Complete Stranger Ping (Seems like this might be of interest to you...)
It seems amazing that the elk populations are overflowing, but yet licenses are so expensive and difficult to get.
Back in my (largely) misspent youth, when Colorado and other Western States used to manage their forests and their game animals, they did two things to manage a population surge:
1) They allowed domestic animals in to graze (heaven forbid now) and;
2) They allowed "depredation" hunts, where you just showed up with your rifle, harvested any elk (bull, cow, yearling) and paid a small fee for the privilege on the way out.
Now, it's all either off-limits or about revenue.
I'm not going to pay (in advance) $2.00 per pound on the hoof for some bovine I have to find, stalk, kill, field dress, pack out, and butcher.
At that price, I can have a sure thing, branded Hereford, Angus, Charolais, etc.
An overpopulation of herbivores means one thing----more predators.
I'm sure that when the Cougar, Wolf, or even Grizzly take a few soccer moms or kids, Colorado may get back into the game management business; but I wouldn't guarantee it.