Colo shed antler issue

[nochawk]

COLORADO WILDLIFE COMMISSION TO CONSIDER SHED ANTLER ISSUE AT JANUARY MEETING

The Colorado Wildlife Commission is scheduled to make a final determination regarding shed antler collecting on public lands in the Gunnison Basin at its meeting on Jan. 10, 2008. The meeting will be at the Colorado Division of Wildlife Hunter Safety Building, 6060 Broadway, Denver. The meeting is open to the public and starts at 8:30 a.m.

Collecting of shed antlers for commercial use has grown significantly during the last five years. There are concerns that antler collectors disturb deer and elk on their winter range, and Gunnison Sage Grouse during their breeding period from mid-March to mid-May.

The issue to consider restrictions on shed antler collecting was brought to the wildlife commission through a citizen's petition by the Gunnison Basin Sage Grouse Strategic Committee.

DOW staff has been meeting with the committee and antler collectors during the last six months in an attempt to develop an agreement on this issue.

At the November 2007 wildlife commission meeting, DOW staff presented three alternatives for consideration:

1) All publicly owned lands in Game Management Units 54, 55, 551, 66 and 67 should be closed for collection of shed antlers from sunset to 9 a.m. from March 15 to May 15.

2) All publicly owned lands in GMUs 54, 55, 551, 66 and 67 should be closed
for collection of shed antlers from March 15 to May 15.

3) All publicly owned lands in GMUs 54, 55, 551, 66 and 67 should be closed
for collection of shed antlers from Feb. 1 to May 15.

The wildlife commission will discuss the issue; public comment also will be taken during the meeting.

 

[fatrooster]

I love looking for sheds. As a matter of fact my wife and I like to get together with a couple of families and take the horses and dogs out and look for them. We make a day of it while Bar B Q'ing, BS'ing and just having fun. It still would not upset me too bad if laws were passed to keep people off of the winter range. There have been quite a few times that I've seen people run the deer all over the place so that they can get in there and pick up the antlers. I've even seen people chase them on 4-wheelers trying to get thier antlers to fall off of thier heads. If I could never hunt another antler I would make that sacrafice for the health of the deer herds. fatrooster.

 

[dleonard3]

I'm sure you would make that sacrafice, because you're one of the good guys. But the idiot that's doing the damage won't make that sacrafice. He'll keep on chasing them. We need people like you out there to turn in and stop the real problem makers.

 

[toughshed]

fat,

I disagree. Your logic would suggest that because some people speed excessively and repeatly on the highway that we should close the road to all. That's BS.

There are already laws on the books for wildlife harassment.

Shed hunting is nothing new and wasn't invented because of the internet, regardless of what people think. Those of us that have been doing it for a long time know that. The problem is a general lack of respect for wildlife. Those who will not give deer or elk on the winter range space for the sake of an antler are the scum that are causing the problem. I'm not going to be regulated because those scumbags can't control themselves.

 

[slamdunk]

Although i agree with you toughshed, if this passes you WILL be regulated whether you like it or not.

I don't like ALL of the stipulations of these new laws (i'm from utah where it all started) but something DOES have to be done to control the people that do the damage and violate the laws and the wildlife.






Skull Krazy
"No Bones About It"