CO Gunnison Basin tag numbers coming........meeting

[cohntr6]

Here is the email about the meeting and comment period to decide Colorado's famous Gunnison Basin units:

MEETING SET TO DISCUSS GUNNISON AREA DEER, ELK LICENSE NUMBERS

The Colorado Division of Wildlife will hold a public meeting to discuss deer and elk hunting license numbers for the 2008 hunting season for the Gunnison Basin on March 28 at the Holiday Inn Express in Gunnison.

Two sessions are scheduled: From 10 a.m. to noon wildlife officials will discuss Game Management Units 66 and 67; from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., they'll discuss GMUs 54, 55 and 551.

Wildlife managers will present deer and elk population estimates, and discuss license numbers for the upcoming big game season. The information they use to determine these numbers includes the previous season's harvest numbers, post-hunt aerial survey data and estimated winter mortality. Each year wildlife managers strive to meet population and sex ratio objectives established in deer and elk management plans. The harsh winter season and the ongoing feeding operation will be taken into consideration.

Written comments also are welcome. Please send to: Brandon Diamond, Colorado Division of Wildlife, 300 New York Avenue, Gunnison, CO 81230. Written comments must be received by April 4.

The Colorado Wildlife Commission will set license numbers on May 1 at its meeting in Grand Junction. Big game limited license applications are due April 1.

For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.


Should be interesting.
Jeff

 

[Waygoner]

I'd like to attend but I have to work. If someone can make the meeting it would be good to have recap posted here. They're not leaving much time between the meeting and application deadline.

 

[ktc]

If anyone attends or knows what happened, would ya let us know?

 

[Tomichi]

Good Meeting well attended. The cuts are not as dramatic as I had hoped but I do support the #?s proposed. For the last several years our buck doe ratio was over The DAU plan of 40 to 45 per 100. We screamed like scalding chickens for them not
Issue enough tags to get us down in one year. Now I believe the shoe is on the other foot and we should not expect them to get back to 45 instantly. 4th season all 5 units cut to 3 tags each. Cut from 15 in each unit. 3 mean?s NO land owner vouchers for 4th.
GMU 54 reduction is 47 % antlered tags 60% antlerless.
GMU 55 and 551 35% antlered 53% antlerless.
GMU 66/67 44% antlered 60% antlerless.

ELK no changes at all in 66/67
They took 551 out of the 55 hunt code so 1st season bull tags went from 475 to 380 in 55
And they put those 95 back in 551. Basically choose your unit. No longer can hunt both
Same with cow tags 475 to 355 in 55 gave the 120 difference to 551. They did this break with 4th season last year.
I am not the #1 fan of CDOW how ever a lot of time and thought and science went into their proposed #?s. We can argue winter mortality into the dirt and we did. Bottom line is we won't know any thing for sure until next fall. We will recover from THE WINTER OF 07/08. But remember the Gunnison deer hunt of 2004 Was a once in several life time event.

 

[infinitecircles]

Thanks Tomichi. One question though. Will the tag reductions be accross the board? What I mean is will 66/67 lose 44% antlered from 2nd season and 44% from 3rd season or will the bulk of the reduction be in 1 season?

 

[ktc]

Great info Tomichi. Thanks for taking time to pass it along.

You say they argued winter mortality. Based on what you heard, what is the best guess as to winter loss? 30%? More? Less? I know it is early to be sure, but was wondering what the best guesses were?

 

[Tomichi]

The % are pretty much across the board with some rounding.
Some harvest success rates were used. 66 E-sex archery 2007 40 tags 08 30
66 muz 07=, 30 08 =,20 66 2nd rifle 07= 130 08= 70 3rd 07=55 08=30

Winter mortality. oh boy?South units lower percentage of deer on feed.
55 and 551 over 6000 deer on feed. Every feed ground is different. In some places
deer had access to hay stacks before and during feeding that = dead deer.
Some feed grounds we couldn't start on time because of elk to close. = dead deer.
54 much harder to get deer on feed lower % being fed. =dead deer. Guys don't be
to critical. This is a CLOSED BASIN. No way out for the majority of our game.
You head down hill till you hit the HWY and deep snow in river bottoms Damn I got to go more later.

 

[ktc]

Thanks for the follow up Tomichi. Sounds like CDOW did a good job in trying to protect the herds first. I am getting a sinking feeling the deer got hit pretty bad, not devastated, but pretty bad.

 

[Tomichi]

ktc ?sinking feeling? I am one who believes you should trust those ?Feelings? I could write pages?But I am at work. Spring Break Here
LIVE? FROM MT CRESTED BUTTE?.IT?S? SATURDAY NIGHT!!!

 

[rocketman]

I went to the first meeting Friday but not the pm
meeting. I agree with you Brad about your assessments.
The deer will come back but Gun may not come back to
the quality of a few years ago. I salute Randy Clark
and many others for their help in feeding. I will
be shed hunting 66 starting in May for about 30 days
and will take note of the winter mortality. Lets hope
now that the next tough winter will wait for 22 years
(83-84). Roy in Montrose

 

[coloradooutdoors1]

Well I am absolutely sure that mother nature will do what she has to do. I am a firm believer that you should let mother nature do what she has to do. I am not sure about the feeding program, I have heard both good and bad. It seems like it might have helped the deer out around the Gunnison Basin, but I hope it isn't something the deer get used to. Just my opinion, what do the rest of you think?

 

[JSTWIG22]

Do you know if there is going to be any change in Unit 62 tag numbers on buck deer? Just wondering , thanks for any information!

 

[ICMDEER]

Brad - THANKS for all of the great information. The only question I have is the doe huts. Seems to me that if the deer took a hammering, DOW would want to increase numbers and taking does will slow that process. Maybe the absolute numbers of doe licenses are not high enough to make much difference or maybe there are private land issues that also come into play.

Just curious why they are still shooting does if the herd is now way below objective.

 

[Tomichi]

Well folks, The Commission did not accept the proposed #?s They left the buck tags As they were proposed by staff. But cut all doe tags except 7 per hunt code.
I think now that we are getting out there the winter mortality was higher than we thought.
The #7 came from the AG he told them they had to leave that many in as the brochure was already printed with the antlerless hunt codes. This was passed unanimously in GJ on the 1st.

 

[ICMDEER]

Makes sense to me. Thanks for keeping us posted, Brad. I'm glad to see that they are sparing the does and trying to do the right thing by being conservative on the buck license numbers. Sorry to hear that the winter mortality was tougher than expected.

Let us know how the spring and summer unfold. With all of the snow, there should be some great feed in that area, but summer feed is not likely a concern there anyway.