For most of us serious hunters the thought of owning your own private Colorado hunting ranch with abundant game inspires dreams of grandeur. So whether you are looking for that "dream ranch" of 1000 acres or more, or planning to buy your own little corner of the world in a 35 acre subdivision, some basic points should be considered before you buy that property. This document is intended to focus on the selection of a big game hunting property in Colorado. The basic premise could also apply to surrounding states.
Location
We often get tired of the old adage about location, but it applies to hunting in a significant way. Colorado has the largest elk herds in the country and they are found in all mountain areas of the state. Some elk are even seen wandering to the Eastern Plains (their original habitat) and have been seen in Limon and other eastern Colorado communities and ranches.
There are, however, parts of the state where elk have a higher degree of concentration. For example, the Northwest Region contains almost half of the 250,000+ elk in Colorado. Additionally, there are very good pockets of concentration throughout the state and you need to know these areas to make an informed decision.
Deer are found just about everywhere in Colorado. The mountain hunting units hold about 90% of the deer with the Northwest part of the state holding almost 300,000 of the 600, 000 deer. Again, excellent deer hunting can be found in and on almost every ranch in Colorado.
Habitat
Food, water, and shelter are the three essentials that enable big game to thrive. To the degree that your new Colorado property has any or all of this, it will improve your odds of having good hunting opportunities.
While deer and elk are also found at all elevations, the ideal habitat is in the 6,500 to 9,000 range. Your Colorado ranch land, depending on location, may only support deer and elk during a certain time of the year, as many of the herds migrate. It is important to understand, for the area that you choose, if there are resident herds or migratory herds? Are they there during hunting season, or do they just winter there?
Agricultural production will draw animals to your ranch property, but absent of hay production, a property with natural meadows, some water and good browse is going to be essential for game to call your Colorado land, home.
Game Management Units
Colorado is divided up into Game Management Units (GMU).
It is very important that you understand what unit(s) the subject ranch property sits in to understand what your opportunities may be. To begin with, there are four big game rifle seasons in Colorado. In addition, there is an archery season and a muzzle loader season. You will want to know what is the best season or seasons to hunt the subject property. This goes back to the discussion of resident herds, versus migratory herds. Also, you may want to consider the rut, (archery, muzzle loader) or later season to improve the chances for cooler weather and snow.
In Colorado, all deer and many elk tags are draw only, using a preference point system. So the next question is, how many preference points do I need to hunt the subject property? The answer to this question can vary from zero to several. This could mean having to wait a few years to hunt on your new ranch. Some good news is that for those properties in trophy game units, there are typically landowner tags available. The minimum acreage is 160 to qualify, and as the acreage goes up, so do the available tags.
Public Land
Colorado has millions of acres of public land including US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and State land. There is some excellent hunting on a lot of this land, especially areas that have limited access to the public. In Colorado, it is illegal for the public to access public land directly through private land without permission. Therefore, in your search for the ideal hunting property, proper selection of properties adjoining public land can significantly increase your hunting acreage without increasing you cost.
At Colorado Ranch for Sale we have decades of big game hunting experience throughout the state and are prepared to help you through the process of selecting that ideal Colorado hunting land.
