Photo by Nathan Hardebeck

For the past several years, wildlife-related news stories across much of Colorado told of devastating drought, massive wildfires and chronic wasting disease. For all of the negative news, one would have thought Colorado was a dustbowl besieged in an inferno, and that elk and deer herds were teetering on the brink of extinction. Such is the nature of modern-day daily media. Fortunately, and despite all the doom and gloom, elk numbers continued to soar upward in virtually every region of the state.

What's better is that hunters showed up in droves in 2004 and came away with a boomer harvest. And according to wildlife managers, this year is shaping up to be as good or better than the last.

A record 251,557 hunters visited Colorado's high country last fall and filled their freezers with 63,336 elk, the largest single-year harvest on record. This made for an overall success rate of 25 percent for all methods of take statewide, which is up slightly from the 23 percent success rate in 2003. Out of the 63,336 elk harvested, 27,795 were bulls and 35,540 were cows and calves. Wildlife managers carefully monitored the number of cows and calves killed.

Elk numbers have risen consistently over the past several years and now exceed 300,000 statewide. Colorado Division of Wildlife biologists estimate the ideal population levels should be closer to 200,000, with a bull-to-cow ratio floating around 20 bulls per 100 cows. In many parts of the state the bull/cow ratios are relatively close to that objective; it's the population levels that are out of balance. These top-heavy numbers can be blamed on high cow/calf recruitment rates and consecutive mild winters, says Tyler Baskfield, public information specialist for the CDOW.

Although hunters killed a record number of elk in 2004, the statewide total is estimated at close to that 300,000 mark again this year, allowing Colorado to retain its title as the elk capital of the world.

This is good news for Colorado hunters! A burgeoning elk population equals more harvest opportunities and makes Colorado's elk the gift that keeps on giving. Baskfield says, the best way to achieve the overall population objective of 200,000 elk is to use hunting as a management tool. The Colorado Wildlife Commission intends to make the gift keep giving by offering hunters about 145,000 additional elk licenses this fall. What that means is the CDOW will be issuing tens of thousands of extra cow tags for 2005.

This year Colorado hunters will have the opportunity to kill up to three elk. Of the three tags, one can be a bull or either-sex tag; the other two must be cow tags. These additional tags are for resident and non-resident hunters and are available in 87 game management units. These additional cow tags are not season-specific, giving the would-be meat hunter additional seasons to hunt elk, which in turn means more time in the field. Also, unlimited either-sex tags are available in Eastern Plains units east of I-25, as well as private land cow tags for Units 391 or 461.

The only significant regulation change this year is that all fourth- season (rifle) elk hunting is limited.

To entice non-residents to take advantage of these additional tags, the CDOW recently dropped the cost of a non-resident antlerless elk license to $250, and according to Baskfield, it seems to be working. "Last year more hunters took advantage of the additional licenses and harvested more cows, which did make a dent in the herd. If this trend continues a few more years we will be significantly closer to our population objective."