Over crowded Colorado units getting worse

[Pigskin]

Man, it’s all about knowing when to hunt.
I just got home today after spending 4 days with my son, helping him to fill his tag in an popular OTC area.

There were a few people Sat/Sun and then we had the entire Mtn to ourselves.

Saw/heard elk everyday. And season ends on Thursday!

Maybe get off the internet and go hunting?

Just a thought

Well………I was out there for 9 days, the elk was fizzled out on the Mtn I usually hunt because of the overcrowded pressure the first 2 weeks before we got there, had a buddy there a week before season started and after what he seen in the 2 weeks after the opener we’re both convinced those units south of us are now making the one we like the most suffer……….I’ve been off the internet……..I been hunting, it’s getting worse………just a thought….

 

[gbflyer]

The Alaska where I live isn’t like that. Too expensive to get here and even more so when you do.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I’m increasingly in the camp of breaking archery season into 2 separate tags. Hell, I’d even consider 4 segments. The amount of people who are coming out and hunting for 30 days, or until they fill their tag, is completely over the top.

I hate that idea….but it makes so much sense I have a feeling we’re going that way. The only issue I see is they’re going to need to limit the number of tags somewhat. If you have 500 tags for a season and 10% success, that’s 50 elk. If you have 500 tags and 2 seasons and 10% success now you’re killing 100 elk. So it’ll just limit how long people can hunt, not necessarily give more opportunities.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Man, it’s all about knowing when to hunt.
I just got home today after spending 4 days with my son, helping him to fill his tag in an popular OTC area.

There were a few people Sat/Sun and then we had the entire Mtn to ourselves.

Saw/heard elk everyday. And season ends on Thursday!

Maybe get off the internet and go hunting?

Just a thought

The area I hunt had very few hunters the last week. Unfortunately the elk were fully nocturnal. Bugles nonstop from 930p-530a, then silence for the entire morning. Crickets.

 

[Poser]

I hate that idea….but it makes so much sense I have a feeling we’re going that way. The only issue I see is they’re going to need to limit the number of tags somewhat. If you have 500 tags for a season and 10% success, that’s 50 elk. If you have 500 tags and 2 seasons and 10% success now you’re killing 100 elk. So it’ll just limit how long people can hunt, not necessarily give more opportunities.

I think of it like this: there’s a certain amount of archery hunters going to hunt CO every year, let’s say 100,000. Take that 100,000 and make them choose between (A tag) 1 or (A tag) 2. That splits the hunters roughly in half unless they all pile into season 1 to avoid Mzl, but even then, they are all still limited to 2 weeks and put an end to this “endless summer” of archery season mentality where people post up for 30 days. Most people will probably stick with the week they traditionally go anyway (which is why it will roughly even out), but the flatbills living off those stimi checks + Youtube ads revenue and the grumpy, retired boomers with nothing else to do but complain and hunt elk for 30 days will have to choose. And we’ll never hear the end of how great the glory days of CO elk hunting was back when a man had the freedom to hunt for 30 days straight and there were elk behind every tree until the CPW ruined it all by reducing the season to 2 week segments. Now the elk hunting sucks.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I think of it like this: there’s a certain amount of archery hunters going to hunt CO every year, let’s say 100,000. Take that 100,000 and make them choose between (A tag) 1 or (A tag) 2. That splits the hunters roughly in half unless they all pile into season 1 to avoid Mzl, but even then, they are all still limited to 2 weeks and put an end to this “endless summer” of archery season mentality where people post up for 30 days. Most people will probably stick with the week they traditionally go anyway (which is why it will roughly even out), but the flatbills living off those stimi checks + Youtube ads revenue and the grumpy, retired boomers with nothing else to do but complain and hunt elk for 30 days will have to choose. And we’ll never hear the end of how great the glory days of CO elk hunting was back when a man had the freedom to hunt for 30 days straight and there were elk behind every tree until the CPW ruined it all by reducing the season to 2 week segments. Now the elk hunting sucks.

Hahaha ok I’m sold.

 

[cnelk]

Complaining and posting alternative season ideas here on Rokslide isnt going to do a damn bit of good.

You have to go to the source - Colorado Parks & Wildlife - Public Comments.

Here is the link so now you dont have an excuse not to submit your comments

- https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/Submit-Public-Comments.aspx

 

[Actual_Cryptid]

Blame Joe Rogan for his incessant bugling about elk meat.

Or be happy that there are still people interested in hunting, and petition the state to acquire more public land.

 

[sndmn11]

When is someone going to suggest four separate archery seasons, 7 days each the third is elk only the first is deer only?

 

[orionthehunter1]

Complaining and posting alternative season ideas here on Rokslide isnt going to do a damn bit of good.

You have to go to the source - Colorado Parks & Wildlife - Public Comments.

Here is the link so now you dont have an excuse not to submit your comments

- https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/Submit-Public-Comments.aspx

Too bad they don't read them. They don't even listen to comments at their public meetings. I watched a CPW argue with a guy about how their computer models were more accurate then if we had mandatory harvest reporting. I guess that's why the units I hunt have had a 21% success rate for the last fifteen years. It is either the most consistent unit ever or CPW has no clue how many guys are hunting and they have no clue how many elk or getting killed. CPW needs to look in the mirror and realize what they are doing is not working. Look how long it took for them to finally admit their bear numbers were off and that we have too many, they were about five years behind the curve on that one. This also has nothing to do with killing elk like you stated earlier I kill elk every year, but their management or lack there of is pitiful. Again you cannot have unlimited pressure on a limited resource and expect it to be sustainable. Even our "trophy" units aren't that great. I've hunted 61 three times (one draw tag and two reissues) and killed three bulls, but I would take a Wyoming general tag every year over those tags. The solution is simple in my mind they need to get rid of OTC entirely. The whole state needs to go to a draw with an 80/20 resident, non resident split and adjust the prices accordingly on both sides.

 

[WTFJohn]

Well………I was out there for 9 days, the elk was fizzled out on the Mtn I usually hunt because of the overcrowded pressure the first 2 weeks before we got there, had a buddy there a week before season started and after what he seen in the 2 weeks after the opener we’re both convinced those units south of us are now making the one we like the most suffer……….I’ve been off the internet……..I been hunting, it’s getting worse………just a thought….

The saying is 'if you're in traffic, you are traffic'.

You just described what the problem is...pressure; and y'all are it. You and your group are talking about being in the same woods for 4+ weeks, that's enough time to find 15+ different mountains to hunt if multiple different units. Maybe dipping into the same well since the 90s (and for 4 weeks straight this time) isn't the best long term strategy.

The mountains of southern Colorado are just the front range for Texans.

 

[cnelk]

Too bad they don't read them. They don't even listen to comments at their public meetings. I watched a CPW argue with a guy about how their computer models were more accurate then if we had mandatory harvest reporting. I guess that's why the units I hunt have had a 21% success rate for the last fifteen years. It is either the most consistent unit ever or CPW has no clue how many guys are hunting and they have no clue how many elk or getting killed. CPW needs to look in the mirror and realize what they are doing is not working. Look how long it took for them to finally admit their bear numbers were off and that we have too many, they were about five years behind the curve on that one. This also has nothing to do with killing elk like you stated earlier I kill elk every year, but their management or lack there of is pitiful. Again you cannot have unlimited pressure on a limited resource and expect it to be sustainable. Even our "trophy" units aren't that great. I've hunted 61 three times (one draw tag and two reissues) and killed three bulls, but I would take a Wyoming general tag every year over those tags. The solution is simple in my mind they need to get rid of OTC entirely. The whole state needs to go to a draw with an 80/20 resident, non resident split and adjust the prices accordingly on both sides.

I totally agree. But at least submitting public comments to the CPW is a recorded item.

I also think sooner or later the ‘quiet time’ will have to be reduced to create more seasons

 

[orionthehunter1]

They already got rid of the "quiet time" in a few of the "trophy" units.

 

[swampokie]

Hunting is a dying sport

 

[NCSU_Lewis]

To answer the original question I’ve hunted parts of 3 popular northern units 2 of the last 3 years. In 12 days of hunting, I’ve bumped into about 5 people on the mountain. This year, 1 guy on a bike and 2 moose hunters. And that was during muzzleloader. Lots of people on roads and a couple seen from far off.

 

[Sled]

I see your point but you could also look on the bright side of things. At least there are people interested in hunting. That keeps hunting an option for all of us. I believe hunting is trendy currently and worry about when the trend dies off. It's easy for things like hunting to be taken away when no one's looking.

While it is still trendy I'd encourage people to look at preserving your right to hunt. Your grandkids might thank you for it.

Utah Constitutional Amendment E, Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment (2020)

Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia of American Politics

ballotpedia.org

 

[5MilesBack]

Can start hunting every 3 years instead of every year if you cant stomach the OTC crowds (i get it, there are a whole lot of people in the woods) and start doing lower point units, develop a draw strategy around those..... gotta adapt and overcome, but if you do low point units in several states you can hunt every year in a slightly better than OTC unit.

I was in a multiple point unit this year with a couple buddies with tags (I was tagless), but I've hunted this unit a lot over the years. It was more crowded than I've ever seen it, and the tag allocations haven't changed. I even made the comment a couple times that it was worse than my OTC areas have ever been. So it's not just OTC.

 

[Gerbdog]

I was in a multiple point unit this year with a couple buddies with tags (I was tagless), but I've hunted this unit a lot over the years. It was more crowded than I've ever seen it, and the tag allocations haven't changed. I even made the comment a couple times that it was worse than my OTC areas have ever been. So it's not just OTC.

Any theory on why that is? If the tag allocations havent changed.... did the other hunters all just end up on top of you guys in the unit or are people actually showing up and hunting their tags as opposed to sitting at home on the couch and wasting their tag? Honest question, curious what your thoughts are

I'm wondering if there is finally enough information out there for people to make good e-scouting decisions and thats why we all end up on top of eachother hunting .... because thats where the elk are.... or were before the cavalry arrived slinging arrows / ML load

 

[5MilesBack]

And we’ll never hear the end of how great the glory days of CO elk hunting was back when a man had the freedom to hunt for 30 days straight and there were elk behind every tree until the CPW ruined it all by reducing the season to 2 week segments. Now the elk hunting sucks.

I don't have to wait for that to happen to say "that would suck". Thankfully, I'm near my waning years of elk hunting and have already experienced the "hey days" of elk hunting. But it's much like fly fishing for me where I used to fish dozens of days every year on the rivers and I'd have the place to myself. That doesn't happen anymore, so I don't fish much anymore. I can see elk hunting going the same way for me. A large part of the joy for my "30 day season" is just being in the mountains every September and enjoying every aspect of the tranquility of having the place to myself even in camp. Up until this year that has been the norm. If the new normal continues, then yes.......there really is only one option......stay in my cave year round.

 

[TraderMike]

I think of it like this: there’s a certain amount of archery hunters going to hunt CO every year, let’s say 100,000. Take that 100,000 and make them choose between (A tag) 1 or (A tag) 2. That splits the hunters roughly in half unless they all pile into season 1 to avoid Mzl, but even then, they are all still limited to 2 weeks and put an end to this “endless summer” of archery season mentality where people post up for 30 days. Most people will probably stick with the week they traditionally go anyway (which is why it will roughly even out), but the flatbills living off those stimi checks + Youtube ads revenue and the grumpy, retired boomers with nothing else to do but complain and hunt elk for 30 days will have to choose. And we’ll never hear the end of how great the glory days of CO elk hunting was back when a man had the freedom to hunt for 30 days straight and there were elk behind every tree until the CPW ruined it all by reducing the season to 2 week segments. Now the elk hunting sucks.

And don't forget the part where CPW was forced by voters to introduce wolves... and now the hunting sucks.