Colorado Pref. Points- Point of diminishing returns?

[Rhino Hunter]

The big hit and inflation came when they took ranching for wildlife away from NR and then the NR draw tag quotas got reduced also.

AGREED!!!

When I started this points it took 7 points to draw a NR elk tag in Unit 201. I did miss one year of applying when they moved the application date up by a month. Other than that I’ve never missed applying for a preference point every year since. Now I have...get this...27 NR elk points and I can’t draw the tag I want yet! And in all reality it could be at least another 5 years and easily up to 10 years before I draw.

My advice to anybody starting the points game in any state. Don’t do what I did. And by that I mean don’t stay in for the long haul, maybe for 3-4 years, but no more.

Oh yeah...points used to cost $7.00 when I started this game.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

AGREED!!!

When I started this points it took 7 points to draw a NR elk tag in Unit 201. I did miss one year of applying when they moved the application date up by a month. Other than that I’ve never missed applying for a preference point every year since. Now I have...get this...27 NR elk points and I can’t draw the tag I want yet! And in all reality it could be at least another 5 years and easily up to 10 years before I draw.

My advice to anybody starting the points game in any state. Don’t do what I did. And by that I mean don’t stay in for the long haul, maybe for 3-4 years, but no more.

Oh yeah...points used to cost $7.00 when I started this game.

Holy smokes... well this makes me feel better about my point strategy

 

[Muley_Stalker]

I'm sure glad NR hunters haven't figured this out. Otherwise, resident hunters would never get a tag. I've hunted for elk every year since the '50s and never save points or hunt OTC tags. Keep saving points guys.

I wish deer was as easy.

 

[Deleted member 40728]

The other day while looking at gohunt draw odds I noticed that a lot of the Colorado units you can draw with 4-5 points are also up for grabs with 1 point. My plan had always been to get 5 points and hunt a limited unit every so often instead of accumulating for decades. I kind of feel as though I’ve wasted the past 3 years since I don’t want to keep gaining points with no end in sight.

 

[Phaseolus]

The big hit and inflation came when they took ranching for wildlife away from NR and then the NR draw tag quotas got reduced also.

I wish Colorado would bring back Ranching for Wildlife for NR, it would siphon off points from other units. I’ve hunted a couple of RFW and it’s a waste of time for bulls or bucks.

 

[HighDesertSage]

I wish they'd just get rid of RFW and points period.

 

[NC2CO]

I think you're right with your 3-12 range.

 

[Phaseolus]

I wish they'd just get rid of RFW and points period.

And Landowner tags...

 

[Flatrock]

Holy smokes... well this makes me feel better about my point strategy

And what strategy is that? Pick up sweet leftover tags AND get a point?

 

[Deleted member 28227]

And what strategy is that? Pick up sweet leftover tags AND get a point?

Yes. Although I would say more just go hunting as much as possible. I'm building points in UTAH for a OIL tag... I realize I will probably never draw anything but in my mind it's better than buying scratch tickets. But other than that I try and have a specific strategy for my points and try to burn them quickly.

I've never held more than 1 CO elk point or 2 CO deer points.

 

[Phaseolus]

I’ll hunt elk two different seasons this year without points. Again.

 

[brushcreek]

The other day while looking at gohunt draw odds I noticed that a lot of the Colorado units you can draw with 4-5 points are also up for grabs with 1 point.

Run that by me one more time

 

[Deleted member 40728]

Run that by me one more time

If you use the filtering options and weed out some of the units that are primarily private land it shows in the draw odds for archery that several of the units can be drawn with 1 point. It appeared to me that there was a tipping point once you got over 6 points some more units were available that no less than 6 points were drawing. Unless I’m looking at it wrong I feel as though I’m somewhat lumped into a point area that I’m sitting on points that I should have used 2-3 years ago. I’ll end up burning points to go to a unit I could have drawn with 1-2 points for archery. Unit 67 was one of the only ones that came up in the draw odds that required 4 or more to draw. Far more were 4 or less which is what I meant by my previous post. I might be looking at something wrong though so anyone please feel free to correct me if I am

 

[brushcreek]

I read your post to say that units that took 4-5 points to draw could be drawn with 1 point which is not possible. But for any unit that only takes 1 point to draw in a sense you are wasting points (and years hunting) if you burn more than 1 point on them.

 

[Gellar]

I have a stupid question since I’m new to western hunting and have 0 points anywhere. Let’s say you are stuck in no mans land with 15 points and would like to get into a unit you could draw with 3. Are you able to say wage 3 of your points to try and draw or do you have to go all in and use them up for a unit that only needed 3.

If memory serves me correctly in the last available stats from Colorado there were a couple people who burnt 20+ points on units that usually get drawn for 2-4 points.

 

[Rhino Hunter]

If memory serves me correctly in the last available stats from Colorado there were a couple people who burnt 20+ points on units that usually get drawn for 2-4 points.

If that actually happened I would think it was by mistake. If it was...how pissed would you be if it was you? OMG!!!

 

[brushcreek]

If that actually happened I would think it was by mistake. If it was...how pissed would you be if it was you? OMG!!!

could be an older person who was just ready to go hunt and get out of the points game due to health reasons

 

[Rhino Hunter]

could be an older person who was just ready to go hunt and get out of the points game due to health reasons

True. But if it were me I'd have picked a lot more desirable hunt requiring higher points. But I don't know their situation. I sure hope they had a good hunt though.

 

[Bullshot]

20 points and as far as where I thought I would be by now I'm still in no-mans land and will be for a long time. So stupid. But it's a numbers thing. Without points it would be an odds thing. End result is the same for the same amount of people, but at least long odd don't crush new hunter's souls the same way as hopeless point creep! I feel sorry for those just getting into the game sometimes..... or do I? 2-5 points sounds so sweet right now... think of all the hunts I could do (as I dreamily stare into the statistics charts.....)

 

[pojoaque40]

I'm not too familiar with CO, but i think they should let you spend your points, one by one, not "cash them in." Seems like it would relieve a lot of the built-up tension, even if it threw off the draw odds for a couple years.

Having said that, and being from NM where i have to draw my tag every single year (two of the last fourteen successful), i'd love to have an OTC option, even if it were cow hunts only. Give us meat hunters a chance to at least get out into the woods.