Hunters find tough going for first hunt

Hunters find tough going for first hunt

October 23, 2001

BY THE COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE

DENVER — Things got off to a fair start during the first rifle hunting season, with harvest reports and hunter numbers lower than normal. However, wildlife officials hope for a prosperous hunt for the second season, which opened Saturday, Oct. 20.

Hunters took to the field last weekend for a special elk-only hunt which ended a sundown Wednesday, Oct. 17. And from the early reports, hunters did not have great luck.

John Ellenberger, big game coordinator for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, said field reports on success rates during the primitive seasons were standard. But those hunters who made the extra effort to go deep into Colorado’s outback, knew the areas they were hunting and applied sound hunting skills were harvesting deer and elk, he said.

"In general, the harvest seemed kind of spotty," Ellenberger said, although hunters have been faring better than the norm in game management units 32 northwest of Rifle and 42 south of Rifle.

Ellenberger said hunting pressure during the primitive seasons was down, in part because fewer licenses were sold. But fewer numbers of hunters can be both a blessing and a curse to hunters; less pressure means the animals will be more likely to follow their normal patterns, but it also means the animals will be less likely to be pushed by other hunters.

One thing hunters should remember during the upcoming rifle seasons is that chains and four-wheel drive vehicles might be necessary to access areas where animals are congregating, Ellenberger said.

"At some of the higher elevations around the state, we recently had approximately 10 inches of snow, which made roads muddy for hunters trying to get where the elk are," Ellenbeger said. "Rifle hunters will need to be prepared. Four-wheel drive and chains are almost a mainstay in the later seasons."

Field officers reported low pressure during the first limited season. The harvest is high in areas where most hunters report at least seeing elk. Hunters in game management unit 33 on the west end of the White River are reporting good success in taking cow elk.

Harvest rates were not as high in the Aspen, Glenwood Springs and Vail areas, according to Gene Byrne, terrestrial biologist for the Glenwood Springs area.

"Hunting success appeared to be lower that anticipated due to the very muddy road conditions that existed prior to opening day," Byrne said. "This has prevented some hunters from accessing remote areas in the steeper terrain."

Andy Holland, terrestrial biologist for the Hot Sulphur Springs area, said weather played only a minor role there.

"The hunting pressure is moderate to light," Holland said. "Most places are seeing hunters, but not in great numbers. The snow has melted off of the south and west slopes below 10,000 feet. North slopes still have some snow below that, but all of the roads are in pretty good condition from warm, windy weather."

Chuck Wagner, area wildlife manager in Monte Vista, said there should be plenty of elk left for those hunting the later seasons.

"Hunting pressure and weather does not appear to have moved elk much," Wagner said. "Most hunters report seeing elk, mainly in the spruce-fir forest at elevations between 8,500 and 11,500 feet. Numbers of hunters appear to be about the same for the most part, with several areas where pressure is down and only one area where pressure is up. Harvest has been about the same as last year, with some decent bulls being taken. No one has taken any really big bulls yet."

Bob Davies, terrestrial biologist in Colorado Springs, said elk are scattered and in the dark timber in south-central Colorado. Conditions are dry in that area.

From Pueblo through the Wet Mountains (the Sangre de Cristos all the way to the New Mexico state line), elk harvests are down slightly. A few bulls are being taken at higher elevations and on private property and elk are scattered. Pressure has decreased by 25 percent from last year.

Hunters camping in this area are advised to take precautions with bears and secure their camps to minimize conflicts.

Scott Wait, terrestrial biologist in the San Juan Basin, said hunters there during the first rifle season have been doing well.

"There have been good elk harvests in both the Dolores and San Juan basins, a few more bulls than cows, but good cow harvests for people with either-sex licenses," Wait said. "Elk are mostly in the 9,500-10,500 elevation range, in thick cover, small groups and they are not moving voluntarily."

Deer and elk hunters in portions of Middle Park and the San Luis Valley (GMUs 6, 16, 17, 79, 80 and 171, elk and deer, and GMUs 18, 28, 37 and 371, just deer) are being asked to submit the heads of animals they harvest during the upcoming rifle seasons. The Division of Wildlife will test the heads for chronic wasting disease as part of its ongoing surveillance efforts.

The second hunt is actually the first regular combined rifle deer-elk hunt which will run through this Friday, Oct. 26, the third hunt is slated for Nov. 3-9 and the fourth hunt Nov. 10-14.

Hunters in the western Colorado can look forward to another successful hunting season this fall. A relatively mild winter has ensured that there will be plenty of both deer and elk on the Western Slope.

Those who plan to hunt the Southwestern Colorado should be just as positive about the potential for their hunt. According to Scott Wait, terrestrial biologist for the DOW in Durango, reported recently that both elk and deer numbers are both high going into the season.

Big game hunters in Colorado actually have in the fields since late August with the opening of archery and muzzle-loader seasons. With primitive seasons complete and the second rifle season well under way, Colorado’s deer and elk hunters across the state are reporting moderate success.

The DOW is reporting hunting pressure during the primitive seasons was down, in part because fewer licenses were sold. But fewer numbers of hunters can be both a blessing and a curse to hunters; less pressure means the animals will be more likely to follow their normal patterns, but it also means the animals will be less likely to be pushed by other hunters.

Field officers reported low pressure during the first special elk only limited season. The harvest is high in areas where most hunters report at least seeing elk.