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

[Moondoondude]

Who has actually emailed the commissioners?

Could someone please provide the proper email address, name, contact info, etc?

I think our opinions are best expressed through them - hopefully if someone provides that, some of us will reach out.

 

[cnelk]

Parks and Wildlife commissioners are appointed by the governor, and approved by the legislature. For more information on commissioners themselves, and their Bios, click on the link located here - https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/CommissionMembers.aspx


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[Goose10]

Remember that CPW looks at elk hunting in September as a recreational privilege and not as a primary management tool for controlling herd numbers. Muzzleloader tags have been totally limited for years and it is a matter of time until all archery units are as well. Trying to say it is not fair that archery tags are limited and rifle is OTC does not hold any weight in the eyes of the CPW.

 

[5MilesBack]

Who has actually emailed the commissioners?

Could someone please provide the proper email address, name, contact info, etc?

I think our opinions are best expressed through them - hopefully if someone provides that, some of us will reach out.

I posted them earlier in the thread, and I've already gotten responses from some of them.

 

[5MilesBack]

Trying to say it is not fair that archery tags are limited and rifle is OTC does not hold any weight in the eyes of the CPW.

It just depends on what they're trying to accomplish with going to draw. IMO "fair" has nothing to do with it. It either makes sense for the end goal, or it doesn't. But making sense has never been on their priority list.

 

[MOSO 300]

September doesnt just have bowhunters in the woods and towns...

Hikers/bikers/campers/leaf peepers/Atvers/scouters and of course the dreaded... Subaru drivers

This made me laugh... bc it’s very true.
Personal thought is Colorado’s terrain has managed the OTC success rate for a long long time. Steep AND high has been the otc equalizer. Weather in mid Oct & Nov changes the advantage elk have. I started hunting in 54 and 55 a long time ago, it’s really not any better today than it was before it went archery draw bc 2nd and 3rd rifle are still wide open.


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[Coveyleader]

The CDOW makes 90x million a year, why should we need to raise tag fees to have a better hunt? You keep overfeeding the fat girl, she's going to get fatter. Same goes for the CDOW. They can do alot to make hunting better, but like that fat girl, they're too addicted to that cake with that "What look" on their face.

 

[MOSO 300]

Their stance isn't just about being against the change......they're against ONLY changing the archery seasons to draw while leaving the rifle seasons unlimited OTC. As am I. Change both to draw and there wouldn't be a big dissent.

Bingo


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[Moondoondude]

Parks and Wildlife commissioners are appointed by the governor, and approved by the legislature. For more information on commissioners themselves, and their Bios, click on the link located here - https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/CommissionMembers.aspx


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I posted them earlier in the thread, and I've already gotten responses from some of them.

Thank you both.

 

[Bearshirt]

My nephew and I hunt and have scouted a few units in the SW area so this will effect me being draw for archery. Im not familiar with any other units. I have hunted out there for the last 3 years. I have only run into other hunters a couple times during archery in the woods. Lots of people at trail heads but not where we go in the woods. Being from a over crowded hunter state (Michigan) I think you guys have it lucky with your hunter numbers. I do realize elk are different then deer though.

Things Im wondering is if there are any numbers on how many cow elk are bred in this area every year? Im guessing its over 80%.

I dont see how more people in the woods affects elk breeding. If there is a lot of pressure Im sure they still breed at night. The need to breed is strong in the animal kingdom. Bull elk can cover a lot of ground if they need at night. So to me this excuse is pretty thin.

When the cow elk are dropping calfs is there a lot of human activity in there range this time of year? Again I havent been able to find any studies on this. I cant believe calf elk are being ran over by humans in the spring calving areas but I could be wrong.

If the idea is save more cows to do more breeding it really doesnt make sense to not stop rifle cow elk hunting until their population increases more. Seems short cited to not limit this to at least bulls.

Is the idea that as archery hunting pressure increases it is some how making calf elk not able to survive there first winter from the stress? Seems like the calfs I see in the fall are done being weened and look pretty good to survive there first winter. Has there been any studies on this? One thing to note from my limited observations is we seen more bear then elk all 3 of those years. Also more deer then bear or elk combined. Some areas in the oak brush in 2018 we seen more bear poop then cow poop and there were cows every where. Maybe the cows stress out the calfs?

I want whats best for the elk but it seems short sited to limit archery and not rifle, or base it on more studies. The reports I read of them radio collaring and studding the calving rate have been only going for a year. Plus most of teh radio collars fell off. I mean ya know this radio collar technology is such a a new technique I can see why they have trouble keeping them on.

Does anyone have a guess or wager on how many points a person will need? And how many tags might be allotted? Based on other areas going to a draw in the past?

It will be a real bummer to start all over. We have found some good spots that elk are in. The first year we did nothing but walk all day. After 3 years we got more spots then we can check. Just a lot of work starting over. I know im being a cry baby.

Any one got any honey holes they want to share in a otc unit? Preferabliy some place with no other hunters and bull elk as big Paul Bundys blue babe??????? lol (just in case you missed it that was a joke)

Guess we know more next week. I will fire off some emails

 

[gsimmons2]

I have been hunting SW Colorado for a few years now (specifically Durango area), all archery elk. I would like to address an issue that I myself have seen while hunting and that hasn't been brought up on this thread thus far (from what I've seen). Maybe some of you can give some insight or hear some points you haven't heard.

To address the issue with hunting pressure (remember I am speaking about archery, I have little to no knowledge about rifle), if any laws were going to be made I would like to see something done about the presence of ATV's. With the ever increasing popularity of hunting, specifically archery, we as hunters are going to see an increase in pressure as well. But isn't this what we want? With politics being the way they are at the moment, we should welcome new hunters as it will help protect our rights going forward with the snowflakes that know absolutely nothing about conservation wanting to infringe upon our rights (wolf re-intro for example). With that being said, I have put many, many, many miles and hours in the mountains with a bow in my hand and I can guarantee you that TRUE archery hunters are not running elk out of any woods or contributing to the declining populations. However, the "archery hunters" that are driving these loud, obnoxious, and unnecessary ATV's and SXS's 10 miles in the backcountry are indeed contributing to the pressure BIG TIME. I understand that there are areas where you cannot take ATV's but in my experience there are still far too many people riding ATV's in prime habitat that shouldn't be there (recreational and hunting). In my understanding, pressure goes far beyond what has been discussed thus far on this thread. Pressure does not only cause the elk to go deeper but it affects migration, breeding, feeding, etc. which all directly or indirectly affect overall fitness.

PROS:

• limits access to hard-to-reach areas (most likely safe havens for wildlife)
• would most likely cut down on hunter numbers as a large portion aren't willing to put in the real work (especially OOS hunters!!!)
• Would decrease the intensity of disturbance overall

CONS:

• Would limit the elderly or disabled (however I think permits could easily be distributed for this)

Archery hunting is not supposed to be easy and limiting ATV's or motorized vehicles would be in the best interests for all parties alike whether you are a hunter, conservationist, etc.

 

[gsimmons2]

Also, to address the proposed regulations in the PDF presented by MondoArcher. If the issue of declining populations due to the increased number of cows being harvested is the defining point, then why only restrict the season that contributes to ~ 1/4 of that? Coming from an archery hunter, I guarantee you that archery hunting is not causing the decline in population. Does it have an effect? Sure it does, but it most likely has the smallest impact out of all variables. If one were to limit anything why not limit both archery and rifle to be fair. I would even be behind going to OTC bull only for archery for the units being highlighted.

The article mentions "dedicated cow hunters" several times. I personally have never come into contact with anyone that spends any significant time in the woods that would pass up a bull to shoot a cow. I feel like there are many logical and more efficient steps to take than adding yet more restriction to hunting.

 

[bz_711]

All great points...if there an exact date set for the voting?

 

[gretch6364]

Archery OTC tag counts have TRIPLE in the last decade. If you have hunted both OTC archery in Colorado and limited in a quality unit with fewer tags, there is a HUGE difference in the quality of the hunt. Go even further, hunt limited archery in a place like New Mexico and compare it to your OTC hunt in Colorado and tell me which one is better.

The elk act like actual elk in the limited units during the rut. There are too many people that don't draw good units that come and hunt Colorado OTC. From what I hear, this is definitely happening and all archery will quickly be moving toward draw with enforcement on the non-resident tag percentages as required by our laws.

I am sure rifle will follow. With luck, they also won't allow you to keep any of your pts any time you buy an A list tag. You want to hunt bull elk in CO every year, you shouldn't get to bank pts. Hopefully residents will be able to get good tags with no pts (and not accumulate one also!) and non-residents can get decent tags every other year or two.

 

[gsimmons2]

Archery OTC tag counts have TRIPLE in the last decade. If you have hunted both OTC archery in Colorado and limited in a quality unit with fewer tags, there is a HUGE difference in the quality of the hunt. Go even further, hunt limited archery in a place like New Mexico and compare it to your OTC hunt in Colorado and tell me which one is better.

The elk act like actual elk in the limited units during the rut. There are too many people that don't draw good units that come and hunt Colorado OTC. From what I hear, this is definitely happening and all archery will quickly be moving toward draw with enforcement on the non-resident tag percentages as required by our laws.

I am sure rifle will follow. With luck, they also won't allow you to keep any of your pts any time you buy an A list tag. You want to hunt bull elk in CO every year, you shouldn't get to bank pts. Hopefully residents will be able to get good tags with no pts (and not accumulate one also!) and non-residents can get decent tags every other year or two.

This is likely the worst idea I’ve heard. I myself have both lived in Colorado and am now a NR, so I believe I am able to speak on both situations. Colorado and other OTC states such as Idaho are the only reason some people can hunt elk, and the Vast majority are only able to do it 1-2 weeks out of the year. Residents have the biggest advantage that you can have when it comes to elk hunting, scouting. So if you are complaining about other hunters, that pay the majority of YOUR CPW fund btw, because you can’t consistently kill elk you need to re-evaluate your elk hunting tactics. I agree certain places are overcrowded but there are far better steps to take than limiting everyone to MAYBE getting a shot at hunting these majestic animals. Remember, the more laws the government makes, the less freedom that we Americans have. Hunting is conservation and the biggest form, reducing hunting hurts conservation. Maybe petition your CPW, or vote in candidates that will maintain accurate population counts and demand harvest reports instead of blaming someone else because you can’t kill elk in your backyard.

 

[gsimmons2]

Also, another point is in the particular unit I hunt, NR archery hunters have a 10% chance of killing ANY elk. That’s 1 in 10 years. I highly doubt that’s the cause of population decline

 

[KSadventures80]

Great to see Co making changes. Only trip to otc co was a full day of watching guys stumble through the timber all day.

 

[5MilesBack]

If you have hunted both OTC archery in Colorado and limited in a quality unit with fewer tags, there is a HUGE difference in the quality of the hunt.

I have about a 60% success rate for OTC archery and less than that in draw units. But the draw unit % is a little skewed because I'm willing to eat tags for chances at bigger bulls.

 

[Sridge]

Thanks for the info. I have hunted one of those units for years and it has consistently gone downhill. Last year was the worst I've seen as far as crowding, lack of rut activity and lack of general sign. Need to do this with rifle as well to make much of an impact.

 

[jdmaxwell]

I have hunted SW Colorado OTC unit for last 7 years. We rarely hardly encounter people where we hunt DIY on National Forest and are successful. You can get away from people thru effort put in.