Colorado big game dates

[mdeerjunkie]

With Colorado changing the structure for their big game dates. Will this change the seasons you apply for? Just thinking but,
Third season will probably get a lot more application due to being closer to Mule deer rut.
And the fixed dates for archery means less chances for velvet.
What are your thoughts?

 

[BlakeA]

I think you are correct. 3rd will get some major attention..

 

[timmy]

The war against mature bucks. I will hunt Colorado until it turns into Montana. Unfortunately that’s where it’s headed.

 

[Carnage2011]

The war against mature bucks. I will hunt Colorado until it turns into Montana. Unfortunately that’s where it’s headed.

They are going to shoot more top end bucks the next 5 years but the tags are still limited. It won’t get to MT status anytime soon.

 

[timmy]

Killing mature bucks for the sake of stopping CWD, we will see I hope you are right.

 

[KipCarson]

I can’t speak to anything but the archery season but personally I see that changing nothing when it comes to velvet buck opportunities. I’ve seen a few comments around the web about lowering the chance of velvet bucks but I’m just not seeing it. That’s only pushing the start back a week at most. I’ve only ever seen one hard horned buck in the first two weeks of archery up there myself. I personally like it since it now will coincide with the start of bear season, the past few years by the time I’m done hunting the first week of season there are only a few days of bear overlapping, and it hasn’t been worth paying for a just in case bear tag. Now that they start congruently I’ll definitely be having a bear tag in hand.
As far as elk it makes it starting a few days closer to the rut, which I’m fine with for sure.

 

[Pelican]

Killing mature bucks for the sake of stopping CWD, we will see I hope you are right.

Rifle season dates were not changed to address CWD, but tag numbers were increased in units with high CWD prevalence. In units where deer move onto private land by 3rd season, the later dates may not have much impact as deer will be inaccessible to public hunters. In units where deer are still on public, the later dates will increase hunter success particularly on older bucks which will result in decreases in tags in subsequent years and increase point creep. The quality will still be here, but it will get harder to draw. The dates in 2021 will be as late as possible so I would expect lots of people with a high numbers of points to use them in 2021. I may have to use my points in 2020.

 

[timmy]

Why did they move the dates back? Curious I made an assumption that was wrong.

 

[Oak]

Why did they move the dates back? Curious I made an assumption that was wrong.

Because the commission claims that in hunter surveys, “longer breaks between seasons” was the most requested change to the current season structure.

 

[Pelican]

Why did they move the dates back? Curious I made an assumption that was wrong.

Some people believe that increasing the amount of time between the rifle seasons would increasing the likelihood elk will move back into public ground from private.

 

[timmy]

Some people believe that increasing the amount of time between the rifle seasons would increasing the likelihood elk will move back into public ground from private.

Haha if you can’t kill an elk in Colorado you aren’t trying. My limited experience in general elk areas.