Points in Colorado- which draw is most likely to result in a tag?

[jpfrog]

I need some help deciding which tags to apply for this season- I have 2 points each banked for Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, and Bear. None of the season windows appear to overlap, at least for non-resident draw opportunities, so I would like to be strategic about which I apply for and which I bank some more points for next year. For example, if 2 points is likely enough to get me drawn for elk, I'd like to go for that rather than banking a point for next year and applying for something that 2 points isn't likely to get me drawn for (like a bear).

I can definitely get up there for one hunt this year if drawn, and might be able to make 2 happen. In terms of desire, I'd prefer Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Bear in that order. What do the CO draw experts think a good strategy would be for this season with my tiny collection of points?

Any help or advice is very much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[GrayCreed]

I would use gohunt to figure out where to best use your points, there are lots of tags a nonres can draw every year with no points. Don't waist your points on something you could get with 0. Also the secondary draw doesn't use points so you can draw an early season tag and get the experience/learn before you drop your points on that hunt of a lifetime. I would try and draw proghorn followed my 1st rifle elk since those seasons directly follow each other. Get you proghorn tag for 110,118,123 (those units have public land and are still easy to draw). Stay in Colorado springs and then head up to the hills to hunt.

Also you CAN get a tag in the primary draw WITHOUT using your points.... Just make your 1st choice a completely unattainable hunt code and then put what you really want for your 2nd choice. That way you can still buy a point and get a really good tag for this year. If you are doing that in the primary draw try to get a cow tag for the flat tops region. That's like 12,13,24,231. There are lots of elk there... There are also lots of tags ... And lots of hunters.

Bottom line is it would suck to use your preference points on your FIRST hunt out here. Even in a good unit you can come up empty handed and then you blew all your points on the learning experience. PM me I can fill you in on draw strategy

 

[cohunt]

The draw is still 100% random, points won't get you drawn-- you still have to be successful getting drawn--- once you are chosen, then the points come into play to help get your tag.
2nd and 3rd season for elk/deer overlap. And often times if you get an elk or deer tag you can get an "add on bear tag" , just look for the bear paw print next to the tags you are applying for to see if an "add on" is available.

I've put in for a low points deer tag for the last 7 years and haven't been drawn. Yet I seem to get a lope tag every year and an elk tag every other year (the off years I just buy a season 2 or 3 otc tag)

 

[TRnCO]

"The draw is still 100% random, points won't get you drawn-- you still have to be successful getting drawn--- once you are chosen, then the points come into play to help get your tag.
2nd and 3rd season for elk/deer overlap. And often times if you get an elk or deer tag you can get an "add on bear tag" , just look for the bear paw print next to the tags you are applying for to see if an "add on" is available.

I've put in for a low points deer tag for the last 7 years and haven't been drawn. Yet I seem to get a lope tag every year and an elk tag every other year (the off years I just buy a season 2 or 3 otc tag)"

Not exactly true. If a hunt requires a person to have 7 points to draw for example, and that person has 7+ pp's, he'll draw the tag, UNLESS there are more applicants for that same tag that have more pp's that also apply for the same tag. In other words, if a hunt requires 7 pp's to draw and there are 20 tags available in the draw, and 21 people that have been banking pp's longer and have more pp's decide to apply for that same tag, they will then draw the tag. BUT with 7 pp's your odds are high to draw that tag. IF you're applying for a hunt that only requires 1 or 2 pp's and you have 7 pp's , you'll draw that tag every time.
So points will get you drawn in most instances, if you have the minimum required to draw that tag, that given year. You can look up the draw stats from the previous year to see exactly how many people applied for which tag, and how many pp's people had that applied for the tag. You can find that on the CDOW&P website. If a hunt only required 1 or 2 pp's one year, if won't change much the next year.

 

[GrayCreed]

"The draw is still 100% random, points won't get you drawn-- you still have to be successful getting drawn--- once you are chosen, then the points come into play to help get your tag.
2nd and 3rd season for elk/deer overlap. And often times if you get an elk or deer tag you can get an "add on bear tag" , just look for the bear paw print next to the tags you are applying for to see if an "add on" is available.

I've put in for a low points deer tag for the last 7 years and haven't been drawn. Yet I seem to get a lope tag every year and an elk tag every other year (the off years I just buy a season 2 or 3 otc tag)"

Not exactly true. If a hunt requires a person to have 7 points to draw for example, and that person has 7+ pp's, he'll draw the tag, UNLESS there are more applicants for that same tag that have more pp's that also apply for the same tag. In other words, if a hunt requires 7 pp's to draw and there are 20 tags available in the draw, and 21 people that have been banking pp's longer and have more pp's decide to apply for that same tag, they will then draw the tag. BUT with 7 pp's your odds are high to draw that tag. IF you're applying for a hunt that only requires 1 or 2 pp's and you have 7 pp's , you'll draw that tag every time.
So points will get you drawn in most instances, if you have the minimum required to draw that tag, that given year. You can look up the draw stats from the previous year to see exactly how many people applied for which tag, and how many pp's people had that applied for the tag. You can find that on the CDOW&P website. If a hunt only required 1 or 2 pp's one year, if won't change much the next year.

You are correct on this the people are stacked based on their pp first and the 100% random draw happens after that. Also nonres pp require different numbers to be in the same draw as red pp
For example a license may have 20 tags available with 3 tags being the nonres quota. To draw the 17 res tags you might need 10 pp to even be in the drawing. To draw one of the 3 nonres tags you may need as many as 20 pp.

So.... If you are a nonres and have 20 pp but are in the drawing and everyone else has 20 pp but there are 60 people applying for the 3 tags, the 3 people receiving the tags will be drawn randomly from the 60 people with 20 pp each. The 3 people lucky enough to draw the tag will lose all their pp. The other 57 people will be given a pp because they did not receive their FIRST CHOICE they can buy a pp and draw their 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice. If the tag they draw is a B tag they can still buy the OTC A tag (elk for example) or apply for an A tag in the second or leftover draws.

Remember this there are well over 1000-2000 tags that NEVER get drawn each year because no body applies for them.

 

[cohunt]

if that were true then with my 7 pp for deer last year I would have received the tag I applied for as it only needed 3 pp.

The draw is random, then preference points kick in-- that's the way they explained it to me at the cpw class

I receive 1 of 2 notices from cpw that confirm this-- I apply for pp each year for turkey---- I get 1 of 2 notices from cpw, the first says " you were NOT successful in the draw but were awarded 1 preference point" --- the other notice I get is " you were successful in the draw so you received your first choice and received 1 preference point"

As far as the 2nd draw (which used to be just leftover tags) -- preference points are not used, lost, or gained BUT youth have 100% preference over adults in this draw-- how would you do a "weighted draw" when no points are used? So other than the youth preference, once again its a random draw

 

[jpfrog]

Thanks for all of the responses!

For me, I am looking at first rifle season for Elk. This is mainly because my understanding is that for 2nd/3rd seasons, OTC tags can be obtained and as a result there is a lot more pressure, and my odds of success are likely to be reduced (which as an out of stater, I'd like to limit as much as possible for obvious reasons). Is that correct? Based on this, there looks to be a gap between that 1st season for elk and the seasons for Deer/Pronghorn/Bear.

Is deer harder to draw than elk? If so, I may put in for elk and pronghorn this year and get points only for deer/bear to be used another year.

For elk, and likely deer as well, there is a very specific unit I would want to go due to the fact that I believe it's relatively hard to draw and I may have the ability to hire a guide I know in the area that also has horses. Given that I don't live in CO, having those two options to help with getting in/out and locating likely spots to focus on is a big help, especially for a guy like me who is a novice for all of these species and would be learning everything for the first time. Ask me how to hunt whitetail or hogs, and I'm good to go....but the idea of going after elk/mule deer/pronghorn/bear have only ever been something I could dream about for "some day" since we don't have them down here.

 

[TRnCO]

"if that were true then with my 7 pp for deer last year I would have received the tag I applied for as it only needed 3 pp."

You're an anomaly is all I can say. For years and years it's been easy to look at the stats for any given area from the previous year to see how many points it took to draw any given tag and see how many people had X amount of pp's, and see if your chances of drawing that tag were good for the coming draw with X amount of points. It's not random. Why you didn't draw a tag with 7 pp's when the hunt only required 3 is not the norm. My guess is that you had a self inflicted error on your application that kept you from drawing that tag.
Everyone I know can tell you their chances of drawing a tag from year to year. With the exception of moose, goats, and sheep because of the whacky way the weighted point system works, which is not the same system of all the other big game drawings.

"Is deer harder to draw than elk?" generally yes, because there are no OTC deer tags so everyone has to draw for deer tags.

 

[cohunt]

No such thing as "self inflicted error" anymore-- the web site won't let you put in a non-valid hunt code

 

[TRnCO]

For instance, a coworker of mine has been banking points waiting to hunt first rifle unit 61. Last year he had 11 pp's. He had a chance last year to draw, but nearly everyone with 12 pp's drew the tag and 10 people with 11 pp's drew the tag. This year with his 12 pp's, his chances are nearly 100% to draw the tag.

 

[TRnCO]

what unit and what hunt are you talking about? I'd look up the stats to see just how it is that you didn't draw the tag with 7 when it only took 3 the year before.

 

[cohunt]

what unit and what hunt are you talking about? I'd look up the stats to see just how it is that you didn't draw the tag with 7 when it only took 3 the year before.

Unit 69

 

[jpfrog]

Thank you to @GrayCreed, @cohunt, and @TRnCO!

Good info here, and somewhat confusing, but I'm still pretty new to all of the points/draw talk since I've been doing TX tags only my entire hunting hunting career until a couple of years ago.

I'm wanting to hunt first season in unit 501 for elk, and same unit for deer and maybe bear if I can. I have no clue where to try for pronghorn. From the points mentioned above, it sounds like the 2 points I have for all species I'm interested in will likely not get me a draw. Should I just try for all then and hope one sticks? I don't want to end up with 4 draws- I couldn't make the logistics work and my understanding is even if I don't end up paying for the tag I would lose my points. Please set me straight on any of this if I'm mistaken in my understanding.

 

[cohunt]

Elk 1st required 4 pts for nr last year in 501, Deer is only season 2,3 or4--doe 6ah for season 2 or 3 is 1 pt, elk bull was 2 pts last year and cow was 2 pts also for 2nd season.