I mentioned this briefly before, but the forecasts for this years elk harvest weren't pessimistic enough. This will be the worst elk and probably deer harvest in at least 10 years. One of my closest friends is the regional officer for CDOW and he predicted this early in the fall.
I met with th3 outgoing terrestrial biologist for the state and she said the same thing. COA said up to 70% of all big game hunters quit early this year.
I know dad and I hunted harder than we ever have in our lives for almost 9 straight days in country I know like the back of my hand just to see 7 cows and calves legal shooting light.
We watched two bulls heading to bed 2 hours before light, and we pushed 2 off of their bed, but that was it. Heat, moon, drought, and early pressure added to one tough year in Colorado. Success was on private and this year even more than usual.
Anyway, I know it was frustrating but your experience was the norm even among vets in the state. The only consolation is that we've strung together a few years of below average harvests. When the weather breaks one of these falls, it's going to be one for the books.
I met with th3 outgoing terrestrial biologist for the state and she said the same thing. COA said up to 70% of all big game hunters quit early this year.
I know dad and I hunted harder than we ever have in our lives for almost 9 straight days in country I know like the back of my hand just to see 7 cows and calves legal shooting light.
We watched two bulls heading to bed 2 hours before light, and we pushed 2 off of their bed, but that was it. Heat, moon, drought, and early pressure added to one tough year in Colorado. Success was on private and this year even more than usual.
Anyway, I know it was frustrating but your experience was the norm even among vets in the state. The only consolation is that we've strung together a few years of below average harvests. When the weather breaks one of these falls, it's going to be one for the books.
