Officials are surprised and encouraged by the results from the 2005 hunting season. Elk, pronghorn antelope and bighorn sheep harvest numbers were the highest ever and what officials were most surprised about was that hunters averaged only 4.7 days in the field, nearly 2 full days less than previous years.
1,246 elk were taken compared to 82 harvested in 1985. Officials say the elk population is thriving and estimates have the population at around 8,000 animals. The bulls taken during the hunt averaged 6 points to each side of the antlers. This indicates ample numbers of healthy, mature males.
The winter of 1992-93 was devastating to the antelope but numbers have recovered to levels higher than before the severe winter. 1,608 were killed this past season which is 200 more than the previous year.
Bighorn sheep have been on the rebound since the 1960s because of careful management practices which have included transplanting and providing better habitat. Last season 135 sheep were harvested by hunters. The previous record was 114 set in 1988.
Tom Remington
