Archery Hunters took a hit yesterday and still in the cross hairs...

elks96 · Jan 10, 2019

Just a heads up, the CPW parks and wildlife voted yesterday to make all archery tags in the Eagle/Vail/Roaring Fork areas bull only. This was done due to lower than expected herd numbers, etc. The CBA and many archers were against the move as archery hunters did not represent a significant source of cow harvest or calf mortality.

The license quota in this area has been over 23,000 cow licenses for rifle/plo etc. but archers only represent 190 cow elk harvested.

This represent a growing trend of support in Colorado to move archery Seasons completely limited, removing opportunity and hurting future hunter recruitment.

Again archery is not the limiting factor on herd growth.

They took away the archery cow take all together but are still offering rifle cow tags/plo cow tags/etc.

I encourage everyone to step up and work to preserve the archery seasons. Have the state limit the largest sources of mortality before they take the easy path and removing hunting options.

swampokie · Jan 10, 2019

Maybe the crossbow can save Colorado archery...Just kidding.
All kidding aside this is very concerning.

Elkduds · Jan 10, 2019

I expect their goal is to reduce archery hunter #s in those units. Will it work?

elks96 · Jan 12, 2019

The supposed goal was to help the herds recover. However archery hunters take less than 100 cow elk a year in this area. I am not convinced this is the right move. Archery hunters represent a very small source of cow elk mortality.

tailchasers · Jan 13, 2019

And your ability to hunt in Colorado will continue to erode. Remember a new group of nonshooting sportspersons now have a say in the state with the new CPW requirements. Get used to sharing more.

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."

Sako76 · Jan 13, 2019

This is odd, any idea on the number of cows harvested with rifle? 23K cow rifle licences seems like a lot.

Grasshopper · Jan 13, 2019

No, archery OTC either sex licenses are still valid in those units, it is just illegal to shoot a cow or calf now.

Grasshopper · Jan 13, 2019

>This is odd, any idea on
>the number of cows harvested
>with rifle? 23K cow
>rifle licences seems like a
>lot.

That number was since 2013 including rifle cow, PLO and either sex, when the DAU plan was finalized. Some were leftovers most likely, many were B tags. They have continued to cut tags every year since. Based on statewide harvest data, I projected 4000 to 4500 harvested since 2013.

okbow87 · Jan 20, 2019

They have also drastically reduced the number of rifle tags in the area as well. Until 2016 they were running about a 2,000 tag quota for all the cow/calf rifle licenses in the unit group/dau, that included the private land tags as well.

In 2017 they significantly reduced that, some of those quota's by 50% or more on specific seasons.

2018 there was only a combined quota for all seasons including the private land tags of around 200 tags total. A 90% reduction from 2016.

Everybody in that area has taken it in the shorts, but when you lose half the herd and don't know how and your calf recruitment is only 20-25 calves per 100 cows. Something has to be done. The biologist I listened to on this said they need an absolute minimum recruitment level of 35 per 100 to just sustain the population at current levels.

270Whatelse · Jan 20, 2019

I don't archery hunt those areas but that does kinda suck for those that do, but "if" the population is that low something should be done. Obviously cow rifle should be slashed or not issued at all IMO.

elks96 · Jan 21, 2019

The problem according to the biologist is calf recruitment. As such archery hunting cows in the September season is not a limiting factor. The problem is what happens to the calves?

Unless they have shown someplace else, they are showing a 80-90% pregnancy rate. Meaning that in the spring we should be seeing around 80 calves per 100. But why is it so low later in the year? Does archery hunters taking 80 cow elk from an area larger than some states really have any impact on the herd over all?

Also someone else pointed out that they have cut tags, but they only have had the current tag cuts in place for a year, how has those cuts worked or not worked? Is it possible that it was not enough time for a significant population increase from tag cuts?

Sorry but the loss of either ex elk to archery is a huge loss. Any bets that the CPW, continues to push Archery to Male only and in time they comeback and increase rifle cow tags Thus selling more licenses overall?

Hondoarcher · Jan 22, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Jan-22-19 AT 04:30PM (MST)[p]I think Elkduds is on to something (reduce archery hunter #s in those units). It is the only thing that makes sense since archers take so few cows.