Early Season Colorado

[redneckclimbing]

So two years ago mu brother-in-law, myself and a friend hunted early September for some "High Country" Mule Deer. We hunted between 11-13k feet. Saw a really nice bull elk, 7 different Billy Goats, and not a single **** deer!

We also never saw a single deer during a couple of different scouting sessions, but chalked it up to dumb luck and hunted the same general areas anyways.

I'm headed back this year with a muzzle loader. The season starts 9/10/2016, is this going to be too late?

Will the bucks have already shed their velvet and broke out of their bachelor groups?

If some of you guys that have hunted some of these early season hunts that killed bucks in velvet could chime in I sure would appreciate it?

 

[aspenbugle]

9/10 definitely isn't too early. They should still be in the velvet. Four of us hunted them in September this year. Some of it depends on the unit you are in. They often can be found above/near timberline; especially early and late in the day. If you get a good view and glass a lot, you should find them. If not, try another drainage or two over.

HOWEVER...for some odd reason, not all deer subscribe to this in all units. I helped my daughter draw a high country tag in a unit I hadn't hunted before, and scouted what is typically "prime" country and didn't find any, despite glassing a lot of area. I contacted the local fish and game office and they said it was odd, but the deer in that unit didn't like or use that alpine-type area, but hung out primarily in some high, but timbered, area in another part of the unit. Go figure.

Most fish and game offices will help you out in general, especially if you call and talk to them now vs. trying to get a vector from them 3 days into the season. 9/10 is perfect timing, you just need to figure out where/how to find them in the unit you are in.