Shed hunting season CLOSED!

[ColoradoV]

By proclamation in the Gunnison area units 66,67,54,55,551 shed hunting will be closed until May 15, 2017 due to extreme winter conditions on the winter grounds.

Anyone seen shed hunting or in possession of antlers in these area's will be ticketed and the CPW is going to have extra patrols out watching the most sensitive areas. They say that there will be CPW staff with road blocks looking for law breakers and I will be one of many with spotter and cell phone in hand ready to turn in any ass who thinks they can break this law and harass the animals this year.

I like the in possession part of the proclamation as it helps catch any jackasses that will be out early harassing the animals as this is not the year for it. The cold just set in -22 below zero now and this cold will be here for awhile with the last storm that left yesterday dropping another foot of snow on what is now a hard crust you can walk on..

Good on the CPW for making a change to help the animals and making officers available to watch the winter grounds and check cars for lawbreakers.

 

[ivorytip]

I'd like to see this done all across the west this year

 

[gypsumreaper]

I hope they close the areas off to hikers, snowshoers, cross country skiers as well they do just as much when they go walking through and push animals around. That was the biggest thing that pissed everyone off when they closed shed hunting in the eagle and and roaring fork areas. We weren't allowed to go walk the hills as shed hunters but anyone else could with no problems.

 

[hoshour]

I agree, though shed hunters may be inclined to get closer to the animals if they have dropped sheds close to where they remain.

 

[mntnguide]

That's awesome..sure hope it works....Wyoming has had a law for years preventing shed hunting west of the continental divide until may 1st....but it gets broken constantly unfortunately...I know of 2 bucks over 260" and I would put my money on their sheds will never see the light of day because they won't be on the ground till May 1st. To many damn people care more about picking up bone than the health of a species

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[WY ME]

I'd like to see this done all across the west this year

Every year.

 

[ivorytip]

I go into bedding area in junipers while the deer are out in fields eating. been so bad this year that I'm just not risking it anymore. a friend of mine seen someone chasing deer off with a snow machine from a hay stack. mind you the snow is extremely deep and deer cannot move around with any ease whatsoever. he went out to say wtf and it was a fish cop. cop said he has to chase them off so they don't have to issue depredation tags. friend responded with, as deep as this snow is, more deer will die from chasing them off on a snowmobile than would die through issued tags. what say you? all in all just an extremely harsh winter all over the place,

 

[JimP]

The problem with deer eating hay is that they will still starve to death but with a full stomach.

 

[ivorytip]

I hear that a lot, is that the same for all types of hay? like timothy hay or just the lower grade type of hay? always been curious on that.
reason I ask is because deer eat the hay all winter long on benches just above town and they seem to do alright. now I'm intrigued.

 

[JimP]

I have no idea if different types of hay make any difference.

I know from what I have read that the pellets that they feed deer is a mixture of different things to keep them going.

 

[Tim McCoy]

I go into bedding area in junipers while the deer are out in fields eating. been so bad this year that I'm just not risking it anymore. a friend of mine seen someone chasing deer off with a snow machine from a hay stack. mind you the snow is extremely deep and deer cannot move around with any ease whatsoever. he went out to say wtf and it was a fish cop. cop said he has to chase them off so they don't have to issue depredation tags. friend responded with, as deep as this snow is, more deer will die from chasing them off on a snowmobile than would die through issued tags. what say you? all in all just an extremely harsh winter all over the place,

Sad situation. No easy answers.

 

[JimP]

Here is a link to a Wyoming G&F publication that mentions the need for a special diet for mule deer in the winter.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/content/PDF/Habitat/Mule Deer Initiative/Keeping Mule Deer Wild/WYMD_FEEDING20120003064.pdf

 

[Tim McCoy]

I hear that a lot, is that the same for all types of hay? like timothy hay or just the lower grade type of hay? always been curious on that.
reason I ask is because deer eat the hay all winter long on benches just above town and they seem to do alright. now I'm intrigued.

Deer are primarily browsers, not grass eaters. But do they ever love some types of new grass. I've seen them winter fine on alfalfa hay stacks, were they have had access to it before. Allows the gut bacteria to accumulate. I bet you might find they are browsing on forbes, small woody plants, etc. up on the bench above town. Or maybe they have accumulated to some grass hay, eat some there and get browse in a different spot. Bet the local biologist could tell you.

As I understand it, you could give deer great feed they could otherwise live fine on, but if not enough of the gut bacteria are there to digest it, they die full, as Jim said. That's why a game dept. probably would use special feed formulations and not just dump grass hay for deer. May not work any better to dump alfalfa to deer not accumulated to it either, my guess anyway.

 

[Tim McCoy]

Here is a link to a Wyoming G&F publication that mentions the need for a special diet for mule deer in the winter.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/content/PDF/Habitat/Mule Deer Initiative/Keeping Mule Deer Wild/WYMD_FEEDING20120003064.pdf

Makes sense to me, thanks. I wonder what would happen in a severe weather induced starvation type event, if a gradual feeding started, ramped up from a snack to condition gut, to full meal sized portions in 7-10-15 days?

 

[ColoradoV]

Here is the CPW link about the closure and good information.

http://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Conservation-Resources/2017-Gunn-Temp-Emergency-Closure-012217.pdf

 

[Colorado T]

Sad deal for sure. Glad they are doing something about it by keeping everyone out. My dad and I picked a good year to hunt 55 this last season, could be bleak for a while.

 

[kidoggy]

I hope they close the areas off to hikers, snowshoers, cross country skiers as well they do just as much when they go walking through and push animals around. That was the biggest thing that pissed everyone off when they closed shed hunting in the eagle and and roaring fork areas. We weren't allowed to go walk the hills as shed hunters but anyone else could with no problems.

I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE WHO AGREE, it should be done across the entire west. I find that to be silly.but am ok with shutting down certain areas if massive winterkill is taking place.
if they do close it off for shed hunting ,they certainly should for all these others also . I guarantee these types have much less respect for the animals well being then then the average shed hunter.

 

[kidoggy]

I agree, though shed hunters may be inclined to get closer to the animals if they have dropped sheds close to where they remain.

EVERYONE HAS RIGHT TO OWN OPINION.
mine is most shed hunters care more about animals well being then the average hiker ,snowshoer, cross country skier, does.

 

[ivorytip]

EVERYONE HAS RIGHT TO OWN OPINION.
mine is most shed hunters care more about animals well being then the average hiker ,snowshoer, cross country skier, does.

maybe on that side of the state but over here guys fly right at the wintering game on sleds to pick up sheds. even seen fist fights break out when two guys glass one and a foot race begins and then the fists, as the deer and elk take flight. when snow conditions have been poor and the animals have more feed than they need I just laugh. but its a big issue this winter. id say the traditional shed hunter cares more about the game but as of lately, the popularity of the sport and the money value of the sheds have caught the attention of people that just don't care.

 

[kidoggy]

maybe on that side of the state but over here guys fly right at the wintering game on sleds to pick up sheds. even seen fist fights break out when two guys glass one and a foot race begins and then the fists, as the deer and elk take flight. when snow conditions have been poor and the animals have more feed than they need I just laugh. but its a big issue this winter. id say the traditional shed hunter cares more about the game but as of lately, the popularity of the sport and the money value of the sheds have caught the attention of people that just don't care.

I have never witnessed that over here. and would never condone such foolishness.