Colorado Overcrowding Elk Hunting

[Banded_spooney]

The goal is for the voucher revenue is to out weight the damage. The majority of the wildlife damage maybe in April or Jan/Feb.. aka not hunting season, thus the unit wide ideologies. Don’t just focus on a finite window, as the tolerance tags are to subsidize damage over a 365 day period, Not just hunting season

Huh, who knew….A Texan open to nuance.

 

[Coveyleader]

The goal is for the voucher revenue is to out weight the damage. The majority of the wildlife damage maybe in April or Jan/Feb.. aka not hunting season, thus the unit wide ideologies. Don’t just focus on a finite window, as the tolerance tags are to subsidize damage over a 365 day period, Not just hunting season

Don’t hold me too it, but they get additional damage claims on top of vouchers.

Vouchers and the option to sell them with the intent to hunt public ground is right up there with the WY WA laws. It’s a crock. Those vouchers also come out of the public pool of tags and many are sold by outfitters.

Make them PLO tags only good for said or other private lands and I wouldn’t care if they gave 1000s of tags out.

I think we can agree Colorado needs to do something, the what and how is the big question.

 

[MuleyFever]

I plan on hunting elk in Colorado next year and I would warn most states against a draw system for specific units. I believe once it becomes a draw, it will not return to OTC.


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Yeah, thats the point. OTC needs to go away.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Don’t hold me too it, but they get additional damage claims on top of vouchers.

Vouchers and the option to sell them with the intent to hunt public ground is right up there with the WY WA laws. It’s a crock. Those vouchers also come out of the public pool of tags and many are sold by outfitters.

Make them PLO tags only good for said or other private lands and I wouldn’t care if they gave 1000s of tags out.

I think we can agree Colorado needs to do something, the what and how is the big question.

I would venture to say the lions share of them are sold by outfitters

 

[Pikespeak]

What I was thinking. I hunted the ML elk season one time and could not believe how many non-hunters there were in the mountains. Good news is the elk didn't care. I was hunting a herd that was within eyeshot of groups of hikers and mountain bikers on a well work popular trail. I even used that trail to get close to the herd every morning and afternoon and was surprised at how may "good luck, hope you get one!" comments I got from those hikers and mountain bikers. Nobody thought it was strange at all that I was going up a well used hiking trail to get to my hunt area.

I want to be in one of two situations when I hunt public land.

1) left completely alone to hunt undisturbed animals, or
2) have enough other hunters out there that they move the herds around routinely and everyone gets a chance soon or later.

I also think that elk and mule deer tolerate people out in the field a whole lot more than us hunters give them credit for.

Absolutely not, this is the last uninformed type of opinion we need spreading. Look up the impact of trail user data coming out of the San Juan area. It’s a primary reason for elk herd decline.

Recreational users are still convinced they have 0 impact on wildlife and it’s a thought process that needs to be squashed immediately so that appropriate consideration is used for new trails and managing impact instead of just lazily pointing at us hunters.

 

[cuerro viejo]

Huh, who knew….A Texan open to nuance.

Or someone that just sees the bigger picture of tolerance and conservation in conjunction of critical private winter habitat.

 

[cuerro viejo]

Don’t hold me too it, but they get additional damage claims on top of vouchers.

Vouchers and the option to sell them with the intent to hunt public ground is right up there with the WY WA laws. It’s a crock. Those vouchers also come out of the public pool of tags and many are sold by outfitters.

Make them PLO tags only good for said or other private lands and I wouldn’t care if they gave 1000s of tags out.

I think we can agree Colorado needs to do something, the what and how is the big question.

The voucher is the front line depredation program to help elevated the May GW calls. It’s not perfect but it does help significantly.

I don’t have a problem with OTC tags until calf recruitment specifically drops because of them, then their is an issue.

There are a lots of OTC units in CO that are OTC because they lack public land, that’s my original point on this thread, so when dividing out hunters per acre etc its not a true picture of density.

 

[Banded_spooney]

Or someone that just sees the bigger picture of tolerance and conservation in conjunction of critical private winter habitat.

I think that fits into nuance category.

 

[CoStick]

The voucher is the front line depredation program to help elevated the May GW calls. It’s not perfect but it does help significantly.

I don’t have a problem with OTC tags until calf recruitment specifically drops because of them, then their is an issue.

There are a lots of OTC units in CO that are OTC because they lack public land, that’s my original point on this thread, so when dividing out hunters per acre etc its not a true picture of density.

Calf recruitment is impacted more by recreational traffic I believe.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Calf recruitment is impacted more by recreational traffic I believe.

I would buy that, the 24/7 mountain “lyfe” is loving it to death. If they were serious about it they wouldn’t close the woods to just shed hunting they would close it to all recreation till after mid may

 

[cuerro viejo]

Calf recruitment is impacted more by recreational traffic I believe.

Why I said specifically, I know that was their justification to put the south west’erly archery units into draw(75,771, 78 etc) Spring bear season would of had a better effect, IMO.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Why I said specifically, I know that was their justification to put the south west’erly archery units into draw(75,771, 78 etc) Spring bear season would of had a better effect, IMO.

It may help but spring bear is pretty far out of reach in Co. I wish it wasn’t so, but the ban will be about impossible to reverse in Co the way it stands

 

[cuerro viejo]

I think that fits into nuance category.

Don’t cry when traditional winter range gets fenced and herds don’t return back up to traditional public summer/fall habitat in same numbers because migration paths and winter caring capacity has been greatly altered.

It’s obviously easier to point fingers and project at screen names, then to step back and find a solution that actually works for all parties. Every state has a Sec of Ag. They always seem to trump DOW’s.

Recreation vs conservation vs livelihood is a delicate balance.

 

[cuerro viejo]

It may help but spring bear is pretty far out of reach in Co. I wish it wasn’t so, but the ban will be about impossible to reverse in Co the way it stands

I know, it’s just frustrating when you are observing exponentially increasing bear recruitment with the only solution being lowered bear tag costs, and reduced elk hunting opportunity

 

[Hnthrdr]

I know, it’s just frustrating when you are observing exponentially increasing bear recruitment with the only solution being lowered bear tag costs, and reduced elk hunting opportunity

I agree, even if they could flex the dates a little bit and open the season Aug 1 or Aug 15 that would help a ton

 

[Gerbdog]

I know, it’s just frustrating when you are observing exponentially increasing bear recruitment with the only solution being lowered bear tag costs, and reduced elk hunting opportunity

Heck just drop that little bear paw print on more units / hunts in the handbook and the bear population will come down. I'm shocked how few hunts/units are available for the OTC bear tag during archery season with an elk tag. I can think of several bears encounters i would have happily taken if i had been allowed a tag : and i didnt draw fyi, did put in for though.

 

[Banded_spooney]

Don’t cry when traditional winter range gets fenced and herds don’t return back up to traditional public summer/fall habitat in same numbers because migration paths and winter caring capacity has been greatly altered.

It’s obviously easier to point fingers and project at screen names, then to step back and find a solution that actually works for all parties. Every state has a Sec of Ag. They always seem to trump DOW’s.

Recreation vs conservation vs livelihood is a delicate balance.

Are you somehow missing that me declaring you are open to nuance is a compliment?

 

[cuerro viejo]

Are you somehow missing that me declaring you are open to nuance is a compliment?

Yes

 

[Newtosavage]

Absolutely not, this is the last uninformed type of opinion we need spreading. Look up the impact of trail user data coming out of the San Juan area. It’s a primary reason for elk herd decline.

Recreational users are still convinced they have 0 impact on wildlife and it’s a thought process that needs to be squashed immediately so that appropriate consideration is used for new trails and managing impact instead of just lazily pointing at us hunters.

Admittedly, mine is what we'd call in science an "anecdotal observation" and nothing more than one data point. Rather than criticize my observation, it would be helpful to everyone (me included,) if you could provide the data you say you've seen to support your position.

 

[Kentucky]

I just got back from CO, out there for 7 days, had bad news and had to come home early… but it was a shit show anyways…nothing like a good hike with your bow…it was my first time out and a last minute thing. I learned not to waste my money on a OTC tag…I saw 6 ATVs come out of one trail…I don’t plan on going back.