Laserfiche WebLink
RULE 2 PERMITS <br /> <br />Rule 2 Permits 2.04-61 Revision Date: 11/1/21 <br /> Revision No.: TR-150 <br /> <br />In personal conversations with CPW personnel, there is some indication that due to the expanding <br />range of elk into nontraditional summer ranges, a trend is developing for elk to calve wherever <br />they happen to be located at the time. Another surprising trend is occurring on elk winter ranges. <br />Elk appear to be selecting reclaimed mine lands, reseeded Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) <br />croplands etc. as an important, if not essential, component of the winter range needed for the <br />expanding elk population in northwest Colorado. <br /> <br />It is important that the reader be aware that many traditional concepts regarding elk are becoming <br />outdated as elk populations change their habits in response to increased hunting pressures, <br />increased elk populations and improvements on winter ranges. <br /> <br />Because deer, unlike elk, do not concentrate in certain areas to bear their young, no key deer <br />fawning areas are known to exist; however, the large number of does with fawns commonly <br />observed throughout the early summer in or near dense stands of oak and service berry indicates <br />there is high usage by the does of these areas. In addition, most doe and fawn observations are <br />made near water ponds located on the site, along Taylor Creek and near the springs in upper <br />Streeter Draw, because the does do not like to move considerable distances to water when the <br />fawns are very young. From this observation, it appears that those areas of good cover within one- <br />fourth to one-half mile of water are key areas for fawning. <br /> <br />Data collected from 1974 to 1977 indicated that browse use by deer, elk and cattle, both past and <br />present, was excessive. This was evidenced by the "hedged" and "decadent" condition of the <br />majority of the browse found in the study area. All browse species (e.g., oak, serviceberry, sage, <br />rabbitbrush, snowberry, and bitterbrush) showed signs of over-utilization. <br /> <br />The net result of the past browse use was a reduction in annual growth with less available palatable <br />forage. In addition, species such as oak and serviceberry have grown taller, with palatable growth <br />limited to those portions of the shrubs that are out of reach to all but the largest elk. In some <br />instances, even the larger elk are unable to reach the growth. <br /> <br />As the oak and serviceberry have grown taller, they have created large windbreaks. In the winter <br />these dense areas of cover hold the snow, which becomes deep enough to limit all access by deer <br />and elk. The serviceberry-snowberry transects showed low use for both 1974-1975 and 1975-1976. <br />The snowberry bushes which were completely covered by deep snows showed no use. The use of <br />the serviceberry has been limited to bushes near the edges of the stands where less snow buildup <br />occurs. <br /> <br />During the winter of 1975-1976, deer use of some areas changed from the winter of 1974-1975. <br />The big sage transect showed a higher use in 1975-1976. The snow cover was much lower in 1975- <br />1976 and 1976-1977 than in 1974-1975, and a result the deer were better able to utilize the big <br />sage. <br /> <br />Data from the extensive transects which were biased towards key areas of use, show that the areas <br />to the south and east of the mine are key forage areas for the deer in the winter. These are primarily