Grading 2023 Colorado Buck season?

rmanwill

rmanwill

Long Time Member
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Now that the 2023 buck seasons are over, what is the outlook from those that hunted Colorado outside of the extreme northwest corner? Is the sky falling or was there still good bucks running around the land scape if you hunted hard and put in the days and the time?

My son's did not draw in 2023 do to point creep, but should in 2024🤞. With the weather, division management, later hunt dates, more tags given out and trying to kill all the big bucks that the division believe is the problem CWD carriers, I really don't see it getting much better for several years to come. Hate burning lots of points, but saving them and hoping it is better in a few years is a gamble. I think we will hunt and enjoy it now and hope to get several good hunts and make some memories now rather then wait for one good year down the road that may or may not happen.

Just a question for those that hunted 2023 or live near winter range and what you think the current condition of the bucks/hunting is currently?

Thanks in advance.
 
I hear ya weavers79. Going light on the bucks would help. Hope for a few good weather years and that some bigger bucks slip through.
 
We have talked before Rick, but it is age class issue right now. Too many buck tags right now. The drought has taken a toll also the last 5 years. Can you still kill a bomber, absolutely. Expectations have to be shifted.
 
Ya, like most have said. To many tags issued along with the later hunt dates and it takes a toll on the bucks, both older age class and the younger ones. I don't see any big changes coming in the near future.

Thinking a guy just has to change expectations and go hunting and enjoy the experience and make memories. At my age it is times out hunting, not waiting for the best year and unit anymore. Only have so many more years.
 
I am right there with your rmanwill. Don’t have many years left to hike in rough stuff. Planning to burn my deer points soon. Shifting more of my outdoors time to fishing and hunting family property for whitetails. Changing expectations is going to be necessary going forward, especially for Muleys.
 
I think to have a chance at an older age class buck you would need to pick a unit that allows them to survive the late hunting seasons..

Private/access issues, thicker country, etc. even with a pile of points I don’t think you will find a slam dunk/secret unit etc
 
I think with the major increase in western hunting, dedicated hunters that are hunting the whole season hard and coming from all over the U.S. closing 4th would and moving 3rd back to early Nov would be a start. I know it’s anecdotal but I remember just a handful of years ago there were tags for less desired units that would sit on the leftover list for weeks and weeks. This last year a lot of those same units didn’t have tags go past the second draw or leftover day…
 
The later seasons did not have anything to do with the age class decline, the damage had been done. There is no possible way, other than the obvious that those late seasons decimated the older Bucks! First of all, since these seasons have been late I have not seen these hundreds and hundreds of big Buck pictures that should have been posted according to some of the guys that feel that is what happened. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DOW is to blame for the lack of older Bucks period!!!!!!! They know what they did and some of us on this site know what they did!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
oljc said:
The later seasons did not have anything to do with the age class decline, the damage had been done. There is no possible way, other than the obvious that those late seasons decimated the older Bucks! First of all, since these seasons have been late I have not seen these hundreds and hundreds of big Buck pictures that should have been posted according to some of the guys that feel that is what happened. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DOW is to blame for the lack of older Bucks period!!!!!!! They know what they did and some of us on this site know what they did!!!!!!!!!!!!
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So if later season dates and more tags had " nothing to do with it" What is your secret??
 
oldmossback said:
So if later season dates and more tags had " nothing to do with it" What is your secret??
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I’m not sure what he was talking about, but in my experience/opinion Colorado was never the same after the 2018 hunting season. That was obviously a few years prior to the later dates. Before the 2019 it seemed like big deer where coming consistently all across the state, with or without weather
 
muleyslayerwa said:
I’m not sure what he was talking about, but in my experience/opinion Colorado was never the same after the 2018 hunting season. That was obviously a few years prior to the later dates. Before the 2019 it seemed like big deer where coming consistently all across the state, with or without weather
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Fact!! After 18 it’s been not been near as good for big bucks.
 
AZGuy said:
Fact!! After 18 it’s been not been near as good for big bucks.
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IMG_0143.jpeg

4th season 2018 unit 67, I don’t recall seeing anything posted similar or larger since. And that was when the 4th season was earlier, taken Nov.14.
Weather was perfect, cold and fresh snow, rut was on, few competing hunters, and very familiar with where to find deer in numbers. I’ve heard of large bucks not taken, but I think it would be difficult now to find really big bucks. I believe there are still a few monster bucks out there.
 
Gunnihunter said:
View attachment 135648
4th season 2018 unit 67, I don’t recall seeing anything posted similar or larger since. And that was when the 4th season was earlier, taken Nov.14.
Weather was perfect, cold and fresh snow, rut was on, few competing hunters, and very familiar with where to find deer in numbers. I’ve heard of large bucks not taken, but I think it would be difficult now to find really big bucks. I believe there are still a few monster bucks out there.
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Beautiful buck! Also no haven’t seen anything like that, heck 3rd season is Nov 14 for the last 4 years
 
I enjoyed my 2nd season hunt in 2023. Saw 20 plus bucks. Didnt hunt as hard as I use to, as I'm a bit older now.Two shooters. 25" 160 -170 type. It was a 2 pref point hunt. No giants, but really wasn't expecting one. Ate my tag. Gonna get right back in!
 
Everyone that has the chance, please contact and talk to as many CPW officials, biologists, and wardens as possible about your concern and discontent with the late rifle rut season Also, please respond to questionnaires and comments for the next 5 year plan. Maybe if enough of us complain they will listen?
 
As others have mentioned 2018 was the last “good” year of mule deer hunting I’ve witnessed in Colorado and the last time I actually chose to harvest a deer. It’s been a steady if, not rapid decline since. The lack of mature deer in the western half of the state is apparent in any unit you step foot in and it will not be getting any better anytime soon without drastic changes to season structure and cutting tags (which I’m not seeing happening) . I did not have a tag this past season but I spent a lot of time guiding in multiple “top tier” units this past fall and I would grade 2023 as a barely passing C- if not a D.

You truly have to change your expectations with the current state of things when it comes to mule deer hunting in Colorado and I try my best to explain that to client after client after client going into a hunt. I feel for the guys who’ve accumulated 10, 15 or 20 plus years of preference points into this game because things have completely flopped compared to what it was when majority of those with a decade plus of points started applying. I’m not going to say there aren’t big mature bucks left but they are few and far between and the ones you’re seeing pop on the internet are a very small, minuscule portion of the unit/state wide harvest. Majority of the deer being killed on these highly touted , hard to draw units are sub 4 year old, 140 to 160ish- being generous, type deer.

If you’re truly chomping at the bit to hunt Colorado and burn those points I’d say go for it. But do expect it to be a grind and some what disappointing if you are going into with the expectation of looking over and passing up multiple mature age class type deer like we were years ago.
 
I’ve got 11 points. That’s sad to hear.

I don’t want to or need to kill 20 huge bucks in Colorado. I only want to kill 1 good 180” buck in my life. Sad to hear that that kind of quality isn’t the benchmark these days for a state known for good bucks.

Course, I don’t believe everything I read either.
 
True I would trust Co Boys assessment though. He guides here, no longer lives in the state if I remember right, so if there was anyone who would shoot ya straight on trophy potential it would be him. But also MM doesn’t have photo evidence of every buck killed online, there are still boomers lurking, it is just the chances of finding one have dropped pretty dramatically. I would have to say we aren’t quite MT level of deer hunting but pretty dang close.
 
HntHrdr said:
True I would trust Co Boys assessment though. He guides here, no longer lives in the state if I remember right, so if there was anyone who would shoot ya straight on trophy potential it would be him. But also MM doesn’t have photo evidence of every buck killed online, there are still boomers lurking, it is just the chances of finding one have dropped pretty dramatically. I would have to say we aren’t quite MT level of deer hunting but pretty dang close.
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Still have a house in Colorado and put 80ish days a year in on the mountain but I no longer claim residency
 
They need to take the 2nd season tag quota and add those deer tags to 1st rifle elk season, make it combine season rather than just elk. push the 3rd season quota into 2nd season, 4th into 3rd and do away completely with the 4th rifle deer season. that would restore the tag allotments to their previous time frame, not do away with any tags so no loss of revenue. This seems like the most logical and practical fix that would literally require nothing more than changing some dates around in a computer.
 
The_Coloradoboy said:
I say just give less deer tags all together and do what’s right for the deer herd and not for revenue… but that would be un-Colorado like
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100% agree. unfortunately thats probably not gonna happen due to $$ and the "fear" of CWD. Moving the 3 seasons up within the current season structure just seems like something that could actually get done and would definitely make a huge difference in returning some age structure. Move that large 2nd season quota back to early/mid october where it used to be, when the mature bucks are still in their late summer patterns and hiding spots, it will do a lot to help the herd.
 
Gunnihunter said:
View attachment 135648
4th season 2018 unit 67, I don’t recall seeing anything posted similar or larger since. And that was when the 4th season was earlier, taken Nov.14.
Weather was perfect, cold and fresh snow, rut was on, few competing hunters, and very familiar with where to find deer in numbers. I’ve heard of large bucks not taken, but I think it would be difficult now to find really big bucks. I believe there are still a few monster bucks out there.
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Awesome buck. There has been several posted here that are larger though. Still a stud, and I agree, there are more out there.
 
AZGuy said:
Awesome buck. There has been several posted here that are larger though. Still a stud, and I agree, there are more out there.
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I should have been more specific with my statement. I was thinking about the Gunnison Basin and unit 67 specifically. I certainly don’t think that there haven’t been any larger posted. I can remember bucks from unit 44 and other places. I just don’t recall any from unit 67. Most hunters don’t specify where their bucks were taken anyway. But then I am probably wrong, just my recollection.
 
Gunnihunter said:
I should have been more specific with my statement. I was thinking about the Gunnison Basin and unit 67 specifically. I certainly don’t think that there haven’t been any larger posted. I can remember bucks from unit 44 and other places. I just don’t recall any from unit 67. Most hunters don’t specify where their bucks were taken anyway. But then I am probably wrong, just my recollection.
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Fair enough, wish I would have had a tag in the glory days! Awesome typical!
 
I spent 9 days in 67 during 3rd season. Numbers were not a problem. I saw more deer than I have ever seen on a hunt. Buck doe ratio also seemed good for my novice experience in this unit. But the absence of mature bucks was pretty evident from what I seen and what others I talked to saw. Being the first time in the unit and novice mule deer hunter I wanted to contribute my lack of finding mature bucks to my inexperience. But I met with a few experienced guides and local hunters while in the field (and bar) and they were having the same results. In the end it was still a lot of fun for this old guy and I was grateful to have did this hunt.
 
Guys want to talk about the decline after 18 season, think about this, that is about the time where DOW started the big CWD testing and all the other BS associated with the disease and think about what means were used in trying to eradicate the older class Bucks? because those are what they believe is the main carrier of it. What I'm saying is that they (DOW) took to some drastic measures of eliminating the older class Bucks in or out of season and they know now that it was a big mistake and it is going to take years if ever to recover, and yes less tags and NO DOE TAGS at all in any unit would be a start, but to blame the late season dates doesn't hold water, there are units in NW and central Co that don't even have 4th season tags or very few and those unit's do not have the older class bucks either.:unsure::unsure::unsure:
 
I spent the the entire third season in a unit I've learned and loved to hunt the past four or five years. Over these years it has progressively went down hill with animals. It took me two days to find one single deer on public ground. The third day I went to an area I usually see bucks but its all private. It can be fun to watch and just get some pictures. Sure enough there were a few good ones roaming around pushing a few does. So I knew it wasn't me and not my lack of trying. I spent hours behind glass, covered more country than I care to admit and hiked into places I would be better off with just a match, fork and knife. High and low, I feel I did everything I possibly could to find deer.
In the end I hunted right up to the last hours of the last day in kind of a shock and aww. Not in a good way either, just the lack of animals period, not nothing. Not even groups of does. Left it all out there on the mountain. It was like they jut disappeared and this is a unit that wasn't hit by the bad winter before. The thing I did see a lot of (and this is every year) is hunters. Some are buck hunters, some are doe hunters and some are elk hunters. Did this have something to do with it? Who knows. I know a lot of tags get issued out for this area and everyone I happened to talk to was having the same problems that i was. In total I can count on one hand how many deer I seen that whole hunt that were on public ground. Will i go back this year? I doubt it. Maybe its time to change things up again. Its not all about filling the tag for me but I sure do love just being able to see animals.
BTW, this unit I speak of is not to far off from where the wolfs were just dropped off. Don't want to turn this thread into a wolf debate but I'm sure that's not going to help the issues in this unit or surrounding units either.

HD
 
rmanwill said:
Now that the 2023 buck seasons are over, what is the outlook from those that hunted Colorado outside of the extreme northwest corner? Is the sky falling or was there still good bucks running around the land scape if you hunted hard and put in the days and the time?

My son's did not draw in 2023 do to point creep, but should in 2024🤞. With the weather, division management, later hunt dates, more tags given out and trying to kill all the big bucks that the division believe is the problem CWD carriers, I really don't see it getting much better for several years to come. Hate burning lots of points, but saving them and hoping it is better in a few years is a gamble. I think we will hunt and enjoy it now and hope to get several good hunts and make some memories now rather then wait for one good year down the road that may or may not happen.

Just a question for those that hunted 2023 or live near winter range and what you think the current condition of the bucks/hunting is currently?

Thanks in advance.
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Colorado’s mule deer herd is destroyed. It is the worst it has ever been. I would burn your points and then turn your back on Colorado.

I believe this is their agenda. Get the populations low enough so they can “pause” or “turn off” hunting for a season and they will just keep it turned off. The money isn’t important to them.

I do not plan on buying mule deer tag this year. It would be a complete waste of time and money for me. Luckily, I only have one preference point.
 
Sadoldman said:
Colorado’s mule deer herd is destroyed. It is the worst it has ever been. I would burn your points and then turn your back on Colorado.

I believe this is their agenda. Get the populations low enough so they can “pause” or “turn off” hunting for a season and they will just keep it turned off. The money isn’t important to them.

I do not plan on buying mule deer tag this year. It would be a complete waste of time and money for me. Luckily, I only have one preference point.
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Hunting is not just about killing. It is about being out and enjoying the country. A buck is a bonus.

Just need to be realistic and change expectations.
 
TKMulePacker said:
They need to take the 2nd season tag quota and add those deer tags to 1st rifle elk season, make it combine season rather than just elk. push the 3rd season quota into 2nd season, 4th into 3rd and do away completely with the 4th rifle deer season. that would restore the tag allotments to their previous time frame, not do away with any tags so no loss of revenue. This seems like the most logical and practical fix that would literally require nothing more than changing some dates around in a computer.
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you would have a lot of pissed of elk hunters who saved 15-30 points for a first season tag only to have to deal with deer hunters running around........ Oh wait, yea kinda like all of us who burned a butt load of deer points on a 4th season tag in a unit that was over rans with elk hunters..:confused:
 
jims said:
Moving season dates back for deer would be the first step!

Cutting doe tags where deer numbers are low would be the 2nd step! There were doe tags issued in units that got hammered by winterkill in 2022/23!
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totally agree, what a bone head greedy move!!
 
oljc said:
Guys want to talk about the decline after 18 season, think about this, that is about the time where DOW started the big CWD testing and all the other BS associated with the disease and think about what means were used in trying to eradicate the older class Bucks? because those are what they believe is the main carrier of it. What I'm saying is that they (DOW) took to some drastic measures of eliminating the older class Bucks in or out of season and they know now that it was a big mistake and it is going to take years if ever to recover, and yes less tags and NO DOE TAGS at all in any unit would be a start, but to blame the late season dates doesn't hold water, there are units in NW and central Co that don't even have 4th season tags or very few and those unit's do not have the older class bucks either.:unsure::unsure::unsure:
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" out of season" ? Sounds like you are kinda hinting that CPW did a secret culling of big mature bucks after the seasons closed. Would not be surprised but I have not heard anything on it....
 
rmanwill said:
Hunting is not just about killing. It is about being out and enjoying the country. A buck is a bonus.

Just need to be realistic and change expectations.
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I'm not sure that I would change expectations. The unit you're trying to get your sons into still holds some great bucks, just not as many as there used to be. Have your kids apply and go hunting.
The buck quality is down everywhere in Colorado right now, including the eastern plains. But there are still great bucks out there if you hunt hard and are willing to go home with an unfilled tag in your pocket. I know of some bomber bucks that were killed in easy to draw units this past year. They haven't and won't be plastered all over the internet for good reason.
Good luck Rick and I hope this is the year for your sons.
 
The_Coloradoboy said:
As others have mentioned 2018 was the last “good” year of mule deer hunting I’ve witnessed in Colorado and the last time I actually chose to harvest a deer. It’s been a steady if, not rapid decline since. The lack of mature deer in the western half of the state is apparent in any unit you step foot in and it will not be getting any better anytime soon without drastic changes to season structure and cutting tags (which I’m not seeing happening) . I did not have a tag this past season but I spent a lot of time guiding in multiple “top tier” units this past fall and I would grade 2023 as a barely passing C- if not a D.

You truly have to change your expectations with the current state of things when it comes to mule deer hunting in Colorado and I try my best to explain that to client after client after client going into a hunt. I feel for the guys who’ve accumulated 10, 15 or 20 plus years of preference points into this game because things have completely flopped compared to what it was when majority of those with a decade plus of points started applying. I’m not going to say there aren’t big mature bucks left but they are few and far between and the ones you’re seeing pop on the internet are a very small, minuscule portion of the unit/state wide harvest. Majority of the deer being killed on these highly touted , hard to draw units are sub 4 year old, 140 to 160ish- being generous, type deer.

If you’re truly chomping at the bit to hunt Colorado and burn those points I’d say go for it. But do expect it to be a grind and some what disappointing if you are going into with the expectation of looking over and passing up multiple mature age class type deer like we were years ago.
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My feeling is Trophy Mule Deer hunting in Colorado is pretty much a dead horse - has been since the terrible winter of 1972-1973 hit.
Yes- that’s a fact- saw it happen ! I’m sitting on a pile of points for most species , but see nothing out there worth dropping the points or $$$ on. A huge waste of time , effort , & $$$ . Very sad but very true. The reports here reflect the sad state of hunting mule deer in Colorado, once the king of giant mule deer numbers & trophy bucks.
It’s just not there anymore, with some very limited exceptions . I call them as they are !
Jerry Gold- in Windsor, Colorado 🤬
Sadoldman said:
Colorado’s mule deer herd is destroyed. It is the worst it has ever been. I would burn your points and then turn your back on Colorado.

I believe this is their agenda. Get the populations low enough so they can “pause” or “turn off” hunting for a season and they will just keep it turned off. The money isn’t important to them.

I do not plan on buying mule deer tag this year. It would be a complete waste of time and money for me. Luckily, I only have one preference point.
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Right as rain - you are 100 % correct !
Jerry Gold- Windsor, Colorado
 
Jerry said:
My feeling is Trophy Mule Deer hunting in Colorado is pretty much a dead horse - has been since the terrible winter of 1972-1973 hit.
Yes- that’s a fact- saw it happen ! I’m sitting on a pile of points for most species , but see nothing out there worth dropping the points or $$$ on. A huge waste of time , effort , & $$$ . Very sad but very true. The reports here reflect the sad state of hunting mule deer in Colorado, once the king of giant mule deer numbers & trophy bucks.
It’s just not there anymore, with some very limited exceptions . I call them as they are !
Jerry Gold- in Windsor, Colorado 🤬

Right as rain - you are 100 % correct !
Jerry Gold- Windsor, Colorado
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Since 72. Wow 😂
 
tracker12 said:
I spent 9 days in 67 during 3rd season. Numbers were not a problem. I saw more deer than I have ever seen on a hunt. Buck doe ratio also seemed good for my novice experience in this unit. But the absence of mature bucks was pretty evident from what I seen and what others I talked to saw. Being the first time in the unit and novice mule deer hunter I wanted to contribute my lack of finding mature bucks to my inexperience. But I met with a few experienced guides and local hunters while in the field (and bar) and they were having the same results. In the end it was still a lot of fun for this old guy and I was grateful to have did this hunt.
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Did you kill a deer?

If you did, how mature was it?
 
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ridgetops said:
I think it's more about success when you've invested 20+ points on a unit.
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I agree 100%

Hunting for the biggest is what its about for me.

If someone wants to see beautiful scenery or have a nice camping trip just go to any forest or park. Hike some trails, Hang out at a lake.

I do like having a good time in beautiful country but while hunting I'm more focused on finding a giant!
 
Sadoldman said:
Colorado’s mule deer herd is destroyed. It is the worst it has ever been. I would burn your points and then turn your back on Colorado.

I believe this is their agenda. Get the populations low enough so they can “pause” or “turn off” hunting for a season and they will just keep it turned off. The money isn’t important to them.

I do not plan on buying mule deer tag this year. It would be a complete waste of time and money for me. Luckily, I only have one preference point.
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100 % correct ! ! Trophy Mule deer hunting in Colorado has gone into the dumpster, likely never to return - CPW won’t allow it. I’m sitting on piles of points in all species with no where to try to go. What a disaster!!
Jerry Gold In Windsor, Colorado
lostinOregon said:
2003-2007 were bomb seasons. I saw the first decline in 2008 and then 2011. Then a slow steady decline after that. I wish I would have kept better records.
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The vast Cathedral Bluffs area & Duck Creek drainages were fabulous areas for deer & big bucks in the ‘50’s thru the ‘60’s- then that
horrible winter of ‘72-‘73 hit & destroyed vast majority of the deer in that area- they never came back !!! It was over ! I saw what little was left in ‘73 & ‘74 - said to heck with it & never returned until ‘ 98- same story, still awful .
Have not returned yet- never will.
Entire area has gone to hell.
Jerry Gold- Windsor, Colorado
 
buckhorn said:
I agree 100%

Hunting for the biggest is what its about for me.

If someone wants to see beautiful scenery or have a nice camping trip just go to any forest or park. Hike some trails, Hang out at a lake.

I do like having a good time in beautiful country but while hunting I'm more focused on finding a giant!
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I will agree with you that we all look for the biggest and best while out hunting. However, I don't let that determine weather the hunt was enjoyable and/or let it minimize the memories that are made with family and friends while out in the woods.

Heck 70% of my hunting anymore is without a tag in my pocket. It is with my sons, wife and occasionally with a good friend. For myself I don't have to kill a animal on every hunt and for me a great buck is in that 190+ class. However for my sons and wife a great buck is less then that due to their age, times out hunting, experience and much fewer animals under their belt. For their hunts filling a tag with the best animals located in the hunt unit is more of a determining factor of success. We all enjoy passing our knowledge on to our children and see them smiling faces with a trophy they tagged without inches having to be the determining factor.

I spend more time out in the woods then a lot of people. However, 3-6 trips a year is during the hunting season with a big game tag in someone's pocket while enjoying gods country. Kind of like killing two birds with one stone.

Heck everyone that knows me has said that I think about hunting 365-days a year. Probably true, but filling a tag has become less of a necessity. I go into each hunt with high hopes of success, but not disappointed if I come home with a unfilled tag. The older I get the more I enjoy the outing more then the killing. I've tagged enough animals in my life that I'd be happy if I never tag another. Howevr, not my current plan🤞. Not to mention the older I get the harder the hunts get and by the end of a 10-day hunt I find myself looking forward to getting home to relax and recover for a few days before the next adventure.

Happy hunting to all and best of luck in this year's application draws.
 
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Sadoldman said:
Colorado’s mule deer herd is destroyed. It is the worst it has ever been. I would burn your points and then turn your back on Colorado.

I believe this is their agenda. Get the populations low enough so they can “pause” or “turn off” hunting for a season and they will just keep it turned off. The money isn’t important to them.

I do not plan on buying mule deer tag this year. It would be a complete waste of time and money for me. Luckily, I only have one preference point.
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Absolutely correct ! Colorado trophy mule deer hunting is a dead horse- gone forever most likely. Forget it- it’s over. 🤬🤬🤬
Jerry Gold- Windsor, Colorado
 
Gunnihunter said:
I should have been more specific with my statement. I was thinking about the Gunnison Basin and unit 67 specifically. I certainly don’t think that there haven’t been any larger posted. I can remember bucks from unit 44 and other places. I just don’t recall any from unit 67. Most hunters don’t specify where their bucks were taken anyway. But then I am probably wrong, just my recollection.
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There have been bigger killed in that unit the same year as yours and since. They just don’t name drop units like you do. Good grief the CO parks and wildlife must pay you to promote 67. Do a good search on unit 67 and you’re the advertisement. 😂
 
SS! said:
There have been bigger killed in that unit the same year as yours and since. They just don’t name drop units like you do. Good grief the CO parks and wildlife must pay you to promote 67. Do a good search on unit 67 and you’re the advertisement. 😂
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More drunken ramblings, prove your assertion.
 
rmanwill said:
I will agree with you that we all look for the biggest and best while out hunting. However, I don't let that determine weather the hunt was enjoyable and/or let it minimize the memories that are made with family and friends while out in the woods.

Heck 70% of my hunting anymore is without a tag in my pocket. It is with my sons, wife and occasionally with a good friend. For myself I don't have to kill a animal on every hunt and for me a great buck is in that 190+ class. However for my sons and wife a great buck is less then that due to their age, times out hunting, experience and much fewer animals under their belt. For their hunts filling a tag with the best animals located in the hunt unit is more of a determining factor of success. We all enjoy passing our knowledge on to our children and see them smiling faces with a trophy they tagged without inches having to be the determining factor.

I spend more time out in the woods then a lot of people. However, 3-6 trips a year is during the hunting season with a big game tag in someone's pocket while enjoying gods country. Kind of like killing two birds with one stone.

Heck everyone that knows me has said that I think about hunting 365-days a year. Probably true, but filling a tag has become less of a necessity. I go into each hunt with high hopes of success, but not disappointed if I come home with a unfilled tag. The older I get the more I enjoy the outing more then the killing. I've tagged enough animals in my life that I'd be happy if I never tag another. Howevr, not my current plan🤞. Not to mention the older I get the harder the hunts get and by the end of a 10-day hunt I find myself looking forward to getting home to relax and recover for a few days before the next adventure.

Happy hunting to all and best of luck in this year's application draws.
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I agree 100%! It seems that there are less people all the time that feel this way about hunting. Sadly, a big majority of hunters these days seem to have lost site of what hunting is really all about. Of course we all have dreams of killing the big ones, but the reality is hunting is hunting and there's no guarantees. People need to get over the thought that just because they have X amount of points equates to stumbling out in the woods and killing a giant.
 
timmy said:
I remember a Colorado guy on here telling me that Colorado will never be Montana. They are doing a great job. They will be Montana if they continue.
Click to expand...
It was probably me and I stand corrected if it was me....
 
Me and another guy have hunted the same general area of Colorado every year since 2012. In those 12 years we have killed one 220 buck in 2014, and a net book typical just this last year.

We try to be very picky and take only big mature bucks. Outside of those two we took we have only seen 2 other bucks 190 or better during those 12 years. One got killed by another hunter and the second escaped harvest as far as we know.

I have noticed a gradual decline in quality of bucks over those years, but the last three years has really been tough. For years I thought the conditions were not lining up, the weather during 3rd season was frequently hot/dry or there was a lack of snow up high so maybe the bigger bucks were just hanging at higher elevations than we were hunting.

With these late season dates the last few years and a couple of those years lining up with proper winter to push deer down you would expect to see more mature bucks but that hasn't happened. It makes me question if they are even there anymore.

Granted we have killed a couple good bucks, but I think had we hunted 2000-2012 instead of 2012-2024, we would have killed and seen a good number more.
'
 
marburg said:
Me and another guy have hunted the same general area of Colorado every year since 2012. In those 12 years we have killed one 220 buck in 2014, and a net book typical just this last year.

We try to be very picky and take only big mature bucks. Outside of those two we took we have only seen 2 other bucks 190 or better during those 12 years. One got killed by another hunter and the second escaped harvest as far as we know.

I have noticed a gradual decline in quality of bucks over those years, but the last three years has really been tough. For years I thought the conditions were not lining up, the weather during 3rd season was frequently hot/dry or there was a lack of snow up high so maybe the bigger bucks were just hanging at higher elevations than we were hunting.

With these late season dates the last few years and a couple of those years lining up with proper winter to push deer down you would expect to see more mature bucks but that hasn't happened. It makes me question if they are even there anymore.

Granted we have killed a couple good bucks, but I think had we hunted 2000-2012 instead of 2012-2024, we would have killed and seen a good number more.
'
Click to expand...

Your suspicion is correct. The big bucks are not there anymore. Gone.
 

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