The fortunes of Colorado deer hunters continue to rise with a more generous allotment of licenses that matches a general upward population trend.
Meeting in Grand Junction on Thursday, the Colorado Wildlife Commission unanimously ratified a staff proposal that increased deer licenses west of Interstate 25 in all three categories. Limited elk permits remained about the same, with slight geographic variations.
The big leap in licenses will occur for antlerless deer, with a 7 percent gain to 31,089. The wildlife agency is particularly eager to harvest more doe deer in the White River drainage, where 5,000 licenses went begging last year. List B licenses will be available in certain game-management units, allowing hunters the opportunity to bag a buck and a doe.
Either-sex deer licenses will increase to 5,324, a gain of 3 percent, while the 62,883 available buck tags represent a 1 percent boost.
Elk allotments represent something of a mixed bag, with a decrease in cow tags in the southwest against a gain in the northwest. The agency issued 2 percent fewer limited licenses in the first regular rifle season, but approved 13 percent more in the fourth segment – the two hunt periods when over-the-counter bull licenses aren’t available.
The blizzard that hit southeast Colorado caused conflicting license adjustments. By concentrating deer along stream bottoms, the storm allowed Division of Wildlife biologists to obtain a more accurate count, which revealed considerably more animals than estimated – 4,720 versus 3,870. As a result, the numbers of licenses will be increased in some southeast units.
While overall pronghorn permits were increased – 12,678 in 2007 compared to 11,651 in 2006 – the allocation in Prowers, Baca, Las Animas, Otero and Bent counties dropped significantly, reflecting high mortality from the blizzard.
The commission also approved 187 moose tags, 19 more than in 2005.
