CA).

In a nutshell, pick your hunting areas, and your seasons for deer, elk, antelope, etc.

Then go online and fill out the applications (it actually goes fairly quickly). Apply for your first choices and second choices, etc. Pay as required.

Some hunt areas (GMUs) require multiple preference points to get your first choice. Where I hunt deer, I usually get drawn only every other year.

Colorado, as a state, is getting more and more aggressive about separating money from its citizens. They are more interested in providing services to illegals than giving its citizens good value for their money.

And its not just hunting. I got my 2008 Tundra registered the other day and it cost over $118.00.

There was a $7.00 Age of Vehicle Fee, numerous emissions fees, bridge and road fees, training fees, clerk hire fees, etc and etc ad nauseum.

Welcome to a "progressive" state.

Good luck.

BH63

quote:

Originally posted by drummondlindsey:

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
Not a bad idea but FYI a landowner deer voucher plus NR tag cost $1200 in our 3rd season Colorado unit last year

Word was a 4th season voucher was fetching over 2k plus licence

That’s cheap for 3rd and 4th season vouchers anymore

That very well may be the going price and that price will no doubt keep escalating until the market tops out....if it ever does.

That being said anyone thinking those prices are "cheap" hangs with a different crowd of people then I do.....thank goodness.

I haven't used the systems but on another forum a lot of people swear by GoHunt for helping to narrow down what units to apply for then use OnX maps for figuring out where legal hunting grounds are

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
That being said anyone thinking those prices are "cheap" hangs with a different crowd of people then I do.....thank goodness.

You could always take out a loan

A major reason to hunt in Africa.

There's a certain satisfaction with killing a good DIY animal on public land with the help of only yourself and your buddies.

I drew a bighorn sheep tag last year and basically felt like I hunted my ram from May until September. I likely wouldn't have spent that amount of time in the mountains had i hired a guide.

Different strokes for different folks. Me personally, I enjoy the DIY challenge.

Any particular species that you are most interested in or all of them?

Try Idaho, and bring a lawyer along to cypher the game book of total confusion and hidden agenda..