Colorado’s Miller Creek Ranch Offers Private Land Big Game Hunts
OutdoorHub 09.09.13
Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Miller Creek Ranch in Meeker are offering big-game hunters an opportunity to apply for a limited number of private property, elk and mule deer hunts during the 2013 hunting seasons, beginning Oct. 28.
The details about the various hunts are listed below. Interested hunters must mail a written application by 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7 to:
Colorado Parks and Wildlife – Meeker Office
Attn: Bailey Franklin/Special Miller Creek Ranch Hunts
PO Box 1181Meeker CO 81641
The application can be found here.
“This is a very rare, private land hunting experience,” said Bailey Franklin, District Wildlife Manager. “We encourage sportsmen to take advantage of this chance to enjoy a hunt on a private ranch in the White River Valley.”
The Meeker office of Colorado Parks and Wildlife is accepting applications until the Oct. 7 deadline. The hunts are open to all eligible hunters; however, preference will be given to youth and military veterans that apply. There is no cost associated with the application.
Nine hunts will be available to hunters who have already drawn limited deer and elk licenses for Game Management Unit 23. In addition, one bull elk hunt will be available to a big game hunter that plans to purchase an unlimited, over-the-counter bull elk license for the third rifle season.
The unique opportunity was developed through a perpetual wildlife conservation easement agreement between CPW and Miller Creek Ranch landowner Richard Bachmann. As part of their large-scale efforts to protect big game habitat, local wildlife managers reached an agreement with Bachmann to allow limited public hunting access in perpetuity on his 3,100-acre ranch, located in GMU 23.
The Miller Creek Ranch is within the White River mule deer and elk herd units, two of the largest big game populations in the state of Colorado. The ranch features a variety of habitat, including high elevation aspen and conifer forest, mountain shrub lands and lower elevation pinyon-juniper woodland and sagebrush.
The following hunts on the Miller Creek Ranch will be available and hunters should be specific about which of these hunting seasons/opportunities they are interested and eligible to apply for:
1. One unguided antlered/buck deer hunt
Third regular rifle season – Nov. 2 through Nov. 10
OR
Fourth limited rifle season – Nov. 13 through Nov. 17
To be eligible, applicants must have drawn a limited deer license in either:
- DM012O3R
- DM012O4R
- DE011P3R
Applicant must confirm eligibility and indicate interest in buck mule deer hunt in the application.
One hunter will be selected from a pool of eligible applicants to hunt a buck deer during only one of the two potential buck deer hunt dates specifically listed above.
2. One unguided antlerless/doe deer hunt
Third regular rifle season – Nov. 2 through Nov. 10
Applicant must have drawn a limited antlerless deer license in either:
- DF012O3R
- DE011P3R
Applicants must confirm eligibility and indicate interest in doe mule deer hunt in the application.
One hunter will be selected from a pool of eligible applicants to hunt a doe deer during the hunt dates specifically listed above.
3. One unguided antlered/bull elk hunt
Third regular OTC rifle season – Nov. 2 through Nov. 10
OR
Fourth limited rifle season – Nov. 13 through Nov. 17
All hunters are eligible to apply for this public bull elk hunt during the third rifle season.
Applicants that have drawn a limited, either sex license for EM012O4R are also eligible to apply for this bull elk hunt but would be restricted to the fourth, limited rifle season.
Applicant must confirm that they are planning to purchase an over-the-counter bull elk license for the third rifle elk season, or have already drawn a fourth rifle limited elk license for hunt code EM01204R.
Applicants must indicate interest in the bull elk hunt in application.
One hunter from the pool of eligible applicants will be selected to hunt a bull elk during only one of the two potential bull elk hunt dates specifically listed above for 2013.
4. 7 unguided cow elk hunts
- Third regular OTC rifle season – Nov. 2 through Nov. 10
- Fourth limited rifle season – Nov. 13 through Nov. 17
- Latter portion of the late, private-land-only rifle season: Oct. 28 through Nov. 30
- Late rifle December PLO cow elk season – Hunt 1: Dec. 1 through Dec. 6
- Late rifle December PLO cow elk season – Hunt 2: Dec. 7 through Dec. 12
- Late rifle December PLO cow elk season – Hunt 3: Dec. 13 through Dec. 18
In order to be eligible to apply for one of the seven public cow elk hunts, applicant must have drawn a limited antlerless or either-sex elk license in either:
- EF012O3R
- EF011O4R
- EF011P5R
- EF023P5R
Applicant must confirm eligibility and must specifically indicate which of the cow elk hunts listed above that they are applying for in the application.
CPW will select seven hunters from pool of eligible applicants to hunt cow elk during any of the potential cow elk hunt dates specifically listed above.
The ten successful applicants will be notified by mail soon after the deadline. In addition, those selected will receive specific dates and details from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, including a hunt packet detailing special travel restrictions and hunting access rules.
For more information or questions, call Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Meeker office at 970-878-6090.
To purchase a hunting or fishing license online, visit: http://wildlife.state.co.us/ShopDOW/AppsAndLicenses/Pages/totallicensing.aspx
