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Colorado elk

Old 12-22-2018, 10:24 AM
  #31  
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For some reason the OTC units seem to get hit much harder than the draw units. Herds have not been to the targeted numbers in the OTC units along the San Luis valley for some time now have they?.
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Old 12-22-2018, 10:40 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Big Uncle
For some reason the OTC units seem to get hit much harder than the draw units. Herds have not been to the targeted numbers in the OTC units along the San Luis valley for some time now have they?.
The guys I hunt with have had some pretty good luck and a high success ratio hunting the eastern side of the SLV. It does appear that the numbers have fallen off lately though. OTC can be a crap shoot because after a good couple of seasons the hunting pressure can be high resulting in a bigger harvest than targeted by managers. There is a large part of the state that is OTC with a ton of public land so I can understand if harvest numbers came in higher than expected.
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Old 01-11-2019, 11:38 AM
  #33  
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My hunting partner and I hunt in GMU 075 first rifle season. We have noticed since about 2015 that the elk are much fewer and further between in our areas where we hunt than formerly. There was an article in the Durango Herald on this topic -- diminished number of the elk herd -- in November before Thanksgiving (I think around November 17) and titled "Where have all the elk gone." That is the question we ask ourselves. I think what is not in question is the decrease of the size of the herds, at least in some areas. What to do to manage the herd population is above my pay grade. I will say that in view of this general acknowledgement of what has been my personal hunting experience, I don't plan to hunt elk in Colorado for several years in the future, although I have hunted every year since 2013 and 2006, 2009, 2011 before. I'm 62 years old, so I'm probably not going back to elk hunting. Time to transition into some easier hunting is what is on my mind. Deer hunting in Oklahoma and/or pronghorn hunting in Wyoming. I had hoped to introduce my son and daughter to elk hunting in our happy hunting grounds, but that prospect is dim unless things change in a big way quickly.
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Old 01-14-2019, 04:11 AM
  #34  
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Default Colorado Elk

You certainly have a lot of hunting experience being in the game for 50 years!. Here in South Africa I suppose Elk hunting is similar to what we call Plainsgame hunting (kudus, nyala, springbok, reedbuck, wildebeest) etc. To hunt in America one day is still on my bucket list. Thanks for the info. Please keep us posted if you find out more about localised areas in Colorado for hunting elk.
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Old 01-29-2019, 09:36 AM
  #35  
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I notice less elk in the unit I normally hunt. I've moved to a unit close by that's doing a lot better and still has a good elk herd.
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Old 02-20-2019, 07:32 AM
  #36  
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The OP hit the nail squarely on the head as far as reduced elk numbers. We in the SW part of the state see a definite decline in elk numbers. At the same time we see tremendous archery hunting pressure. One of the local game wardens told me 4 years ago the in the 5 year period prior to then, that the number of archery tags went from 500 to 3000 in out area. The OTC rifle tags are another factor in the decline. You cannot go anywhere anymore without running into other people. I don't care how far in you backpack or horsepack in. Technology like Google earth and HuntX have taken away any secret spots people had. Now it's just a race in the morning to see if you can beat someone in to a given spot. The state of Colorado started this fiasco when they combined the state parks dept and the dow. at the time, the state parks dept was $30 M in the red. Thus explaining why the state will sell as many tags as they can pedal. The other factor in this mess is the indian reservations in New Mexico where each person can take 5 or more deer and elk per year. They can also hunt National Forest as well as any traditional native lands. This whole country. O and wait, the reservations are where our deer and elk winter. Getting the picture? I have written the state game commission, the governor, senators, and representatives. Attended meetings, you name it. The state is out to make a buck at any cost. Unless people come together, and are willing to give to get, this how it will be. By the way, I have lived in Colorado since 1980 and hunted many parts of the state. Old, yep, killed a few elk along the way and spend many days outside of hunting season in the woods. I know what solution I would implement but then this forum would light up like a Christmas tree, cuz nobody wants to give up a piece of their pie. Have a blessed day.
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Old 02-23-2019, 11:30 AM
  #37  
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I just found this particular thread
the O.P. has a point that you may or may not agree with,yet its well worth thinking about carefully.
but certainly trying to confront him over what you may feel is less than ideal sentence structure and grammar and punctuation, is NOT beneficial
Id have to agree that the elk numbers in the areas I hunt were never what you might call abundant, but lately the numbers do seem reduced.
one of the huge draws to CO. are reasonable access and over the counter licences, raising prices and limited draws will markedly reduce the
numbers of people willing to spend thousands of dollars in the state for a hunting related vacation, I know my wife spends a great deal more in CO. casinos
while I hunt and she won,t do that if I'm not hunting in the state.
solving the lower herd numbers is critical to maintaining the tourist based economic benefits to the state.
I don,t know the answer but its certainly needs to be looked into and solved.

Last edited by hardcastonly; 02-23-2019 at 11:39 AM.
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Old 02-23-2019, 01:18 PM
  #38  
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I think one of the main questions to be debated about would be is there any correlation on how many tags are offered vs management objectives? I am sure a quick answer would be yes but then the DOW funding comes into play. Does revenue supersede biological objectives? Here in Vermont they hand out tons of anterless tags and my guess is that $10 lottery application is what they are focusing on.
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