First hunt for elk hunters only

First hunt for elk hunters only

Oct. 14, 2000

STAFF REPORT

The first hunt of the season begins at dawn today, Oct. 14, but it is for elk hunters only. Elk hunters will take to the field in order to help Colorado cut down the number of elk.

This short season will end on Wednesday, Oct. 18. Then it will be followed by the normal combined rifle seasons" Oct. 21-27, Nov. 4-10, and Nov. 11-15. The Colorado Wildlife Commission approved the new big game season structure for the next five years with four separate rifle seasons, including the initial elk season where only a limited number of licenses were available.

The five-year season structure was essentially the same as that recommended by the DOW’s terrestrial staff. The first limited elk season was the most major change. The first elk season is designed to eliminate the overcrowding that occurred in the first rifle season when licenses were unlimited. And many of the limited licenses will be for cow elk to help reduce the elk population in those areas where the herd exceeds the long-term population objective.

But the commission made one substantial change after hearing concerns about the impact of the declining license sales is already having on Western Slope businesses because deer licenses were limited in number beginning this year.

DOW managers had recommended the last rifle season be a limited deer hunt with no elk licenses available. That would have left two combined deer and elk seasons with unlimited bull licenses and a limited number of deer and antlerless elk licenses.

After discussing several options, commissioners made the fourth season a combined deer and elk season to increase hunter participation.

Another mild winter has produced good numbers of elk and improving numbers of deer, leading Colorado Division of Wildlife biologists to predict good big-game hunting for the first seasons of the new millennium.

According to John Ellenberger, Division of Wildlife senior big game biologist, 70 percent of the state’s data analysis units, a statistical profile of local elk herds, have elk populations above game managers’ objectives.

"We’ve got more animals than we want in quite a few areas," he said.

Ellenberger pointed to the Bears Ears country in the Routt National Forest near Craig, the White River National Forest in the Meeker area as well as game management units 25 and 26 near Dotsero as good elk hunting locales. "Some of the Aspen country is looking pretty good, too," he added.

Southwestern Colorado also has "lots of elk," Tony Gurzick, area wildlife manager in Durango said.

"I think the elk will be high and in the dark timber cover and hard to dig out due to the hot weather," said the Division’s Cedaredge District Wildlife Manager Roger Lowry.

"Elk are abundant but hunters will have to work hard to find them and push them out of the timbered areas," predicted North Eagle district manager, Craig Wescoatt.

Paonia district manager, Kirk Madariaga agreed. "The elk will be tied tightly to the water sources until they get pushed around a bit," Madariaga said. "It could be a little hard to find bucks but there should be good hunting if it snows."

Conditions in the Meeker area are similar, according to biologist Jeff Madison. Due to the poor hunting conditions last year, there has been a good carryover of both deer and elk. Madison thinks there could be a very good hunting season if the weather cooperates and brings snow in the first season.

Durango biologist Wait agrees. "What we need is perfectly timed snowfalls, with just the right amount but not too much, that stays on the ground for the perfect length of time for tracking but never gets crunchy and not so much that chases the deer and elk clear out of the country," he said.