30%, I don't think so....

[stinky]

We are going to raft the Little Snake Memorial Day weekend. Last week we went up there to look for launching spots and get an idea of what we are looking at.

The Yampa and the Snake are flowing like crazy.

Now, things, could have been affected by all kinds of things But we hardly saw any critters.

From Rifle to Craig, nothing (none in Meeker, or just north of Meeker)
Right outside of Craig, on the S-side, we saw 2 antelope in those fields, just south of the motels.
Craig to Baggs, 2 antelope
going west from Baggs, there are some Alfalfa fields that I normally see about 500 deer and/or antelope in...NOTHING
Going south from CR4 to west of Sunbeam, 2 Antelope.

We saw no deer and/or antelope in Sunbeam, and Maybell. But, we saw about 10 antelope south of there.

Going south from Maybell, we almost hit an elk....1 elk is now a herd??? We saw no deer or antelope on that stretch.

If I get drawn, tis very possible that I'll be turning my antelope tag back in. 19 points, and nothing to shoot at.

All those places that I mentioned above, normally, you can't hardly drive thru there w/o seeing a bunch of critters.

 

[eyeman]

Thats too bad!
It was probably nice and green though?
I dont like to be the he said she said type of person but,
the rumor mill thinks maybe the winter affected more than what the cpw is thinking.

 

[tailchasers]

Its was a SOB of a winter for sure. I'd be returning that tag stinky.

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

Colorado shouldn’t be giving a single antelope tag in the NW units as far as I’m concerned. I don’t think a lot of people truly understand the severity of the winter kill situation. Had a couple go out shed hunting on the 1st and counted a total of 72 dead elk in 4 hours of hiking….

 

[Sadoldman]

Stinky, you are correct. I live and work in the Northwest corner. If the CPW is claiming 30% winter mortality they are not correct. I don't think the people at CPW can really count or work with numbers. It might be the education with common core math. In fact most people in state and fed government struggle with math. No joke, the deer, and antelope are gone.

 

[tailchasers]

CPW games counts.

 

[D_Hoyt]

That sucks.

 

[brutus54]

Yep I just spent five days north of Craig camping and looking around. There’s water and grass everywhere. But not very many critters to enjoy it. ?

 

[txhunter58]

So what you are saying is: for the 5% of hunters that even see an elk, they will prob have great antlers. ?

Actually, Hunting those areas at all this year is like the cliche “kicking them while they are down”
Terrible all the way around. Sorry to say, but hunting will delay the recovery.

 

[Thill]

I don't think the animals exist anymore. If they don't show up in the normal areas in the very near future - they won't be showing up this year.

I watched the only cow elk I seen on a similar drive standing by the hugely flooded Yampa river at Hayden. She had to looking at the river and going how do I cross this thing without drowning and where is the rest of the herd!

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

Never in my short life time have I seen mature bull elk curl up and die in the winter… a lot of bulls in the trophy units in the NW corner fell victim to the winter. Had multiple buddies in Utah recently running bears and they are finding dead head after dead head

 

[coloradoman]

That sucks man!

 

[coloradoman]

I’m spending the day in 40 tomorrow so I’ll look around but it shouldn’t be bad there but who knows

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

I’m spending the day in 40 tomorrow so I’ll look around but it shouldn’t be bad there but who knows

No 40 didn’t get hit like the NW corner did. A lot dead animals turning up in unit 10 from what my buddies in Rangely are reporting

 

[Thill]

No 40 didn’t get hit like the NW corner did. A lot dead animals turning up in unit 10 from what my buddies in Rangely are reporting

I'm just curious - do you think those animals were originally from 10 or did most of them migrate to 10 and perish. I seen a lot of road kill in 10 that made think a bunch of the animals ended up in 10.

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

I'm just curious - do you think those animals were originally from 10 or did most of them migrate to 10 and perish. I seen a lot of road kill in 10 that made think a bunch of the animals ended up in 10.

A lot of the elk that migrate from the flattops actually winter on the west end of unit 10 around Elk Springs- Winter Valley

 

[tailchasers]

A lot of the elk that migrate from the flattops actually winter on the west end of unit 10 around Elk Springs- Winter Valley

A lot of the elk didn't make it that far. I was informed many elk went north into Browns Park and the 201 area. Seems these elk wintered better than many. I hope so.
The south side of 10 has considerable mortality. We are seeing some animals but they are very scattered and few. Those we are seeing look to be in good shape.
We've also witnessed a massive number of critters floating down the river. Even yet today.

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

A lot of the elk didn't make it that far. I was informed many elk went north into Browns Park and the 201 area. Seems these elk wintered better than many. I hope so.
The south side of 10 has considerable mortality. We are seeing some animals but they are very scattered and few. Those we are seeing look to be in good shape.
We've also witnessed a massive number of critters floating down the river. Even yet today.

Never heard of the white river herd ending up clear in browns park…

 

[tailchasers]

Can't say which herd it is. Well over 10 -15 years ago during a prior severe winter CPW was out looking for herds in there plane. They ended up finding a huge group in Browns Park and the vicinity. They found a banana belt region in that area and stayed. I remember that spring the state shutting Hwy 13 down north of Craig and of south of Craig for the herds to cross while the migration made their way to the summer range. That summer and fall we found large groups of winter kill in the Bitterbrush, Axil, Dinosaur Monument, and Crocked Wash basins. Found several dead heads that year and the years following.

 

[Sako76]

Our rancher in Hamilton (Units 12 and 13) said he had multiple 6 pointers curl up and die on HWY 317, it doesn’t sound good!

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

Our rancher in Hamilton (Units 12 and 13) said he had multiple 6 pointers curl up and die on HWY 317, it doesn’t sound good!

Nope it’s bad news bears on hwy 13 from meeker all the way to baggs

 

[Sako76]

I hunted the 2008 season after the bad 07/08 winter, I saw saw plenty of elk and only one spike mule deer in 5 days of hunting, this winter must have been really bad from all the reports. I had the last 4 days of the second combined booked and it got cancelled, a blessing.

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

I hunted the 2008 season after the bad 07/08 winter, I saw saw plenty of elk and only one spike mule deer in 5 days of hunting, this winter must have been really bad from all the reports. I had the last 4 days of the second combined booked and it got cancelled, a blessing.

Ya this past winter in the NW part of the state makes 07/08 look like a kitten. Other parts of the state not so bad. But NW Colorado and SW Wyoming really got it bad