Colorado Deer ?

[Rem308]

With all the negative I have heard about the deer herd in NW Colorado,is there still enough deer to make a good hunt.

 

[jims]

Obviously tough winters significantly affect old age class bucks. Keep your fingers crossed we don't have 2 severe winters in a row!

 

[Founder]

There will always be a few big bucks running around. I sure wouldn't let it stop me from going hunting. One of the units I helped a buddy in last year was supposed to have had a real bad winter kill, yet I saw more deer than in 2007...???
The unit I hunted was also reported to have a bad winter kill, and DO believe it did. I saw FAR FEWWR deer, but still found one big buck.

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com

 

[Founder]

The bucks that are going to have the best antler growth next fall are most likely the healthiest deer in the herd. In my opinion, they are not the deer that will die. Fawns, old does, and old (over the hill, out of their prime) bucks are the ones that I believe will winter kill first. Bucks in their prime now are bigger and healthier than all the others, doesn't make sense that they would die first. UNLESS, the harsh winter began soon after the rut, before the bucks recovered.
That's my opinion.

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com

 

[jims]

I would agree that bucks in their prime are likely healthy during the summer and early fall but would tend to disagree that these same bucks are in top shape going into the winter. Their fat reserves have fizzled while rutting and many of them have run ragged and are not in prime shape once the rut is done and the winter storms hit! Not only may the deep snow and winter storms affect them but they are sometimes sitting ducks for predators if they are off by themselves trying to recover from the rut.

I'm not sure if you were in the area from Rawlins south to Baggs this past year but there were very few bucks and the few bucks that were there were forked horns! Guys that paid $5,000+ for prime private land hunts in that area were shooting forkies or nothing this year. The year prior to that there were gobs of 160 to 180" bucks in prime shape!

Obviously there are always a few mature bucks that escape bad winters and winterkill can vary greatly from 1 unit to the next and even from 1 mountain to the next! Lets hope that we don't get 2 bad winters in a row or it could really impact the number of mature bucks in Central Colo and Southern Wyo.