Colorado Hunting News

Hot and dry conditions are pushing Colorado’s black bears out of their natural range in search of food. As in years past, this means residents in bear areas need to use extra caution with attractants such as trash, pet food, barbecue grills and birdfeeders; however, beyond the usual warnings and challenges, officials with the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) are seeing some new problems crop up this year.

Bears are finding new sources of human food among the thousands of energy industry employees who work and, in some cases, live in prime black bear habitat. “Trash storage and trash disposal at man camps is the biggest issue right now,” explained J.T. Romatzke, DOW district wildlife manager for the Parachute area.
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DOW REPORT FOR AUGUST 1, 2007

Welcome rain fell on many parts of Colorado last week but its bounties were not spread equally. While some regions experienced downpours, complete with mud slides, others largely were bypassed.

The rains periodically discolored many free-flowing rivers, but with a few exceptions, they cleared fairly quickly. As always, calling ahead for current conditions before driving to a particularly river is a good idea. Most local fishing shops cheerfully provide such information.

When clear, the rivers offer some potentially good fishing.
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The Colorado Division of Wildlife is seeking volunteers to help reduce the number of bear/people conflicts in the Durango area.

We seek volunteers with excellent people skills to put up signs, distribute brochures, talk to people door-to-door and initiate other bear outreach to the public. Volunteers will follow protocol established by DOW and work closely with local wildlife officers.

Mandatory training for all new and returning Bear Aware volunteers, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Monday Aug. 6.

Call Jennifer Kleffner at (970)375-6704 for more information or to sign up.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife recently completed its annual search for lynx kittens. No dens with kittens were found this year.

Although disappointing, the result was not completely unexpected given the biology of lynx and snowshoe hares, their primary prey item. DOW biologists and researchers believe that the lack of lynx reproduction is most likely due to a decline in snowshoe hare numbers. A decline in the number of snowshoe hares might be part of a natural cycle in hare abundance. In Canada, it is well known that the population of lynx fluctuates with the cycles of snowshoe hare population. No formal studies have been conducted to determine if snowshoe hare populations fluctuate in Colorado.
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The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) is hosting an Angler Roundtable in Meeker on Thursday, Aug. 2. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Mountain Valley Bank Building (400 Main Street).

Angler Roundtables are public meetings designed to provide people who fish with the opportunity to hear about DOW management and to ask questions and provide suggestions.
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Nearly 20 different organizations and agencies signed an agreement yesterday pledging to work together to provide recreational shooting opportunities along Colorado’s Front Range.

The U. S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado Wildlife Federation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW), Colorado State Parks and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, are just some of the organizations that agreed to work together in order to provide safe and sustainable recreational shooting opportunities.
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Hot and dry, cool and rainy - fishing across Colorado is just about as variable as the weather. Hot daytime temperatures across much of the state were mixed with periods of sometimes heavy, localized rain and pleasantly cool evenings. Such trends are reflected in the fishing.

While major lakes, reservoir and streams are in a summer-fishing pattern, with the best activity likely early and late in the day, weather changes can temporarily change conditions.
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