Let the waiting game begin.
“We certainly have lots of elk, but we’re waiting to see how many hunters show up,” said Bruce Watkins, big game coordinator with the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
“It’s all about the over-the-counter hunters, to see if they show up as they have in the past,” the veteran biologist said.
“Given the economic situation in the country, we’ll be watching to see if there’s an impact from that.”
The early returns indicate a bit of bad news for a wildlife agency already nervous about its budget conditions.
“We saw a bit of decrease in our application rate,” Watkins said of an indicator pegged largely to deer tags, which are totally limited and issued by draw.
This lag was much more pronounced among nonresidents, clearly an economic indicator for items such as license cost, travel, lodging and food.
The wait for over-the-counter response largely involves elk, the biggest ticket item and the lead attraction that also causes nonresidents to add other licenses as well.
Watkins also points out that the decrease in sales is tied as much to DOW’s management strategy as to hunter economics.
“We’ve been scaling back in the number of license issued, particularly in the northwest,” Watkins said of a plan to slash the number of cow elk tags as herds come more into balance.
“The one thing we have seen is a steady decline in the over-the-counter licenses, which is tied strictly to elk and nonresidents.”
The trend, Watkins said, is not just unique to Colorado. It’s part of a national shift away from hunting and has little to do with the quality of hunting as a whole.
In the main, Colorado elk herds have been immune to the winter kill from 2007-08 that had such a devastating impact on deer. In fact, difficult hunting conditions marked by mild weather caused a sharp lag in elk harvest — roughly 49,000 to 45,000.
“Elk mortality was very light from the bad winter. We still have a lot of good bulls left over.”
The funny thing, Watkins said, was that many hunters were complaining that all the deer and elk must have died.
“We did have some deer mortality, but virtually no elk. The irony was all the talk about elk dying in the Gunnison Basin, then the fuss about trying to kill more elk because the place was overrun with them, which was confirmed by postseason aerial counts.”
Hunters charging forth Oct. 10-14 for the start of the bulls-only first season should find generally dry conditions with easy hunter movement. A modest amount of snow will bring cows downslope, accompanied by younger bulls still eager for action.
Tom Spezze, manager of the Southwest Region, expects “good elk hunting just about everywhere. If it turns off to good hunting weather, success should be good throughout the Southwest. But if it breaks off into Indian Summer, elk will head for the dark timber and things will turn tough.”
Spezze recommends the Uncompahgre Plateau, the upper Rio Grande, the areas around Pagosa Springs and the North Fork of the Gunnison where you can find public access.
Spezze projects that last season’s lagging harvest will result in a large carry-over of good animals for 2009.
“We have more good bulls to hunt. Animals that were 4-5 points last year will be a 6-point, perhaps with a heavy rack”
Mary Lloyd, big-game data analyst who gives a numbers shine to the proceedings, put it best. “We’re just waiting to see if people show up to hunt.”
Charlie Meyers: 303-954-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com
Info for donating hunted meat to food banks
FOOD FOR THE NEEDY
The following food banks accept donations of game meat, provided it hass been certified free of chronic wasting disease and has been commercially processed and wrapped.
…Food Bank of the Rockies, 10700 E. 45th Ave., Denver, 303-371-9250.
…Community Food Share, 6363 Horizon Lane, Longmont, 303-652-3663, with U.S.D.A. approval stamp.
…Weld Food Bank, 1168 H St., Greeley, 970-356-2199.
…Care and Share Inc., 2520 Aviation Way, Colorado Springs, 719-528-1247.
DONATING GAME MEAT
…Donations certificates are required for game meat donations. Certificates must show names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the donor and recipient, donor’s license number, species and amounts donated, date of kill and donor’s signature. The certificate may be a simple note; no special form is required.
…If the entire carcass is donated, donor’s carcass tag and the recipient’s “like license” must be attached to the carcass.
