Anyone not NOT hunting this year?

[jooger17]

Tons of public land, yes, but it's mixed in with tons of private land and usually quite the drive to get to. People up here are very secretive and highly perturbed if you start tromping around "their" honey hole and no one will tell you where to go. Makes it tough to justify the gas expense to go somewhere that, more than likely (CO has a 16% success rate) you won't get a shot, let alone see any animals. Kinda like gambling without looking at your cards at all. Gotta stack the deck in your favor when you can.

You can't kill'm on the couch amigo... There's TONS of PL up around Parachutte and even more closer to you in Gunnison.

[Aggiebush]

My first child was born on Sept 8 of last year, and I got very little time in the woods. The lack of hunting sucked, but I will have a hunting buddy for the rest of my life as an outcome. Good luck finding something, don't lose hope.

[Horitexan]

I have a buddy that drives up to Colorado every other year and hunts public land on his own with a rifle. He kills a good muley every time he goes. If you live up there it should be easier than it is for him - at least you're up there to pre-scout.

[MountainMan]

We Texans do the same thing but drive 12-15 hours and pay $575 for a tag. How much is your tag?

Just sayin'.

My elk tag? $47. And while you may be right about the drive time and cost, how many out of staters come up, pay the fees, but have buddy that already has the scouting done and knows where the animals are, or lives here, or has hired a guide? I would imagine there is a low number of folks that drive 12+ hours and pay the big bucks to hunt here don't just find a random patch of ground and call it good.

[Uncle Saggy]

I'll repeat. Grab your bow and hit the mountains, you will be HUNTING, not guaranteed Killing

[Txbhunter1]

What about towards Turkey Creek or up Gold Camp road?

[HNT ETX]

My elk tag? $47. And while you may be right about the drive time and cost, how many out of staters come up, pay the fees, but have buddy that already has the scouting done and knows where the animals are, or lives here, or has hired a guide? I would imagine there is a low number of folks that drive 12+ hours and pay the big bucks to hunt here don't just find a random patch of ground and call it good.

Nope, don't do it in CO, but do it in NM. Been going for prolly 10+ yrs, I have killed six muleys. We did go to CO one year, I passed on a 3x3 the third day......turned out to be a mistake.

Have had shot opportunities every single year.

[wlfhound27]

Don't want to sit the season out, but like I said above, with the secretive people and the enormous tracks of ground, it's tough to find a spot that isn't 4+ hours drive that holds game. I've found you gotta hunt a place for 3+ years to really figure it out. Maybe I'll take drive and search out a spot. Or call in some favors to find a spot to go....

4hrs! suck it up. Some of the Texans on here drive 4 hrs every weekend or two just to check the place and look at trail cameras get out there on that public land and make a honey hole for yourself. Good luck!!

[*DW*]

I feel your pain. To poor to afford a out of state hunt ir a lease. BUT i do hunt corp land. You cant kill em sittin at the house. Get your permit, put your time in.Best of luck.

[BigL]

My elk tag? $47. And while you may be right about the drive time and cost, how many out of staters come up, pay the fees, but have buddy that already has the scouting done and knows where the animals are, or lives here, or has hired a guide? I would imagine there is a low number of folks that drive 12+ hours and pay the big bucks to hunt here don't just find a random patch of ground and call it good.

Go hunt this year and do some scouting while you're out there. I bet you can trade GPS coordinates for hunts in TX. I may be willing to let you hunt my small acreage in Burnet for info. If I already have a couple in the freezer, I'll make a trade.

You can even join me when I come up there hopefully next year for elk hunting.

[ShockValue]

My elk tag? $47. And while you may be right about the drive time and cost, how many out of staters come up, pay the fees, but have buddy that already has the scouting done and knows where the animals are, or lives here, or has hired a guide? I would imagine there is a low number of folks that drive 12+ hours and pay the big bucks to hunt here don't just find a random patch of ground and call it good.

You don't need inside information to get a head start. Do some research. Buy some topo maps. Invest in Huntin Fool and Eastman's Bowhunters Journal. There's a ton of stuff that will point you in the right direction. Then it just takes a little work and boot leather. You are close enough to do weekend scouting trips while most of us here are not.

I went with Keep last year to Colorado and he knew the place. The year before, another buddy and I put in blind for New Mexico and drew Unit 52. We went on a DIY 7 day hunt with zero scouting and no more recon than we could get from topo maps and Google Earth.

Did we kill an elk? No, but we had one bugling his brains out with 20 or 30 cows inside of 50 yards. That one morning was well worth the trip!

Just hunt! The killing comes with work......and luck.

[DorothyNotKeegan]

We Texans do the same thing but drive 12-15 hours and pay $575 for a tag. How much is your tag?

Just sayin'.

I'd do it again with the same group in a minute!! What a blast....just the whole stigma of being in the mountains and nature. It was the best (comical) road trip and hunting trip I've bee been on!

Man what a bunch of memories....

[ShockValue]

I'd do it again with the same group in a minute!! What a blast....just the whole stigma of being in the mountains and nature. It was the best (comical) road trip and hunting trip I've bee been on!

Man what a bunch of memories....

Yep, yep! I'm dieing because I'm not going this year. No checking my packing list, no shooting out to 60, no going over maps and Google earth, no cow calling in my truck creeping out ladies at the stop lights.

I'm dieing over here!!!!

I guarantee I'm going somewhere next year! And I have an entire year to prepare!

[DaveS903]

Come out to Diamond C and hunt with us. We always have a good time!

[chester12]

Me, no place to hunt, and I don't have time or money to scout public land, and then hunt public land.