During the months leading up to the Colorado Biggame drawing deadline I talked with many confused and frustrated hunters. The changes made to the drawing system and the way the state went about making the changes was the biggest topic of discussion for most. The question I got the most was, "what will they do next"? Or "will they do away with my points in the near future"? My answer was I don't know what they will do. The number of hunters who are sitting on preference points is climbing faster than tags being drawn so we are seeing point creep each year and hunters are losing faith that the system will ever grant them a tag.
My reply to many has become this for deer and elk hunters looking to use their points. For deer hunters there is no sense in saving points till you have over 5 preference points. The reason I say this is because Colorado has some great deer hunting in units that will take under 5 points to draw. A guy can kill a B&C buck in units that are not high point units. Most of these units will take 2-3 points and a guy hunting a unit every 2-3 years has better odds connecting with a trophy by hunting a unit repeatedly over a guy hunting what he thinks is a prime tag once in 15+ years. So what im saying is go hunting there are no rewards for saving points. I often here guys say, "I have 20 deer points and I want a 190 inch buck or better". It doesn't work like that. Guys waiting for a 4th season hunt are hunting the same deer as the guys hunting 2nd season who will probably draw the 2nd season tag with half as many points as the guy drawing a 4th season tag.
Elk hunters saving points in Colorado have got to know what they got into when they started saving points. Colorado doesn't have many units managed for trophy quality or older age class bulls like other states do. But the state offers a lot of opportunities for hunters to hunt elk each year and have a shot at killing a decent bull in units that you can with over the counter tags. The hunters who got in the point game early are struggling to pull one of the few premium tags in the north west corner of the state. I talk to many of them each year and have talked to some for 10 years that have been right there in the mix of drawing a tag. If you have under 20 preference points for elk in Colorado you will most likely never catch the northwest corner elk hunt. You may get lucky and draw a hybrid tag but your odds of that are slim. Start looking elsewhere. Find a unit that has decent quality and go hunt. units like 61,49,76,20,66,67 and others are places to start looking. This year on our youtube channel we will feature a unit 76 archery elk hunt. Go watch our channel and see what we find in unit 76. I know it is frustrating to hear that you 18 points will get you in a unit known for 320 bulls but that is how it is in Colorado.
I would love to hear from those who take the time to read my blog and let me know your thoughts. Best of luck to you all!