WILDLIFE COMMISSION APPROVES BIG GAME LICENSES

Release Date: 5/2/2003

The Colorado Wildlife Commission has unanimously approved issuing 146,000 limited antlerless and either sex elk licenses for the fall season, the most ever, as part of the long-term goal of bringing the state’s elk population closer to Division of Wildlife’s (DOW’s) population objectives.

The goal is to build on the success of last year’s record elk harvest with another season where hunters kill more than 61,000 elk during the annual fall and early-winter hunt. The Division issued more than 136,000 antlerless and either sex licenses in 2002.

Hunting is the DOW’s primary tool for managing the state’s big game populations. When game populations are above objective, more antlerless and either-sex licenses are issued. When the population falls below objectives, fewer licenses are issued. The DOW’s elk harvest objective for the upcoming season is nearly 65,000 elk, 5,000 more than last year’s harvest objective.

The Commission also approved limited licenses for deer, black bear, pronghorn and moose similar to the totals issued in 2002.

“In two of the last three years we’ve exceeded our harvest objectives for elk and for the first time, we’re beginning to see a decrease in the elk population in areas where we’ve been over objective for some time,” said John Ellenberger, the DOW’s big game coordinator. “But we’re still substantially above our population objectives in some areas and we are making a large number of antlerless and either-sex licenses available in those places.”

Ellenberger said the record number of limited elk licenses is only one step in the Division’s overall effort to reduce the antlerless elk population in some areas. Other steps include:

--Continuing to sell nonresident antlerless elk licenses for substantially less than bull licenses. Nonresidents can purchase a cow license for $250, while the more popular bull elk licenses cost $480. Colordo residents pay $30 for elk licenses.

--Selling antlerless licenses over-the-counter in seven game management units in northwestern Colorado to make it easier for hunters to buy the licenses. A total of 2,000 licenses will be available for game management units 25 and 26 northeast of Glenwood Springs during the four primary rifle elk seasons. And a total of 2,000 antlerless licenses will be available for the fourth rifle season in units 3, 4, 5, 301 and 441 in the Craig area.

--Allowing hunters to hold two elk licenses in some circumstances, providing at least one of the licenses is for an antlerless elk.

--Replacing limited bull licenses with either-sex licenses allowing hunters to take either an antlerless elk during the first season or a legal bull. Ellenberger told the Commission that hunters holding either-sex licenses would often kill a cow elk as the season they’re hunting in ends if they’ve been unable to kill a bull.

“The DOW has been meeting with various constituents to discuss local problems and to come up with solutions to improve management,” said Ron Velarde, northwest regional manager for the DOW. “Any solutions have to involve sportsmen, ranchers, the local business community and many other people because elk management involves many aspects of the community. Colorado’s elk herd is not only valuable to hunters and wildlife watchers, but it is also an economic force in many parts of the state making it important for the DOW to involve everyone with a vested interest in the decision making process.”

The restoration of Colorado’s elk population is one of the major natural resources success stories in North America. At the beginning of the 20th Century, market hunting and loss of habitat had reduced the once abundant elk herd to fewer than 2,000 animals. Wildlife officials took a number of steps to restore elk including a ban on hunting for 23 years and transplants of elk from Yellowstone and elsewhere. Today, Colorado has more than 300,000 elk, the most of any state or Canadian province.

Despite last year’s intense drought, Colorado’s big game herds made it through the winter in good condition. Fall rain and relatively mild winter weather combined to place less stress than usually occurs.

“Information….from various parts of the state indicates that big game have survived the winter at normal or above normal rates,” Ellenberger explained. “The severe snow storm that hit the northeastern portion of the state in late March does not appear to have had a significant impact on big game populations in those areas. The storm occurred late in the season and subsequent warm weather promoted rapid melting of snow in most areas.”

Range conditions statewide are better than last year at this time, especially in the northern and central part of the state. But drought conditions continue in southern Colorado where winter snow and spring rains have been less substantial than areas to the north.

Deer hunters also had a good season in 2002, with the statewide harvest increasing to more than 35,000, an increase of 2,000 over 2001.

“The ratio of bucks to does remains high in many herd units throughout the state and will continue to provide good buck hunting opportunities in 2003,” Ellenberger said. “An increasing number of herd units are at or above their long-term population objective resulting in more antlerless licenses available for hunters in selected areas of the state.”

The Commission approved 31,000 antlerless and either-sex deer licenses for 2003 compared to 25,000 last year.

Colorado has more than 565,000 deer, far more than the elk population. But the statewide sum of long-term population objectives for deer is more than 631,000. For that reason, the Division issues far fewer antlerless deer licenses compared to antlerless elk licenses.

The Commission approved issuing 120 moose licenses, up 3 from last year because the moose population is close to the long-term objective. The number of pronghorn licenses was decreased from 9,513 to 8,288 because prolonged drought conditions has reduced fawn production and survival.

The number of limited bear licenses will increase for 2003 because unlimited archery and muzzleloading licenses will no longer be sold. They will be replaced with 615 archery licenses and 310 muzzleloading licenses. Ellenberger said the net result should be a harvest below last year’s record of 857 black bears killed by hunters.