Thinking on moving to Denver, CO

[el greco]

Little premature, but if everything works out, I might be moving up there in 2 years. How is the hunting up there for a fellow that wants to hunt public land and that will have little time?
And please ,if you are kind enough to answer, dont just think big, but also think squirrels, rabbits etc. Stupid question, but are there hogs up there? Turkey? Besides Elk, what other animals do you guys hunt? Finally how far would I have to travel from Denver for all that? Thank you.

[myshootinstinks]

Well, no hogs for sure. High population, you'll need to drive a ways to get into good hunting. There's elk, deer, antelope very near but not that are available to hunt.  I have to admit I only lived in Denver for part of one year but spent 20 or so years in Colo. Springs.
      I enjoyed it back in the early 1970s but it has grown so much.....that's why I moved north.

[ChuckC]

There are things to hunt, and as a resident, they are a lot cheaper than as a visitor for sure.  Denver is a big city, with a lot of folks.  

Ask about the east west corridor (highway) leading from Denver to all parts west, going thru beautiful mountains and such (good thing), and getting backed up like all heck with all the traffic (really bad thing).

Elk are addictive, mulies ( normal sized ones, as trophy anythings are a different animal) sure don't seen as skittish as whitetails, the turkeys that they have out there sure like to follow me around and are nothing at all like eastern's in that temperament.  Fair number of bears out there.  I don't recall seeing a lot of bunnies, but grouse can be numerous, depending on the year.

It is (Colorado) a great place to visit, and I do it as often as I can, never lived there though.

ChuckC

[skilonbw]

What part of Denver. Overall traffic is bad and not getting better. Home prices are going up and getting hard to found good value for a place to live. There is hunting to be had for small game nearby. For the bigger animals like deer and elk most of the units east of the divide are draw, but can get a leftover tag. Antelope is fun but got to find a farmer to let you trespass for them. I70 that Chuck refers to is getting incredibly busy on weekend to the point during peak times it can be a 3-4hr crawl from denver to summit county or back.

[old_goat2]

Live on the west side of town when you get here. No hogs as mentioned. There's plenty of public land close, hour and a half or less. Whitetail waterfowl and upland to the east of town, mulie and pronghorn various places, elk in the mountains and small game every where. Best of all rmsgear is a short drive away.

[old_goat2]

And if you have the coin start banking preference points, to late this year but you could get a turkey preference point in the fall season draw. They will convert from non resident to resident as that happens

[kevsuperg]

Come to coeur d'alene idaho with me!!

[nineworlds9]

My little brother (TG handle "FormerLifeShooter") is a native Floridian just like me and after he got out of the Navy last year he relocated to the west side of Denver and has never been happier.  He currently lives less than a mile from RMS Gear's new location and is just having a ball exploring the mountains and learning the land.  I don't think you'd regret moving one bit.  I can't wait to visit out there next year.

[WESTBROOK]

Lived there for 13 years, Arvada, Wheatridge, Thornton and Aurora. The whole front range is one big ant hill anymore, just way too many people for me.

[pumatrax]

Evidently you must be thinking about moving to Denver for an employment opportunity ; I couldn't imagine another reason to move there...If you don't have to work ; move to a small mountain town...I'm a native from CO. (born in Colorado Springs)but have lived in a VERY small mountain town for over 20 years...

[myshootinstinks]

" Best of all rmsgear is a short drive away."   Yep, now that's something I can agree with. Tom and his crew are great, best trad-gear shop in the west.
    I've been in WY for over 20 years but if I were going back to CO, which I may do someday due to aging parents still there, I'd look at southern CO or the western slope.

[centaur]

The western slope still has some of what used to be Colorado before the front range got so overgrown. I 70 can be a big parking lot on weekends coming out of Denver. Every time I have to go down there, I am sure glad that I live where I do. The only saving grace to Denver is that RMSG is there, as mentioned above. That said, if you like big cities and snarled traffic, Denver may be just the place.

[pumatrax]

The good news about living anywhere but Denver is that RMSG will ship to ya !!!

[BWallace10327]

I guess if you are used to metropolitan areas and want to be near mountains its ok.  In my case, every time I HAVE to go there I feel like I've done something wrong and am receiving a punishment.  I hate that place, just because it is a big city.

[pumatrax]

x2

[Danny Rowan]

Used to love Denver in the 70's,spent some time at the air force base there doing some training, would not live there now if they paid me to. Was back there in the early 2000s and it sure had changed, I cannot imagine what it is like now.

[WESTBROOK]

I will say it is the best weather/climate you will find and still have all 4 seasons. The dry high plains air makes the cold less cold and the hot less hot.

Danny, they closed Lowry AFB in the 90's, not sure what they did with Fitsimmons and Buckley field was still there last I knew.

[SCATTERSHOT]

I live here, and love it. Denver proper is getting big and overcrowded, but if you live on the west side it's only an hour or so to public land. (I'm talking National Forest land, lots of it.

Look at a map of Colorado, and note how much of it is National Forest.

Big game, small game, you name it, and it's probably here.

If I were to do it all over again, though, I'd look over on the Western Slope around Delta and Montrose.

Come on down!

[Nantahala Nut]

Ever consider Western NC / Eastern TN?  We got lots of public land out here and some beautiful mountain country.  Deer numbers are on the rise, bears are all over and there is a pile of turkeys.  Good squirrel hunting opportunities and all the trout fishing you can handle.  If you get southwest of Haywood county it is very rural and not as much tourism.  Lots of great people here too! Just want to put a plug in for all the great western nc tradgangers that have answered my questions and welcomed me to the fold

[Nantahala Nut]

I forgot to add there are wild boar/ feral pigs.  Some descendants of the russian boars out in Graham county NC