Hayden Economic Development Council

Northwest Colorado has the largest elk herd in Colorado and probably the nation, drawing hunters to the area in droves.

The state relies on hunters to keep that population at the manageable size.

Hunters in the area have killed record number of elk in the past three years.

Northwest Colorado supports three herds of elk. The first herd roams north of U.S. Highway 40 almost to the Utah border and includes as many as 17,000 elk. The secon herd roams a large geographical area that includes the Flat Tops, Yampa, Toponas, Meeker and on to Glenwood Springs. There are 41,000 elk in that herd. The third herd supports 16,000 elk that roam along the Continental Divide north of Craig.

The Northwest Colorado elk total is almost a third of the Colorado state total of 275,000 animals.