The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Steamboat Lake Outfitters’ outfitting director Russ Lam­bert said he’s hopeful the last several weeks of commotion on Wall Street won’t ripple into his section of the world any time soon — but his confidence wasn’t based on the outcomes of elk hunting.

“This is about the most expensive meat you can get your hands on,” he said with a laugh, quickly adding up all the costs an out-of-stater pays for a trip to Colorado’s mountains for a shot at a bull.

Lambert, along with the rest of Steamboat Springs’ hunting community, had his eyes trained on the market last week. The outfitter was curious whether, or when, the effects might be felt in his business. As the biggest day of his season loomed — elk rifle season opened at first light Saturday — he said there’s too much about the elk experience to have him worried more about the Dow than the doe.

“I’m encouraged by the phone calls we’ve been getting,” Lambert said, pointing out that his guides already are booked solid through 2008 and filling up for 2009. “A lot of the guys who sit in an office all year-round love to come out to get themselves in the right frame of mind again. It’s therapeutic for them sometimes, and if it means selling a bunch of junk they have in the garage, well, they still want to do it.”

The conclusion was the same across Routt County.

“We’ve been very busy. The turnout seems to be really good, and we’re seeing a lot of people from out of state,” said Doug Person, who was selling ammunition Thursday at Elk River Guns in Steamboat, nearly as fast as it could be unloaded from boxes. “We can’t tell much of a difference from this year to last. We were concerned with the high price of gas, concerned we’d see a decreasing number of people, but these hunters are a dedicated group, and it looks like no matter what, they’ll go hunting.”

As for the prize the wave of orange-clad outdoorsmen seek, it could be a good year, Department of Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton said.

The archery and muzzleloading seasons — which ran through most of September — had ups and downs, but they finished on a high note with plenty of quality animals taken.

The weather likely will have the biggest effect on how this fall’s rifle elk harvest can measure up, Hampton said.

“The cold weather is good. The system that moved through last weekend and the one expected this weekend are all good news,” he said. “Weather not only moves animals around a little, but it creates a quieter environment in the forest for hunters, so they are maybe walking across snow, not dry leaves and sticks.”

Today’s rifle season runs through Wednesday and is the first of four this fall.

— To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 871-4253 or e-mail jreichenberger@steamboatpilot.com