Hunters find difficulties tracking elk in high country

Hunters find difficulties tracking elk in high country

October 25, 2001

BY THE COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE

DENVER — Normally the busiest time of year for hunting, opening weekend of the second rifle big game season brought only moderate success.

Wildlife officials had hoped the second rifle season would be as good as last year, which produced a record harvest for elk. But unseasonably warm and dry weather conditions have allowed elk to remain dispersed, making them difficult to track.

Big game have moved into less accessible areas since the first rifle season opened Oct. 13, and there isn’t enough snow to aid hunters in finding the animals in these areas, according to wildlife managers.

John Ellenberger, big game coordinator for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, suggests that hunters get away from their cars and heavily trafficked roads and trails and track game in areas of good escape cover for deer and elk.

"The most successful hunters generally are those who get away from vehicles and into small patches of heavy forest," he said. "Typically, areas that deer and elk are going to select for cover are going to be heavy, thick timber on north slopes that are rugged and difficult for people to get into."

Wildlife officials are reporting low hunting pressure across the state, with Grand and Summit counties seeing an estimated 40 percent drop in hunting pressure from last year. Ellenberger says the decline could be due to the decrease in nonresident hunters and the fact that last year’s late-season harvests were so good.

"Last year, late seasons were very successful, so perhaps hunters are planning trips during third and forth seasons," he said.

Hunters are having greater success in southern Colorado, where the elk harvest is reportedly high in units 85 and 851, south from La Veta pass to the New Mexico border.

Elk and deer takes are also up in hunting units outside of Fort Collins, especially in middle-elevation areas.

Given the continued dry conditions, wildlife managers say hunters should be especially careful with fire. They advise visitors to check with the local county sheriff’s offices for possible fire restrictions.

One good thing about the dry weather is that road conditions have improved. Hunters do not have to deal with muddy and impassable roads as they did during the first rifle season. But Ellenberger reminds hunters to be prepared for anything since weather conditions can change quite rapidly in Colorado.

Deer and elk hunters in portions of North and 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.