Relatively moderate winter good news for herds of elk, deer, pronghornBy Karl Licis, Special to The Denver Post
01/06/2010Wintering pronghorns are a common sight in South Park, and herds have been faring well this year.
(Karl Licis, Special to The Denver Post)For Bruce Watkins, the Montrose-based big game coordinator for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, January can't pass quickly enough.
"Once we're through January, we're pretty much over the hump as far as winter survival in our herds," Watkins said. "Heavy snow early in the winter that stays around can cause some problems, but snow later in the season usually isn't too much of a concern."
By all indications, the current snowpack in most of the state is moderate, generally below last year's levels and certainly not as significant as the notorious winter of 2007-08, when some herds suffered unusually high losses and emergency feeding operations were authorized in several areas, most notably the Gunnison Basin. Consequently, Colorado's wintering game herds seem to be in good condition.
"We've been radio-monitoring deer fawns across the state, and we've seen nothing to indicate any problems with our herds so far," Watkins said. "Our elk, deer and pronghorn antelope all appear to be doing well."
The highest snowfall of the winter has been in the southern mountains, especially the San Juan Range. Even there, it appears not to have impacted the region's deer and elk.
"From everything I've seen or heard, the southwest region is doing just fine," said Scott Wait, the Durango-based senior terrestrial biologist for the DOW's region.
He cited ample expanses of wintering range with plenty of south-facing slopes as key elements in winter survival.
"Even Gunnison has plenty of open areas this year," Wait said. "That wasn't the case in 2007, when we had real problems.
"Cold isn't much of a factor as long as the deer and elk can get to their feed early in the winter," Wait said. "Then, even if we get snow later, they usually have enough fat reserves to make it through."
Wait's counterparts in other regions of Colorado also report few concerns, while acknowledging that some degree of winter mortality is normal no matter the severity of the weather.
With deer more susceptible than elk to the impacts of winter, monitoring their populations includes placing radio collars on does and fawns in five representative areas. Those include the White River/Piceance region in northwest Colorado, Middle Park and areas near Salida, Montrose and Gunnison.
Collars usually are placed on deer that have been captured in nets that are "shot" from helicopters, said Darby Finley, a Meeker-based terrestrial biologist for the DOW. Fawn collars typically fall off after 10 months and can be retrieved and reused up to three times. Doe collars have a life of seven-plus years and are monitored until either the battery runs out or the deer dies.
Information gathered through the monitoring is analyzed and factored into the DOW's population modeling, which, in turn, is used to help determine hunting-license allocations for specific areas.
Though some months of winter remain and the Gunnison deer population still is rebuilding, the early indications suggest the current winter will leave hunters with plenty to look forward to for some time into the future.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14130687?source=rss