Hey all,
I have for the second time in a year seen the possibility of I and the family moving to Denver CO.
Its odd how this city keeps calling out to me. So once again I am going to ask some bowhunting questions.
Are there many 3D traditional or traditional friendly clubs there? How long does it take to drive from one part of the city to another? I have a POOR understanding of how large this city is.
I understand All hunting seasons are in one month. Which Month is it? Are you limited to one type of critter hunted per year? Do you buy expensive tags which will bankrupt me if I want to stalk on 3 different critters? Do I need to leave my climbing treestand in North Carolina? Do I need to get better at taking 40 yard shots?
I once saw a video of mounted archery being done in Denver. My daughter loves archery and horseback riding. Is there a place there she can enjoy this sport?
I REALLY dont want to live out on the dry freaking prairie. Are there places out on the west side (mountain side) of the city that can still allow a reasonable commute to Aurora. How far are the mountains from Denver?
I am kindof ranting now, Let me know what you trad folk in Denver have to say,
Brian G
Denver as a city to me is small But then again I'm From NY. There are LOTS of Suburbs of Denver, Archery Friendly YES. Trad Friendly, To be determined... There is a decent amount of trad shooters, and plenty of 3d shoots so.. You have to determine this one for yourself. ELK, deer and bear are during the same season, Mainly the month of September you are only limited to the licence you can get. You can get one tag per animal per yr in most unlimited units, there are many, however Massively over hunted (IMO) Pronghorn Starts 2 weeks prior to that season, Sheep goats and moose .....You have a better chance at winning americas next top model. :laughing: you have a better chance getting those as a non resident.
I dont know when you will be eligible for residency, youll have to check with the colorado DOW for that.
Tree stands are personal preference, On public land you might want to be on foot, in this type of county you might want to be on foot..
40 yds? I wont touch that one...
you can be in the mountains from aurora in 1 hr the farther in the mountains you live the more it will cost.... well that depends on your standard of living of course. Colorado is very horse friendly if you can find a friendly horse, Kids and archery is Always encouraged..
Best of luck
It would be a no brainer for me to put NC in the rearview mirror! Denver is HUGE and if anyone tells you different their perspective might be off a bit ... ; ^ )
I have a friend there and he also hunts Wyoming. Lot of people and lots off opportunity but you may have to work a bit to find seclusion.
There is a late deer season in the east part with monster deer of both species in the cottonwood bottoms. You DO NOT have to shoot 40 yards to be successful out there and if anyone tell you other wise they are a schmuck.
I think $200 will get you deer, elk, and antelope tags with a big pocket full of change.
Compared to eastern states and most states in the west, Colorado is a bowhunter's paradise. The elk herd is by far (by nearly three times) the largest in North America. Other big game are plentiful such as mule deer, white-tail (east CO), black bear, shiras moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats. Of course most of these critters require you to win a lottery but there are ample over the counter hunting opportunity for elk, deer, and bear -- especially for residents. The resident license fees are often only 10% as high as nonresidents even though the federal public lands are as much the nonresidents as the residents (but that is another hot topic). YOu'll pay far more for gas if you hunt a lot than you'll pay on license fees as a resident. You'll also be close to some great hunting in neigboring states. The tree stand can come in handy for waterhole or wallow elk hunting. You should plan on learning to call elk and spot and stalk is an important skill for the western hunter. Like others have suggested, the 40-yard shooting question is a very personal decision but becomes more than personal if you do it poorly and give the rest of the bowhunting commmunity a black eye. You should be able to get 15-25 yard shooting opportunities every season and never have to shoot 40 yards. I highly recommend you practice at one and a half to twice the distance you intend to shoot. It is a very rare bowhunter, especially with traditional equipment that should even think about shooting that far. It is also a rare beast that might not change position while that 40-yard arrow is enroute -- resulting in a miss or poor hit. There are some terrific locations to hunt in Colorado besides Denver that will get you to less congested public areas; Montrose, Kremmling, Buffalo Park (above the Rabbit Ears Pass and Steamboat Springs), & Craig.
Finally, if you are leaving bowhunter friends and family back in the east, they are going to expect you to become a Colorado hunting expert in short order so they can come visit in say ....September?
I believe my son (who moved out there in Nov.) has stated that it takes 6 months to be a resident. So any tag buying for you this year would be as a non-resident. But there's nothing wrong with buying a $250 non-resident cow elk tag and learning. That's what I'll be looking at in the years that I'll be out there.
Excellent catch knobby! Make sure you study the regulations when you move. We get so used to our home-grown regulations that it is easy to assume things that aren't when you change locations!
ttt
Brian, Here lived out here for 7 years, It's a good town - most have covered the basics of the hunting - but keep in mind your within 4 hours of New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Nebraska - so your hunting opportunities are only limited by your budget & expectations.
As far as the town - it is fairly spread out & traffic can be pretty horrible - there's basically one main E-W highway and one N-S. If you have to work in Aurora, you may want to look to the south side of town around parker and castle rock - there is a toll road you can take around town to the east. There are some mild hills with pines down that way. Commuting from the western hills to Aurora will be a 45-1hour commute unless you are travelling during off hours.
I wouldn't be overly worried about coming out here if I were you. Only thing that really gets to me (I'm from South Texas) is the springtime weather - from Feb-May it will go from 75 & sunny to freezing & snowing within the course of a week.
Contact the boys at RMSgear up top - the Clums are great ppl.
jer bear
http://www.coloradobowhunting.org/index.html
http://www.colotradarchers.com/
http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/
http://www.huntinmaps.com/catalog/paper-maps/elk
http://www.rmsgear.com/