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Welcome to Hunt and Fish Colorado
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Written by admin
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Friday, 02 February 2007 |
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- It's not all checking hunting and fishing licenses.
Sometimes the issues are bigger. Like when a Nevada game warden was handed
the chore of figuring out how to separate two bull elk who locked horns
while sparring and couldn't untangle them.
The saga began Nov. 21 when a rancher in Reese River Valley spotted the two
elk. By the following day, the animals were gone and the rancher assumed they had
separated.
A week later, according to Nevada Division of Wildlife biologist Tom Donham,
the rancher was out looking for some of his cows and saw the elk again.
This time, he called the wildlife department and Donham, game warden Brian
Eller and Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist Bryson Code headed
out to see what they could do.
When they reached Indian Valley, south of Austin, it was Nov. 29, one week
after the elk were first seen.
"When we arrived where the rancher had last seen them, we found them pretty
quickly. They were both lying on the ground and one of them was in a very
Uncomfortable looking position with his head directly above the others head and His nose pointing straight up to the sky," Donham said. Eller said he wondered if they had survived their ordeal.
"Once we found out they were alive, I was hoping they couldn't move and
would stay where they were. That didn't happen. When they ran off, I was
hoping that they could not go very far. That
didn't happen either," he said.
The elk may have been sparring at the outset, but Donham and Eller say they
used teamwork to run for nearly a mile to evade the newcomers. "It looked
like they had been doing it all their lives; serious cooperation if I've ever seen it," Donham said.
After two unsuccessful attempts, Donham was able to get a tranquilizer dart
into one of the elk. With one down, the other could not run, but was also
partially tranquilized in order to separate the two.
Eller and Code helped hold the elk down while Donham used a hand saw to
remove part of an antler off one of them.
"As soon as they were apart, the bull that hadn't gotten a full dose jumped
to his feet and Bryson, Brian and I quickly gave him all the room he wanted.
He went off about 30 yards and lay down for
about 10 minutes before finally walking up the hill and over the ridge, none
the worse for wear" Donham said.
The other elk was treated with antibiotics and eventually walked off as well
after the tranquilizer had worn off.
"If these two bulls had not been discovered, and we never got the call, they
more than likely would have both died. Watching the bulls walk away, and
knowing that we likely saved them from a slow death was definitely one of
those moments that makes this job rewarding."
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Written by admin
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Monday, 12 April 2004 |
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Our focus here at Hunt and Fish Colorado is to provide a source for your needs so that you can have the best possible experience in the outdoors. We also want to give you a place to be able to share all those fun times and memories.
It may take a little time but we hope this will become a place that you will what to check out everyday for the new stories, pictures, and a wealth of information.
Hunt and Fish Colorado would love to hear all your great hunting and fishing stories. Please tell us about your greatest day hunting or fishing. Sometimes we all learn lessons from doing it the wrong way, so tell us stories of how it all went wrong.
There is nothing better that seeing our kids learn how to do what we have a passion for like setting the hook on a big bass and thrill of pulling it up on the river bank. Please take a look at the articles and Photos sent in from kids.
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Written by admin
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Saturday, 12 June 2004 |
WILDLIFE COMMISSION AUTHORIZES WINTER FEEDING IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO
The Colorado Wildlife Commission (WC) has authorized up to $160,000 for emergency wildlife management because of severe winter conditions in southeast Colorado. “The severe winter the SE Region is experiencing has been a high priority of discussion at the Wildlife Commission. We need to do what we can to help our big game herds survive the rest of this hard winter,” said Commissioner Ken Torres.
Deep snow and sub-freezing conditions have persisted since a series of storms moved across the region. “The biggest impacts are to pronghorn,” said DOW Southeast Regional Manager Dan Prenzlow, “but deer and elk are suffering ill effects as well.”
The WC authorized the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) to feed big game animals in areas where natural food sources are still covered by deep snow. “Initially we were using food to lure animals away from highways, train tracks and haystacks,” said Prenzlow. “Now we are feeding some of those same groups of animals that are struggling to survive because severe winter conditions have not loosened their grip in southeast Colorado.”
DOW aircraft are combing southeast Colorado to locate animals in distress. Flights have determined that some areas are in worse shape than others are. Up to 2,000 deer and pronghorn might be affected, but they are not all in once place. There are some large groups, but in most cases small clusters of 50 to 100 are stranded where the snow is too deep for them to find food.
It appears that critical conditions exist in a snow belt stretching from Burlington south to Lamar and west to Trinidad, but in other locations, conditions are not much different than in a normal winter.
The Wildlife Commission only authorizes the DOW to feed big game when conditions are severe. Now that the DOW has started a feeding program, it will continue until such time it is determined it is no longer needed for the targeted animals to survive.
DOW workers will use snow machines to deliver specialized food supplements, and more equipment and personnel will be brought in if needed.
Wild animals have very specific dietary needs. Studies done by the DOW have established which types of specialized feeds contain the proper mixtures of grains for optimal results in deer, elk and pronghorn.
The DOW is especially mindful of places where game animals are getting into haystacks or causing agricultural damage. Landowners are asked to please contact their local wildlife officer if damage is occurring, or they know of animals in distress.
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