Non-resident Elk, Deer, and pronghorn questions in Colorado.

[Westexas92]

Hey all, I was hoping to hear from some people that have been through the process here in Colorado.

I am a Colorado resident from Texas and this year was my first year hunting in Colorado. I hunted elk and coyote so far, but plan for more in the next seasons. I've learned a lot about the resident side of things and have a decent understanding of this aspect of it. My questions are more about the non resident side of things for my dad. He is going to start making yearly trips next fall and I was hoping I could get some advice for navigating tags and everything. He will definitely be elk hunting next year, but we want to get into pronghorn and mule deer as well. From your experience what are the main differences for draw odds, tag allocation, etc for non residents compared to residents? Is there much of a difference? I've done a bit of research, and will definitely be doing a lot more, but I just want to make sure we are putting ourselves in a good position and we don't spend too much time researching areas that aren't very attainable for a non resident. Any advice will be appreciated, Thank you!

 

[Oak]

Start here. Click the species of interest in the left hand menu and scroll down to the "Drawn out at" reports. They will tell you the minimum number of points it took both residents and non-residents to draw each hunt code. That only means that at least one applicant drew at that level, not that a person is guaranteed to draw. That will keep you from wasting time on high demand hunt codes.

 

[TOGIE]

Pronghorn is tough for residents and non residents alike.

Oodles of worthwhile deer and elk tags you can hunt every year. Start looking through Oaks link and cross reference units you can draw with onX and then go have fun.

 

[Khunter]

@Oak is spot on. Make it your business to understand all the draw stats Colo provides. The draw recap reports on the same page break it down in even more detail. And teh page has a FAQ and instruction on how to make sense of the data.

Also, plan on you and your dad applying at least for preference points for every species you may ever want top hunt, even if you are not going to apply for a certain limited tag, make sure you earn preference points.

Lastly, think in terms you you drawing one tag and your dad, the nonres another, at times based on differential ability to draw. hat also gives y’all more experiences together overall.

 

[Bullshot]

You can hunt every year with your dad on OTC or second choice/leftover tags. Get smart about your application / pref point strategy for all 3 species, or more (bear, etc) and it will pay off for years to come even if tags overall are getting harder to get.

 

[Westexas92]

@Oak is spot on. Make it your business to understand all the draw stats Colo provides. The draw recap reports on the same page break it down in even more detail. And teh page has a FAQ and instruction on how to make sense of the data.

Also, plan on you and your dad applying at least for preference points for every species you may ever want top hunt, even if you are not going to apply for a certain limited tag, make sure you earn preference points.

Lastly, think in terms you you drawing one tag and your dad, the nonres another, at times based on differential ability to draw. hat also gives y’all more experiences together overall.

I started buying PP last year and my dad will start this year. We will get there religiously every year, thank you!

 

[Westexas92]

Start here. Click the species of interest in the left hand menu and scroll down to the "Drawn out at" reports. They will tell you the minimum number of points it took both residents and non-residents to draw each hunt code. That only means that at least one applicant drew at that level, not that a person is guaranteed to draw. That will keep you from wasting time on high demand hunt codes.

Thank you, I will start diving into this!

 

[Westelker]

Oak, Togie, khunter and Bullshot have summed it up pretty darn good. PPs very important for future hunts, point creep happens every year, draw odds are always a gamble, OTC tags (for now) always provide an opportunity, cow tag draws always easier to draw. I have always subscribed to the magazine 'Colorado Outdoors' for one main reason. Every year in their Jan/Feb edition they publish the Annual Preference Point Issue it covers the complete "draw out" from the previous year for every species, points required, method of take for every unit, every season including resident and nonresident. It's simple to read and understand and is a outstanding reference.

 

[Westexas92]

Oak, Togie, khunter and Bullshot have summed it up pretty darn good. PPs very important for future hunts, point creep happens every year, draw odds are always a gamble, OTC tags (for now) always provide an opportunity, cow tag draws always easier to draw. I have always subscribed to the magazine 'Colorado Outdoors' for one main reason. Every year in their Jan/Feb edition they publish the Annual Preference Point Issue it covers the complete "draw out" from the previous year for every species, points required, method of take for every unit, every season including resident and nonresident. It's simple to read and understand and is a outstanding reference.

I really appreciate it! I will check it out and this is good to know. Seems like a huge help!

 

[Westelker]

I really appreciate it! I will check it out and this is good to know. Seems like a huge help!

Good luck to you guys! What part of CO are focusing?

 

[Khunter]

I really appreciate it! I will check it out and this is good to know. Seems like a huge help!

although far better to master the recap reports instead of the drawn out at report as the former is where you see what percent of guys at a given point level drew. Not helpful to see a tag can be drawn with one point only to put in with one point and fail to draw and only then dig deeper to find out only one guy out of 19 drew with 1 and the others failed. Become expert at understanding draw stats and trends…you will be glad you did.

I was that one guy out of 19 who drew this year.

 

[Westelker]

although far better to master the recap reports instead of the drawn out at report as the former is where you see what percent of guys at a given point level drew. Not helpful to see a tag can be drawn with one point only to put in with one point and fail to draw and only then dig deeper to find out only one guy out of 19 drew with 1 and the others failed. Become expert at understanding draw stats and trends…you will be glad you did.

I was that one guy out of 19 who drew this year.

Yes, it can be very misleading, when a certain number of points are listed and only one or two or three may actually get drawn.

 

[Westexas92]

Good luck to you guys! What part of CO are focusing?

We want to build some points and try the NW part of the state, but for now we will be in summit county

 

[Westelker]

We want to build some points and try the NW part of the state, but for now we will be in summit county

PM me when it's time and I can give you a few really good elk spots in NW CO.

 

[Redraider7]

PM me when it's time and I can give you a few really good elk spots in NW CO.

I am all ears sir

 

[Westelker]

PM me when it's time and I can give you a few really good elk spots in NW CO.

Redraider...what's your plans, points, experience elk hunting, shape, camp intentions. Units you've looked at and scouting done...e-scouting etc.?