In the wake of a historic winter that devastated two of Colorado's largest elk herds, the state and local efforts to help the animals recover are starting to pay off.

Up in northwest Colorado, very few seasons compare to the winter of 2022-2023, which broke previous records for persistent snowpack, low temperatures and wind.

The impact on wildlife was hard to witness.

Marie Haskett, an outfitter based in Meeker and a Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) commissioner for two terms, vividly remembers seeing the bodies of countless elk, deer and pronghorn that had succumbed to starvation or the elements strewn on the landscape.

"And it really affected people deeply," she said.

Hunting, which is a billion-dollar industry across all game animals in Colorado, underwent major changes as CPW sta

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