Colorado Whitetails

[FoCoBlackWidow]

Hi everyone,
I finally gave in to my father's advice and decided to join TradGang! While I'd say moving from WI to CO last winter is the greatest thing I've ever done, I'm really starting to miss my whitetails now that it should be "prime time" and I'm not out hunting. Interested in hearing how the whitetail hunting has been in CO and if anyone has any advice on what/when/where a guy should start planning for the seasons ahead. I'm not going to be able to handle this "no whitetails" thing for long!
Thanks for any advice and good luck to all.

[Cootling]

The west (including CO) has very good whitetail hunting (dare I say better than WI?).  The key determinant is probably your ability to get access to good whitetail property.  Good luck!

[Steve O]

Most guys in CO that I know don't use their deer points to hunt WT.  They go to KS and NE.

[beaneater]

I'm from WI and have hunted both the Platte and Republican river bottoms for whitetails. You won't miss WI at all! It will be hard to find a place to hunt but well worth the effort. Ks and NE offer great hunting as well. There is some really great Mule deer hunting on the flats as well. Good luck.

[jonsimoneau]

Hey, I live in Illinois, and have always wanted to hunt CO for whitetails!  There are some excellent opportunities if you can get into them from what I have heard.

[steadman]

There is some good (well it used to be) public places out by Sterling. I drew a tag when I lived out there and had a ball. Shot a nice 4 point (have to start counting like a western guy now that you live out here    ) and saw a few that were real big. PM me if you would like more details. As said before, Nebraska is pretty close and has some great opportunities as well.

[COLongbow]

Welcome to Colorado and TG!
I have a buddy who hunts Whitetails in eastern CO every year and consistently does well. I'm told there are some monsters, but be prepared to press the flesh with some landowners.

[Dusty Nethery]

Select parts of Colorado = BIG whitetails.

As others have said, most save their points for mule deer, so the whitetails are ripe for the pickin'.

Dusty

[hayslope]

Like Kerry said.......EASTERN CO......no doubt there are some ranches leased by folks, but get a map and start knocking on some doors.  It will be seriously different hunting compared to WI, but there are some outrageous slammers roaming that part of the state and many will eventually die of old age.

In my mind, the WT is a seriously untapped goldmine in eastern CO.  A taxidermist that I knew north of Denver had a typical WT mount in his workshop that would have gone over 190".  He asked me if I thought it was a big one when I made such a fuss over it.  Compared to some of his Mule Deer mounts....maybe it did seem small....but it was an amazing brute of a WT.

I can always look back and say I wasted much of my time living in CO chasing mulies...especially since I was within reasonable driving distance of some incredible whitetails.  Since the WTs are found on the large private ranches, it just takes more effort on the part of the hunter to gain access.  At times, it seemed like mulies were everywhere.

Head east and knock on some doors.  You just might get set up somewhere that you have a chance at a serious WT.

[FoCoBlackWidow]

Thanks for the input, guys. I've only seen a few whitetails since I've been here, but I don't spend much time out on the plains yet. It seems like you all agree on KS/NE for your whitetails, too, so at least I guess there are options every year. I don't even need big horns, just deer! WI has gone down hill where I'm from for the past several years, so it won't take much to get me excited again. Greatly appreciated!

[Kelly]

Jordan; Is your dad, Gary? If so, I've known him since the early 1980's. Tell him "hi" the next time you talk to him. Guess he is on his way up to Dale's.

There are some true monsters out there in the Eastern Plains of Colorado along with some equally huge Muleys. Now is the time to get after them. If you don't have a valid tag then get out there and scout for an area to hunt next year. Now is the best time to find them out and about. Don't just focus on the river bottoms-the rough broken agricultural plains have many deer. Get out your maps, spend some time on Google Earth and get out there. When you find a promising area start knocking on doors.

[FoCoBlackWidow]

Kelly,

Absolutely! He's headed to Dale's tomorrow. This is my first season without a trip or three up to the cabin, and it's eating at me. I don't have a tag for this year (established residency after the application deadline), but I'm doing my best to gather information from all of the generous people on here and seeing what I can do with that.

Thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to tell my dad you say hello. How has the hunting been for you?

[Kelly]

Jordan;

Sent you an email via this site.

Actually haven't hunted a single time so far.

Thanks, Kelly