My suggestions are below:
To Whom It May Concern,
This letter is addressing the 2020-2024 big game season structure revisions in Colorado. As an avid resident hunter in Colorado for the last eleven years, I have seen significant shifts in hunting pressure, calf recruitment, and the satisfaction level of hunters. I hunt primarily in GMU’s 80, 81, and 79. I hunt both rifle and archery for all big game species, though my primary focus is seeking out deer and elk during the archery seasons.
I would strongly encourage the commission to consider the following:
1. Moving all archery tags that are currently over-the-counter (OTC) to DRAW ONLY!
I feel this is necessary to better manage the elk populations in the state and to improve calf recruitment, which was and is a concern in our area as per the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) biologist assigned to the Monte Vista office. Further, this does not mean that these tags have to be hard to draw. Rather, it just gives the CPW the power and ability to curtail tags when necessary and to increase them when necessary, while also allowing CPW to make annual adjustments to accommodate hunting pressure changes, impacts on game from winter conditions, etc. in each GMU or DAU. Further, it addresses the increasing participation in archery season, allowing the CPW to provide a balanced approach of hunter satisfaction with ample (and less pressures) elk populations.
Additionally, I would also encourage the following:
2. Allowing unsuccessful archery hunters to turn in their tags for use in later seasons that are OTC in the same unit.
This would increase opportunity for archery elk hunters, allowing them to participate in later seasons, thus increasing opportunity even further and thus likely increasing hunter satisfaction through the ability to have a “longer season”. Additionally, if archery elk licenses were draw, the CPW could predict how many of those archery tags would possibly roll-over into rifle seasons that came after archery season was closed. This might improve hunter satisfaction and also increase local tax revenues as out-of-state hunters might return to Colorado in order to fill their tags in later seasons. Another alternative would be to only allow residents to have this option, thus increasing resident satisfaction.
3. Creating a “split” archery season structure, with muzzleloader season occupying a week in the middle of the two archery “splits”
This would address the muzzleloader and archery overlap, while also allowing muzzleloaders their own time in the woods. Further, it would allow the CPW to create two different archery seasons for the draw, similar to the system used in New Mexico. This split could allow for the better management of the new draw only system for elk archery tags. Also, item two, as listed above, would address the shortening of the archery seasons (two weeks per split) with increased opportunity through participation in the OTC rifle seasons that follow. Further, this would push archery back one week, allowing that “split tag” to take place during the peak of the rut. To manage impacts on breeding, and calf recruitment, these tags could be less in quantity when compared to the first archery split.
Thank you very much for your time and best regards for managing our state’s wildlife population so well!
