Originally Posted by
salukipv1
May try to hunt elk/mulies in CO next year 2012.
From what I gather, the last rifle mule deer season is usually the best, or closest to the rut? seems like draw odds can drastically change from 3rd to 4th season, ie requiring 3pts for 3rd, vs. 13pts for 4th?
Is archery elk the best time to hunt elk in CO?
Which is the best rifle season to hunt elk?
Trying to come up with a elk/mule deer combo hunt plan for 2012.
OTC unlimited rifle elk tags don't sound very exciting especially if you're in the same unit with a limited draw mule deer tag.
The focus is on a quality mule deer buck however, and if I can toss on an elk rifle tag that would be nice, case I see a big boy, but are the odds of seeing a 300" bull during say the 3rd or 4th deer season near impossible?
perhaps a bow elk/bow mulie hunt would be better/easier to plan especially for quality, but taking a big mulie with a bow seems pretty tough! am I wrong?
Mule Deer :
3rd and 4th Season is usually peak rut for Mule Deer, that is what drives those seasons. The Rut. All deer tags are drawing only. If you can afford it, put in for a preference point this year. Do you have any preference points currently? What unit are you looking to hunt? Have you looked at how many points that unit has taken for a non-resident in the past? Area we hunt takes 6-9 points depending on the season your putting in for, but I would not consider it a trophy area. So be careful you don't look and see that it take 10 points to draw a tag and assume its a trophy area. We had a bad winter kill in the unit a few years back and they have adjusted the number of tags to reflect that. No doe tags for any season and points to draw has gone up each year as tags numbers have gone down.
Archery Hunt will be harder than rifle usually, but not always. Not being in the rut makes them a lot harder to hunt. Then add in success rate of those
Elk
Archery / Muzzloading is during the Rut for Elk. This is my all time favorite season. Listening to a couple different bulls bugling is such a rush to me. LOVE this season.
OTC units generally are not going to produce the HUGE animals, 300 class elk are hard to come by in most of the OTC units. Does this mean you won't find one, no. But you can get lucky. The unit I hunt. Any legal Bull is a trophy. Typical bull is in the 5x5 or 6x6 range. Have I seen some big ones harvested, yes but not a lot of them.
The weather can make an impact on the rifle seasons. Some of the higher elevation units can become real hard to access in 3rd or 4th season if the snow sets in. Or even the early seasons for that matter can be nasty.
Are you doing an outfitter hunt? DIY Hunt, or have someone that has hunted the area your planning to hunt?