Archery season vs 1st Rifle Season (CO)

[Coveyleader]

Has anyone noticed that our archery seasons are getting very crowded? I think it safe to say that archery seasons are very popular nowadays vs back in the 80s when I first started hunting. At the risk of sounding arrogant (stick with me) I've found that archers tend to be a bit more "hardcore" as well as a bit younger which translates into getting to the backcountry where as many rifle hunters are a bit older, and not so eager to go way in. Please note, this is a simple generalization I know this isn't the case. So you ask where am I going with this?

Well, when I first started bowhunting back in the early 80s, I did so to get away from rifles as well as having more time hunting. I think many can relate. The last 10 years or so I've experienced it all in OTC CO units but it struck me about 8 years ago when I took my brother into the same overrun OTC unit during the 1st rifle season. What I saw (or didn't see) was there were no hunters. None! We had herds of elk to ourselves in fact we left some on the side of the hill to come back the next day when conditions were better so he could kill that specific bull. Fluke? I don't think so, 4-5 times since then, we simply have the whole place to ourselves. Its crazy to think I bring my family and friends in there after I've archery hunted the same area and we're putting more, and better bulls on the ground. Heck, one year we killed 3 bulls in 5 days! I can also say the bugling is still going strong and we hear them daily. Sure the last few years we've seen a few more people at the trailhead (camps) but we've never seen one person while hunting. To top this off, last year I took a friend (75 years young) in there and he killed a bull dreams are made of (his first bull ever) I mean a tank! We had all kinds of chances and it felt like we were hunting private land or some ranch.

So where am I going with this rant? Is it time for a change? I'm a died in the wool bowhunter and I've arrowed my share of great animals but one can argue that hunting is about experiencing the fall, being alone in quiet places, etc etc. It seems archery seasons these days are just the opposite of what I'm looking for. Archery seasons of late for me, has been getting up 3 hours earlier than the next guy to hunt an area for and hour before I run into someone. The list goes on and on.

Anyone else notice this trend where they hunt? Has the tide changed? Or is this an isolated case? I think the fact its an "Elk" only season that is only 5 days long forces many guys with limited vacation to pick the 2nd season where they can hunt both deer and elk.

[ferris bugler]

I couldn't agree with you more. I am the same in that I started hunting archery because the hill sides were specked with orange. Now during archery season I am constantly calling in other hunters, running into campsites that people leave up for the entire season, and finding more and more call shy bulls. My last three rifle seasons I haven't seen another hunter, and I hunted 2nd season OTC. And the bulls have been going bananas. I don't think I'll give up the stick and string, but the things that I used to love about archery are now the things I love about rifle season. Solitude, quiet, and wilderness.

[cnelk]

I would contribute the increase in archer numbers to the better technology in bows and archery equipment.
I mean really, who hunts with a bow that 10 years old now? Maybe a few, but not many.

Look at the advantages in calls. And who wouldnt want to hunt closer to the rut?

Also,
The weather is nicer, leaves are changing, its a great time to be in the woods.

Good topic...

[buglmin]

I love the first gun season...what a great time to be in the field chasing elk!!
The number of bowhunters have increased, a lot!! Its not so much the growth of technology, cause Ive talkd to over 50 traditional guys coming out this year on their first elk hunt. Its just the fact that the number o bowhunters are increasing, and in the OTC tag areas, F&G are getting rich!! The fact that F&G boost that Colorado has the highest number of elk, the tags are easy to get and are cheaper then other states, plus Colorado is closer for the guys from back east. The interest in elk hunting has really grown because of the internet. Guys give out advice, tell others where to hunt, what drainages to hunt, and what other areas to look in for elk. The info given on sites like Bowsite or AT is unreal these days. Its simply amazing that guys know where to unt elk without ever coming out to scout first!!
For the past several years, everyone has noticed and talked about the rutting seeming to get later and later. Plus the fact that it honestly seems like our seasons are running about a month behind. We no longer start getting our snow storms til late November early December, the turkeys werent looking for hens till late April early May, the leafs dont start to change around here now till late September or early October...everyone notices these things around here, and talks of these things. Heck, last fall, the bulls were still bugling good the start of the second season!! And the first gun season can be like magic...The big bulls are talking their heads off, and running and gunning allows you to catch them as they push the cows through the timber. Love hunting/guiding the first gun season, and I apply for permits every year now for the first gun season. Id rather kill a big mature bull with a rifle/muzzleloader then a cow or raghorn with a bow anymore these days...to me, I love bowhunting, but it isnt the same as it used to be!

[bowgy]

I started archery elk hunting in the 80's and hunted into the mid nineties then moved out of elk country and gave it up until five season ago when I started again. I've noticed a huge increase in the amount of hunters! Back then I could hunt from logging roads in many different areas and only see a few other hunters rigs on the roads all season. By comparison back in the late 80's some friends asked me if I would take them out during rifle season. I was amazed there were trucks everywhere and the hills were crawling with people. Now archery season looks like that! I agree with cnelk I think it has to do with modern technology. A guy can walk into a shop and they can set a bow up for him, he only has to hold ten or twelve pounds at full draw, pushes a button or pulls a trigger to fire it. On top of that he can get a range finder that compensates for elevation. With a week or two of shooting he can probably shoot as well or better than many trad guys who have been practicing for years. Since I've been back in the hunt every hunter I've met at outfitter camps etc. hunts with a rifle except during archery elk season. I don't have any problem with rifles or rifle hunters I do it myself sometimes I'm just making some old timer observations.

[Swede]

I have noticed that crowding has been increasing in Oregon, and for over ten years it has been excessive in either sex otc units.

[Canvsbk]

I started bow hunting in the 60's. Enjoyed every minute of it. Then in the 80's all you guys started and it seemed like a zoo out there so I gave it up...

[Coveyleader]

Sounds like we have experienced the same as of late. Once an animal is down, are you still in awe? For me, its always cool walking up on an animal you've killed. Im not sure It would matter what was used. I've really been thinking of this when it comes to elk. A hunt with elk bugling without people vs tons of archers? Whats weird is the class of bulls I see during that time are much better.

Maybe I can convince my wife to get that tag again this year so I can at least get out there. I must admit, seeing a bull taken with a rifle is kind of neat after seeing many taken with archery gear. I guess variety is the spice of life as they say.

[buglmin]

I have guys calling me or pm'ing me a lot, and they all want a big bull. So truth be told, I tell them their best bet is the first gun season here in Colorado. I guide a lot during the first gun season, but stop guiding the second and third seasons, then guide again the fourth season. The reason for this is simple, BIG BULLS! Chasing elk when they're still bugling and responding great to the calls is unreal, and the fourth season, the weather and hunting pressure pushes them down and onto the big ranches we hunt. Makes for a nice, very fun hunt...plus, if I draw the first gun season tag, I can spend my Sept chasing big mulies and bear!! And maybe guide a bit to help out.

[Mikeha33]

I am one of the "guilty" party that you speak of, when it comes to overcrowding. I started bow-hunting when i was 14, in 1996, but solely for whitetails and turkeys, here in Kansas. However, and I am sure many other younger guys will agree with me, once the opportunity was presented to me at this stage in my life, where I am financially capable (despite what my wife thinks) of doing an out of state hunt, and knocking a hunt off my bucket list, I was all over it. I think that hunting took a rise in popularity around 2000, and many of the people from that generation have become financially secure enough, to start hunting outside of their comfort zones, and travelling a little more.

While it may be a burden to some guys, to have out-of-staters such as myself travel 1000 miles to hunt in your backyard, remember, the more hunters the better, and most of us are in it for the same reason, not to kill, but a true love of the outdoors, and the opportunities to experience things that non-hunters will never get to. Hunters pump as much into the economy as about any unorganized group of people in the Country, and the results show, with all of the new land acquisitions, monies, and gifts that groups such as the RMEF, DU, DW, QU, PF, and many other organizations that actually give back to us hunters, which would be lost in the world of commercial hunting if not for the efforts of those groups, which in most cases, recieve a lot of support from hunters.

I don't want that to sound too political, and I truly understand where your'e coming from, but also, I wanted to chime in from a guy who is part of the problem, a problem I'm glad to be part of, and hope to pass on in the future to other problems.

[AmericanBwana]

I did a hunter density study a few years ago for archery season.

In one unit near Denver, there were 12 hunters per square mile. Yes 12. Basically I took the number of hunters (from CPW stats), figured out how much public land there was, then assumed 80% of the hunters would be hunting 20% of the public land. Yes, the reported number of hunters covered the whole month, but my model assumed they were all in the field the same day (Absolute worst case).

Coveyleader makes some very good points.

As for me, I love getting out in the woods during Sept. The weather is great, and the elk are talking.

AB

[JGH]

+1 Mikeha33.

[Coveyleader]

MIke,

The point I was trying to stress is how archery at one time used to be a ghost town out in the woods, and now just the opposite. The first rifle here in Colorado for many years has been a great hunt to tag along on. No pressure, bugling elk.... I guess it shows how the times have changed along with equipment. For the guy who just likes to be involved with the outdoors, as of late, you can't do much better than that first season.

[mtnmutt]

Most people in Colorado know that out of state visitors are a key part of our economy. That includes hunters.

I lived in a small mountain town as the recession hit. Lower visitor numbers hurt small businesses bad. 2008-2011 was bad. 2012 was an off year because of wildfires. 2013 summer has been good for our small mountain towns despite some wildfires.

Most people hunting areas year after year see the higher hunter numbers for archery but generally know how to get to places in their areas where the other hunters do not go. I personally like seeing people enjoying our public lands as long as they are not abusing them. CO has such a big playground that we all can find our own little spots away from others. I may not like that someone else discovers my little hidey hole, but there are other hidey holes that await me. Now if I was elbow to elbow with other hunters like some Easterners encounter, I would likely stop hunting because part of my enjoyment comes from the piece and quiet and the remote feeling of being in Wilderness away from civilization.

I have watched in my GMU the archery numbers increase from 2008 (recession) to 2012. Most of the increase is the return of out of state hunters, however, I did not feel crowded last season by the increase. For my GMU, weekends are crowded by Coloradans with limited time. For one case, 4 local hunters ended up in my GMU because logging operations closed access to the GMU they normally hunt.

Each GMU has different hunter numbers. buglmin areas appear to have higher hunter numbers than my GMU. CPW publishes reports on hunters numbers per GMU. These are only ballpark numbers and do not account for weekday versus weekend numbers. Some hunters only go 2-4 days and that is it.
http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/Big ... stics.aspx