Comments on big-game management planning can be submitted online

MONTE VISTA— Colorado Parks and Wildlife is evaluating big-game management in the South San Juan mountain area in Game Management Units 80 and 81. Hunters and the public are invited to make comments about their experiences in those units on the CPW web site at cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/HerdManagementPlans.aspx.
Public meetings were held earlier this month. Comments must be submitted by Aug. 12.
“CPW is reaching out to the public, including landowners, sportsmen, outfitters, business owners, and anyone who is interested in deer and elk in the San Luis Valley,” said Rick Basagoitia, area wildlife manager. “These animals are an important public resource and CPW intends to manage them for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
Every 10 years Colorado Parks and Wildlife terrestrial biologists update big-game management plans which take into consideration a variety of factors, including: hunter perception, harvest history, habitat availability, agricultural conflicts, forest management plans and social issues. Public input is needed to help CPW draft the management plan that will set goals for the most-desired population, sex-ratio objectives and the amount of hunting opportunity that will be available in the area for the next decade. All stakeholder input will be considered and combined with biological data to inform a revised management plan.
The planning process will take about a year. A draft of the plan will be presented to the public in the fall.