WINTERKILL SE DEER and ELK

Gator

Long Time Member
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Was down in the neck of the woods this last week for family business.
I remember last April a GUY telling me that the WINTERKILL wasn't as bad as I was saying it was.during my drive from Blanding Ut to Cortez Co and back,HERE WHAT I POSTED******We only traveled on the main Hwy from Blanding Ut to Cortez and then back but we saw dead elk and deer in the ditches and in the fields. Over on the UT side the green fields that you could see deer in morning and evening didn't have much in them, it looks like the winterkill will be high down in that area"""""".

WEll I'm Here to Shout BULL$HIT That area really got Hammered, Guys telling me that they had been scouting 3 days getting ready for ML and only seen 8 bucks nothing over 24" a Normal day of scouting would be 15-25 bucks with a few shooters. Not seeing much up on top or down in the oakbrush, I'm kind of happy I didn't draw now.

How many Local guys think I'm wrong and they are seeing just as many deer and Elk. Because I didn't see crapola in eastland,it was pretty much a few does and fawns with 2 forkys bucks about 20 head of deer total. Didn't see any elk out that way at all .

BTO how was your hunting season down there, did you get alot of Big Bulls and Bucks so far. How would you rate the winterkill from last years snow. I know you guys live on the mountains and hunt like mad men so how is the season going so far.


"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
Gator!

I spent some time down there!
Eastland wasn't looking to swell this year!
Seen a few Elk & Deer scattered everywhere but not alot!
Don't let anybody BS you,they even lost some cattle down there this last Winter!

I love not acting my age,
Damn I love my NASCAR race,
And Hell yes I love my Truck!
 
We have a small piece of property above Dolores where we spent some time this summer. Normally in this section of private we see quite a few deer every year. This year not so much.
 
You are right Gator, the numbers are definitely down this year. Less bucks for sure and not hardly a turkey left anywhere.
 
I was curious about the La Sals, heading down for the rifle hunt and was wondering if the deer herds had taken any hurt from last winter?
 
Spent time on the lasals chasin elk last month and just have to ask, what deer herd? Few and far between the only buck I saw was in Redd Ranch CWMU.
 
Thinking it will be a few years before this deer herd gets there feet back under them.
Lots of feed down there this year, hoping they have a good easy winter this time around. With lots of twins next spring.

I don't think the elk got hit as hard but they took a licking too.




"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
I agree with 30plus.....WHAT DEER HERD. I just returned from the La Sals, North of Blanding. The "herd" is pathetic. The four in our Muzzy hunt party saw 6 bucks in 11 days. Only two shooters. The one monster buck was found in the typical 2.5 mile hike in on a back pack trail to high elevation and seclution which is what I would expect as it was very warn weather, but was unable to get a shot. I have hunted this area five out of the last seven years either archery or muzzy and typically see many smaller bucks and 6-8 shooters over two week period, along with 100-200 does. This year perhaps 50 does along with the 4 small bucks and two shooters. No question the 2-4' snow storms that the locals talked about, obviously made a hugh impact on the herd. It will be at least 3 years before my group will return to the area.
As far as elk go. I saw no negative impact on the elk herd. We saw a lot of elk with many bulls everywhere we went.


A bad day hunting still beats working!
 
Cavalier,

Just curious what part of the mountain did you hunt? I usually hunt the southern end, and have had some luck.
 
I feel the rifle season will be a shoot the first forky and be happy. Wish they would think about shuting it down for a couple of years.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
Yeah, I agree Gator, shuting it down for a couple years would help. The five day long season should help, it takes me about five days to find one to shoot. PM sent.
 
You might have to move that season to 25 days this year to just to find one. That whole area got hit pretty hard.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
I saw a huge difference in numbers and quality further east towards Durango so my suspicion is a very tough winter in that corner of the state.
 
I think you are right about 60 miles into Colorado the deer seem more pentiful.



"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
I hunt in unit 75 & 751 called durango DOW and they said there wasn't any winter kill near durango did you see alot of deer near durango I,ll be there for the second season let me know.
Thanks.
 
Potbellybuck,

We were hunting the south side of Abajo Pk. We usually have luck there but this year it was all bad.
 
Well at all our RAC meetings we have been told the abajo mtns are at 110% of its deer population should be, what do you guys think?
all winter long we asked in our RAC meetings if we needed to do something for the deer and the DWR said that there isn't going to be much winter kill because it is not cold enough, its not the depth of the snow that kill the deer its the freezing temps.

Well all of us hunters in the field can differ from what we have seen on the abajos and on the LaSal mtns. both deer herds are in piss poor shape.

So lets have doe hunts, and do nothing proactive to keep the deer, or whats left of the deer. It is dumb to have the doe hunt they have done for 2 years now.

DWR the deer herds suck, go in the field like the hunters do and check for yourself, its hard to count deer at you computer.

obviously we did have a huge winter kill and I dont know why they are not proactvie and put the abajos and the Lasals on the 3 day rifle hunt effective this year, and stop any current doe hunts and refund the doe permittees there money.
 
Can't kill,

Couldn't agree more. Herd is struggling down there. What sucks is the mountain was in the best shape I've ever seen it in. Just no critters there to enjoy the salad bar. I'm really hoping for a mild winter this year. I call BS on 110% above objective-no freaking way!



"...I got a shotgun, rifle, and a 4 wheel
drive, and a country boy can survive..."

Hank Williams Jr.
 
They really need to shut it down and let it re-build a couple of years.
I know a well know Bio told me in April that it was a normal winter kill and I told him it wasn't I was seeing way too many dead deer along the hiways and we would wait until the seasons was open and see who was right, Well I think I was right because The herds are gone.

110% what are those guys smoking.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 

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