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DOW offering double elk tags.
Jan 16 2002 12:00AM
TIM FLOWERS. Alamosa Valley Courier
San Luis Valley - Elk hunters here and elsewhere in the state will be allowed to harvest up to two elk next season, as long as at least one of the animals is antlerless.
After a season described as poor, not only by game managers but also by rank-and-file hunters, the Colorado Wildlife Commission decided Monday to decrease the cost for non-resident antlerless licenses, from $450 to $250.
The price of a non-resident bull license, however, increases from $450 to $470 in order to keep pace with inflation. The price of a non-resident either sex license will remain $470.
Colorado residents, according to DOW, will continue to pay $30 for both cow and bull licenses in the 2002 season.
"Our statewide population objective is about 180,000 elk and our post-hunt count this winter will probably find the population is closer to 270,000," said John Ellenberger, the Division of Wildlife's big game manager.
"We issued 190,000 antlerless elk licenses last year, the most ever, because we needed to kill as many elk as we did in 2000 when we had a record harvest of 60,000."
Poor hunting conditions, economic recession and a dip in the number of nonresident hunters resulted in a harvest well below the 2000 record. Simply issuing more licenses would likely have little impact since there were 6,000 elk licenses that were never sold last year, Ellenberger explained.
He and other game managers recognized that additional steps were needed to increase the elk harvest.
"If we only increased the number of licenses without making them 'additional' and without recruiting more hunters through lower prices, we wouldn't get the job done," Ellenberger said.
Hunting units in the San Luis Valley area open for two tags include: 80, 81, 82, 83, 79, 76, 68 and 681.
Locally, the reaction was cautiously positive. "I really hadn't thought much about it," said Alan Colvin, gunsmith at Valley Gun Service, 1419 E. Highway 160 in Monte Vista. "I'm sure the local people are going to like it."
Colvin said he also hopes lowering the non-resident fee, even if only for cows, will help bring back some of the out-of-state hunters that were missing during the 2001 season.
Last year, approximately 40 percent fewer nonresident hunters participated in the big game seasons as compared to previous years.
The price of a nonresident elk license increased to $450 in 2001 from $250 in 2000. The price of a resident elk license has remained at $30 for more than a decade.
Colvin, who hunted in eastern Colorado during the 2001 season, said anything that helps put more hunters in the field can only have a positive impact on the area's economy, and his gunsmithing business.
"I'm sure there will be a lot of people who will be glad to hear about that" he said, returning to the task of fitting the lever action on an old Savage. "I know it sure can't hurt our business."
Beau Temple, who connected with a 6-by-6 bull during archery season, said he hasn't hunted during the rife season for a while now. "There's too many sloppy hunters out there," he said.
Temple, who turns most of his elk meat into jerky and hamburger, said if the harvest was as bad as DOW believes, the agency likely needs to do "something to thin them down."
And, as he thought about the prospect of being able to fill an archery tag, and then turn around and fill a rifle tag, he admitted he might even start taking his chances during rifle season once again.
"You know, I might have to look into it," he said. In an effort to reach deer population objectives, the Commission agreed to sell leftover buck deer licenses rather than destroy them as was done last year.
Hunters will also be able to harvest two does with one limited or special antlerless deer license in selected units. Elk hunters who participate in the fourth season and do not have the option of hunting deer in their unit will be allowed to hunt deer in a different combined season. All valid deer units are open for these hunters.
Other new regulations for 2002 include:
* Mandatory checks for mountain goats, bighorn sheep and bears must be completed within five working days of harvest.
* The use of smokeless powder is now prohibited during muzzle-loader big game seasons.
* The Division was given authority to issue special management licenses for bighorn sheep and mountain goats in an effort to prevent the spread of animal disease and unplanned expansion of sheep or goats outside established game management units.
* Instead of physical game checks, moose hunters are now required to complete a harvest questionnaire and submit it to the Division within 30 days after the close of their hunting season.
Jan 16 2002 12:00AM
TIM FLOWERS. Alamosa Valley Courier
San Luis Valley - Elk hunters here and elsewhere in the state will be allowed to harvest up to two elk next season, as long as at least one of the animals is antlerless.
After a season described as poor, not only by game managers but also by rank-and-file hunters, the Colorado Wildlife Commission decided Monday to decrease the cost for non-resident antlerless licenses, from $450 to $250.
The price of a non-resident bull license, however, increases from $450 to $470 in order to keep pace with inflation. The price of a non-resident either sex license will remain $470.
Colorado residents, according to DOW, will continue to pay $30 for both cow and bull licenses in the 2002 season.
"Our statewide population objective is about 180,000 elk and our post-hunt count this winter will probably find the population is closer to 270,000," said John Ellenberger, the Division of Wildlife's big game manager.
"We issued 190,000 antlerless elk licenses last year, the most ever, because we needed to kill as many elk as we did in 2000 when we had a record harvest of 60,000."
Poor hunting conditions, economic recession and a dip in the number of nonresident hunters resulted in a harvest well below the 2000 record. Simply issuing more licenses would likely have little impact since there were 6,000 elk licenses that were never sold last year, Ellenberger explained.
He and other game managers recognized that additional steps were needed to increase the elk harvest.
"If we only increased the number of licenses without making them 'additional' and without recruiting more hunters through lower prices, we wouldn't get the job done," Ellenberger said.
Hunting units in the San Luis Valley area open for two tags include: 80, 81, 82, 83, 79, 76, 68 and 681.
Locally, the reaction was cautiously positive. "I really hadn't thought much about it," said Alan Colvin, gunsmith at Valley Gun Service, 1419 E. Highway 160 in Monte Vista. "I'm sure the local people are going to like it."
Colvin said he also hopes lowering the non-resident fee, even if only for cows, will help bring back some of the out-of-state hunters that were missing during the 2001 season.
Last year, approximately 40 percent fewer nonresident hunters participated in the big game seasons as compared to previous years.
The price of a nonresident elk license increased to $450 in 2001 from $250 in 2000. The price of a resident elk license has remained at $30 for more than a decade.
Colvin, who hunted in eastern Colorado during the 2001 season, said anything that helps put more hunters in the field can only have a positive impact on the area's economy, and his gunsmithing business.
"I'm sure there will be a lot of people who will be glad to hear about that" he said, returning to the task of fitting the lever action on an old Savage. "I know it sure can't hurt our business."
Beau Temple, who connected with a 6-by-6 bull during archery season, said he hasn't hunted during the rife season for a while now. "There's too many sloppy hunters out there," he said.
Temple, who turns most of his elk meat into jerky and hamburger, said if the harvest was as bad as DOW believes, the agency likely needs to do "something to thin them down."
And, as he thought about the prospect of being able to fill an archery tag, and then turn around and fill a rifle tag, he admitted he might even start taking his chances during rifle season once again.
"You know, I might have to look into it," he said. In an effort to reach deer population objectives, the Commission agreed to sell leftover buck deer licenses rather than destroy them as was done last year.
Hunters will also be able to harvest two does with one limited or special antlerless deer license in selected units. Elk hunters who participate in the fourth season and do not have the option of hunting deer in their unit will be allowed to hunt deer in a different combined season. All valid deer units are open for these hunters.
Other new regulations for 2002 include:
* Mandatory checks for mountain goats, bighorn sheep and bears must be completed within five working days of harvest.
* The use of smokeless powder is now prohibited during muzzle-loader big game seasons.
* The Division was given authority to issue special management licenses for bighorn sheep and mountain goats in an effort to prevent the spread of animal disease and unplanned expansion of sheep or goats outside established game management units.
* Instead of physical game checks, moose hunters are now required to complete a harvest questionnaire and submit it to the Division within 30 days after the close of their hunting season.
