More Colorado OTC archery units set to move to draw in 2020...

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That is a lot of harvest detail for a state not having any mandatory harvest check-in data. They know how many tags are sold but their harvest data is a guess.
Those numbers are a wag. Without mandatory harvest data and the fact that they survey less then thirty percent of hunters i' take those numbers with a grain of salt. Another reason for the tag cuts down here is the low calf recruitment that CPW has publicized numerous times. I'd also call B.S. on their overall herd number for that DAU. How accurate is flying around for thirty minutes and taking the number of elk you see into a formula to give you a different number?
 
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Hunters should absolutely demand CPW implement Mandatory Harvest Reporting - email the Commission with the addresses posted earlier
I've asked numerous times and they told me it would be too hard. When I gave the example of new Mexico making it mandatory and if people don't do it then they can't apply the following year they just looked at me like I was stupid.
 

Phaseolus

WKR
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Feb 25, 2018
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They are sending mixed signals with this. They want to reduce the herd size for deer because of the threat for CWD yet they want to change all of these units to limit the archery hunters. I too am I'm still concerned that they will not limit the OTC 2nd and 3rd rifle for these units. We can only wait and see.

Those San Juan units are steep and deep. My option is if you want to tackle them with a bow you should be able to. The rifle season is where they need to make the cuts if they want to increase the herd size.
Deer is already draw only, not sure this change to archery seasons will effect any population changes.
 
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They made over 96 million in license sales last year. Its our duty to "demand" something? You guys can whine all you want. As stated, they have their agenda, no amount of message board fodder is going to change that. They're a government agency full of typical government BS.

Also, you can't ascertain the amount of BS these days by attending one DOW meeting (any of the public input meetings) go to 10, the story is the same. It does make for good internet reading listening to all of this however.
 

cnelk

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They made over 96 million in license sales last year. Its our duty to "demand" something? You guys can whine all you want. As stated, they have their agenda, no amount of message board fodder is going to change that. They're a government agency full of typical government BS.

Also, you can't ascertain the amount of BS these days by attending one DOW meeting (any of the public input meetings) go to 10, the story is the same. It does make for good internet reading listening to all of this however.

Hey if we can move the needle just a little by communicating what’s wrong with that?

Beats sticking your head in the sand and giving up.
 
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"Hey if we can move the needle just a little by communicating what’s wrong with that?

Beats sticking your head in the sand and giving up. "

Good to see people staying positive. I for one am done. I'll pay my annual dues to the CBA, (its the least I can do) and hope for the best and adjust my plans accordingly.
 

Bbell12

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Mar 3, 2018
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I don’t see how this won’t push more hunters to other OTC units causing the same problems that started this initiative in the first place.

Someone tell me I’m wrong.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Poser

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Durango CO
More like getting the crap eaten out of them from all the bears.

Bears a factor? Yes
Pressure a factor? Yes

I’ve noticed that hunters like to blame complex issues on singular solutions. Why is that? If bears were suddenly eradicated from CO, would the elk population immediately bounce back ?
 
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I didn't say that but how many years did it take before CPW admitted we had a bear problem? If they would have been on top of it bears would not have been out of control and I think the calf survival rate might not have dipped as much. Don't worry I don't just blame the bears. There are many issues including too many years of liberal cow elk rifle seasons, much more encroachment of homes and subdivisions and a lot more people in the woods year round both hunters and recreationalists.
 

Grant K

FNG
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Ridgway, CO
I didn't say that but how many years did it take before CPW admitted we had a bear problem? If they would have been on top of it bears would not have been out of control and I think the calf survival rate might not have dipped as much. Don't worry I don't just blame the bears. There are many issues including too many years of liberal cow elk rifle seasons, much more encroachment of homes and subdivisions and a lot more people in the woods year round both hunters and recreationalists.
Mind you, they have even less of an idea how many bears there are, at least bears have mandatory reporting, a couple years ago you could wait 5 years for a rifle bear tag, all the while glassing 10-20 bears in an evening from one overlook......
there are obviously a ton of factors but the easiest one to reverse is bear numbers, good luck removing subdivisions from winter range.
I'd be all for limiting these units, or for that matter all units, if they limited rifle as well, other areas that have gone limited have exponentially better hunting, even if it only takes a point or two..
 

HondoArcher

Lil-Rokslider
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Jun 23, 2016
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I got this back from the CPW. It appears they want to increase the size of the herd and reduce the overcrowding during archery season. They can't increase the herd size if they don't have good calf recruitment
 

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Why just archery? Why not limit all seasons? Can anyone answer this?
All rifle season cow tags are already limited - draw only. As in no over the counter cow Elk tags are available for those units whatsoever. CPW can adjust the number of rifle cow tags on a yearly basis based on their population estimates. So the rifle seasons are already mostly limited. 1st and 4th are ALL limited and 2nd and 3rd are "partially" limited already (for cows).

So why wouldn't they change archery season to bull Elk only like the two OTC (2nd and 3rd) rifle seasons? Who knows but it sounds like they are simultaneously addressing the issue of overcrowding during archery season. Seems like this would also be a good time to at least make the rifle seasons OTC with caps though.
 

cnelk

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Just because cow tags may be draw only doesn’t mean that the CPW doesn’t issue so damn many tags that they are undersubscribed - meaning leftovers.
If they are, it’s the CPW’s own damn fault for herd reduction.

I don’t have the leftover list in front of me to confirm those numbers. Anyone?
 
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