Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game New to Forum - Need Help Please

Hello from the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. I need some advice from some of you CO hunters if possible. I was asked to go on my first hunt to CO a couple of weeks ago and after buying our leftover Mule Deer permits for the second rifle season this week for GMU's 391 and 461, I discovered that most of the land is private. The guy I'm going with made an honest mistake and looked at the wrong maps. So now what? We are out $350 a piece for tags and no place to hunt. Is there any public land available to hunt in these units??? What are our options? Any advice would surely be appreciated! Many thanks!!

Welcome to the Fire and best of luck to ya

Dober

Welcome to the Fire, your tags can be refunded if you mail them in before the season starts. Call the DOW and explain it, let them know the tags are coming in.
Not to rub it in, but the GMU maps are overlayed with the Forest Service boundaries now.
Edit:
There is the tiniest amount of Forest Service that you could hunt in 461. Maybe 2,000 acres total along a stretch of highway.

Go to the Colo DOW website, and send an e-mail requesting information. If nothing else, someone there can send back what percentage is private to public. Stating the problem, they might even offer a solution.
I had a situation earlier this year that called for some advice due to some limitations and they gave me the best advice I have gotten in years, along with giving me a direction to go with 4 different units.

Heck of a way to start as a Campfire member.

But the right place to look for help. See above.

Steve

Thanks for all the replies guys. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to look at the maps since my partner is 4 states away. I did send an email to the DOW and well...one GMU was 100% private and the other one was 99%. I really hate to request a refund since I was looking so forward to seeing your part of the country for the first time! Hopefully, something will work out. Also wanted to invite you all to our state website for whitetails...TNDEER.COM We are still working on the ELK although we had the first draw hunt for ELK in our state last year. 4 Hunters were drawn to make TN history. Thanks again.

You could turn those tags back in and buy vouchers for a different unit. It would cost you whatever the voucher is plus the license fee

dbd

My wife read my comment and said that I sounded kind of disrespectful, in no way did I have that intention. I was meaning "heck of way to start out with some troubles". But looks like you got some good advice and to help you get turned in the right direction. Lots of good guys on this forum with lots of wisdom and knowledge.

Respectfully so,

Randy

No problem Randy. I knew what you meant. Thanks.

Darren

Ok. Thanks. I appreciate the information.

This whole ordeal is turning into the weirdest hunting trip I've ever seen. After talking to the DOW several times today, I've been told I can return my tags with a letter and try to get in another unit. Problem is...there are no other decent units left with Mule Deer tags for the second rifle season.

So I call a buddy of mine who I go to church with because I know he's been on several Elk hunts in Colorado to get some advice and wouldn't you know it, him and two other friends of mine are going to be Elk hunting in units 12, 23 and 24 the same week and have invited us to come camp and hunt with them. Unbelievable luck. Now I guess the question is...will the DOW let me return my Mule Deer tag so I can buy a leftover bull elk tag over the counter when I get out there...? Who knows...it will all change again by tomorrow anyway.

Count your blessing one by one.

Wish you luck..

Yes sir. You are correct. Thanks Randy.