2008 big game hunting outlook in Colorado

Everybody, it’s been said, talks about the weather and Colorado big-game hunter are no exception. And though nobody, hunters included, does anything about it, as the 2008 seasons for elk, deer and pronghorns are beginning, discussions of the weather remain a vital part of the anticipation and planning for this year’s hunts.

“Around here, so much of it is weather dependent,” said Darby Finley, terrestrial biologist for the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s Meeker area, in looking ahead to the prospects for the upcoming hunting seasons. “It (the weather) will again be a major factor in determining hunter success.”

Though weather patterns, specifically snow or the lack of it, as usual will affect both the movements of deer and elk and potentially the mobility of hunters, this year’s outlook also is somewhat clouded by the effects of last winter, the harshest in recent years.

Much of the state received significant snowfall and prolonged periods of cold. The impact on game herds varied widely from one locale to another. The Gunnison region was hardest hit by the winter, leading to an emergency feeding effort by the DOW and numerous volunteers. Less-extensive feeding occurred in some other areas including the Eagle River valley, but much of western Colorado escaped any need for such measures.

Last winter’s uneven punch is reflected in the hunting prospects for the fall.

“We felt like adult survival was never really in jeopardy here,” said Jamin Grigg, Craig-based terrestrial biologist for the DOW. “Our populations of deer, elk and pronghorns in this area did just fine.

“I don’t think the past winter’s going to have a substantial effect at all on what hunters are seeing in the field. All of our big game populations up in this area should be just fine. We’re expecting a good year.”

Accordingly, deer, elk and pronghorn license allocations for the northwest corner of Colorado are similar to last year. The number of elk permits for a handful of units where animals have caused agricultural damage might even be slightly higher than a year ago. Buck-deer licenses, however, though still plentiful were reduced a little despite the good winter survival. Doe hunters might find somewhat fewer permits available in the lists of leftover licenses.

“We did get a little more conservative on deer just because we didn’t want to overshoot the harvest on those populations,” Finley said. “We’re below buck objectives up here, so we’re trying to increase those to get back up to our long-term objectives. It’s pretty much across the board up here for the Bears Ears and White River units.

“I don’t know that hunters are going to see fewer bucks this year; we’re not significantly below. We’re just a little more conservative this year in trying to get back to the long-term objective.”

Hunters in North and Middle parks and on the Grand Mesa also will have opportunities that are comparable to last year. Success rates also should be similar, maybe a little higher than a year ago, when mild weather in the third an fourth season splits kept the harvest down.

On the other hand, the Gunnison basin, encompassing game management units 54, 55, 551, 66 and 67, had a 50 percent reduction in available deer permits, while licenses for generally hardier elk remained unchanged. Though an estimated 20-30 percent of the deer population might have been lost, even there the outlook is not as bleak as might have been feared.

“We erred on the side of caution by cutting the number of licenses basically in half,” said Joe Lewandowski, a spokesman for the DOW’s southwest region. “We’re thinking that the mortality was really not much higher than normal. We fed a lot of deer — 9,000, almost 10,000 deer — and there are an estimated 20,000 deer in the basin. We know we didn’t have a catastrophic die off, so we feel pretty good about how that went.”

By concentrating deer at feeding locations away from the highway, the program also significantly reduced the number road-killed deer, usually a considerable part of winter losses.

“I think hunting’s going to be great up there because there are a lot fewer licenses this year,” Lewandowski said. “They were harder to come by, no doubt, but anyone who did draw a tag — I think they’re going to see a lot of bucks up there and have a good hunt.”

Deer license numbers also were reduced for the Eagle River basin, including game management units 35, 36, 44 and 45. That region also has plenty of deer remaining, however. Hunters might have to work a little harder this fall but still should see their share of bucks as well as elk.

When the winter finally loosened its grip, weather patterns turned favorable. Melting snow and bountiful spring and early summer precipitation filled waterways and brought welcome moisture to wildlife ranges. The forage for growth and antler development was very good. Game animals quickly recovered from the stresses of winter, and though the later summer turned dry, at the start of the hunting seasons deer, elk and pronghorns are in good condition.

Weather patterns will continue to determine the prospects for hunters.

“It all depends on how the rest of this year plays out,” Finley said in late July. “It’s kind of hard to say how the deer and elk are going to be distributed based on what we had for early moisture versus how dry we are now. As some of those areas dry out, concentrating on water could be beneficial. But the forage base out there is pretty wide-spread because of the moisture that we did have, so it could make for a season in which animals are a little more scattered rather than concentrated. But hunting pressure influences that, so once the hunting seasons start, pressure is going to concentrate those animals.”

Barring some unforeseen quirks in the weather, early season hunters in northwest Colorado and many other areas generally should look to the higher summer and transitional ranges of their game.

Traditionally good early season areas for elk and deer include the Bears Ears and Black Mountain regions north of Craig. However, significant early hunting pressure there can move animals lower, onto transition zones from summer to winter ranges that are mainly on private property and inaccessible to most hunters.

Units 4 and 5 along the Wyoming border are expected to provide some of the best deer hunting in the region.

South of the Yampa River, the Williams Fork area heading up to the Flat Tops Wilderness and the Pagoda Peak region are likely bets for deer and elk during the first two rifle seasons, along with Sleepy Cat Peak and portions of the Flat Tops drained by the White River.

As the seasons progress, if the weather turns adequately cold and snowy, those animals typically migrate onto lower wintering ranges west of Colorado Highway 13. The Axial Basin near Maybell can be a good area late in the season.

“A lot of the success rates for these units vary pretty considerably depending on which season you’re hunting,” Grigg said. “The animal movements can be substantial between public and private land and between the higher elevation summer ranges and lower elevation winter ranges. A lot of the success rates in this area are pretty weather dependent, as well, probably even more so than the rest of the state.”

Energy development has changed the landscape in much of the region but in the short term, at least, hunter access remains good. Bureau of Land Management lands are available to the public, and several energy companies at present are keeping large tracts of land open to hunters. In some cases, hunter access actually has increased because of new road construction.
Hunters are asked to be especially mindful of the heightened activity, posted areas, work zones and infrastructure around the energy development sites. Such activity is especially prevalent in the Piceance Basin of Unit 22.

Workers from the energy boom also have affected the availability of motels and other accommodations in Rifle, Meeker, Craig, Rangely and other areas. Though some motels are setting aside rooms for hunters, early inquiry and reservations are recommended.

And so, as days grow gradually shorter and the first aspens begin to turn, a new season of hunting is dawning. The weather might be dry; an early snowstorm might be on the way. Days might be too hot; they could suddenly turn cold. Snow in the high country might help hunters; it could be detrimental — you get the idea. No one knows what the weather ultimately will be, but with plenty of bucks and bulls in the field, they just might become the main topic of hunting camp conversations.

By Karl Licis
Special to the Colorado Hunting Guide