CO Wildlife Commision Agenda Items

[5MilesBack]

The 'dead time' between archery and 1st Rifle is off limits.

It's "off limits" until it's not. I'm pretty sure archery hunters wearing orange during archery season has always been off limits as well.

There's a 2-3 week period between archery and rifle every single year........there's no reason at all to not use it, especially since that could be the most productive time of the year......even for archery. The rifle seasons are all jumbled together without large breaks in between. They need to start using it as a management tool especially in areas where they are overpopulated. Extend the archery seasons in those areas, or give the ML's that time.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

The reason for the time between archery and rifle is for the elk to give the woods a break. Give the animals some time between rut and winter to start gaining weight before they are chased around again by rifle hunters. It is needed for the animals, maybe we should just take those 3 weeks and slam in a 2 week muzzy season and extend 1st rifle a week longer and just chase the animals non stop from end of August to near end of November. Then see how the herd numbers decline or how many more animals begin taking to private land and not comin back.
If you've ever watched the elk by the end of archery there are usually elk on private land, depending where you are I've seen 100's hanging out on private, then that break hits between archery and rifle and they disappear back to the woods and don't come back until usually mid 3rd rifle.

Wearing orange during archery is completely stupid. If you can't identify a target at archery range you shouldn't be archery hunting. Same goes for rifle if you can't identify your target, stay out of the woods, you're a hazard to everyone in the woods.

Separating the muzzy season wouldn't be a huge deal, how many archery guys on here anyways say they don't hunt during that muzzy week anyways. I've read numerous posts about archery guys staying outa the woods cause the muzzy guys just screw everything up. But the problem is if they did 2 weeks archery 1 week muzzy then 1 week archery. There's gonna be the guys out there that don't quit during the archery break and hunting illegally. But this is also a govt agency were talking about so that may be how they seperate it.
The reason co had such a lon archery season is due in fact to 1. the vast numbers of archery hunters now 2. The state wide average success rate on these tags usually under 15% 3. It's a huge money opportunity for the state and the more it is spread out over a month the better it is.
My archery seasons book up quicker and heavier than my 3 rifle seasons combined.
Archery is the money maker for the state that's the bottom line


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[cnelk]

The CPW does not factor archery for a herd management tool.
At ~10% success rate, they rely heavily on the rifle seasons for that.

The CPW would really like to tell archers in CO to kiss off, but thanks the the CBA and that representation, it is very difficult.

 

[blicero]

I'm not sure how I feel about wearing orange as bowhunter during muzzleloader season.

We bowhunted elk this season during the last Sunday of muzzleloader. We glassed a herd with several elk and were making a plan to approach when we heard a bugle and cow calls from behind us at a few hundred yards. We decided to tackle that instead and my partner started calling from 25 yards behind me while I quietly snuck closer.

Within a minute or two, I started to get pretty suspicious of the calls I was hearing. Bugle was weird, had a low tone "depressed bull" quality to it. The cow calls were very rigid and consistent in their cadence and tones. Both calls seemed to be coming from the same fixed location, no movement.

On the one hand, I was pretty sure it was hunters, but didn't want to yell out in case it wasn't. On the other hand, it was the last day of muzzleloader season and I was thinking about that poor kid that got shot through the chest by an out of stater, and I didn't want to creep in and get wasted by an over-exuberant Texan who saw movement (no offense, Texans).

In the end, it ended up being two other hunters, I made contact with them, and everything turned out fine. But it gave me pause for sure.

 

[westrnwild]

I was thinking that ML hunters get there own week and Archery hunters get their own time too. Either way Colorado has a storm come years down the road that will turn some units into what areas of high population back east have.. No Firearms season. Not saying its happening now, but the Front range could see that in the near future for sure. Then all there will be is Archery. Also, i could see issues in areas with heavily traveled hiking that areas get shut down to rifle hunting do to the high foot traffic. When i was at Ft Belvoir in VA the whole county was no gun hunting, the neighboring counties had to change the rules too, no rifles in most of it, Shotgun, buckshot only and so forth. Obviously that's extreme due to the massive population there but seeing it play out before i dont rule it out especially seeing how things have been going in CO as of late. 10 more years you might see most of the front range units in and around the Denver Metro area start to pull that crap, along with closing down areas in the forest with heavy foot traffic.

 

[5MilesBack]

Archery is the money maker for the state that's the bottom line

You've obviously never looked at the numbers, if that's your contention.

And the elk are nowhere near running ragged after the archery season. In fact, hunting that last week at times it's a ghost town out there. The rut runs them more ragged than the archery hunters. The time between archery and rifle shouldn't be considered sacred by any means. Just look at Montana......their archery season runs for 6 weeks and right into rifle. And on top of that, if you don't fill your archery tag, you can use a rifle during rifle season with your archery tag.

 

[dotman]

You've obviously never looked at the numbers, if that's your contention.

And the elk are nowhere near running ragged after the archery season. In fact, hunting that last week at times it's a ghost town out there. The rut runs them more ragged than the archery hunters. The time between archery and rifle shouldn't be considered sacred by any means. Just look at Montana......their archery season runs for 6 weeks and right into rifle. And on top of that, if you don't fill your archery tag, you can use a rifle during rifle season with your archery tag.

Yeah that is silly, rifle far out reaches archery as far as participation, rev and giving local economies a bump. Towns hardly notice hunters during archery but come rifle you'll here about traffic jams in a one light town.

 

[realunlucky]

You've obviously never looked at the numbers, if that's your contention.

That's kinda like comparing hunting management between Colorado and Montana. Numbers just don't match up very well.



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[BigAntlerGetter]

I will post my research after work, on tag numbers. But I have also spoken with the Dow on reasoning for the gap between seasons an it is for the animals.

 

[5MilesBack]

I will post my research after work, on tag numbers. But I have also spoken with the Dow on reasoning for the gap between seasons an it is for the animals.

I know they "say" it's for the animals. They want them to be as natural and unpressured as possible for their beloved first rifle season. After all.......it's their rifle seasons that are their management tool.

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

Please forgive my ignorance of Colorado Hunting Laws in advance. What are the standards for wearing Hunter's Orange while hunting? My guess is that if you are wearing anything that is Hunter Orange, maybe that will suffice? Heck, what about a 2 inch streamer from a waist belt loop?

 

[cnelk]

Orange must be at least 500sq inches and include a hat.
Camo orange hasnt been legal in the past, but it looks like they will allow it for archery hunters if this discussion moves forward

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Flourescent pink is now legal as well


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[dreamingbig]

Sounds like folks in Colorado are having to discuss issues that we have in place in Washington state. For as long as I have been alive they haven't let archery hunters hunt past 3rd week in Sep for fear of interrupting the elk rut too much. Well ~ 5 years ago they started rifle only draw tags for bulls in the same units the last week of September. Money wins out in WA state when it comes to these decisions.


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[W.D. Crawford]

Here's a thought, why not turn first rifle into ML? You still have to draw either way. And I don't buy it's for the animals. For years we residents have been saying to CPW that there is a predator problem when it comes to the deer herd and they just blow you off and come up with some data that says other wise. I don't trust their methods. And as if to prove my point they are going to try and do some predator control on the western slope and see if that has any impact. I honestly believe that CPW is run by bleeding heart do gooders. I have been to their "round table" meetings and I have come to the conclusion that they are a waste of time. I hear this talk of how the CPW works for "us'' and they value our input, BULL! I'm a native Coloradoan lived here for 52 yrs. I have seriously started looking into other states to hunt. Blaze orange for archery!? Next they will be telling me I can only have three arrows in my quiver! Man I feel like this state is starting to hate hunters! I could go on. I guess some of this is just frustration with the direction I see my beloved state headed.

 

[CoHiCntry]

Here's a thought, why not turn first rifle into ML?

I've never thought of that before, but think it's a great idea!

 

[dotman]

I've never thought of that before, but think it's a great idea!

If they add 4 more days to it that is.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Take away first rifle and put it as muzzy that's a pretty good idea. I agree with that as well, depending on the year the seasons for herd numbers vary. Some years third rifle has high success others 1st some 4th, 2nd season usually has the highest number of hunters for rifle but one of the lowest success rates. Of the rifle seasons. The muzzy season actually ranks higher than 2nd season usually with success rates.
I admit I did have my numbers mixed up on number of hunters archery vs rifle. But archery is an average success rate statewide of 13% while rifle seasons average a 23% success rate. Therefore cutting back the archery season to let's say a week is gonna drop success to a minimum, then eventually archery will most likely be dropped from the program. Your option will be get a rifle or muzzy tag and hunt with a bow.


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[W.D. Crawford]

If they add 4 more days to it that is.

I agree. And I have no desire to hunt ML. I honestly think that Colorado is one of the stingiest states when it comes to big game seasons, yet they want more money. If any of you nonresident bow hunters are thinking of coming to Colorado this year or whenever call CPW and tell them you might take your money else where if they are going to require bow hunters to wear blaze orange! Seems the only way to make a bureaucrat pay attention is take his money away !!!

 

[Josh Wright]

I would be fine with muzzy replacing 1st Rifle if they added 4 days to it. 1st Rifle can be a slaughter.