From early December through the beginning of March, Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists will survey big game populations using low-altitude flights across Colorado.
While animals are under pressure to survive harsh winter conditions, winter remains the best time of year for the success of these operations and to ensure the overall long-term health of big game herds.
“Winter weather conditions typically concentrate deer and elk and provide increased visibility for staff who are conducting the aerial surveys,” said Brian Dreher, Assistant Director of CPW’s Terrestrial Wildlife Branch. “That’s why during the winter months, the agency uses helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to capture and classify big game species.”
For the total numbers we saw in our flights last year, see page 11 of the 2024 big game license recommendation and the column “Number of classified animals in 2023.”
Winter classification flights occur statewide each year. It’s not possible to count all of the deer and elk across the landscape, so CPW staff classify animals by age and sex to determine the health of the herds and to compare their finding to the objectives in herd management plans. These operations provide wildlife managers with supplementary data used to generate computer models that estimate wildlife population numbers and composition.
Southeast Region
Beginning December 2, biologists will conduct low-altitude helicopter flights to assess big game herds across the Southeast Region from Leadville to Trinidad and east of Interstate 25. For more information, please view the news release.
Northeast Region
The Northeast Region will conduct deer, elk, antelope and waterfowl classification surveys using low-flying helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft starting December 3 and continuing into mid-January. For more information, please view the news release.
Northwest and Southwest Region
Work will begin Dec. 2 on the Bear’s Ears herd in northwest Colorado in the counties of Moffatt and Routt. Helicopter crews will then transition to the Uncompahgre Plateau in Montrose County if weather conditions allow. If the weather does not cooperate, the crews will transition to work on the Avalanche Creek herd in Pitkin County. Each study area requires roughly two days of flying time to complete. For more information, please view the news release.
Written by Travis Duncan. Travis is a public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife in Denver. He has lived in Colorado for more than 20 years and loves the outdoors.
3 Responses
Surveying the herds also results in ranchers fences being torn down as the herds run to get away. CPW will not report on these damages. People living in the cities do not want to know what really happens to ranchers and their livestock. Wolves are a great example.
Oh, please. My bet is you can’t name a single instance when that has occurred, let alone more than rarely.
I have witnessed my own cattle and horses frightened when suddenly a helicopter pops up out of a canyon on these elk counts around the ranch I had. I have had cattle bunch up into fence corners. This happens because the pilot and staff do not know private property boundaries, they do not know the fear the machine causes livestock AND wildlife. They do these counts in winter, after hunting seasons, when the animals are at their lowest conditions, the weather is at its worst. I get that herds are bunched up so easier to count from a helicopter, but this is very stressful. I have had to call my local CPW office to try to get them to contact the crew, and I complain. FAA regs require aircraft to be 500 ft above the deck in areas of human population. The crew probably gets excited when they see elk so don’t pay attention to where they are. I’ve had them fly all around my ranch, because elk are often all around and on the ranch. Brenda Miller