Nevertheless, first check out www.wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/BigGame/Statistics, the DOW's Web page, for hunt recaps, preference points and stats. You'll see some units where you don't need a lot of points to draw a tag. Last year, hunters needed only one point to draw in eight mountain units where success rates ranged from 63 to 83 percent.

While Colorado has more early-season hunts than late-season hunts for deer, few allow bucks or does to be taken during the rut. The number of licenses issued for these hunts is very limited. Those hunting on Colorado's military reservations require additional permits from the Army or Air Force.

Currently, late-season buck hunts are offered in GMU 38 west of Denver, the U.S. Air Force Academy (GMU 512), the Army's Pinon Canyon maneuver site (GMU 142) and Fort Carson (GMU 591).

All require preference points for bucks, but they're well worth waiting for. Hunter-success rates, especially on the military reservations, can reach 100 percent.

Colorado also has 60 plains units where the regular rifle season runs later than in the mountains -- this year, from Oct. 27 through Nov. 6.

Most of these units also have a two-week late season, Dec. 1 through 14, which allows hunters to take advantage of the latter part of the rut.

And four have a whitetails-only late season in addition to hunts that allow the taking of either species.

Not many tags are issued on the eastern plains: fewer than 200 per unit for both rifle seasons, and some in the double digits only. Almost all the plains units require preference points, especially those that have State Wildlife Areas open to public hunting. Those that don't, usually cover private land where you should secure landowner permission before even applying for a license.

However, some farms and ranches in southeast Colorado are being opened to hunting under a Big Game Access Pilot Program launched by the Division of Wildlife this year.

Modeled after the walk-in program for pheasant hunters -- which has opened up more than 10,000 acres of privately-owned farmland to bird hunters in the Eastern Plains -- the new big-game program allows deer and pronghorn hunters to enter specific properties with a $40 access permit sold by the DOW.

If the experiment is successful, more private property will be signed up in future years.

One last word of advice: If you're new to Colorado and want to explore a game unit before putting in for a buck tag, then apply for a doe license. They're easy to get, especially in the northwest region where deer are almost too plentiful. Doe hunting is a good way to get the lay of the land --not to mention putting meat in the freezer!