For the first time in more than 20 years, hunters will climb the
hills and skirt the valleys of the Cherokee Ranch and Highlands
Ranch Open Space Conservation Area this year to help control the
unchecked population of elk that is quickly destroying the
habitat.
The combined property consists of approximately 11,000 acres
south of Highlands Ranch and bordered on the west by U.S. 85 and on
the east by Castle Pines. Based on a similar habitat model,
biologists determined that the carrying capacity, or the number of
elk that the area could support on a sustained basis, was 455
elk.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife conducted aerial counts in
February and ground counts in September and estimated that the
number of elk on the properties was between 450-600. But even the
conservative estimate does not bode well for the health of the
herd.
“Elk usually do best when they’re at half of their carrying
capacity,” said Susanne Tracey, the district wildlife manager in
the area. “We were already seeing signs that the herd was
stressed.”
The elk counts that were conducted showed that the elk herd on
the OSCA and Cherokee Ranch properties had several indicators of an
unhealthy population. A typical healthy herd has approximately 60
males to every 100 females, but this population had a 1-to-1
bull-to-cow ratio.
In a healthy herd, 60-80 percent of the cows will give birth,
but the counts on OSCA and Cherokee Ranch showed that only 14.6
percent of the cows had calves with them, Tracey said. The count
also showed poor body conditions and poor antler growth in the
elk.
The reason for the herd’s poor health is that, because of the
overpopulation, the elk are destroying the habitat they need to
sustain them.
“Historically, the area is a mid-grass prairie,” Tracey said,
“now it has become a short-grass prairie mixed with oak and
ponderosa pine.”
Tracey said that the short grasses aren’t enough to sustain the
elk, and they are turning to the shrubs and sapling trees to get
the nourishment they need. The constant bombardment from the elk is
not allowing new plant growth, and the habitat is not able to
recover. The elk are eating all the available food, and only by
reducing the number of elk will they be able to survive.
“They will survive above their carrying capacity for a while
before you start to see them starve,” Tracey said. “Then the
population will crash.”
That wasn’t a scenario that either Shea Homes, which manages
OSCA, or the Cherokee Ranch and Castle Foundation wanted to
see.
“Stewardship is at the top of our list of what we want to
accomplish,” said Deborah Jordy, executive director of Cherokee
Ranch and Castle. “So whatever we can do to accomplish that, we
take very seriously.”
Cherokee Ranch and Shea Homes discussed with the Division of
Wildlife several options for controlling the elk population. They
explored everything from birth control to relocation, but a limited
trial hunt was the only viable option.
“This is the best approach and most humane way to manage the
herd,” said Steve Ormiston, vice president of Shea Homes. “We feel
that this is the responsible thing to do.”
Along with the division, the landowners set a goal of removing
40 cows and 40 bulls from the combined properties. Tracey said that
the success rate for hunters in game management unit 51, which is
the area where the properties fall, is approximately 30
percent.
But because of the large numbers of animals, and because they
haven’t received any hunting pressure in more than 20 years, Tracey
said the division approximated that the success rate would be
closer to 60 percent.
Applications to hunt the property were randomly sent out to the
hunters who successfully drew elk licenses for unit 51. Seven,
four-day hunting slots with 12 hunters per slot were established on
the OSCA property, and four, four-day hunting slots with seven
hunters per slot were set for the Cherokee Ranch property. The
slots coincide with the established elk hunting season dates set by
the Colorado Wildlife Commission. The season runs from the end of
August through mid-November.
“Our goal was not to harvest enough elk to get the numbers where
we want them in one year,” Tracey said, “but to decrease the herd
slowly over the next seven to 10 years.”
Deciding on how to best manage the elk population on their
properties was only part of the obstacle that Cherokee Ranch and
Shea Homes had to overcome. They also had to ensure the safety of
the human population in the communities surrounding their
property.
“We have tried to buffer the community around us even above and
beyond what was recommended by the division,” Jordy said. “We
expect the hunters to be extremely mindful and respectful of the
surrounding community.”
In addition to already having the required license and hunter
safety requirements set by the state, the 133 participants who were
invited to hunt the property will be required to sign a
code-of-conduct agreement and attend a mandatory orientation so
that they are aware of the safety and buffer zones that have been
established to safeguard the surrounding communities.
Neither Ormiston nor Jordy has received any concerned calls
about the hunt, but they said controlling the elk population came
second to ensuring that the community wouldn’t be adversely
affected by the hunt.
“We considered it very carefully before we decided to proceed,”
Ormiston said. “We’d never consider a hunt that would be anywhere
near where the residents are.”
If previous hunts on similar properties are any indication, Shea
Homes, Cherokee Ranch and the surrounding communities have nothing
to worry about.
Tracey said that similar hunts have taken place on Golden Gate
Canyon State Park, Centennial Cone, an open space property in
Jefferson County, and Sharp Tail Ridge State Wildlife Area on the
other side of U.S. 85 in Douglas County, with no complaints from
the surrounding communities.
“There’s always concern from the public about seeing dead
animals, hearing shots and having shots go over their house,”
Tracey said. “But after a season has gone by with no incidents, the
public has a better understanding and is not in opposition to such
hunts.”
This year’s success will be evaluated after the hunt so that
Shea Homes, Cherokee Ranch and the division can decide on how to
best proceed in future years to maintain the health of the habitat
and the animals that use it. Tracey said that this year’s hunt is
the first step in that direction.
“Because natural predators such as wolves and grizzlies are
missing from the ecosystem, it’s left up to people to take on that
role,” Tracey said. “I’m very thankful to the property owners. They
should be commended for the steps they’re taking to manage
wildlife.”