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DEER
<br />16
<br />OVERVIEW AND HISTORY
<br />This program includes both white - tailed and
<br />mule deer, but the "muley" is considerably more
<br />abundant statewide, especially in the mountains.
<br />Whitetails live mostly along brushy stream bot-
<br />toms on the eastern plains.
<br />Deer account for a high percentage of the
<br />total hunting interest in Colorado and are also
<br />favorites of sightseers, photographers- anyone
<br />interested in wildlife study or observation.
<br />Colorado deer populations increased rapidly
<br />from the mid -1950s into the early 1960s. At that
<br />point, harvest levels increased to record propor-
<br />tions as deer numbers were reduced to the carry-
<br />ing capacity of available winter ranges. Deer
<br />numbers generally have been increasing since
<br />the mid -1960s due to restrictive seasons designed
<br />OBJECTIVES 1988
<br />to increase population levels. Recreation days
<br />and hunter numbers held steady during the
<br />1950s, peaked with the high deer populations in
<br />the early 1960s, and have fluctuated closely
<br />around that level until now.
<br />STATUS
<br />In 1974,155,500 hunters spent 613,200 days hunt-
<br />ing and harvested 55,300 deer. The harvest effort
<br />rate was 11 days per deer harvested. Based on
<br />these figures, the Division, in its 1977 Strategic
<br />Plan, projected that by 1983, 218,700 hunters
<br />would hunt for 807,000 days and harvest 93,900
<br />deer with an effort of 9 days per deer harvested.
<br />In 1980 an estimated 157,700 hunters spent
<br />622,000 days harvesting 54,500 deer for a har-
<br />vest effort rate of 12.1 days per deer.
<br />STATE 1 1980 54,500 - 157,700 - 622,000 .35 12.1
<br />TOTALS 1988 90,200 192,700 836,900 .47 9.3
<br />HUNTING
<br />HARVEST
<br />DAYS PER
<br />REGION
<br />YEAR
<br />HARVEST
<br />HUNTERS
<br />RECREATION
<br />DAYS
<br />PER
<br />HUNTER
<br />ANIMAL
<br />HARVESTED
<br />NORTHEAST
<br />1980
<br />4,200
<br />15,100
<br />57,300
<br />.28
<br />13.6
<br />1988
<br />6,900
<br />18,900
<br />79,400
<br />.37
<br />11.5
<br />NORTHWEST
<br />1980
<br />31,000
<br />- - -- _
<br />81,300
<br />- -- -- -
<br />333,300
<br />-. _
<br />.38
<br />--
<br />10.8
<br />1988
<br />51,400
<br />96,800
<br />406,500
<br />7_.9
<br />SOUTHWEST
<br />1980
<br />15,600
<br />48 -
<br />000
<br />222.200
<br />-
<br />_.53
<br />.32
<br />-
<br />14.2
<br />1988
<br />24,400
<br />60,000
<br />279,600
<br />.41
<br />11.5
<br />SOUTHEAST
<br />1980
<br />3,700
<br />13,300
<br />~ - -
<br />49_,200
<br />-
<br />.28
<br />13.3
<br />1988
<br />7,500
<br />17,000
<br />71,400
<br />.44
<br />9.5
<br />STATE 1 1980 54,500 - 157,700 - 622,000 .35 12.1
<br />TOTALS 1988 90,200 192,700 836,900 .47 9.3
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