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Photo of elk above taken by KRW Board member Bob Strong near Browns Park. Note the protruding ribs, backbone, and hips, revealing signs of deep distress. If you are getting tired of winter, imagine the plight of our local elk, deer, and pronghorn herds. These ungulates are slowly starving, which is the case every winter. They depend on their summer fat stores augmented with calories from sparse vegetation to survive the winter until spring comes. However, when we get an “epic” snow season like this one, these ungulates find vegetation buried too deep to access, if they can find any at all. This has led to concerning reports of a large winter die-off. While March typically has the largest winterkill, being the last serious winter month, the terrible shape of many herds in northwest Colorado is positioning April to be even worse this year. You can help! By staying out of restricted winter range areas, you are helping these critters manage their last remaining fat stores. Please avoid any areas that are posted winter range or seasonal closures. It is literally a matter of life and death. Similarly, we are asking people to honor the prohibition of shed hunting on public lands west of I-25, which includes all of Routt County. This prohibition lasts through April 30. As was recently reported in Sky-Hi news, “Colorado Parks and Wildlife states that shed hunting can stress wildlife, potentially putting their lives at risk. During early spring, deer and elk still haven’t recovered from the harsh winter; they struggle to find food until the quality of forage improves later in spring. When humans go onto the landscape to find sheds, animals flee from them, burning calories they need to survive. This can be especially dangerous for a pregnant cow or elderly animal.” It's interesting to note shed hunting prohibition is longer, until April 30, than most winter range closures, though shed hunting typically also occurs on winter range. On a tough winter like this one, staying out of winter range until sometime in May reflects the reality that migration out of winter range is likely delayed. Adding a couple weeks before venturing into winter range may give our ungulates a little more space and increase the likelihood of survival.
With your compliance, you are helping Routt County’s local wildlife. Thank you!
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