Colorado Muzzleloader Deer
 

Just hoping to stimulate some discussion/opinions on muzzleloading for Colorado Mulies...

I really want a mulie but do not want to pay the big $$/shame myself as a hunterfor a guide, but also dont want to deal with the pressure of rifle season.....Is the early muzzy season a good time to hunt public land for less pressured mulies?

For this hunt I would probably put a peep sight on a Encore and shoot 120 grains of 777 with a powerbelt bullet since you cant use scopes, pelletized powder or sabots.....

Also I am not looking for specifics but what areas/terrains should I target for such a hunt??

RE: Colorado Muzzleloader Deer
 

All of your initial info can come from the Colorado DOW. Just Google that and the sight will come up. From there you can check last year's statistics as well as maps of different units. Use the GMU Map It feature.

RE: Colorado Muzzleloader Deer
 

Carp,

From what I've been reading CO is the place to go for Mulies these days, unless you have $1000's of dollars or get lucky in a draw. Anyway, for CO the secret is to accumulate some preference points. There are many good units where a good mulie tag will only take 3 years to draw. CO puts put a publication (also probably on thier web site) that breaks down each unit and tells the amount of PP's needed to draw a tag. By accumulating some PP's you get into areas managed a little better for quality bucks and have less hunting pressure.

Everytime I've been to CO I see a lot more mulies in the lower elevation than I do up high. I also seem to see more of them in the juniper, oak brush than I do anywhere else. My experience is pretty limited though as I only get to CO about every other year. I'm sure someone from CO can give you some really good direction.

I would concur with you on the set up of your muzzleloader, almost exactly what I would shoot. You were probably aware of everything I just wrote, but the topic sparked some interest with me b/c I have accumulated about 4 PP for deer and will be planning a trip in the next couple years.

RE: Colorado Muzzleloader Deer
 

Here is a most useful link. From how many preference points it took for a specific unit, to how many permits/hunters for that season:

http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/BigGame/Statistics/