Chaffee County is a hunter's paradise. Large game, includes elk, mule deer, black bear, mountain lion and bighorn sheep, and there is an abundance of it in the Upper Arkansas Valley.

Big Game Hunting Season 2002
Elk
This year's elk herd is robust due to a series of mild winters where the cow and calf survival rate surpassed 95 percent. As a result, more cow elk tags are being issued this year. Additional cow tags may be purchased in 85 of Colorado's 178 big game units. These tags are available to both residents and nonresidents and the license fee for non-residents has been reduced from $450 to $250 for anterless elk.
Deer
The state's deer population is not as hardy as the elk population. Because the deer population is down, fewer licenses were issue for the 2002 season.

Archery
Deer/Elk: west of 1-25 (an unit I40): Aug. 31 - Sept 29
Deer: east of 1-25 (esxcept 140): Oct. 1-25 and Nov. 6-Dec.31
Antelope: Bucks only: aug. 15-31
Antelope: Either sex: Sept 1-20

Muzzleloading Rifle
Deer/elk (by drawing only: Sept. 14-22
Plains deer: east of I-25: Oct. 12 -20
Antelope: October 21 - 29

Rifle combine Deer/Elk & Separate Limited Elk
Separate Limited Elk: Oct. 12 - 16
Combined (deer/elk): Oct. 19-15
Combined (deer/elk): Nov. 2-8
Combined (deer/elk): Nov. 9-13
Cow elk by draw, bull elk over the counter.
If you plan to hunt both deer and elk in a combined season, both animals must be hunted in the same combined season.

Rifle Deer
(east of I-25): Oct. 26-Nov. 5
Late Rifle Deer
(east of I-25): Dec. 1-14
Rifle Antelope
(By Drawing only): Sept. 28-Oct.4 or Oct. 5-11
Black Bear
Limited (by drawing only); Sept. 2-30
Archery: (unlimited): Sept 2-29

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Rocky Mountain Elk: The Valley offers good elk hunting. Elk have increased in the past years and are well distributed throughout the forest.

Elk habitat varies from sagebrush to aspen and coniferous forest. Each type of habitat provides the basic requirements at various times during the year. Major herds are associated with public lands.

Elk prefer native bunch for winter feed. However, they are very adaptable and will feed on other grasses, sedges, forbs and browse. The also quickly acquire a tast for hay from rancher's stacks. They feed heavily on green grass in the spring, but switch mostly to forbs such as dandelion geranium and aster in the summer.

Elk breed in September and October. During this period, the musical bugling of the bulls provides a thrilling experience to back country visitors; the calves are in late May and early June.

During the hunting season, elk may be found in the aspen or heavy timber depending on the season and amount of available forage.

Mule Deer:

Mule deer have been an important big game animal in Colorado as far back as records exist. Early explorers, trappers and settlers used and depended on the mule deer as a source of food and clothing. Lewis and Clark can be credited with writing the first detailed account of mule deer habitat requirements. There is evidence that Lewis coined the name "Mule Deer" when he stated that they rarely found the mule deer in any except rough country--they prefer the rough grounds and are seldom found in woodlands or river bottoms.

Deer can be found throughout Chaffee County. They generally are found in lower elevations than elk. They can be found in a variety of vegetation types, including river bottoms, high mountain forests, lodgepole, sagebrush and oak brush.

Black Bear:

The black bear is a common omnivore in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. An omnivore is an animal that eats flesh as well as vegetation. The black bear, therefore, becomes a frequent visitor around garbage deposits and campsites where food is available. The bears in areas where man is not a resident feed on berries, nuts, tubers, grubs, small mammals, eggs, honey and carrion.

Bears are usually nocturnal and solitary except females with cubs.

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