CPW News Release Reductions 5-10-23

[Dakota Dude]

I wonder if people that draw the mule deer/antelope tags this year will turn them back in to reserve their points for a different unit or after these rebound. The antelope tags take 5-6 points. I got a tag for unit 5 last year with 7 points and was successful. I don't know what I would have done this year. It might not be worth the drive for out of staters when numbers were impacted so hard.

 

[trophyhill]

Don’t forget the fish hatcheries and foot bridges!!!

And the Parks and Rec not to mention they’ve got to fatten the herds up for the wolves

 

[Chad E]

All I know is that GoHunt, TopRut and other draw stats are going to take a beating this year in Colorado

The wyoming deer and antelope draw will be similar. I predict a lot of.... " but gohunt said I had 100% chance of drawing" when results come out.

 

[LuvsFixedBlades]

The CO reductions don't actually affect that many GMU's. It's probably like 15-20% of the units that hold real populations of elk.

If you look at the units and herds in the CPW release with licenses being reduced, it's the NW corner ultra-limited stuff and basically the Meeker/Craig/Rangely big tag #'s units that were affected. In most units, it will be business as usual and winter kill wasn't that bad.

At least the wolf numbers aren't established, yet....would've murdered that White River herd in the deep snow.

 

[cnelk]

The CO reductions don't actually affect that many GMU's. It's probably like 15-20% of the units that hold real populations of elk.

If you look at the units and herds in the CPW release with licenses being reduced, it's the NW corner ultra-limited stuff and basically the Meeker/Craig/Rangely big tag #'s units that were affected. In most units, it will be business as usual and winter kill wasn't that bad.

At least the wolf numbers aren't established, yet....would've murdered that White River herd in the deep snow.

Did you actually read the part about reductions in season length? Where do you think the hunters are going to go to hunt full length seasons?

Thats right... other GMUs that dont have reductions. These reductions will reverberate statewide.

 

[sacklunch]

Bonus, it took them until mid May, well after draw deadline, to announce.

Another job well done, CPW. /s

 

[trophyhill]

Im not convinced that anything the CPW does is science backed and have a hard time believing anything when it comes to reasons explaining "why" they do what they do. Of course i can say the same thing about our G&F here in NM as well......

 

[Hnthrdr]

Don’t forget the fish hatcheries and foot bridges!!!

Haha we spend all our money on tired ass trout

 

[Hnthrdr]

I wonder if people that draw the mule deer/antelope tags this year will turn them back in to reserve their points for a different unit or after these rebound. The antelope tags take 5-6 points. I got a tag for unit 5 last year with 7 points and was successful. I don't know what I would have done this year. It might not be worth the drive for out of staters when numbers were impacted so hard.

If they do there will be 100+ guys waiting to buy them so it would be a meaningless

 

[Hnthrdr]

Did you actually read the part about reductions in season length? Where do you think the hunters are going to go to hunt full length seasons?

Thats right... other GMUs that dont have reductions. These reductions will reverberate statewide.

Better start staking out your hunting camp in august this year for second rifle, gonna get awful busy in OTC with full seasons…

I mean just look at the 2023 threads, I get Rok is a snap of the public but every other response is OTC colorado…

 

[IrkedCitizen]

Bonus, it took them until mid May, well after draw deadline, to announce.

Another job well done, CPW. /s

Colorado has always finalized tag allocation in May. That's why they don't draw until end of May beginning of June.

 

[sacklunch]

Colorado has always finalized tag allocation in May. That's why they don't draw until end of May beginning of June.

And..considering the exceptional circumstances of the massive winter kill and corresponding drop in tags, don't think it was asking too much to publish specific allocation info earlier. You know, take care of the folks who overwhelmingly fund you (taxpayers/tag buyers)

Cuts that drastic can have a massive impact on someone burning points, info that could have been used to better order preferences.

 

[robby denning]

I can honestly say I've never seen this sentence before in any official state doc:

"...While mule deer have fared somewhat better than elk and pronghorn..."

(it's in the Mule Deer section of the linked doc)

 

[IrkedCitizen]

Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and Montana are going to follow suit on the reductions. Are you going to complain about them as well?

This winter was bad. There was nothing that could be done. So they are doing what they can and cut tags.

This isn't rocket science but I'm sure if he was alive Stephen Hawkins would agree with the tag cuts.

 

[sndmn11]

I can honestly say I've never seen this sentence before in any official state doc:

"...While mule deer have fared somewhat better than elk and pronghorn..."

(it's in the Mule Deer section of the linked doc)

I thought that was odd as well.

I predict oodles of hunting out of season citations written by CPW this year.

 

[Hnthrdr]

And..considering the exceptional circumstances of the massive winter kill and corresponding drop in tags, don't think it was asking too much to publish specific allocation info earlier. You know, take care of the folks who overwhelmingly fund you (taxpayers/tag buyers)

Cuts that drastic can have a massive impact on someone burning points, info that could have been used to better order preferences.

Most guys that pay attention and are burning any significant amount of points follow how the weather went in said units… or maybe that is just me and everyone else is paying go hunt and huntin’fool to apply?

 

[sacklunch]

Most guys that pay attention and are burning any significant amount of points follow how the weather went in said units… or maybe that is just me and everyone else is paying go hunt and huntin’fool to apply?

Weather was bad, but the kill nu.bers were drastic. Last reports I heard in winter was deer/antelope hit hard, elk were doing decent. So that's what I went off of...

 

[Hnthrdr]

I followed the unit I was putting in for and made certain the winter wasn’t too extreme before I finished my apps, the weather in the Northwest of Co was pretty biblical if you looked at all this year. Guys were posting pictures of 10+ foot drifts all over and tons and tons of standing snow

 

[trophyhill]

Most guys that pay attention and are burning any significant amount of points follow how the weather went in said units… or maybe that is just me and everyone else is paying go hunt and huntin’fool to apply?

I have to agree with this 100%. I know several guys with points for deer, elk or antelope or a combination of those animals in CO and WY. They decided early on that they were only going with points because of the winter kill we heard about back in the December January February time frame. I’ve heard Jay Scott talk about a similar subject in AZ regarding elk and deer from the other end of the spectrum where drought was the culprit. Although I don’t think tags were cut but just the fact that trophy antler growth was affected and guys didn’t want to burn a bunch of points on raggy antlered ungulates. But it is a good example of the information out there on any given year

 

[ckleeves]

I can honestly say I've never seen this sentence before in any official state doc:

"...While mule deer have fared somewhat better than elk and pronghorn..."

(it's in the Mule Deer section of the linked doc)

I read that too and wasn’t sure if it was a misprint. I just don’t see there being an ounce of truth in that statement but maybe something bizarre happened and since desperate deer are somewhat willing to winter in peoples yards etc they fared better?

Could also be mortality was high but with the CWD prevalence up there they were OK with herd reduction? Just throwing out random guesses, but nobody ever said “Man I hope these elk make it thru, of coarse the deer will be fine”.