I had enough points this year to draw a 4th season mule deer tag in a unit with a big "winter concentration area". I know the deer migration happens largely due to weather, but I am wondering if I can expect most of the mule deer to be in their winter concentration area by late November? Also, wondering what stage of the rut are the mule deer in at this time of year? Any other 4th season mule deer tips are appreciated!
4th Season Mule Deer CO
- Thread starter GBrokx
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Hunt&FishCO
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Weather dependent; hard to answer your first question. Post Rut.
Make sure your rig can handle extreme/adverse weather conditions. I’m not sure the terrain you plan to hunt so I can’t give specific recommendations
Make sure your rig can handle extreme/adverse weather conditions. I’m not sure the terrain you plan to hunt so I can’t give specific recommendations
Thanks for your reply. Are there any specific post-rut strategies for mule deer? Will they no longer be hanging out with the does at the end of November?
My tag is for a burn area with a heavily treed wilderness area nearby. I was planning to hunt the burn where I can glass. I have scouted 4th season 2 years ago and saw 9 bucks in a couple hour glassing section, 3 of them being decent 4-point bucks. The 4th season this year will be a little bit later than it was a couple years ago.
I have a Tacoma with good tires and always keep chains & shovels in my vehicle just in case. Should be good with bad weather.
Hunt&FishCO
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I would definitely go with that plan you outlined. Tacoma with chains will definitely get you there & back 
If you’re seeing does without bucks go up ~500’ - 1,000’ of elevation and start glassing that burn area. I always have an A -> D plans (areas, glassing knobs) that cover the various rut, weather, and snow conditions I might run into on the mountain.
If you can shed hunt pre-season that’ll tell you where the bucks might be for that 4th season tag
CPW also has good maps that will show you the winter / extreme winter concentration areas. It’s directional as to where the animals will be around that time.
If you’re seeing does without bucks go up ~500’ - 1,000’ of elevation and start glassing that burn area. I always have an A -> D plans (areas, glassing knobs) that cover the various rut, weather, and snow conditions I might run into on the mountain.
If you can shed hunt pre-season that’ll tell you where the bucks might be for that 4th season tag
CPW also has good maps that will show you the winter / extreme winter concentration areas. It’s directional as to where the animals will be around that time.
JF35
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Only advise I can give is to just make double sure all your gear is ready for a late season Colorado season. You can get 3 feet of snow over night after a sunny T-shirt day. Guys I work with say weather is everything in the 4th season. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and hope you are in for a great hunt.
Hunt&FishCO
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I obsess over DarkSky during hunting season, knowing how much snow i
Has fallen and or knowing exactly how much snow to expect at specific GPS coordinates is extremely valuable.
Even though it was -10 deg in the morning; the sun / thaw can get you trapped in places and make descending the way you came up nearly impossible. Keep a close eye on the weather
Has fallen and or knowing exactly how much snow to expect at specific GPS coordinates is extremely valuable.
Even though it was -10 deg in the morning; the sun / thaw can get you trapped in places and make descending the way you came up nearly impossible. Keep a close eye on the weather
I was hoping I was still going to be getting some rutting action. I have seen different opinions online, but nothing very definitive. I know the 4th season is later than usual this year, so fingers crossed some big bucks will have their guard down.
Thank you. I am a long-time Colorado resident, so definitely prepared for whatever the weather is going to throw at me. A little snow would be great, but hoping I can avoid a blizzard on this short 5-day hunt.
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RyGuy
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How many deer tags are given out in this unit, in 4th season? 3rd season? If the numbers are low for both, I’d bet most of the deer are on or close to the winter range regardless of weather. If there’s more hunting pressure, that complicates things. I’d also think that the deer would be rutting.
I never thought of looking at the number of available tags as an indicator of if the deer are on or close to the winter range. It looks like about 30 bucks tags are issued each year for 4th season. None for 3rd. I have been there 4th season two years ago and saw about 9 bucks - 3 decent shooters. I wasn't sure if I just got lucky or if that is what I can expect this year now that I have a tag in my pocket. I feel like I always see animals when I don't have a tag, but then they somehow magically vanish when I have my tag and rifle. Hopefully, luck will be in my favor this year!
ridn9high
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The unit will have 3rd season buck tags! I’m gonna take a guess and say it has a couple hundred buck tags for 3rd season by going off your descriptions so far of the unit.
Bluffgruff
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Peak breeding in Colorado falls around end of 2nd week of November, hunting probably best during 2nd week of November dependingon weather. Bucks will likely be immediately post-rut in 4th season this year, but hunting should still be good.
Any tips for hunting post-rut bucks?
It looks like there are 200 buck tags (your guess was right on!) for 3rd across three different units, including the unit I will be hunting. 30 just for my unit for 4th.
Bluffgruff
Well-known member
Glass a lot... a whole heck of a lot
I hunted 3rd and 4th season last year, and spent alot of time glassing. In 4th season, I didnt see the same intense rutting behavior that I had during 3rd, but deer were still in the same types of groups and locations. I think tail end or just post rut would be the same as hunting the rut: glass til your eyes bleed, and if youre not seeing deer, move on. Sometimes I think people overstate the benefit of hunting deer when they are grouped up for the rut. If you find deer, thats great, stick around and watch them til dusk because there's probably more in the area, but the flipside of that is that there are huge swaths of landscape that are devoid of deer since they are concentrated together.
Would you focus glassing on big areas of an old burn that has really good grass or are the bucks more likely going to be looking for pockets of cover?
