Predator hunting Denver, CO area

K

Kyle Thompson

New member
I moved to lakewood, CO several months ago from MN. I would like to do some coyote hunting out here. I drove around a little today, took 25 north till I was pretty much out of the metro area. Then I headed east a few miles around Fort Lupton. It is crazy how much urban sprawl there is along the front range, seems like you cannot get away from it all! This seemingly endless concrete jungle with its non stop traffic is starting to drive me crazy.

I am wondering if anyone knows good public lands to hunt that is within a reasonable distance from denver. Seems like you have to drive a minimum of an hour to get to a place to hunt. I would like to know a decent place to start out hunting some yotes around here.

Also, is it better to hunt the plains or the Mountains? Do you call mostly out here or do you road hunt till you see one? As wide open as it is in the plains I would think that alot of people just road hunt till they spot one and then go after it, private or public land. I know thats what a lot of people did back in MN.

Thanks,

Kyle
 
Kyle, it's a little different here in CO. Road hunting is difficult because most of the land is private property. You cannot drive around, spot a coyote, then pursue it. You MUST have land owner permission before trespassing. The closer to the populated city areas you are, the harder it will be to get that permission. Even out in the boonies, outfitters have bought up the exclusive trespass rights from the ranchers.

What public land there is in CO has been worked over hard by every gun owner that can't get tresspass permission from someone.

Many of the predator hunters in CO do a lot of out of state hunting.
 
Get a BLM state map that shows the various land ownership status in different colors. There is a bit of public land (National Grasslands) in a patchy pattern north and northeast of Greely, up close to the WY border. That and drive around the whole northeast corner of CO, knock on a few doors, sooner or later you'll find some land to hunt on.

Most of the public land is in the mountains or on the west slope here. State land is controlled by who leases it, you have to ask their permission just as though it were private. Exceptions are "State Trust Lands" that are open to the public in fall/winter for hunting. The DOW website has the full catalog. Out east it's mostly private with a checkerboard pattern of state lands.

On a brighter note, I believe WY does not require an out-of-stater to have a WY license if all you're shooting is coyotes and P-dogs (better check though).
Oh, and yeah if it takes an hour to get anywhere around here, that's considered CLOSE. Welcome to Colorado!
 
Thanks guys for those quick replies, lot of good info, I appreciate it!

So a lot of the private land is leased to outfitters, I did not know that. I have a BLM map and saw all those state lands and there is a lot of them...I assumed that they would all be open to public hunting, thats dissappointing that they are not.

I also saw the pawnee nationanl grasslands on the map, looks to be about a couple hours away. Is it worth the trip?

Does WY have a lot of good public lands for yote hunting? Can you hunt on private land in WY without permission?

I know that there is a ton of public land in the mountians of CO but is the coyote hunting pretty good in the mountians? If so what public lands are specifically worth a visit? The closer to denver the better.

Kyle
 
Thanks guys for those quick replies, lot of good info, I appreciate it!

So a lot of the private land is leased to outfitters, I did not know that. I have a BLM map and saw all those state lands and there is a lot of them...I assumed that they would all be open to public hunting, thats dissappointing that they are not.

I also saw the pawnee nationanl grasslands on the map, looks to be about a couple hours away. Is it worth the trip?

Does WY have a lot of good public lands for yote hunting? Can you hunt on private land in WY without permission?

I know that there is a ton of public land in the mountians of CO but is the coyote hunting pretty good in the mountians? If so what public lands are specifically worth a visit? The closer to denver the better.

Kyle
 
Yes, there are good public spots in the mountains, but, as an ancient Chinese proverb states "coyotes are where you find them" . Just drive up there, find a spot and start calling.
Good luck.
 
My guess is that you'll get yourself in trouble hunting private land without permission wherever you are out here. Most ranchers are happy to have their coyote population diminished, so go ahead and ask. Wyoming probably has a lot less hunting pressure than CO, just because it has about 1/6 the people.

Mountain hunting 'yotes is tough, between the extra cold, snow, altitude, and thick cover. On the other hand the fur will be really nice in winter! They're up there, just a little harder to get.

Nowhere is really close to you, I suggest trying anywhere in the national forest where the terrain is more rolling than steep and where there are some clearings in the valleys. You'll have to get out and scout all the little dirt roads in the woods. Try the area southwest of Denver, go south on 85 to Sedalia then west on 67 up into the hills. Also try going north to Fort Collins, then taking highway 14 west through the Poudre River canyon. Beyond that there are rolling hills and valleys in the national forest. You can take this road through huntable public lands all the way into North Park, which has lots of BLM and national forest in and around it, as well as Arapaho national wildlife refuge in the middle of it (the town of Walden is right in the center of North Park). Check it out on your map.

Get the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer for Colorado. It's a large topo map atlas of the state, shows the different land status in color like your state map, and also shows all the little dirt roads winding through the woods. Worth it's weight in gold.
 
Kyle T, there are coyotes, EVERYWHERE, call wherever you want! The high mountain coyotes are a little more scarce, but they are THERE!! You just need to alter your tactics. If you're doing a good calling sequence, they will come, it's up to you to figure out, from where ?? You could call some coyotes in downtown Denver, if you wanted ! Probably better to NOT shoot, however!!
LOL!!! Point is, KEEP TRYING !!! Wherever !
Mark
 
I saw one last Friday night on my way home from work at 112th and Sheridan. I've also seen 2 that were hit by cars on U.S. 36 on my way to work. So they are everywhere. I've hunted north of Ft. Collins and so has everyone else and their grandmother. I never got or even saw any coyotes. I have also gone out to the national grasslands again without much luck. Not much cover but at least I did see some. They were to far for a shot but I did see some. I would recomend asking ranchers as most would be happy to see less coyotes.
 
Kyle, I hunt almost every weekend in Colorado after October. The mountains are good after deer and elk seasion. The plains are hunted hard. Get a BLM map and drive the back roads in the mountains. With the snow you can see tracks and set up to call.
 


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