Colorado Split Draw Starting 2028

[land7601]

Curious what everyone's thoughts are on the new split draw system that will go into effect in 2028 in Colorado. Thinking about cashing in my points (albeit not many) and started wondering how this might effect peoples strategy over the next couple of years. Is it stupid to think we may see hunters cash in points before 2028 making it harder to draw units that were slam dunks in the past?

 

[Mallardsx2]

It's going to be wonderful!

I'll be putting in for EE20101A or that EE201E1R tag as my first choice for sure.
Can someone help me decide which one I should put in for as my first choice?
I want to apply for the hunt that give me the best chance to kill a 350 bull.

It's going to be awesome to finally have a chance on drawing those tags!

 

[huskyhunter]

I think you are going to see a lot of people with a decent amount of points cashing them in the next 3 years before the split draw goes into effect. Have a feeling you might see some pretty good point creep in the next 3 years due to this. After the split draw takes effect, I think a person is going to be able to hunt quite a few units that were taking 1-3 points almost every year due to people applying for "trophy" units with their 1 choice.

 

[seeth07]

I think you are going to see a lot of people with a decent amount of points cashing them in the next 3 years before the split draw goes into effect. Have a feeling you might see some pretty good point creep in the next 3 years due to this. After the split draw takes effect, I think a person is going to be able to hunt quite a few units that were taking 1-3 points almost every year due to people applying for "trophy" units with their 1 choice.

I agree that this will likely be the biggest impact seen post 2028 but until then, it will be the opposite with those units taking more points every year. that has already been happening before this change.

 

[terrytheluddite]

I'm the hunter that accumulates a couple points and burns them. I will never have enough in any species to be worth anything. So I'm neutral about it I guess. What's kind of annoying is that since I'll probably be relying on the roll of the dice, my annual planning/certainty will go in the shitter. As a resident, its all whatever unless i lose OTC. If they take that away, then i have no clue what my strategy will be since my fallback will be gone.

I know a guy with 30 points. I reckon those points are getting burned real soon. Good luck cutting around that guy.

 

[Maverick1]

Who knows. Could be "good" or "bad".
+ Glad I burned my points last year + was certain I'd draw the tag and could plan accordingly.
- May have been frustrated if I'd waited 3 more years and wasn't certain I could draw that tag with the points I had - might have gone to a lower point holder.
+ May give opportunity to people that wouldn't have a snowball's chance of getting a nicer tag.
+ May help with point creep. May.

 

[cohunter14]

It still doesn't fix the issue, but at least it gives people who don't already have 20 points a chance to actually draw those top units at some point in their future. Imagine a kid who just turned 12 and starts collecting points now...in the current system, they could save those points until they were 80 years old and never draw the top units. Now they have a chance, albeit a very small one.

It's just a Band-Aid though and, in my opinion, they will still have to do something else down the road.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Does the NR 20/25% quota round down when it is less than 1? less than 0.5, or round up to 1?

 

[WildWill]

Is it stupid to think we may see hunters cash in points before 2028 making it harder to draw units that were slam dunks in the past?

Not at all I definitely forsee this happening. I'm just over a point ahead of the unit I plan on hunting for muzzleloader. Little concerned on what the point creep will do this year and whether I'll actually draw.

 

[Oak]

It's going to be wonderful!

I'll be putting in for EE20101A or that EE201E1R tag as my first choice for sure.
Can someone help me decide which one I should put in for as my first choice?
I want to apply for the hunt that give me the best chance to kill a 350 bull.

It's going to be awesome to finally have a chance on drawing those tags!

Early rifle for sure. Good luck!

 

[Mallardsx2]

Early rifle for sure. Good luck!

Thanks for making it all happen. You and the rest of the draw process working group did such a terrific job!

 

[Kiwi]

As a NR with 9 elk points it seemed like I was in no mans land, and the planned changes mean I am more motivated to burn my points this year in a unit that took 6 to draw last year and were I am planning to deer hunt.

 

[Oak]

Thanks for making it all happen. You and the rest of the draw process working group did such a terrific job!

I knew you were a fanboy!

 

[HiMtnHntr]

May not be enough tags in some of those NW units to even have any in the bonus point pool, at least for nonresident…

 

[Dsnow9]

It’s gonna be like the youth draw for resident adults! Thanks @Oak and all other on the committee. Obviously we can’t get everything we want but I’m happy with the things that were adopted.

 

[Hawk Tuah]

I'm at 16 deer and 16 elk as a NR. I'm kind of in the middle. Nothing has interested me thus far that has been available with those points for either species, and I hunt elk a bit already on OTC tags in Colorado. My plan was to either cash in the elk points around 20, or save them both until I retire in 15-17 years...or I saw them as a backup plan if I ever moved from a state that I can hunt elk and deer annually. The points are worth something, but half of something.

Now, I'll shoot for *just below* the moon type tags and see what happens for the next decade or so.

From an unbiased view, the change is good and is needed, even though guys with a decent amount of points were screwed.