Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Come get yer Free Elk!

New on the CDOW website:

Research has shown that the elk herd in Rocky Mountain National Park and the Estes Valley is larger, less migratory and more concentrated than it would be under natural conditions. As a result, willow and aspen stands are declining, depriving other wildlife of the important habitat they need. To address the impact from elk, Rocky Mountain National Park is implementing an Elk and Vegetation Management Plan. The plan relies on a variety of conservation tools including fencing, elk redistribution, vegetation restoration and culling of female elk. Hunting is not allowed in the park, as per federal regulation.

This winter and in future winters, the carcasses of culled elk that test �not-detected� for CWD infection will be made available to the public through a lottery drawing. Members of the public interested in entering the lottery for an elk carcass from this winter�s efforts can do so by emailing their name, address and valid phone number to Wildlife.RMNPELKLotterystate.co.us or send the same information to: Colorado Division of Wildlife, Attn: RMNP Elk Lottery, 6060 Broadway, Denver, 80216.All lottery entries must be received by 5 p.m. on January 14th.

Each culled elk carcass from the National Park will be tested for chronic wasting disease. Those carcasses in which chronic wasting disease is not-detected will be distributed to the public for consumption via the lottery drawing. Carcasses in which chronic wasting disease is detected will be used in an ongoing study investigating transmissibility of the disease to mountain lions.

Persons who submit their names to receive an elk carcass will be ranked on a list by a random lottery. When called, a lottery winner will have 24 hours to pick up their elk carcass from a location in northern Fort Collins. If a lottery winner does not claim their carcass within 24 hours, their name will cycle to the bottom of the list and the next person will be called. All elk will be field dressed, skinned and stored whole in a refrigerated facility. Carcass recipients must sign a waiver stating they have read about chronic wasting disease and understand that their animal was tested for the disease. As per state law, carcasses cannot be sold or traded.

Individuals who are members of the National Park�s volunteer team can register in the lottery but they cannot receive a carcass from their culling efforts. Future lottery lists will be created as needed. For more information visit the Rocky Mountain National Park - Elk & Vegetation Management Plan. For more information about the elk carcass lottery call (970) 217-3485.

Field Dressed, skinned, and ready for pickup -

All free of charge!

Too bad the feds won't let us hunt em like God intended.

Wouldn't be much of a "hunt" but I do agree with you. I'm thinking a perfect youth/handicap hunt opportunity.

We could always send you a few wolves from Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. You wouldn't have an elk problem for very long. Of course, then you'd have to deal with the wolves!

Amazing that for once the government doesn't want our money via tag purchases to help thin those herds!

You don't have to bring them in, THEY ARE COMING. They will be there on their own soon enough. It isn't that far from Wyoming

already here.......

Let em' rot. Maybe those with a say in what happens will realize that having the taxpayers foot the bill to have game killed is the wrong way to go about it. Why they wouldn't allow a limited entry season on the elk and TAKE IN money while providing recreational opportunities is beyond me.

Because they are stupid.

Naturally, in their mind that would simply be to uncomplicated to work. You gotta get more bureaucracy involved and make sure them damned cro-magnon hunters aren't let loose upon the unsuspecting wildlife. They've got a lot of nice titles and terms in their to keep the liberals satisfied that nobody will possibly get any enjoyment out of this, plus cost lots of money in the end.

Simply ludacris to not allow a limited season for hunters to do it, AND MAKE MONEY!
We have a state park near my home that is overrun with whitetails and they actually had two hunts, two days, two years in a row for doe only. The licensee was allowed a second tag once they filled the first one. It was a great success. Hunters paid for tags, got to harvest animals, take the meat, do all the work for the meat, support local processors and the state met its objective of lowerin the deer herd to save the endangered plants that taste so good. Funny how that all works out and doesn't cost the state anything and everyone is happy except for a handful of bleeding heart tree huggers.

I'd for sure much rather hunters be able to do it,but with the price of meat now days, I'm sure not going to pass up the chance

I would rather shoot my own, field dress my own and haul it out and render it into steaks chops roasts stew and sausage myself and I will go as far as to prepare the meals myself, then let some Government Nimrod do it for me and then tell me its safe or not safe to eat. What a stupid Idea, we live in a Nanny State, they shoot it for us now.

At least the meat will hopefully go to people that really want/ or need it. That is about the only posative thing I see.

I'd rather shoot it myself. Who knows how shot up it'll be if you get one. You may end up with some calf that's been shot through both hind quarters and the tenderloins.

I'll second that.

I think the Park Service decision to not allow hunters to participate is a blessing in disguise.

With all of the guidelines that were established for the culling, it would have essentially been a "point and shoot". You could hardly call it a "hunt".

The DOW would have had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in game fund money to administer the program: training, personnel time, issuing of licenses, etc, over the 20 year life of the program.

Protests from anti-hunting groups and the subsequent media coverage would have been a black eye for hunters.

Thousands of cow licenses go unsold in the state every year. We apparently don't need more opportunity.

Volunteers will do the culling. It's a very controlled project. It would have been nice to allow public "hunting". But like winters said, it wouldn't have been much of a hunt. As a volunteer for the project, it will cost me a lot of time and money.