CO DIY Mule Deer Unit Recommendations

[Fatcamp]

Does anyone know when the book comes out?

All I want is a couple points for elk and deer. I had the system figured out going into this spring but now it has changed. Really want to see the new information. Mule deer points are a priority, but a couple elk points guarantees me a first season draw for the units I'm looking at.

 

[squirrel]

Damn, and i couldnt care less about a small game license in CO. What a waste of money.

Pretty sure that is the whole point!

Seems unreal to me how many tiny/medium deer are killed by holders of 15+ points in the "trophy" units and all the hogs taken on second choice tags in obscure units. As said above it is not the unit, but the knowledge of it.

 

[Bambistew]

Pretty sure that is the whole point!

Seems unreal to me how many tiny/medium deer are killed by holders of 15+ points in the "trophy" units and all the hogs taken on second choice tags in obscure units. As said above it is not the unit, but the knowledge of it.

I think there is something else to consider. It seems that a lot of guys with that many points, have about zero mule deer hunting experience, hence the reason they shoot average deer. I had a decent tag this year, and was willing to not shoot one unless it was a hog. I saw a number of bucks riding around in the back of pickups that I wouldn't have shot on a leftover tag, and we saw many that were bigger.

 

[Sleeperls]

Some guys don't care if it's a spike or a hog too. You would think if you where paying for points you would, but circumstances maybe that's all they found.

I know here In Kansas prob more 130 inch white tails are shot than any other. Some states thats a giant.

 

[success]

Hey guys can someone explain point creep to me?

 

[realunlucky]

Hey guys can someone explain point creep to me?

Yep it's when last year it took less points than will be required to draw this year

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[Rich M]

I saw someone describe point creep as standing in line going nowhere.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Point creep:
You like to hunt unit X, and it takes you 1 preference point to draw it, so you can hunt it every other year. Brandy Oldberg (a fictitious hunting celeb) does a Youtube video about unit X. All of a sudden, three or four times as many people are applying for unit X. Now it takes you 4 or 5 preference points to draw a tag in unit X.

 

[upslope 50]

Fishing loophole for PP is gone. I don't believe they have a combo NR. Small game was included before with big game license now its a moneymaker to apply. Don't have to purchase PP's however for elk, deer or antelope. The other big species went up to $100 and took me out of the game.

As far as OP question. I would start where you elk hunt and look higher, above treeline during archery. You will find deer and you might even see bigger elk. Finding deer isn't hard, getting a tag on them is what takes years to learn. Build a couple points and glass for deer while you elk hunt. By the time you draw you will have a buck named and know where he lives. But once he sheds his velvet all bets are off. Pick season dates that put the deer behavior in your favor, You'll figure it out. Earliest seasons and latest seasons are best for predicting where deer are and how they behave. Everything between is a crap-shoot and weather dependent.

 

[Guff]

Point creep:
You like to hunt unit X, and it takes you 1 preference point to draw it, so you can hunt it every other year. Brandy Oldberg (a fictitious hunting celeb) does a Youtube video about unit X. All of a sudden, three or four times as many people are applying for unit X. Now it takes you 4 or 5 preference points to draw a tag in unit X.

Thats funny! Good explanation though

 

[elkduds]

Point creep:
You like to hunt unit X, and it takes you 1 preference point to draw it, so you can hunt it every other year. Brandy Oldberg (a fictitious hunting celeb) does a Youtube video about unit X. All of a sudden, three or four times as many people are applying for unit X. Now it takes you 4 or 5 preference points to draw a tag in unit X.

Point creep means every year it takes more points to hunt the same unit. Gunner's explanation is an isolated case, while all the upper tier units have point creep, regardless of publicity. Here's why. Hunters can buy a point every year. More hunters buy points than use points, so every year there is a larger pool of points hunters hold that are available for drawing, than the year before. The # of licenses available does not go up, especially in the most-desired units. Hunters w the highest #s of points compete for the small # of those licenses. Every year more hunters have the, say, 22 points it took to draw unit 777 last year. And the people who didn't draw w 22 pts last year now have 23, so now it takes 23 or even 24 to draw in 777. There is an expression, A rising tide lifts all boats. For points, a rising pool lifts all #s required to draw. It is mathematically impossible for someone w just a few points to ever save enough to hunt 201, 61, 2, 10, etc, because those units creep upward in points required to draw, more than1 point/year.

Many have suggested making more OTC units into draw units in CO. One theory says that would reduce point creep by giving hunters w points more places to spend them, thus taking more points out of the pool each year. The other theory says the OTC hunters who have always hunted those units OTC will have to start buying points to hunt there, ergo more points going into the pool every year. That fuels point creep.

 

[dirtytough]

I think the only way to get rid of or slow point creep is to lose your points if you get a tag for that species. It will never happen so creep will continue.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Point creep means ...

This is a much more complete answer than mine. Thank you elkduds for taking the time to explain this.

Some of the best options I have heard to combat point creep are to allow group applications to average their points. It would use up a lot of the biggest pointholders' banks of points. The other would be to allow partial point usage. That is, if you have 10 points, and know you can draw your preferred unit with 5, you can use 5 points in the draw and hunt this year, while keeping 5 to hunt it again next year.

Anything to keep the points from building up to those 20+ point banks would help.

 

[ridgerunner22]

There are 180+ bucks in units that take 0-1 point to draw. Not always the easiest hunt but pretty much every unit in the state can produce some giant bucks. Find a hunt that you think you'd enjoy that takes less than 5 points and go hunt.

 

[vanish]

This is a much more complete answer than mine. Thank you elkduds for taking the time to explain this.

Some of the best options I have heard to combat point creep are to allow group applications to average their points. It would use up a lot of the biggest pointholders' banks of points. The other would be to allow partial point usage. That is, if you have 10 points, and know you can draw your preferred unit with 5, you can use 5 points in the draw and hunt this year, while keeping 5 to hunt it again next year.

Anything to keep the points from building up to those 20+ point banks would help.

I apologize for straying off topic but I want to illustrate why neither of those combats point creep.

Point sharing: That 5 point unit they applied for, instead of only one point holding getting that tag, now a non-point holder got that tag. Some other poor sap who was expecting to draw with 5 points did NOT draw (because the tag went to the 0 pointer). Now he has 6 points, and the following year guess what, point creep on that unit! Transfers the point creep to the lower point unit.

Point banking: Same thing happens. Person A, The 10 point holder decided to spend 1 point ( maintaining 9 points ) to draw X unit. Now Person B does NOT draw and they gain a point. Guess what, next year Person B now has 2 points, and so that unit takes 2 points to draw. Hello point creep again. All it does is transfer the point creep to a different unit.

 

[dirtytough]

I apologize for straying off topic but I want to illustrate why neither of those combats point creep.

Point sharing: That 5 point unit they applied for, instead of only one point holding getting that tag, now a non-point holder got that tag. Some other poor sap who was expecting to draw with 5 points did NOT draw (because the tag went to the 0 pointer). Now he has 6 points, and the following year guess what, point creep on that unit! Transfers the point creep to the lower point unit.

Point banking: Same thing happens. Person A, The 10 point holder decided to spend 1 point ( maintaining 9 points ) to draw X unit. Now Person B does NOT draw and they gain a point. Guess what, next year Person B now has 2 points, and so that unit takes 2 points to draw. Hello point creep again. All it does is transfer the point creep to a different unit.

Agree 100%.

 

[jwpenn]

I don't want to get off topic too much, on which unit to deer hunt in CO, but what have you guys heard/seen for the winter conditions - especially southern and mid CO? I am hearing good moisture and snowpack but is that translating to winter kill? I'm one of those dumbasses that has 7 points that I'm gonna burn this season on a high country archery deer hunt IF I don't draw a good elk tag in my home state of NM.

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[GabeMN]

The fees and cost for licenses are getting out of control and it inhibits the average Joe. Some will say, hey it goes to a good cost, or it’s all for the animals but IS IT? The same logic could be used for any fees and taxes. There still needs to be some accountability and transparency. I’m all for supporting habitat and conservation and I get it, but working for the Government - I also realize there never seems to be a lack of willingness to keep raising user fees and spending money.

 

[jwb92868]

Agreed the fees are outrageous


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