The many thousands of outdoor enthusiasts who turn out for the grand opening of Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World today will discover, among various other wonders, why Colorado has emerged as the top mule deer destination in the country.
Among the many displays will be an atypical mount, in velvet, that very likely ranks as the largest of its kind ever taken with a bow. Jed Lowe of Liberty, Utah, got the prize Aug. 29 in the mountains near Gunnison, which didn’t surprise him a great deal.
“I hunted there the year before and was amazed at the numbers of deer,” the 28-year-old said.
So why would someone who lives in deer-rich Utah take the trouble to come to Colorado? For openers, Lowe purchased a landowner voucher through a Utah outfitter, allowing him to leapfrog the usual draw process while keeping his preference points.
Then there’s the considerable matter of opportunity.
“It seems as if Colorado is on a major upswing and Utah is on a downswing,” said Lowe, who refuses to strip the velvet from his trophy even though this disqualifies it for record consideration.
“Colorado is the place to be.”
The magnificent rack will go on display tonight at the 6-10 p.m. opening ceremony featuring various outdoor and sports celebrities, along with displays by approximately 20 conservation organizations.
Bass Pro Shops will donate 10 percent of its sales today to fish habitat improvement in the Denver area.
Lowe’s deer will join an extensive display of fish and game taxidermy, along with a 21,000-gallon freshwater aquarium. The Utah hunter will be on hand to answer questions from noon to 6 p.m. Friday and much of the day Saturday. Store hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Bass Pro Shop’s 28th North American site, a vaulting 186,000-square-foot structure, is located in the NorthField center at the former Stapleton Airport site, accessible on the 49th Avenue exit off Quebec Street just north of Interstate 70.
The opening ceremony features bass professionals Rick Clunn and Kevin VanDam, fly expert Lefty Kreh, hunting authorities Jerry Martin and Wayne Carlton, former Broncos John Elway and Ed McCaffrey and a musical performance by Hootie and the Blowfish.
Hunters of the corn
Enthusiasts who charge forth Saturday for the opening of Colorado’s season for pheasant and quail will contend with far less standing corn than a year ago.
Ed Gorman, Division of Wildlife small game manager, projected about half the eastern Colorado corn crop had been harvested at the first of the week and that considerably more will be gathered by the weekend.
As every pheasant veteran knows, birds take refuge in unharvested corn off limits to hunters.
“If you’re in an area with lots of standing corn and you don’t see a lot of birds, you move on,” Gorman said. “It’s something you pay attention to.”
Gorman said signs have been posted for DOW’s popular walk-in program that opens 150,000 acres to public access to those who purchase a $20 permit.
Gorman predicts slightly improved pheasant success in the northeast and considerably better in the southeast. Scaled quail are booming in the southeast, and bobwhite prospects are perking up along the eastern watercourses.
