Elk Hunt Will Close Ron Stewart Preserve

BOULDER, CO - Three hunters per week will have access passes to hunt in the Ron Stewart Preserve near Rabbit Mountain beginning next week and continuing through January 31, 2019. The area will be closed to the public Monday through Wednesday each week - though if hunters are successful earlier in the week the park will be opened the following day, according to a press release from Boulder County Parks and Open Space. The hunt is part of a strategic population management program, and recreational hunting in the area remains prohibited.

This is the second year of the program, which was initiated after the elk herd expanded from 30 in the mid-2000s to over 350 in 2016. Last year, 32 hunters participated in the program and 27 of the scheduled hunt sessions were successful. To participate, hunters must obtain the appropriate tag for the area and enter into a drawing on the county website for their preferred week. According to county reports, the winter high count was 260 elk in 2017, down from 360 in 2016 - and far less than the 600 that their projected growth curve had estimated without any intervention.

Boulder County developed this program in 2016 due to concerns about the environmental impact of the exploding herd and a desire to re-establish seasonal migration patterns. At the time, it faced extremely vocal opposition, but that opposition came from a limited number of voices. As Therese Glowacki, the resource management division officer for Boulder County Parks and Open Space told the Daily Camera at the time, "In our online public comment, we had 353 people write in, and 73 percent support the plan or support the plan with modifications. That's pretty strong support."

Residents with questions or concerns are encouraged to contact Jenny Dalton, Boulder County Parks & Open Space Elk Management Hunt Coordinator at jdalton@bouldercounty.org, or 323-420-8551.

Learn more about the history of this program and the controversy surrounding it in this article from Charlie Brennan of the Daily Camera.

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Header Photo Credit: Rolf Nussbaumer/imageBROKER/Shutterstock