DENVER — The Colorado Wildlife Commission approved more than 106,000 antlerless and either-sex drawing elk licenses for the 2000 big game season, the most ever, during their May meeting.

The licenses will first be available to hunters who applied for licenses through the Division of Wildlife’s limited license drawing earlier this spring. Leftover licenses will be made available on a first-come basis in August. The previous high was 74,500 licenses in 1993.

"We are above our population objectives for elk in most areas of the state," said John Ellenberger, the Division’s big game coordinator. "These numbers will help us begin to reduce the elk herd in those areas."

Colorado has an estimated 265,000 elk, the most of any state or Canadian province. Excellent habitat conditions and a poor harvest because of unusually warm weather combined to push the elk population higher. The antlerless and either-sex licenses are the primary management tool the DOW uses to control big game herds.

In the past century, the division’s management of Colorado’s elk herd has been one of the biggest wildlife success stories ever. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were fewer than 2,000 elk left in Colorado after market hunting and habitat loss had drastically reduced the herd. Intensive management, transplants from other states and the closing of the elk season for 26 years in the early years of the century were key factors in the herd’s recovery.

The Wildlife Commission approved 15,559 antlerless and either-sex deer licenses, slightly more than last year and 77,333 antlered deer licenses, more than 5,000 fewer than in 1999. All deer licenses are issued through the limited drawing.

Fewer deer licenses were issued than in past years because of concern about the state’s mule deer herd. In the 1990s, mule deer numbers declined throughout the West, prompting license cutbacks in Colorado and other states. While mule deer numbers have begun to recover, Division biologists recommended keeping deer license numbers at about the same level as last year.

"We saw buck/doe ratios improve in every unit, but we would like to have one more year of data," Ellenberger said.

The Commission approved 11,700 rifle licenses for pronghorn antelope hunters, a slight decrease from 1999, and 82 moose licenses, also a slight decrease.

The number of limited bear licenses was increased to 2,702, a 7 percent increase from last year, a reflection of the state’s healthy bear population.

The Commission also approved the first limited hunting season for greater prairie chickens, a native grouse species, because of the result of a successful DOW recovery effort. Greater prairie chickens had been endangered prior to the division recovery work.

The number of licenses will be strictly limited, a special permit will be required in addition to a small game license and hunters will be limited to two birds each.

The DOW also presented draft management plans for bears, mountain lions and coyotes. The plans will serve as information for a newly created Predator Advisory Committee created by the Colorado Legislature in a bill that received final approval May 17.

The committee, to be made up of representatives of a variety of interest groups including agricultural interests, sportsmen’s groups, non-consumptive groups and government agencies, will prepare a report for consideration by the Wildlife Commission later this year.

And the commission also approved a resolution endorsing urban aquatic access. The resolution directs the Division to place increased emphasis on urban access, including long-term management plans with access objectives.