I find it interesting that the Colorado Division of Wildlife has pointed the finger at the hunters for elk declines and breeding issues.
I have hunted the Durango area since 1992 and agree with other hunters that elk hunting was great 10 to 20 years ago. As soon as Colorado DOW eliminated bait hunting for bears, which was approximately 12 years ago, I began to see a decrease in the elk population. I’m not saying that’s the entire issue.
I’m from Indiana and we know how coyotes affect deer populations here. So what’s the bear, mountain lion and coyote population doing to the elk?
I’ve quit hunting Durango the past four years due to the low elk numbers. When I did hunt there in November, I saw non-hunters in the wilderness areas. I’ll make the assumption this is happening more and more at all times of the year. Hiking, backpacking, snow sledding, snow skiing, etc., may be contributing to the issues of the elk.
Colorado DOW also has been limiting cow tags for the past four to five years, giving out fewer every year. There have been years where I didn’t get tags (which is OK) but my son and daughter did. Colorado DOW is trying to get younger people into hunting (which is good).
My thoughts, which to some will be extreme – do a real check by air on the elk population, eliminate all public land elk hunting for two to three years (or more), eliminate human traffic in the major elk herd breeding and calving areas for the same time frame (possibly mid-December to Mid-May). After this time, the Colorado DOW should see a dramatic increase in the population.
I bet it’ll stay the same or get worse.
Leonard Baxter
Kokomo, Indiana
