CO Proposed 2008 Tag Numbers

[TennVol]

A friend told me to check this link for the upcoming CO DOW meeting in Grand Junction at the end of the month. The link is for a PDF document that lays out every hunt code in the state for every species. It lists the tag numbers from 2007 and the "proposed" numbers for 2008. All of the proposed reductions from the previous year are in red. There is a lot of red!

I personally have never been to one of the DOW meetings, but the rumor is this document is usually appoved every year as it is written. If that happens, some tags (especially deer) are going to be much harder to come by in some GMUs this year!

Here is a snapshot of the 2007 tags that were available with the "proposed" state-wide 2008 numbers:
Deer/Archery/Either Sex: 2007/8550 2008/8150
Deer/Muzzle/Bucks: 2007/6041 2008/5571
Deer/Rifle/Bucks/2nd season: 2007/23,248 2008/16,102
Deer/Rifle/Bucks/3rd season: 2007/46,745 2008/10,681
Deer/Rifle/Bucks/4th season: 2007/3520 2008/3230

Some of the GMUs will stand to lose LOTS of tags this year if the plan is approved as written. The area I normally hunt is proposed to go to 805 tags in 2008 (from 1895 tags in 2007). That's a reduction of 1090 tags (57% loss).

The third season will get hit especially hard (a reduction of 36,000 tags/77% reduction) if this is approved.


Here's the link to review the document. The deer numbers start around page 65.
[http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdon...96-8EFB-F37BB8DF45CC/0/Ch2LicenseNumbers.pdf]



MSgt, USAF
1984 to present

 

[tworivers]

Tenn, Roll tide err I mean thanks!! This helps !!



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[Daxter]

WOW! Huge reductions across multiple parts of the state (not just Gunnison Basin)! Should be quite a bit harder to draw some popular CO units this year. I hope the herds can recover quickly. I have major respect for CO DOW for using the data and making SIGNIFICANT adjustments.

Dax

 

[Prism]

Once again Colorado leads the way in deer management. Ditto on what Daxter has to say. It looks like they're putting management ahead of dollars.

WAKE (TH) UP UTAH!!!

 

[WesternSky]

Thats because they make all of the money they need from our elk (read:raghorns galore)!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am glad they are going to continue managing our deer responsibly but I wish they would follow their own lead with elk.

These year is really going to bump up pref points required in some units from now on especially for non-res. Less tags, more people aquiring points while waiting to draw fewer tags and guys sitting on points to draw premium units after they recover.

 

[Prism]

WesternSky,

Still a pretty big chunk of change they're willing to go without.

Funny though, I had one of Utah's top biologist tell me that Utah could have lots of big deer too if we had all of the revenue CO nonresident elk tags generate.

I get tired of hearing the $$$ argument, but it sure seems like it almost always comes back to it-especially in tardville.

KUDOS to Colorado.

 

[scoutdog5]

There is one typo in your summary. Reduction for third season rifle buck tags is from 16,745 to 10,681.

They also reduced elk tags by about 4,000 total. Some increases, some decreases, and of course a lot of over the counter tags.

One interesting thing, they did not do away with doe tags in a lot of units that had big reductions in buck tags. Had reductions, but not complete elimination. This would tend to indicate that they were as concerned about numbers of bucks that survived, as overall deer populations. In my view, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming need to pay attention to what is going on in Colorado from the standpoint of maintaining buck ratios in the 30-50/100 does range. It will be very interesting to compare population numbers three or four years from now.

Scoutdog

 

[TennVol]

>There is one typo in your
>summary. Reduction for third
>season rifle buck tags is
>from 16,745 to 10,681.
>
>Scoutdog

Scoutdog -
Good catch on the typo. I guess that's what happens when I refuse to wear my reading glasses!

MSgt, USAF
1984 to present

 

[Founder]

WOW!!!! Huge cuts....more than I would have ever guessed.

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com

 

[Daxter]

I just keep looking at these tag cuts. I can cross my CO 2nd choice hunt off my list for this fall, I am still holding a glimmer of hope for my 1st choice, but most likely I won't be hunting CO this fall. I am a little bummed, but at the same time with cuts like these, buck numbers should rebound quickly. I hope the overall populations come back quickly too.

I just can't say enough about how impressed I am with how CDOW responds to their data. If buck numbers are up, they give more tags, if they are down they cut them. You just can't complain about managment like that.

Dax

 

[UThunting]

I see you all talking about how much Colorado makes with there elk tags, but I would think (probably wrong) Utah would make as much or more when you look at all the auction tags????

UThunting
Clynt L Citte
Willard Utah

 

[UThunting]

WOW I just looked at the changes in Colorado almost 30000 less tags???? Great for Co sound like there being very smart about there deer herds..

Good luck all in the Colorado draws I have a itch that says it will be a lot harder to draw this year but there will be lots of Opportunitys in the future...

UThunting
Clynt L Citte
Willard Utah

 

[TennVol]

The statewide deer tags are projected to be reduced from 83,678 in 2007 to a projected 54,283 in 2008. That's a reduction of 29,295/35% from last year.

MSgt, USAF
1984 to present

 

[Deerlove]

Lets see here, Co sees a hard winter coming so they implement feeding stations in early Jan, and in april they reduce the tags by 30k. Utah starts feeding in mid Fed, a month too late, and reduce there No region by 1k. WOW

 

[cabinfever]

>Funny though, I had one of Utah's top biologist tell me that >Utah could have lots of big deer too if we had all of the >revenue CO nonresident elk tags generate.

Paul, you'd think with all the revenue from the wealth tags Utah gets we'd have the revenue CO does.....oh wait were spending it on habitat projects that appear to be getting us no where.

Congrats to CO for practicing sound wildlife management.

Mike

 

[tooele]

Maybe Utah should stop catering to money whores, and keep some of the money for the state. Then they could actually have more options. But here is the real question. Would they change anything? Probably not.

T

 

[Bambistew]

The next few years are going to be really interesting. All those 'easy' to draw 2nd choice tags will be gone, drawing a point and hunting the same year may also be a thing of the past. Wonder what that will do to the point creap? Hmmm this could be a good thing in the long run.

 

[4000fps]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-25-08 AT 09:08AM (MST)[p]The problem is, Colorado never did rebound from the deer management debacle of the late 80's. I remember in 1986, they doubled the days bucks were being hunted, and put in those stupid point restrictions. They blamed the low herd numbers on drought, not overhunting! Couple that with some bad winters in 92, 94, and the banning of coyote trapping in 96, and the deer never did recover.

Sure, some heavily restricted trophy units started producing some large bucks again, but the overall state herd health and quality is not what it used to be back in the day. They need to scrap the 4th season buck hunt altogether, and get rid of doe tags.

 

[BUCKSPY]

"They need to scrap the 4th season buck hunt altogether"

AMEN!

I don't blame hunters for wanting to hunt the 4th season. THe fault lies with the DOW for opening this can of worms. This all started as an elk only 4th season in response to limiting the 1st rifle elk hunt. A Wildlife commisioner from Craig area cried the blues about limiting 1st rifle bull hunters and the 4th season was born. From there, what was a few token 4th season deer hunts turned into nearly all of the western slope now having 4th season hunts. Its wrong and needs to be scrapped. Those big mule deer become too vulnerable at that time of year. Its precisely the reason we don't hunt bull elk in the rut with a rifle. Its a joke.

 

[JSTWIG22]

Can anyone tell me if or what the number of tags cut from the 2008 buck deer draw in Unit 62 might be? Just wondering maining about the second season because that is what I applied for with two points! Have friends that applied with one.

 

[jims]

Everyone keep your fingers crossed that Colo doesn't have a 2nd harsh winter in a row or it will set things back even that much further than it already is! As many of us know it often takes a solid 5 to 7+ years for bucks to mature enough to produce whopper racks! I have a feeling there will be a missing age class of bucks in a few years (that were fawns this year). If there are several years missing you can imagine what things will look like down the road.

Colo has been super lucky in regard to winterkill in areas like the Gunnison Basin for a number of years. Historically the Gunnison area gets hammered by deep snow and cold but restrictive tag numbers and mild winters have shown what areas like that are capable of producing with a little luck and good proper herd management. Unfortunately this winter has been harsh and will likely set that area back.

Obviously if there are 1/2 the tags offered in some units it will likely take twice as long for hunters to draw tags...what a drag! You can bet there will be a lot of point creep going on at least the next couple of years if the CDOW remains conservative and allows the deer to rebound. I hope the CDOW remains conservative with tag numbers rather than giving in to all the outcry that will likely go on when hunters have a difficult time drawing tags!

 

[Ram187]

It looks like there will be 610 bucks tags for second season in 62,that is a cut of 10 tags