Colorado Resident unit recommendation Please

[Longshot284]

Hey all - I have a cousin who's never hunted before or even been around it. I offered to take him on his first hunt and suggested we go antelope hunting because in my experience the amount of game is plentiful and public land access is usually good in the states I've hunted. My initial thought was to take him to Wyoming in a 0 point draw unit I've hunted in the past. I know the area and we could both have tags. He is a resident of Colorado, however. Is there any antelope opportunities in Colorado that will have some public access and a 0 point draw opportunity? I wouldn't be able to get a tag with him but that's no biggie. Thanks for any direction provided!

 

[Deleted member 107796]

Very little good public access with zero points, for sure. You might check the statistics page of Colo Parks and Wildlife. If you can get access to private land, your odds are good.

 

[cohunt]

All lope tags are draw tags in co, both of you could put in for tags in the same unit-- look on the CO website for gmu's that require 0 pts (often times doe tags require less points) --- very few opportunities east of hwy25 (almost all land is private)-- look for STL areas west of the 25, most state or federal forest land wont have lope as it's in the hills, you'll need to find public flatland open for hunting.
You can also search on-x mapping app for stl

 

[Stk]

You can find some good areas with zero points in Colorado if you want to try archery hunting. If you're trying to do rifle, best bet is Wyoming.

 

[Caveman0101]

You can buy leftover doe tags every year so I assume if you actually put in for them your likely to draw your first time. Buck tags are harder to get and do require points. In my opinion, antelope hunting is the easiest big game hunt there is with a rifle. Do some research, pick a unit with lots of goats and lots of tags and plenty of BLM and get to glassing.

 

[Buska]

There's usually leftover tags just pick one up if he doesn't draw. But here's a little info to send you in the right direction...here are your odds with 0 points in a few units;

unit 122 - 50%, 123-100%, 124-70%, 127-50%, 128-50%, 132-90%, 136-70%, etc.

...there's tons more you can draw without points and most of them will have plenty of antelope but as others have stated most the land is private. If you draw 122 I have talked with a rancher out there that allows access CHEAP so let me know. Antelope is otc with a bow, I hunted 122 last year. Plenty of antelope, tons of private, but there are slivers of public you can hunt but I wouldn't attempt it without a GPS and OnX. Checkerboard is an understatement

 

[Buska]

You can buy leftover doe tags every year so I assume if you actually put in for them your likely to draw your first time. Buck tags are harder to get and do require points. In my opinion, antelope hunting is the easiest big game hunt there is with a rifle. Do some research, pick a unit with lots of goats and lots of tags and plenty of BLM and get to glassing.

Bingo. If you don't draw a buck tag just grab a leftover doe tag and have at it. Heck...buy 2 if you want B list tags most the time

 

[Longshot284]

Thanks for the reccomendations! onX is definitely a must and I've relied on it for the last couple years. Sounds like I should invest in GoHunt one of these days too. I'll look into those units. I'd like to keep things public, especially for a new hunter, so he really understands that there are opportunities out there and that he has every right to be on those lands and the animals on those lands are his responsibility, just like they are everyone else's. Thanks again!

 

[Buska]

Thanks for the reccomendations! onX is definitely a must and I've relied on it for the last couple years. Sounds like I should invest in GoHunt one of these days too. I'll look into those units. I'd like to keep things public, especially for a new hunter, so he really understands that there are opportunities out there and that he has every right to be on those lands and the animals on those lands are his responsibility, just like they are everyone else's. Thanks again!

GoHunt is a great tool. The same info is on the CPW website as well. But it's free!

 

[cat26fish]

Muzzy and Archery are good bets for getting the tag, but like previously posted there aren't lots public land areas that are zero points. You can check out the big game access programs. Ive been to some of those areas. The late season doe tag is also an option easy to get that tag in the left over for lots of units.

 

[cohunt]

^^^ catfish , Hopefully you haven't been using the big gauge access program properties over the last 4 years...They stopped the BGAP program in 2014, the small game "walk in access" is still open as far as I know, but no big game hunting on those properties.

 

[cat26fish]

Thanks for the update, I didn't mean to provide outdated advice, sorry about that. I haven't used either access program in a long time. And honestly i never actually hunted the big game one. I scouted one out for the late season doe antelope tag years ago but never went on the hunt. I hunted on two of the small game areas, and what I found was that the person that enlisted their property into the program was very willing to talk, and sent me to a few neighbors that were willing to let us hunt.

 

[jasonco]

That's a big fat no. I'm resident and unless you got some private property, you got to get on the wait list, I mean draw, and deal with the point creep. I just submitted my draw licenses tonight. Here in CO we got some some trophy antelope, it's just hard to draw.