The Bears Ears elk herd in northwestern Colorado is quite a bit bigger than officials had originally estimated, according to a recent report of the findings of a fly-over study done this spring on the elk there. Ranchers have been complaining to Colorado officials that there were too many elk and they were destroying the range land.
Before the survey, officials estimated the Bears Ears herd to number between 11,000 and 15,000 critters. After the survey those numbers have jumped up to between 23,000 and 45,000. Not only is that at least double the size of the first estimate but presents a huge disparity in the range of numbers. Number of elk are estimated at a low of 23,000 animals to a high of nearly double that?
I realize that even fly-over surveys are not exact science but to me that just seems like a very large separation of numbers to be derived from an aerial survey.
Sounds like some adjustments should be coming in the issuing of elk hunting permits.
Tom Remington
