Alright guys, there's a lot of opinion on here without a lot of factual information. I'm not planning on getting into what it takes to grow trophy elk, but I am pretty informed on population dynamics and the studies which help guide the Colorado Division of Wildlife's management policies. I have not worked for the CDOW, but I have worked with them and while many of the guys I've worked with may not have been overly friendly, they were not stupid people.
We all know that unlimited bull tags are rough on trophy quality, but they DO NOT AFFECT the overall population.
For starters, huntelk8863, where did you read that 10-15 elk per 100 cows is not healthy for the population? I've read studies that say elk recruitment is not affected until the bull:cow ratio drops below 10:100 cows in studies conducted in both Oregon and Colorado. And think about it, that may not be good for trophy hunting, but do you really think 1 bull cannot breed 10 cows? There have been studies that state that 2 year olds are not as effective at breeding elk during their first cycle as older bulls, but they do get the job done.
There are no units in Colorado with a POST SEASON population objective of less than 10 bulls:100 cows. Of course there can be the occasional blip, but that won't destroy a population as you seem to think it will. Westernhunter1, if they are only counting mature bulls in the counts, how can that be a bad thing with the post season counts? Or maybe you were defending the DOW, in which case, sorry.
The only way to reduce the elk population in Colorado is through cow hunting, not bulls.
The winters here are not severe enough to kill elk in significant numbers. Quote me a study conducted in an area without wolves that does say snow levels or winter severity indices negatively affect recruitment and I'll quote you ten that say they don't. Drought does, but not winter severity in elk. Also, keep in mind that after severe winters in Colorado, cow elk typically have better recruitment due to increased forage quality from the increased moisture levels.
4000fps, the Colorado Division of Wildlife manages elk based on two factors: social tolerance and winter range quality. It doesn't matter if you disagree with it, that's how it is. If you were a rancher and you hundreds of elk in your stackyards, grazing your winter feed for your cattle and ruining your management plans, wouldn't you be pissed? Personally I don't believe payments should be made, nor stackyard assistance given to ranchers who charge for hunting access, which is what they do in other states that I have worked. But also, please realize the ranches where the elk winter are often not where the elk occur during hunting season. So the guy with elk all over his cattle's winter grounds (yes, it was the elk's first, but so was the land your house is on) probably isn't the same guy charging access during the season, or it's leased by an outfitter.
Lastly, right now you have an opportunity to nominate DAUs for limitation. So go ahead and do so, but realize you'll have to notify the local chamber of commerce, sportsman's groups and outifitters association. Limiting a unit will cost an area(not just the DOW) MILLIONS of dollars, so if you want to receive some hate mail, go ahead and threaten someone's livelihood.
Both elk that I killed in Colorado this year had calves in and around them, does that mean recruitment there was great? No. Nor does not seeing any calves. I shot a really nice bull last year and didn't see any calves, does that mean elk in that unit are doomed? Elkcrzy1, seriously, do you really think there are no elk left in Colorado?
For the guys complaining about the Craig area, unit 4 etc, I saw more elk than I've ever seen with a gun in my hand on my first season hunt this year in the first 3 hours of the season, than all my other elk hunts in the last 10 years. I won't go back, but that's a trophy issue(but I still shot a little 7x7), not a population issue.
We've all eaten tag soup before and want to blame someone other than ourselves, but come on, take a breather. The elk are doing fine. And if you're going to hit me with hate mail, please have your facts ready.