Ear to the ground

“I thought about going to fingers but it was shoot and release.”

- A Durango bow hunter using archery-speak at a local Burger Night last week

Back in season

Blaze orange is officially back in fashion in Durango. Rifle season returns to Southwest Colorado this week, and men and women toting high-caliber rifles will be descending en masse into the Durango backcountry.

The first rifle season kicks off Oct. 11-15, and visiting hunters will be out and about seeking “thrill and camaraderie in their search for game.” Prospects this year look good for those hoping for meat for the freezer or antlers for the den. Division of Wildlife Big Game Coordinator Bruce Watkins said that current game populations statewide stand at 290,000 elk and 535,000 deer.

On the elk side of the table, Watkins said that there is an average of 26 bulls (that’s male, antlered animals for those donning their first orange) per 100 cows. Of those, approximately half are branch-antlered bulls that made it through last year’s hunting season. “We’re carrying a fair number of older age-class bulls through the hunting season.” Watkins said.

While there should be “good elk hunting pretty much everywhere,” the Division has once again spotlighted Southwest Colorado. Senior Biologist Scott Wait commented that “There should be a good number of legal bulls available this fall.”

Those looking for a little less recoil in their recreation are urged to take precautions and don the color of the season if they are riding, hiking or collecting litter roadside. Additional seasons are also scheduled for Oct. 18-26; Nov. 1-7; and Nov. 12-16.

The 401 Keg plan

Courtesy of our friends on the internet, theDurango Telegraph offers up the following investment tip in these troubled economic times.

First a little background… If you had purchased $1,000 of Nortel stock one year ago, it would currently be worth $49. With Enron, you would have $16.50 left of the original $1,000. One thousand dollars of Delta Airlines stock has a current value of $49. And investors who put their nest egg in WorldCom would be looking at a portfolio valued at a mere $5.

However, you could have also purchased $1,000 worth of canned beer one year ago. After consuming all 18,000 ounces (calculated using the average cost of canned Budweiser), the cans could be exchanged for an aluminum recycling refund of approximately $214.

Based on the above, theTelegraph is cautiously advising investors to drink heavily and continue to recycle.