Bowhunter Killed by ML
Colorado
Sure you all heard it by now, but it made national tv news. I'm sure the new age CPWC will act on this one, and it won't be good for bowhunters.
So 38,000 people are killed in car accidents every year in the US, and this makes national news!
I hope they don’t act in it. Other than the guy should Receive charges and serve prison Sentence for murder
orange required for bowhunters during ML season coming soon?
I struggle to see any way for this to happen. A person in camo looks nothing like an animal, any animal...and who the heck shoots at "sound" as I hear so often the case.
The senior staff at cpw has blood on their hands. An open records request should be done by the Frank Azar's of the world to identify all the past and present senior staff that have muzzleloader tags, thus their reluctance to put ML season after archery. They wanna keep the best season possible, and use the 'quiet period' as their excuse. It's a conflict of interest that may open all of them up personal civil liability and possibly criminal liability if it could be proven.
Maybe some anonymous emails to legal 'professionals' are warranted.
Would personally take a Muzzy season Oct 1-7 vs. mid September with many more hunters in woods. That would be closer to peak of rut than current season.
Those open records will also show that the CBA proposed moving the Muzzleloader season at the beginning of October but CPW rejected it because of the conflict of interest I speak of:
Don't care about hunter safety, just maintaining the best possible 9 day hunting season that includes 2 weekends, with the best timing for weather and bugling for their Good 'Ol Boys on staff.
Take a look at all the previous season structure proposals in recent history. Never once has there been an option to move the ML season from it's current timing and length. When the people writting the rules have their personal interests in mind and ML tags in their pockets, it's pretty easy to see ML season gets preferential treatment.
Wasn’t disagreeing with you, but that anyone saying the week the season currently is is the best for Muzzy hunters is certainly a stretch.
That said, the animals get pounded all fall. Nice to have that break before first rifle for the animals. Allows the rest of cows to be bred
I was told in the late 80's by the CPW that the "quiet period" after archery was to let the elk rut in peace so they can keep increasing towards population objectives.
Fast forward to the 2000s when we were over objective and handing rifle cow tags out like candy. I asked again and was told that the "quiet period" was required because we had so many elk they wanted them unpressured so that first rifle would have a big harvest.
Point is...that period is off limits to anything that improves archery season if there aren't enough elk, or there's too many elk, or whatever reason is convenient. I expect they will add more rifle tags in that slot since they have already started that. Must not have been quite as off limits as we were told.
I hope they remind the new wolves we are paying for to skip killing elk that week.
Although I am not in favor of having to wear blaze orange as a bow Hunter, I must say that during the ML season it may be a good idea for the sake of safety (personal choice not mandated). I also believe that elk cannot see color and think that perhaps a blaze orange camo pattern could be a good idea or at the minimum attaching some fluorescent flagging to yourself. All that said, if there are people that fire at movement and sound then all the safety precautions in the world won’t stop all accidents. Agreed best case scenario, get the firearms out of the archery season.
" I must say that during the ML season it may be a good idea for the sake of safety (personal choice not mandated). " This right here. If I am hunting public land during ML season, I wear blaze. The elk don't know the difference. I'm not running around the woods making elk noises knowing there are jackasses out there flinging lead at noises. To me, it's that simple. Yes, it would be nice to get the lead out of archery season. But will that happen?
Not with the people who create the season timing options holding ML tags.
"get the firearms out of the archery season."
Turn that funnel around. While you (we) might want firearms, including blackpowder hunters, out of the archery season, the powers that be are probably looking at it as, 'Get the archers out of gun seasons!' I hope we're safe for the next 5 years but it wouldn't surprise me if the next season structure meetings cut the archers to 2-3 weeks, and separate guns out of it - except for the 'special' high country buck hunters, bear hunters, and others hunting with guns.
my $.02
I agree there is more of a chance at cuts being made to the archery season than any gun season. Been happening already. Prayers to the family of the deceased archery hunter.
It's not going to really matter because in about 15 years you'll be hard pressed to even find an elk in Colorado after they release all the puppy dogs. And forget about any moose.
Well it seems to be a fact that a gun season (muzzle loader) when elk bugle is not appropriate. Wearing orange will not stop sound shots.
