SS109 wrote: People who plan on hunting to fill the larder? When the golden horde from Denver comes up here, even if only 100K make it up 285 on foot, they will empty the forests of game pretty quickly. Ever see a game drive, where 100 people walk through an area driving wildlife in front of them? They can empty out the terrain fast. Game populations took a massive hit during the Great Depression, when game laws weren't as important as empty bellies.
I agree with you that hunting as a survival plan is probably not too good an idea. But I don't agree on the "hordes" making it up here on foot. Most people are scared of the hills even in good times! My guess is if things got bad, most would hang in the cities and I think even a fair number of people who currently live up here (you know, the ones who don't even have enough extra food in the house in case a snowstorm cuts them off for two days) would head DOWN the hill. And if things got really, really, REALLY bad....well, again, weak, starving people aren't that likely to head for somewhere where it is even harder to raise food and keep warm in the winter. Don't forget, even before settlers came to Colorado, native Americans didn't live in the hills in winter, they stayed to the plains!
From the hills of Appalachia to the mountains of CO - seems there is a need in part of the populace to "outfox" the establishment (although the establishment feeds them de facto) and "live off the land". This myth is a complete.....uhhhhhh MYTH. It does not help the kids here to lay a foundation for a meaningful future and helps assure they will be very unhappy later in life. The kids here can get a good education (IF they chose to do so) and pick up a few sporting skills - but to focus on unneeded skills is a disservice.
