Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting CO CPW Commission cuts elk seasons

The Colorado CPW commission just announced that the over the counter bull elk season for 2nd and 3rd rifle is reduced to 5 days in unit 13 and the surrounding area due to severe winter. Start dates are not changed and draw licenses don’t look to be affected.

All I can say is, Damn…

With such a huge winter kill, they should have cut OTC tags in those areas all together and not issue any cow tags in draws.

That's not going to do a thing. After the opening day ambush/slaughter, the chances of making a kill go down exponentially. If the seasons were two days long, I bet the overall kill numbers would barely drop. Reducing cow tags, during all the seasons would be a much better approach in my opinion.

CPW did reduce cow tags in unit 13 + area from 3,000 to 500 total for 2nd & 3rd season, 250 each. Deer licenses were cut substantially, also.

I’m personally OK with whatever cuts are made in the interest of wildlife herds, not outfitters….
I can live without elk hunting this year and following years until herd numbers improve. I didn’t apply for deer this year and probably next since deer numbers in our area have been in a downward slide since 2016.

Agreed on the cow tags. How would they cut OTC tags though? Make them OTC with a cap? Have they ever done that?

Anyone have a link to this? I’m booked for the last 4 days of the second combined season!

Several years ago, they had OTC cow tags with a cap in unit 25 and surrounding units which was the demise of the elk herd on that side of the Flat Tops. I think it was 100o or 2000 tags. Same thing in Unit 54 north of Gunnison, OTC with a cap. That herd was cut from about 6500 head to 3000. Now they combine 54 and 53 to show 6000 head. One year I had three cow tags in Unit 12 north of Vail.These were leftover tags that you bought at the vender. Now that herd is the lowest number of elk in it's history.

https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Commission/2023/May/Ch-W-2-As-Approved.pdf

Link to final rules on Commission page.

Might as well make everything a limited draw license. That way, CPW can (mis)manage everything. The social justice warriors on the commission can promote equality, access, diversity, equity, and inclusion for everyone including the ALPHABET folks. LOL!

My hunt is cancelled by Colorado DOW shortening the second combined and I’m glad I won’t be wasting a whole bunch of money hunting a ranch that had a bad winterkill! Thanks WAM!

Well, we had great elk seasons the past 2 years on our hunt. If we get half as many elk to show up this year, it’ll be a great hunt! I have rarely not taken my elk on the first three days or so in recent years and just hunted for non-participating bucks the rest of the season. Good luck on your other hunts! S.