colorado otc elk units 2023

Research the point creep on the top-tier hunts to see if banking points are worth it. Use your Insider research platform, specifically the trophy potential, public land percentage, harvest success filters and the Unit Profiles in Filtering 2.0 to explore and find the best option for you. As I mentioned above, this article is for elk, mule deer, and black bear for the areas we hunt. Although they are considered "unlimited licenses," they are For more information I recommend reading an article I wrote a couple years ago called: Understanding The Colorado Sheep, Goat, and Moose Draw. In addition, there are also units that have limited draw hunts for every season that have similar trophy size. Colorado Colorado offers limited quota hunts for archery, muzzleloader and rifle antelope. All of the muzzleloader, first, and fourth rifle hunts are on a draw basis only, so a lot of the easier to draw hunts come in the form of one of these three types of hunts that have over-the-counter archery, second rifle, and/or third rifle seasons on them. Get the latest news and stories, right to your inbox. In the off years, hunt OTC units, units you can draw as second choice, or tags from the leftover list. 2023 Western Hunting Application Deadlines, New feature released on Insider Hunt Planner, Point Tracker: Your first step in researching hunts, How to import waypoints from other sources to GOHUNT Maps, Trail's tips for how to find the best elk habitat, Research your way to big bucks with a tool you're probably not using, Using public land layer map research to your advantage. Colorado snow water equivalent update as of March 13, 2023. There are many more OTC hunt options for archery, second and third rifle seasons that are not included above. Surrender deadline for the secondary drawing is July 10. Applicants do not have to front the cost of the licenses that they are applying for. If you would like access to all of our research,join today! Source:National Resources Conservation Service, 2022 Colorado drought monitor status from March 8. Colorado is not a state to try and chase down the best units for trophy elk hunts if you havent been playing the game for close to 30 years. Enjoy your time in the field, gain experience, and hone your skills. Ive narrowed down the season to archery and the region to the south/southwest. The sheer size/bulk and wild beauty of an adult elk makes it abundantly clear that you have taken the life of an amazing animal and the hardest part of your hunt is about to begin. If hunters are looking to fill the freezer you may think about adding this tag. The change in license allocation this year will impact draw odds for nonresident antelope. For elk and antelope hunts that require six or more points on a rolling three-year average for a Colorado resident to draw, up to 20% of the licenses can be allocated to nonresidents. Aside from that, if you have the ability to come out and scout a few times like mentioned, do that and youre plans will adjust to reality anyway. 2023 annual small game/fishing combo license. Think really really hard about your pack out logistics should you be successful, especially if going alone. Even though we list more quality hunts than any other publication, there are many more hunts out there that can be found with a little research and optimism. The eastern plains have healthier populations, but the amount of public land is very limited. Nonresident cow elk license fees are no longer discounted. Thus, in 20 years of applying, I would get to hunt a draw unit 4 times and an OTC or second choice unit 16 times. Plan your Colorado big game hunt with an interactive unit boundary map. Colorado still has excellent OTC hunting opportunities for archery, second and third rifle seasons. HuntScore Tip: Nonresident allocations are determined by the average number of preference points a Colorado resident needs to draw a specific license during a 3-year period. The deadline to apply for all species in Colorado is 8:00 p.m. MT on April 4, 2023. It also doesnt hurt that Holland grew up in Montanas elk country and has been hunting the leggy ungulates for more than 30 years.[8], Elk discover terrain that helps them avoid people by trial and error, states Holland. 128, 129, 133, 134, 135, 140, 141, 142, 147, Archery: 70% (301) Muzzleloader: 76% (3) Rifle: 78% (3), Archery: 78% Muzzleloader: 100% Rifle: 87%, Archery: 67% Muzzleloader: 100% Rifle: 100%. There are some really good units out there for archery elk that are OTC or for second and third rifle hunts that take very little to no points to draw. Colorado should be considered an opportunity state rather than a trophy state. Bighorn Sheep and Rocky Mountain Goat Hunts, British Columbia Spot and Stalk Mountain Bear Hunts, British Columbia Spot and Stalk Coastal Mountain Bear Hunts. CPW: Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The CPW website is known for bogging down. This is the reason I advise applicants in the zero to eight point range to utilize their points and go hunting. We subsequently heard one bugling bull and I saw another, posing for photos roadside, the prior evening (see Elk Hunt Scouting photos link below). And after twenty-plus years of hunting, hiking, and climbing through wide swaths of the San Juan Mountains in search of elk, turkeys, and adventure, Ive found that although hope is not a strategy for putting meat in the freezer, when combined with perseverance, skill, and some luck it can get the job done. *Elk and antelope license cost will only be charged if you are successful in the draw. Durango, Colorado: Ravens Eye Press, 2010, 1991, p. 119. In saying that, Colorado offers so many hunts and manages a significant number of units and most of those hunts can be drawn with very few preference points. hunting. There are OTC elk licenses for many units for archery, second and third rifle seasons. For most hunters, a bull tag is more desirable. I posted the results of my OTC 2021 trip here: I didn't draw an MT combo tag, so had to head to CO for OTC. Applicants who are solely focused on a trophy potential might consider focusing on other states like New Mexico or Wyoming, but the draw odds for antelope in Colorado are relatively good and the cost to apply is cheap if you are applying for other species. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. These can be purchased online in August through the CPW website or in person at where licenses are sold. The biggest question is for how long. If you want a bull and a cow tag in your pocket it probably wont happen. October 1st, 2023. Note: The application deadline for all Colorado species is 8:00 p.m. MT on April 4, 2023. If you go deep in Colorado youre probably going to be near wilderness so it would be pointless. On the map it highlights units 4,5,12,23,24,33 and 441 as valid, private land only. Get intel on the area before coming up with a plan. Then go to the top, and scroll your mouse over the Go Hunting and Fishing tab and select buy small game and combo licenses, 5. Hunts that require fewer than six points for a Colorado resident to draw will have up to 35% of the licenses allocated to nonresidents. GIS Unit 137 138 144 861 83 Olin ent 77 78 771 142 136 147 143 Valid 2nd and 3rd season, public land only Severe Winter GMUs No OTC licenses available 2023 OTC Rifle Licenses - Valid Elk Units Second and Third Seasons 100 Valid 2nd and 3rd season, for bull elk Valid 2nd and 3rd season, except Bosque del Oso SWA 25 Miles 50 75 . Applicants born after Jan. 1, 1949 must have completed an approved hunters education course before applying and you must carry your hunters education card with you while you hunt. Colorado manages their herds in different DAUs with the various units placed in unit groups. Part of Hollands job as a big-game manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is to study elk. Hunters need to enjoy these hunts for what they are, which is the chance to pursue elk every year or two without having to build or spend points. There is still a quota of 15,000 first rifle and muzzleloader permits to be sold; however, the second rifle hunt on any-bull units is unlimited, just like the general archery permits. You hear these statements every year from disgruntled elk hunters across the country as they sing the blues about their . If I only applied first choice for the 20 point unit, I would only have one opportunity to hunt. 3.) The draw period opens March 1st and the results should be published from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) May 30th- June 2nd. To analyze elk behavior, Andy has to find them. Choose weather or not you are applying as a group and hit proceed, 9.) Your email address will not be published. Colorado utilizes a true preference point system to allocate elk and antelope draw licenses. In my opinion, Colorado will continue to move more OTC units to draw units which will require preference points. If you fail to apply for a species or have not purchased a license for 10 consecutive years, then all accumulated preference points for that species will be purged. In the off years, hunt OTC units, units you can draw as second choice, or tags from the leftover list. Hunts that require less than six resident points to draw during the three-year rolling average will have a 65% and 35% permit split between residents and nonresidents. [7] David Petersen. Historically this tag has taken about 5 points to draw. Going Trad. Big Game Hunting Planner 2023-2024 DEER, ELK, PRONGHORN, BEAR & MOOSE SEASON DATESfinalized in January each year (Sheep and goat season dates are listed in their brochure.) The other alternative, if you have a good number of points, is to apply for a hunt that is at or close to your point level and if you do not draw, review the odds next year as we will have a much better understanding of how many points were required under the new allocation splits. Weather can start playing a factor in elk behavior! 2023 Colorado Hunting Brochures Game Management Units Colorado is divided into 185 game management units (GMUs), 93 of which offer over-the-counter (OTC) second and third rifle season hunting licenses. Im planning to head out west for the 2021 season for an OTC Archery hunt. Great tag to accompany a bull tag with. For better or worse, Ive only hunted over the counter (OTC) units over the years, where unlimited licenses are sold to both resident and non-resident hunters. This interactive map allows you to click on each Data Management Unit in Colorado and see how many counties it includes, the area per square mile, and the Data Management Unit numb . If applicants want to build preference points only, they can use the preference point only code as their first choice. Go deep can work but a major issue is bumping into outfitters. But there is still no predicting the possible. By utilizing our Filtering 2.0 feature, Insiders can filter by trophy potential, harvest success, bull:cow ratios, public land and draw odds to narrow down the best hidden gem options. In addition, there are also units that have limited draw hunts for every season that have similar trophy size. Research the latest Colorado Elk Hunting Draw Odds and Harvest Data for Unit 42. You can explore the odds of drawing as a second choice within your Insider account. Something you may want to look into if you are planning to hunt there this year. Once they find an area where they stop getting bumped, theyll stay longer. 11.) The secondary drawing is open to anyone whether they applied in the primary drawing or not. If you would like to draw a permit within this range, some of the better hunts are listed below. Ditch the e-bike idea. Categories: Colorado, General Sale or OTC Danny is an avid outdoorsman and hunter. Many of those areas have healthy populations and can offer good hunts. Then click Big Game, Turkeys, and Draws, 7.) 4,105 Location CO Springs. I do not recommend spending the money on this tag. Not a very weather dependent hunt. Simply change the choice filter from first to second and you can see all hunt odds of drawing as a second choice. Colorado is definitely the alpha dog when it comes to elk numbers and hunting opportunities out west. These may be the most pressured elk in the country and, hence, theyre adept at evading hunters, especially after experiencing a month of bow hunters (Sept.), a week muzzleloader hunters (also during September), followed by four separate rifle seasons (Oct. Nov.). [11] Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF). Gives hunters a one up on archery hunters and gives folks who do not archery hunt the opportunity to hunt bugling bulls in the rut, Very popular hunt! The hard to draw units are not worth chasing unless you are one of the applicants who has already built up 20 plus points. For both deer and elk there are Boone and Crockett quality animals in every single unit in Colorado; the units that require more preference points simply have a higher density of those caliber animals. Residents and nonresidents can apply together. For example GMU 25 is typed in as 025. Be aware that some units may have slightly different dates. Great tag to have! elk And there may not be elk there. However, for 2023, applicants should plan on applying for the draw and utilizing the OTC hunts to get out in the field this fall to hunt elk if they do not draw. Aau Basketball Arlington Va, Articles C