Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Colorado elk # way DOWN !!

I have enjoyed hunting NW Colorado for 15 straight seasons. The weather has usually been all over the place 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons, so one just has to be prepared to suck it up and go. If it gets too tough financially, physically, license draws, game numbers, etc, I’ll find someplace else. “I was looking for a place to hunt when I found this one”. Embrace the Suck....
Happy Trails

What elevation, all my hunts were 9,500+, that could be the difference. 2001 was a pretty good one in the Rawahs.

One thing to think about: The wildlife biologists merely make ‘recommendations’ to the wildlife commissioners, who are appointed by the governor. Those appointees are the ones who make the decisions.

Then there may just be another master plan????

The naive went along with introducing Wolves with the historic location line. The thinkers knew what it would do to hunting numbers. “If the population can’t support hunting, then all must agree to close the season. And you will fight decades of legislative challenges to have it reopened.” Thus the master plan.

I also hunt near her every year and was surprised when the other outfitter (Unit 24) told me the numbers were the same. I have not spoken to Jeanne about this yet but plan to speak with her next week. I was surprised to hear the numbers were the same, because I have seen fewer elk every year for the past three years. I've still seen elk, but they are in smaller groups or by themselves. Whereas, twelve years ago when I started hunting that area, the elk were in larger herds and could be found easily. Not lately. Even the BLM land down by Larry's has fewer elk. Not worth climbing that mountain to get there unless there is a heavy snowfall up top.

its probably WOLVES ,i have notice all states have many DNR people who are mostly peta type people and want to save WOLVES,these DNR peta type people act like there are hardly any wolves. where i hunt in Montana 15 years ago there were more elk and even plenty of moose but i started noticing less moose every year then the last 2 years i never seen a moose and it seem like less elk too. believe me its wolves i live in northern Minnesota we have plenty trouble with WOLVES but we have plenty liberals and peta DNR people in Minnesota too who just wanna save WOLVES,including the new liberal Minnesota Governor. yep save the dang Wolves !

The Flat Tops are right at10,000 ft where I hunted. Vail about 9500 I would guess. Unit 12, 95000 up. Last year ML there was about 4"up at 10500 opening weekend. The big snow I mentioned was clear down to my place at 7650

LOL, have you ever hunted elk in SW Colorado, Peter?

For what it's worth, those units that went drawf or archery, all cow tags are now "A" tags for archery, ML, and rifle except for private land owners.

Funny how that cow jumps the fence and becomes a "B" tag. You think there isn't some collusion between CPW and landowners,?

I don't know, I think it's a given that private land is for the most part much less pressured than public, and the elk do tend to gather there once the shooting starts. That might be the rationale for the b tags.

Wait until they plant (more) wolves

I'm really hoping the dreaded agricultural lobby comes through but with a ballot measure you never know what's gonna happen.

Smokey, NO , have you ever been around wolves ? wolves are very smart animals ,i have been around wolves all my life. i just brought up a positive thought. don`t you think wolves are in Colorado ? i don`t hunt in Colorado but i bet there are wolves there and your DNR are keeping it quiet too.

Smokey, NO , have you ever been around wolves ? wolves are very smart animals ,i have been around wolves all my life. i just brought up a positive thought. don`t you think wolves are in Colorado ? i don`t hunt in Colorado but i bet there are wolves there and your DNR are keeping it quiet too.[/quote]

Actually, the CPW is finally admitting that there are wolves in Colorado. We saw one that looked like a wolf three years ago and reported it. Only to be told we were wrong. Well it looks like we were right. We saw it in the Thornburg area in NW Colorado.

I don't question if there are wolves here. What I question is their impact on elk, today. Especially is SW Colorado where I've been hunting for about the past 20 years. Never seen a track a pile of scat, or heard a howl down there.

here in Minnesota the DNR tells us,here in Minnesota we have no Mountain Lions/Cougars either but people have been taking pictures of these big cats for years,matter a fact around 55 years ago one was shot in a tree within 100 yards where i live in the country,mounted and a printed picture was in the newspaper too. yes there are probably a few packs of wolves in Colorado your Colorado DNR people are keeping it quiet.

LOL, Peter, they aren't "keeping it quiet," it's been all over the news:

https://www.coloradoan.com/story/ne...ack-wolves-reported-colorado/2845120001/

https://www.denverpost.com/2020/02/13/colorado-wolves-dna-tests/

Well, if there wasn't three feet of snow in their prime winter range ( my back yard) and the DOW wasn't chasing them with helicopters and airplanes every coup!e of days to "count them" there might not be so many dying.

The winter of '07-'08 was really hard on elk numbers and they never really came back. Now two winters in a row we've had ass deep snow that gets crusted over between storms making it tough for the elk to paw through to get at feed.

That and cow seasons that last into January . . . . . .

RJ

It aint wolves, yet. Pressure that impedes breeding, competition with sheep, cattle, even horses, surprise weather that impacts calving,

CPW manages money. More hunters decreases success and may impact natural breeding. I had some guy tell me there were bulls all over because if all the bugleing but all he saw was orange. Go figure that one out.

I have never believed their counts,