Colorado Hunt Suggestions?

[Matt in AK]

Howdy Folks,

    I'm looking for some advice on a Fall '05 hunt in Colorado. Here's the background info... I went to CSU and graduated in '88; shot a few mulies but I imagine things have changed since then. My folks are retired and living in Loveland. Dad is 67-years-old but in pretty good shape (ran the Turkey Trot race earlier this week) with a heart-attack under his belt two years ago. His only big game animal was a pronghorn doe. He hunts to socialize with family. My brother-in-law lives in Longmont and had never owned a gun until he married into our family -- now he's bought a couple handguns and I gave him a an 1100 for sporting clays. He's interested in hunting but hasn't been yet.
    We hope to get out together in Fall '05 somewhere in Colorado. I realize you can't have everything, but here's what I'm hoping for...
- Good chance to draw a tag (even if only one of us gets one)
- Cows/does are just as good as bulls/bucks
- High chance of success; really looking for bro-in-law or dad to fill a tag. I can "guide" and keep camp running...
- If we backpack in, we'll only fill one tag...so that we're not packing meat for days
- Muzzleloader hunts OK -- but rifle more likely
- We'll use my 8-man Kifaru tipi (kifaru.net)
- Scenery is almost as important as critter density
    What would you suggest? Not looking for any honey holes, just suggestions and a good vector check.

Thanks,
Matt in AK (not really in AK...stuck at the Pentagon)

[crow_feather]

I had a problem like yours, but it was before the age of the computer.  I found several guides in the area I wanted to hunt and contacted them.  They were nice enough to assist me in finding the area I needed to be.  The hunt went well.  

Best of luck in your endeavor.

C F

[roper]

I think the overall harvest of both elk and deer was pretty high and I have a feeling the deer tags may be scaled back this coming year and about the same for cow elk.  I kind of like the middle park area been hunting that for about 30yrs now.  Outside of this year about the last 3 here in colorado haven't been that great on public land drought and mild winter made hunting alittle hard.  Problem with muzzle season is got the bow hunter out the same time.   Since there going to be 3 of you might want to look at a drop camp just check the guide out and talk to his past clients.  I'd look around the Steamboat Springs area also Eagle,Kremmling and some of the areas around southpark  I don't know too much about the Western Slope(Grand Juntion area).  Well good luck!

[macbullet]

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[Matt in AK]

Thanks guys.  I actually heard the December cow hunt suggestion on another board as well.  That might be nice.  I could bring the whole family to my folks' for Christmas and do a bit of hunting too. :-)