Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission Meeting - January 15 - 16, 2020

[Oak]

Can you imagine if CPW managed for a success rate? It would require actual management rather than just printing licenses like the US Treasury prints Washingtons.

A state by state comparison of elk success rates would be interesting.

 

[grasshopper]

The system isn’t working, many find it problematic.

Success rates are down 50% in some units/ season ie 75/751.

If sportsman had stopped when things were good enough for some would we have elk in Kentucky? Moose in CO? Turkeys in most states?

The system isn't working? for 75% of our survey respondents the most important criteria is a guaranteed license. I personally have hunted unit 10, unit 61, drawn bighorn, drawn moose, hunted grizzly, caribou, dall sheep, and get ample licenses every year. I've drawn Wyoming limited elk 7 times, and Montana 4 times. I've shot pope and young critters, and calfs. Still feeding the family elk meat from last season. It is working for those who want licenses, but never works for whiners because you can always find something to complain about while never being grateful.

When I looked at 2018 PLO cow success rates in the SW, the success rates were off the charts over 50% in some GMU's. You still need to be smart, and hedge your bet.

Not sure what the hell introductions have to do with anything, the 50 million we make a year on elk pays for that and it all comes from OTC licensing.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

@grasshopper

"The system isn't working? for 75% of our survey respondents the most important criteria is a guaranteed license. I personally have hunted unit 10, unit 61, drawn bighorn, drawn moose, hunted grizzly, caribou, dall sheep, and get ample licenses every year. I've drawn Wyoming limited elk 7 times, and Montana 4 times. I've shot pope and young critters, and calfs. Still feeding the family elk meat from last season. It is working for those who want licenses, but never works for whiners because you can always find something to complain about while never being grateful."

Why are/were you complaining about losing OTC tags then? I agree there is ample opportunity, lets focus on the resource in order to maintain that opportunity for future generations.

"When I looked at 2018 PLO cow success rates in the SW, the success rates were off the charts over 50% in some GMU's. You still need to be smart, and hedge your bet."

Total harvest in 75 is down 400% in 13 years, success rates cut in half.
What is your definition of pillage?
Let me stop you before you start, you're right it was rifle hunters who killed the most elk and a ton of it was done on private land. OTC rifle needs to be dropped as well, OTC archery is just what happened to be on the table this year.



"Not sure what the hell introductions have to do with anything, the 50 million we make a year on elk pays for that and it all comes from OTC licensing."

This was your quote.

For many, the system is working great, all they want is to go hunting. Who are we to tell them it should change?

Sportsmen and women at RMEF and NWTF, and numerous other groups have not rested on their laurels. Elk were restored in a number of states and those projects continue.
Those folks didn't say, "Whelp now there are some elk in MT, I'm going to shoot one and then call it a day". Those folks worked to build herds in other states, herds they would never have the opportunity to hunt themselves.

Elk license dollars are crucial to the CO system and those dollars will go away if the populations crash.

When is enough is enough? Not until a guy with a rifle and a guy with a bow are duking it out to decide who gets to shoot the last one?

 

[grasshopper]

Yea lets focus on the resource - Ok. That will take a couple minutes.

ELK. We can discuss it in less then one minute. In May CPW stated 42 elk herds are above objective, 5 elk herds are below objective, and the rest are within management goals. We have 287,000 elk according to CPW. In GMU 14, where they want to shut down archers the calf ratio is near the best in the state. If that is the Bears ear herd the calf ratio is 65 to 100, I don't have time to look at the DAU plan. We had 320k elk at one time. Want to grow the herd? Quit shooting cows in 6 month long seasons where you kill two elk with one shot in December/January. Also quit selling B tags, and start killing lion and bears. Limiting archers won't do jack, we kill about 5000 elk a year with 50% NR participation. Now we solved that in less than a minute, and none of it involved habitat, and none of it eliminated OTC licensing. Please stop with your resource crap, while I care, I care more about resident hunters they are far more at risk, and they can vote.

Deer - CWD. WTF is in hunter control with that? I guess we buy the way over issued buck tags.

Moose - doing great, we should issue more tags, until wolves get voted in. #1 hunter complaint is I can't get a tag, the resource ain't the problem.

Pronghorn - Sorry, I grew up in Wyoming and vowed to never eat another one after I graduated.

Sheep - Ask Terry.

Goats - no opinion

bears - maybe we will kill thousands of them now that the license floodgate is open.

Lions - PWC is to scared to raise quotas over fear of the next ballot.

This discussion is a waste of time. The resource you seem to want is 350 bulls behind every tree. That ain't happening in my lifetime, waste of time, no one would ever get a tag and it would never be adopted. Guys want to hunt, let them.