Never been hunting...noob questions!

[El Caballo Loco]

I'd like to go though. Any advice on where to start?

I've been spending time reading the regulations and what not but I'd like to hear it from some of you avid hunters out there. The CO DOW website seems a bit overwhelming. I was hoping I could just go somewhere, do some paperwork, pay some money, and go hunt.

All I'd like to do is hunt a deer for some meat. I think it would be more cost effective that going out and buying meat.

I've been reading up on everything I need to do to field dress the deer and pack it home.

I am Active Duty Army out of Fort Carson. I have a Remy 700 SPS Tactical as well as some 150gr. and 180gr. Core-Lokt. I have most of the supplies at hand that have been recommended to me but I lack a good knife. I plan on buying that soon.

Is it to late in the year to get a license/tag? If someone gives me permission to harvest a deer off their land do I still need a license/tag?
Do I get to pick where I go or am I sequestered to a random "GMU"?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Dr_Fwd]

Tag for future responses

[El Caballo Loco]

"Tag" as in I can't wait to see the flame fest on this idiot or "tag" as in some good advice for a beginner may pop up? Haha.

[mcantar18c]

"Tag" as in he has something to say, but is busy at the moment (probably something to do with this (http://www.co-ar15.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46191)) and will edit to add info later.

The big question is, do you know what to do with the deer once you've shot it?

[jscwerve]

I'd like to go though. Any advice on where to start?

I've been spending time reading the regulations and what not but I'd like to hear it from some of you avid hunters out there. The CO DOW website seems a bit overwhelming. I was hoping I could just go somewhere, do some paperwork, pay some money, and go hunt. Do you have a hunters education certificate? That is going to be step number one in obtaining a Colorado hunting license.

All I'd like to do is hunt a deer for some meat. I think it would be more cost effective that going out and buying meat.

I've been reading up on everything I need to do to field dress the deer and pack it home.

I am Active Duty Army out of Fort Carson. I have a Remy 700 SPS Tactical as well as some 150gr. and 180gr. Core-Lokt. I have most of the supplies at hand that have been recommended to me but I lack a good knife. I plan on buying that soon. All you rally NEED is the license, a gun, some orange and luck of the hunt. And then after that you just need to open up your wallet and spend god aweful amounts of money on all the stuff you WANT. As far as knives, get a game cleaning set (not very expensive at all) and a whetstone, you will need it.

Is it to late in the year to get a license/tag? If someone gives me permission to harvest a deer off their land do I still need a license/tag?
Do I get to pick where I go or am I sequestered to a random "GMU"? You need a tag to hunt on private land as well as public. It has to be a tag from that unit as well. You can find leftover and over the counter tags on the CDOW website. They regularly update to show what is left, and they are unit specific.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I'm not gonna sit here and bust your balls like the other guys as I am still learning myself. This is only my second consecutive year hunting since I was in high school. My best advise is to do a ton of reading, watch a lot of videos, go scout some areas, and of course ask questions.

Good luck!

[El Caballo Loco]

mcantar18c - For the answer to the big question, I'm supposed to drag it to the butcher without dressing it right?

Just kidding just kidding. I've been spending a lot of time reading on field dressing (the steps and what to and not to do), skinning or not skinning to let it age in hide, and making use of what I can.

I think the biggest hurdle will be gutting and skinning but I'm notorious at work for printing out steps for procedures and laminating them for future reference so I think I may benefit by doing the same for this as well. Make a cheat sheet or two and then drag it home.

Once I get it to the hizzy, getting my backstraps and tenderloins then moving on to quartering. I figure I could benefit from a book on butchering when it came time to do my quarters.

[El Caballo Loco]

I'm not gonna sit here and bust your balls like the other guys as I am still learning myself. This is only my second consecutive year hunting since I was in high school. My best advise is to do a ton of reading, watch a lot of videos, go scout some areas, and of course ask questions.

Good luck!


I do not have the Hunters Safety Course but it looks like the Sportsmans Warehouse next to my apartment will be having one next weekend. I'm also going to look into the internet courses too now that I've seen them.

Since you brought that up I got back on the DOW website and found that the same Sportsmans Warehouse is a "license agent" as well. I think I may drop in on them tomorrow.

Thanks!

[ridgewalker]

Chances of getting a deer license this late in the year is pretty slim. You will have to get a "left over" license. Before that even, you need the Hunter Safety Course. You will get a lot of info from that.

If I were you, I'd take the Hunter Safety Course in person and not over the internet. Then you can ask questions.

Next, I'd try to find someone at Fort Carson with local hunting experience who would be willing to help you out...next year.

Next, research between now and next April (when applications are due for a license) where you would like to hunt (pick 3-4 optional GMUs). As I recall, Fort Carson has some hunting allowed on it unless that has changed.

Best of luck and don't give up.

[ray1970]

Your best best bet is going to be to try to plan a hunt with someone who already hunts as they can help you through the whole process.

Get your hunters safety course out of the way first. You won't be able to get your license without it.

Pick the area you want to hunt in and put in for a license in that area. You will only be allowed to hunt in the area (or areas) listed on the license.

If you are wanting meat, I am going to recommend elk over deer for a few reasons. One, there is way more meat on an elk than a deer. Two, I have found it easier to find elk than deer. Seems like when you are looking for deer, all you see is elk. And, third, I have always had much better luck drawing an elk tag than a deer tag.

You mentioned something about you thought it would be cheaper to hunt your meat than buy it. I think by the time you are all said and done you might think differently. Seems like you never factor in the little things. My last trip I needed a new pair of boots, a couple of miscellaneous things for the camp that were no longer in serviceable condition and needed to be replaced, fuel for the truck to go there and back, food to last four days, and probably several other expenses I am overlooking. Pretty sure my last trip set me back well over $400 all together. I can buy a good bit of meat for $400.

Anyways, hopefully you get it all figured out and have a good time.

[DOC]

Hunter safety course. DOW has them and they are for free. It takes 4 hours of one night and 8 hours of the next day. A lot of your questions can be answered there. They will also go over do and don'ts like using binocules to see other hunters instead of your scope.
There is a part where you fire ten .22 rounds to show that you can be safe with a rifle. Not waving it around and stepping out of the booth to reload. Shot placement doesn't matter. Even if you get a perfect grouping... but I digress.

So start calling the DOW to ask them when the free class in your area is being held and then post it here so others can go.

The DOW guys hunt but are kind of green weenies so just sit there and shut up and learn.
Rounds over 6mm that have a velosity of 1000 fps or greater at a 100yds. So, no .223's and pistol rounds.

[El Caballo Loco]

Thanks for the direction guys. Obviously the hunter safety course is first. I'll knock that out and see where I end up. If it's to late to get a license, well, woe is me. I'll just have to try next year.

On another note, DOC, I saw a private using the ACOG on his M4 to look at someone during training. He had the weapon turned sideways to get his eye right up to the sight so the butt stock wasn't on his shoulder. What else is there to do but punch him in the back of the head?

"Sorry Sergeant, I was just trying to see where so and so was."

Disgusting.

[DOC]

Good call. Even before fort hood jihad that would have been the right call.

[sniper7]

I'd like to go though. Any advice on where to start?

I didn't read most of the responses, but CDOW website is first. get a hunters safety course completed. go to wal-mart and read the regs. lots of different kinds of hunting. small game and big game are the biggest differences. Check out all the species you can hunt in small game as there is a ton.
Big game is: deer, elk, moose, bear, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, mountain lion, and pronghorn. turkey is pretty much considered big game in colorado as well.

I've been spending time reading the regulations and what not but I'd like to hear it from some of you avid hunters out there. The CO DOW website seems a bit overwhelming. I was hoping I could just go somewhere, do some paperwork, pay some money, and go hunt.

There are plenty of places to do some hunts. not sure what kind of money you want to spend but it varies greatly. small game is much cheaper, but the meat yield will be much smaller. anywhere from $75-200 a day per hunter. you can even check out craigslist and there have been several on there people offer up. pheasant, goose, duck are all the most popular.

as for big game, I have seen as low as $500 for a cow elk hunt. price can range from $500-$10000+ for big game in colorado, just depends on what is guaranteed, what class of animal, private property or public land, fully guided or drop camp, what is provided, transportation, horses, lots of variables. As for meat, elk can produce 180-300 or so lbs. deer can vary from 50-150 lbs of meat, pronghorn usually around 40-60. not sure on bear as I haven't taken one and I am saving my points up for the best unit. moose I am unsure as well but I would imagine 350-500+.
I usually quarter my elk out, bring in a lot of scraps and take the backstraps home and take care of them myself and usually end up with around 200 lbs of meat.

All I'd like to do is hunt a deer for some meat. I think it would be more cost effective that going out and buying meat.

Yes, definitely much more cost effective, much better for you, lots of fun, much more rewarding and great for stories/memories. Even if you don't get one, you will still have an enjoyable experience.

I've been reading up on everything I need to do to field dress the deer and pack it home.

lots of different ways to do it. you can gut it and drag it out. You can also quarter it, which is basically taking off all 4 legs as they are really just ball joints and one you cut around them they come out pretty easy (make sure you leave evidence of sex on one of the rears). then saw off the forearms which have no meat on them. cut off the head if you want it. there is also plenty of meat around the neck that is good for burgers. the backstraps run along the spine on both sides and make you best steaks. also some more on the inside of the cavity along the spine. some people eat the liver and tounge but not me.

I am Active Duty Army out of Fort Carson. I have a Remy 700 SPS Tactical as well as some 150gr. and 180gr. Core-Lokt. I have most of the supplies at hand that have been recommended to me but I lack a good knife. I plan on buying that soon.

Yep, get a good knife, a sharpener, game bags, a bone saw, latex gloves, a good pack (i have a backpack and a pack frame (hauling an elk quarter without a solid frame would suck huge nuts).

Is it to late in the year to get a license/tag? If someone gives me permission to harvest a deer off their land do I still need a license/tag?
Do I get to pick where I go or am I sequestered to a random "GMU"?

There are Leftover licenses, but pickings are slim. I would get everything together and put in for deer next year. do some research on the CDOW site about the preference points required for each area. there are really good PDFs for each species. You could get a leftover elk tag pretty easily this year, or an over the counter archery tag but that ends in 5 days, so probably not really the thing to do.

Any advice would be appreciated.

let me know if you have more questions

[TSOTSI]

Don't shoot llamas

[sniper7]

Don't shoot llamas

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/where-hunt/2009/01/new-york-hunter-bags-trophy-montana-llama

[El Caballo Loco]

Thanks for the advice guys especially that concerning a llama, I never knew there was a visual difference between those and elk...now I know what an elk looks like.

It's a little late in the year to get the hunters safety course knocked out. Everyone seems to be booked up until mid Oct and some places even into December.

Like Sniper7 said, I may just get all my shit together and go next year. Not knowing if I will be deployed or TDY will be the gamble but one I'm willing to take.

[Seamonkey]

+1 to what everyone else said

Need hunter's safety class first. Once you get your certificate make sure you get verified in the system http://www.co-ar15.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27382

Being AD and on base I'm sure you could find some hunters that you could go with. Even if you can't hunt this year then maybe you could hang out with them at their camp and if they fill a tag then you can watch and learn what needs to be done.

Also, might want to focus on 1 species and gather info on them. You mentioned deer so get all the info for deer and not worry about small game, elk, moose and such for now

Edit: once you get your hunters safety class you can apply online next year. If you know you are going to deploy then you could at least apply for preference points for '13 or when ever you get back

[brokenscout]

Snipe[Beer]. I also still have 1 Goat tag availible.

[DOC]

Thanks for the advice guys especially that concerning a llama, I never knew there was a visual difference between those and elk...now I know what an elk looks like.

It's a little late in the year to get the hunters safety course knocked out. Everyone seems to be booked up until mid Oct and some places even into December.

Like Sniper7 said, I may just get all my shit together and go next year. Not knowing if I will be deployed or TDY will be the gamble but one I'm willing to take.
There is a shorter class for the temporary card. The one I mentioned is a lifetime hunter safety card. The shorter one I think is only good for a year?

[Combatmatt]

Im in the same boat as you, this'll be my first season.

Take the internet course. The next one's class portion is 16 OCT. The majority of the course is weapons safety, and the online portion can be completed as you feel like it and takes a total of 4 hours if you're not a mouth breather. (Be advised it will not teach you HOW to hunt, just how to hunt safely). The follow up course takes another 4 hours. Just sign up for the next one in the springs. I signed up for mine a week ago and finished yesterday (was done before half time of the morning game [Beer]).

3rd elk season doesnt start till 5 november anyway and most GMUs are over the counter for rifle during that season.

Find the dude in your BN that has the most bone collector/realtree/browning stickers on his truck and find out where hes going and can you come. Theres always someone in the unit thats a hunter and its more fun to take a buddy so chances are youl get a hook up. Just start to ask around and the opportunity will present itself.

Also check with range control by butts field/4 BCT about the regs to hunt on post, theres a couple sweet spots for elk.

[trailgunner]

Definitely get your hunter education certificate as soon as you can. Even if it is too late to hunt deer or elk, you will still have plenty of small game oportunities and when next years draw comes around you will be prepared.

[djjames]

Just checked the leftovers and there's plenty, plus deer are fairly stupid here so it helps. After you get your hunter's ed card out of the way and go to get a leftover tag make sure it's a public land tag. Lots of tags out there are private only or whitetail only so be careful.

-DJ

[DOC]

Also if you were born before 1941 you don't need a hunter's safety card. Its a regulation that sounds good but is something that we all were born into and take it as another step that has nothing to do with shooting cleaning and eating game.