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• ARCHERY DEER SEASONS <br />The 1978 archery deer season marked the 31st year of bowhunting in Colorado. <br />It all began in 1948 in special areas, and during 1952 through 1953 archery <br />hunting was permitted in additional areas. In 1954 the entire state was open <br />to a special bowhunting pre-season for deer. An archery deer license was estab- <br />lished by the General Assembly in 1961. <br />Beginning in 1954 only non-mechanical bows were considered legal, though <br />previously cross-bows could be used. In 1971 the compound bow was declared <br />legal as a non-mechanical bow. <br />The "one and only hunt" concept was contained in the hunting regulations <br />in 1974, which made it unlawful for anyone to participate in more than one sea- <br />son for a given species of big game during a calendar year. One of the basic <br />objectives of this concept was to distribute big game hunters throughout the <br />various seasons offered, and thus promote public welfare through hunter safety <br />by avoiding the concentration of hunters during the regular season and the <br />"opening day rush." The effect was that many fair-weather and less adept archers <br />• apparently switched to a surer prospect during the regular rifle season, and this <br />was most noticeable in the 43 per cent decrease in resident archery licenses <br />sales in 1974 compared to 1973, a decrease of 12 per cent in 1975 compared to <br />1974, and a decrease of 8 per cent in 1976. Nonresident archery deer licenses <br />increased 3 and 16 per cent during 1974 and 1975, but declined 68 per cent in <br />1976, the latter due to the increased nonresident license fees effective in 1976. <br />In 1977, resident archery deer license sales increased two per cent and nonresi- <br />dent licenses increased 41 per cent. In 1978 resident archery deer license sales <br />increased 26.4 per cent and nonresident licenses increased 50.5 per cent, bringing <br />total sales of 10,300 back to levels experienced prior to the price change in <br />1976. <br />Archery seasons have tended to become more liberal since their inception <br />in 1948 in regard to open areas, length of seasons, and species which could be <br />hunted. Bowhunting of deer has increased from one area open for 30 days in 1948 <br />to a statewide season of 30 days in 1978. <br />In 1978, 9,746 archers harvested 2,595 deer for a success ratio of 27 per <br />cent, which is an all-time high for both harvest and success. <br />• <br />