Colorado 2013 Archery Elk Season Dates- Better!

[CrazyElkHunter]

I was checking the regs. for 2013 seasons and realized the archery season starts a week later next year. Fantastic! I must be getting old, since I did not already notice this before now. Should make for a good season for both archers and muzzleloaders with the later start. Takes us to the 29th of Sept. which would put us deeper into the rut for calling. The last 4 years in our area the bulls have been extremely quiet with the heat, drought, hunter pressure, to many cow tags given on previous years and too early of a start. My last 2 bulls were taken the 25th and 30th of Aug. Even though I still filled my tags over wallows and water holes in Aug., I still stay the entire season to help others and I love talking to elk. I am strictly a bowhunter and only hunt elk once a year and try to make the most of it. I am not one of those that can afford to hunt more than one state per year due to the cost of tags and gas. Last year, $1200.00 for gas and $900.00 for elk and bear tags. Elk, deer and bear next year will be just under $1300.00 and no telling how much gas will be. Retired on a fixed income and can not move to Colorado due to family commitments forces me to tighten the belt a little more each year. I did not think that I could get more excited about making plans for any next years hunt, but when I saw the dates and moon phases, I got a little more pumped. Been doing this for over 30 years and still got the fever.

[cnelk]

Bill
It was also recently changed so ML season is still the 3rd week of archery.
Originally is was to land the last week of archery

[dotman]

I wish they would just put a fixed date in place.

[CrazyElkHunter]

Bill
It was also recently changed so ML season is still the 3rd week of archery.
Originally is was to land the last week of archery

That would have been weird Brad! Muzzys always been the 3rd week of archery season as long as I can remember. Never saw or heard of that being changed. Someone in the office must have found the moonshine again!

[buglmin]

Dont get too excited, cause according to what I've read on the CBA site, the season will go back the way it was next year...it was done this way cause of the way August is on dates this year, or something like that.

[cnelk]

A quote from another site....

'Just a note about future starting dates.
Just because the 2013 archery elk season will start on Aug 31st does not mean future dates will be changed to that late in Aug.

When the Division elected to start the 2013 season on the 4 weekend in August, that action allowed the ML season and the last week of archery to overlap in Sept, something that had never happened before. So by changing the season to the 5th saturday in Aug, the ML/archery overlap was eliminated in Sept.

Traditionally, the Early Season starts the last weekend in August.

The confusion was around the fact there are 5 saturdays in August in 2013.

The 2014 season will revert back to the orginal intent.'

[CrazyElkHunter]

Well at least we will have 1 year with the later season. It still has to be finalized in Jan. 2014 meeting. The older I get I only plan 1 year at a time anyway and do not buy green bananas

[dotman]

And of course this change happens the year I decide to skip CO and goto ID

[bowhunterty]

May have to head for Colorado this year. Hook up with some old buddies from the Marines. Those dates make it easier to plan.

[Broken arrow]

My heads spinning trying to decide 2nd & 3rd or 3rd & 4th week? I bet it will be really crowded the last week!

[bowpackerrob]

Thinking definitely the last 10 days, bulls ought to be very vocal that late in September.

[Herb]

Snow can be deep too!!

[CrazyElkHunter]

My heads spinning trying to decide 2nd & 3rd or 3rd & 4th week? I bet it will be really crowded the last week!

I solved that problem when I retired in 2003 and stay the entire archery season 9 years now and love every minute of it. Took all the pressure off of what weeks to hunt and plenty of time to fill the freezer. Hunting the entire season allows me to see all phases of the change in elk habits and aspens turn from green to gold. In 2011 it rained a lot, and when we woke up to rain we just slept in knowing we had plenty of time. I try to avoid from bowhunting in the rain anyway due to blood trail getting washed out. As for snow during archery season we seem to only have any measurable snow once or twice every 10 years or so. Last season was a drought season with dried up creeks, ponds and wallows the entire season and elk were scattered.

[Broken arrow]

I'm leaning to 2nd & 3rd week I'm think everybody and their bother will be out there the last week!

[Herb]

Just curious why there is so much thought that the last week will have more hunting than any other year, say this year?? I know it's as late in the month as we'll ever see it, but there's plenty of other variables too.

Still going to be plenty of people that will want to hunt before the smokepoles, new moon September 5, full moon September 19.

I probably hunt the last week more than any other, just wondering.

[buglmin]

It seems that the elk rut here in Colorado is getting later and later every year. We see more rutting and hear more bugling by the first week of October. The bugling and chasing was still going good in the second gun season here in sw colorado, which was really strange. And thats why you always here guys that hunt colorado wishing they had one more week.
Personally, we've killed our biggest and best bulls before the first week of September.

[cnelk]

Not sure if having the last week to hunt when this could really dampen a few days of hunting...

I will hunt the last part of the season if I have to, but I will concentrate my efforts on the earlier part