Miss management is what is generally under question in the article, although some quotes are pointing fingers at other hunting groups. There probably is some correlation to the new interest in archery hunting and disrupting the rut, but has yet to be proven. If you look at the annual budget of CPW it is pretty small for a statewide agency. Of the 240 million about 50 million comes from combined instate and out of state tags. They have a lot of employees and running cost to cover with that money. The only thing for certain is if we don't start managing the herds better then the out of state folks will stop paying big money to come to Colorado and take there rifles/bows/smokesticks for hikes. I rarely see CPW officers in the field, maybe three times in my 20 some years of hunting. More money should be given to the agency but granted only for solid research with no political motive (wishful thinking). As it stands there are still elk to be had and will be for a long time, but if we don't start managing the elk, forest and public lands better we will lose more than money can buy back.
If we simply got rid of the OTC and unlimited tag process we might have better hunting experiences, and more animals might be taken because they wouldn't be pushed onto private ranches and rural subdivisions. That's a start but not the full answer. The main thing is archers, muzzle-loaders and rifle hunters need to stick together, as we all want the same goal. I don't feel the declining herds are a hunting issue, rather it's an administrative issue with CPW.
