FILING - 05/25/2011
Basis and Purpose
Chapter 9 - Division Properties
Basis and Purpose:
Annual changes have been made to Chapter 9 - Division Properties. These changes include modifications to the regulations applicable to all Division-controlled properties, property-specific regulations, and non-substantive cleanup. Specific changes include:
Ammunition/Firearms Restrictions on all State Wildlife Areas (SWAs)
The Wildlife Commission’s current Policy on Shooting Ranges (2004) re-emphasizes its 1981 statement which recognizes the need to “provide shooting ranges for hunter safety education and sport hunting purposes to enhance proficiency in firearms and archery equipment use.” As a result, the Division has developed and maintains numerous shooting ranges on properties it owns or controls throughout the state. In setting forth its objective to foster the development of programs that encourage people to begin and continue to hunt, the Shooting Range policy further states, “We believe that the future of hunting can be positively influenced based upon expanded, convenient, safe sport shooting opportunities and the continued development of broad-based public support for both hunting and sport shooting.” The policy elaborates on that statement and emphasizes safety by asserting that, “The safe use of firearms and archery equipment is a key element in maintaining the support of the public for hunting and shooting sports.” In addition, the Wildlife Commission’s policy on the Use of State Wildlife Areas recognizes that State Wildlife Areas, which are largely purchased with hunter and angler dollars, “be acquired and managed for the preservation and conservation of wildlife and their habitat; and to also provide wildlife-related recreational opportunities to the public, so long as such uses are compatible with wildlife and habitat management goals.” The policy further states that non-wildlife related activities may be allowed, but only when they, among other stipulations, “do not raise the cost of property maintenance/management,” or “do not cause habitat damage.” In order to ensure safety and habitat protection, and continue to meet the intent of Wildlife Commission policies, which is to provide shooting opportunities while encouraging public support for hunting and shooting, and protecting wildlife and their habitat, these regulations restrict public use of certain types of ammunition and firearms which are not generally used for hunting, which could create undue hazard and expense, and which could potentially discourage public support for hunting and shooting sports.
Clarification of Reservation Requirements and Scouting on Reservation Properties
Regulations affecting reservation properties in the Northeast Region have been clarified in order for the internal and external public to properly understand and use the properties. Historically these properties have been closed outside of established hunt dates, and scouting has not been permitted. Many new hunters have begun using these properties, and, being unfamiliar with these properties, have experienced problems locating their hunting areas and/or ponds in which they have reservations to hunt. This issue has led to unsatisfied customers and complaints to field and reservation system staff. Permitting scouting is intended to improve hunter satisfaction and direct new hunters to quality hunting areas within the region.
Blue Ribbon Panel Hunter Satisfaction Study
In recent years, concerns have been raised about declines in the quality of duck hunting on SWAs along the South Platte River corridor, where most of Colorado’s annual duck hunting activity and duck harvest occurs. Some have called for more restrictive hunting regulations and creation of refuges in time and space as a means to improve duck hunting success. The Division has implemented a variety of property-specific hunting regulations on SWAs, but no formal analysis had previously been conducted on the relationship between hunting regulations and hunter success, activity, and satisfaction, across SWAs with a range of habitat conditions. In 2007, the Division convened a South Platte Waterfowl Hunting Panel to develop recommendations for improving the quality of duck hunting along the South Platte corridor. The panel recommended formally evaluating the relationship between hunting regulations and hunter success and activity, on different types of habitats. Division personnel recommended conducting the evaluation on pairs of SWAs that represent three broad types of habitat conditions: shallow impoundments off the river channel (Jackson Lake, Red Lion), small properties on the river channel (Atwood, Overland Trail), and large properties on the river channel (Bravo, Brush/Jean K. Tool). A set of relatively restrictive regulations would be applied to one of the properties in each pair, and a set of relatively unrestricted regulations would be applied to the other property in each pair. These regulations would remain in place for 2-3 years, and then the regulations would be switched for each pair for 2-3 more years. This study design provides spatial and temporal controls for comparing restricted and unrestricted regulations on these SWAs.
Hunting Season Regulations(R = Restricted, U = Unrestricted)
Type / Property / 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013
Off river channel / Jackson Lake / R / R / R / U / U / U
Red Lion / U / U / U / R / R / R
On-channel
small property / Overland Trail / R / R / R / U / U / U
Atwood / U / U / U / R / R / R
On-channel large property / Bravo / R / R / R / U / U / U
Jean K. Tool & Brush / U / U / U / R / R / R
Check stations would be established at all study properties and staffed by Division personnel throughout the duck season each year. All waterfowl and small game hunters would be required to report to the check station before leaving the property, whether or not they have harvested any game. Information gathered at check stations would be used to measure (1) ducks harvested/hunter, (2) total duck harvest, (3) hunter use patterns, and (4) hunter satisfaction at each property each year. These measures would be compared between Restricted and Unrestricted properties, and among habitat types. This study was approved and initiated during the 2008-2009 hunting season, and data collection has continued through the 2010-2011 hunting season. Preliminary results indicate that the study design will be effective in this evaluation. According to the study plan, the regulations on each pair of SWAs have been switched for the 2011-2012 season and are intended to continue through the 2013-2014 season, when data collection will be completed.
Reservation Properties in the Grand Valley
There are a significant number of waterfowl hunters in the Grand Valley, and the demand for public hunting blinds exceeds the supply. It is common, particularly on opening and closing weekends, and on weekends in general, for hunters to have to arrive many hours in advance of hunting hours to secure one of the first come, first serve waterfowl blinds in Mesa County. This has led to conflicts and difficulties between hunters. In addition to working to increase the number of blinds available, the intent of transitioning to a reservation-based system is to help prevent conflicts between hunters, and increase hunter opportunity and satisfaction. The Colorado River Island SWA and the Franklin Island SWA are adjacent to the Colorado Riverfront Trail, a paved hiking/biking trail along the Colorado River. To provide safe waterfowl hunting opportunities on these state wildlife areas it is necessary to strictly control the areas, and direction, in which hunters discharge their firearms. In addition, previous regulations stated that deer and pheasant hunting on the Tilman Bishop SWA required a special permit, issued via a special draw done at the Grand Junction Office. As there are no longer pheasants on the property, these regulations remove the permitting process for pheasants.
Bodo SWA Winter Closure
Low elevation wintering areas in public ownership near Durango are limited. These areas are important wintering grounds for wildlife, especially big game. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation condemnation for the Animas-La Plata (ALP) water project reduced Bodo SWA from approximately 9,000 acres including Ridges Basin to about 3,000 acres of mountain shrub habitat. The Division has mapped Ridges Basin as severe winter range and a winter concentration area for mule deer and as winter concentration area for elk. The U.S. BOR completed construction of the dam and has been filling Lake Nighthorse. Ridges Basin has been converted to Lake Nighthorse, and is now inundated (flooded) winter range. The remaining portions of Bodo SWA remain important big game winter habitat. The US BOR and La Plata County have also relocated and reopened CR 210, bisecting additional upland habitat and providing additional access points, which also affects winter range.
Recreation development of the facility is under way, and will increase use of the area. The Division generally recommends limited disturbance within mapped winter range in land use letters, management plans, etc. Currently, the Division maintains a seasonal closure on Perins Peak SWA. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) maintains seasonal closures on its parcels adjacent to Perins Peak SWA, on Animas City Mountain and on Grandview Ridge. The Forest Service EIS and ROD on the Animas-La Plata Project (ALP) also incorporated seasonal closures on the south and west side of Lake Nighthorse. Bodo SWA is located southwest of the City of Durango. It sits adjacent to ALP, southeast of the BLM parcels in and around Perins Peak/Animas City Mountain and south of Grandview Ridge. In addition, Bodo SWA was purchased in part with Land and Water Conservation Fund monies with specific deed restrictions requiring that the property, “shall forever be held as wildlife habitat and for no purpose inconsistent therewith, and shall be utilized in accordance with sound game management practices.” For these reasons, a winter access closure has been enacted on Bodo SWA.
Centennial SWA December Elk Hunting
Previous regulations for Centennial SWA closed the SWa to the public from December 1 through June 30 each year. These regulations were intended to protect wintering big game and in the spring to protect Gunnison sage grouse leks, nesting areas and early brood rearing areas. The property was originally acquired by the Division to protect the wildlife values mentioned above and to provide for public hunting access during the fall big game seasons. GMU 54 has been over elk population objective for several years. During the most recent Big Game Season Structure cycle (2009) changes to hunting regulations were implemented to increase the harvest of elk on both public and private lands in this unit. This included the lengthening of private land only seasons and a late elk hunt extended to include the entire month of December, with additional antlerless elk license numbers being increased. Previous late elk seasons in GMU 54 had been confined to an area east of West Antelope Creek (about the middle of the GMU) to increase harvest in the eastern portion of the unit where there is more private land and associated game damage conflicts. In order to help achieve increased elk harvest it is desirable to allow additional big game hunting for elk during the late season (Dec. 1-31) throughout most of the GMU. These regulations allow public access to Centennial SWA to hunt elk during the month of December, and will also allow access to other public lands to the north of the SWA including BLM and USFS lands.
Elliott SWA Additional Access
The previous West Elliott Closure was in effect in order to prevent trespass issues with two private landowners and railroad property adjacent to the SWA. The Division has recently purchased one of the private land parcels and can now open the previously closed area and the newly-acquired Asnicar parcel without trespass issues. These regulations allow access to approximately 180 new acres of deer and upland hunting habitat for public use. Additionally, there are three shallow wetland impoundments on the area which can be made available for early season waterfowl hunting.
Jumbo Reservoir SWA Ice Fishing Restrictions
Ice fishing at Jumbo SWA (Julesburg Reservoir) has increased in popularity during recent years to the point where the small restricted areas where ice fishing is allowed have become very congested. Highly populated, congested areas place additional stress on ice especially at the beginning and at the end of the ice fishing season when ice thickness is critical to angler safety. The reservoir is an excellent rainbow trout fishery. Also, several year classes of walleye have reached the legal length limit of 15” and are available to anglers. These regulations were in place to minimize conflicts between ice anglers and waterfowl hunters, and to minimize disturbance to waterfowl. These regulations are intended to increase ice fishing opportunity.
Parshall Divide Unit of Hot Sulphur Springs SWA
This newly-acquired property has a history of some snowmobile and OHV overuse. Since the purchase of the property the Division has signed and blocked off road areas. These regulations are intended to protect critical winter range and greater sage grouse habitat.
Jumping Cow SWA New Access
Early in 2010 the Division closed on a perpetual public hunting/fishing access easement and was a partner in a conservation easement of approximately 12,613 acres of the Jumping Cow Ranch. Specific restrictions were included in the hunting/fishing access easement that are reflected in these regulations so that this property may be opened to the public in accordance with the hunting/fishing access easement. In addition parts or all of four sections of State Trust Lands (legally described as Township 8s Range 60w Sections 14,24,28 and Township 8s Range 60w Section 18) have been enrolled in the Division’s public access program. The addition of 2,068 acres of State Land Board parcels contributes to the contiguous nature and improved access for the Jumping Cow Ranch SWA. This easement was acquired for the purpose of expanding public hunting and fishing access in GMU 105. These regulations establish restrictions that legally allow hunter and angler access to the Jumping Cow Ranch.