2nd season vs 3rd season Landowner tags which is best??

[tnvol]

Hey guys..didn’t have any points to draw this year since we burned ours last year. We’ve been looking for LO unit wide tags and for the most part there’s a $2k plus difference in 3rd season tags..how much of a better experience is a 3rd season tag than a 2nd season tag? I’ve heard people say there’s a full moon during 3rd season this year so 2nd is best and I’m sure this varies unit to unit and the terrain you’re hunting..just wanted to get thoughts/opinions on paying more for a 3rd season tag! Fall is around the corner! Thanks!

 

[El Gringo]

Flip a coin…It almost completely depends on the timing of the snow. I’d take a snowy 2nd, over a warm, dry 3rd or even 4th any year, hands down. It’s really that kind of gamble.

 

[tnvol]

Flip a coin…It almost completely depends on the timing of the snow. I’d take a snowy 2nd, over a warm, dry 3rd or even 4th any year, hands down. It’s really that kind of gamble.

Great insight.. I only have experience for hunting CO 1 time during 2nd season but I’ve heard guys say the 2nd can be really cold then 3rd is like 65 degrees..

 

[goforbroke]

Great insight.. I only have experience for hunting CO 1 time during 2nd season but I’ve heard guys say the 2nd can be really cold then 3rd is like 65 degrees..

until the year you have a tag. My season always seems to be the warm one and just miss the storm. . Still fun to hunt!

 

[marley]

Here’s my .02 on CO seasons. If I have a lot of time to scout, I like 2nd season best. Bucks are still together and they are very easy to pattern. If I don’t have much time to scout because of other hunts or busy life I prefer 4th season. 3rd season is my least favorite. Bucks have separated, scouted deer may have moved in search of does but they aren’t tied to a group of does yet. I hunt 3rd season when I don’t have another option. I never take the moon phase into consideration. My personal experience is that the moon doesn’t affect it as much as people think.

 

[tnvol]

Here’s my .02 on CO seasons. If I have a lot of time to scout, I like 2nd season best. Bucks are still together and they are very easy to pattern. If I don’t have much time to scout because of other hunts or busy life I prefer 4th season. 3rd season is my least favorite. Bucks have separated, scouted deer may have moved in search of does but they aren’t tied to a group of does yet. I hunt 3rd season when I don’t have another option. I never take the moon phase into consideration. My personal experience is that the moon doesn’t affect it as much as people think.

Very good observation..thank you sir

 

[Ridn9high]

From my observations from having deer tags every year, in different areas of the state in 2nd or 3rd season since 2015, Weather always plays a huge factor for us. I’ve had 2nd season tags where the weather showed up and had a great hunt. Buddies hunted the same unit during third season that same year and it warmed up, snow melted and they struggled. 3rd season 2 years ago was amazing with very cold temps, snow and deer everywhere. Last year in the same unit during 3rd, we had no weather, t-shirt temps and very tough hunting. The season actually got worse day by day later into the hunt as it got warmer.
Pull out your crystal ball, figure out when the weather will hit and pick that season. In all seriousness, since we can’t do that, pick the time frame that best suits your schedule and get after it.

 

[lostinOregon]

It depends on the unit also. Sometimes the deer are way up in the wilderness during 2nd have pulled off the top into the dark timber. Other units the deer can be found in the same places in 2nd and 3rd. Other units the deer migrate in from somewhere else and aren’t even in the unit during the early season. All the variables above and know the unit you want to hunt