I was surprised to read that as well!There's no way that there's still 290,000 elk in this state.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is a nationally recognized leader in conservation, outdoor recreation and wildlife management. The agency manages 42 state parks, all of Colorado's wildlife, more than 300 state wildlife areas and a host of recreational programs. CPW issues hunting and fishing...
cpw.state.co.us
CPW says 280,000 though don't share a date for their estimated count however, it's on their current government website.
RMEF noted from a 2019 read, the following:
"Wildlife officials in Colorado relocated 50 elk from Wyoming in 1916. Today, there are more than 280,000 animals in the Centennial State."
Watch: Elk Thriving in Parts of Colorado
There was a time when elk were nearly extinct in North America. Thanks to forward-thinking conservationists, and backed by funding generated by hunters, there are [...]
www.rmef.org
Does HT have a better handle on the #'s? I'd be interested to hear.
Edit added: for the general #'s posted, source:
Elk Population by State 2024
worldpopulationreview.com
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