by Kirk Deeter

On our third and final day of the adventure, we traveled far downstream from Meeker, past the trophy trout waters and into the epicenter of the latest drilling operations in the Mesa Verde Play in the northern basin of Piceance Creek. We brought along Scott Warner, an avid elk and mule deer hunter from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, who has hunted this specific area (Unit 22) for the past 15 years.

While this unit has traditionally been one of the hottest mule deer spots in the state (it is home to one of the largest migrating mule deer herds in America), Warner said he has seen decreased production as drilling operations have ramped up. As we stood atop the Cathedral Bluffs, a giant earth formation that towers over the creeks and draws that feed the White, Warner said: “You used to get on top of the mesa at night, and look east and see nothing but dark silhouettes of the rocks, and stars above. And now you see the twinkles of dozens of gas wells. The deer hunting is not nearly what it was--not even close.”
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