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Document 27 of 73.

April 13, 2000, Thursday

SECTION: Local; Ed. Final; Pg. 7A

LENGTH: 438 words

HEADLINE: HUNTERS SEEK BOOST IN DEER
GROUPS MAKE PITCH FOR CONTROL OF PREDATORS

BYLINE: By Gary Gerhardt, News Staff Writer

BODY:

Hunting groups primed the legislature Wednesday for a bill they want introduced to make the state Division of Wildlife pay for controlling coyotes, mountain lions and bears. Their aim is to restore the state's mule deer population.

Representing several sporting organizations, spokesman Denny Behrens told the joint Senate and House agriculture committee that mule deer populations in Colorado have dropped far below acceptable levels. "The Wildlife Division says we have to maintain a 65 percent fawn-doe ratio, but it's dropped below that in much of the state, including the Uncompahgre Plateau, where it's down to 40 percent," he said.

Behrens said there are two ways to rebuild deer herds: Restore habitat through such methods as controlled burns, or selectively control predators such as coyotes, bears and mountain lions that prey on fawns.

"If we were to restore all the habitat lost in the state, it will take longer than our grandchildren will live and cost about $3.8 billion," he said.

"Selectively controlling predators will have mule deer numbers back in three years."

Funding for the program - including a public education campaign to explain why it is needed - would come from an increase in out-of-state hunting license fees the division would receive if the legislature passes a pending fee-increase bill.

Mike Bodenchuk, Utah state director of the Department of Agriculture's wildlife services program, told the committee, "We know 80 percent of livestock losses to coyotes are by adult pairs feeding pups. It's at the same time fawns are hitting the ground."

He said if predator control officers removed those pairs before they had pups, most of the problem would end.

"In one area where we removed 19 coyotes, the number of fawns per doe went up from 15 to 101," he said.

Last week, 20 environmental groups objected to Wildlife Services' aerial gunning of coyotes on Bureau of Land Management lands, saying if they didn't stop, the groups would seek judicial sanctions.

Rick Kahn, a state wildlife manager, listened to the arguments Wednesday, and said: "They make some valid points. We need a combination of habitat restoration and predator control, but money coming from one DOW program has to be taken from another."

Mike Smith, wildlife chairman of the state chapter of the Sierra Club, said, "It's nothing more than a 'feel good' provision that simply won't work.

"It's more than predation causing problems, and if they focus just on killing coyotes, bears and mountain lions, they'll have most of the people of Colorado ready to kill them."

LOAD-DATE: April 15, 2000

Document 27 of 73.


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