Colorado’s Right to Hunt and Fish Debate: What Sportsmen Need to Know with Chris Dorsey
Narrative: Colorado’s wildlife future is heading to the ballot, with hunting and fishing at stake.
Colorado has become a major battleground in the national debate over hunting, fishing, wildlife management, and the role of sportsmen in conservation.
Chris Dorsey and Brent Miller join Fred Bird to unpack Colorado’s proposed constitutional right to hunt and fish, the growing use of ballot initiatives to shape wildlife policy, and what the debate could mean for hunters and anglers beyond the state. They examine how ballot-box campaigns can bypass traditional legislative processes, why the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation remains central to the conversation, and how hunting and fishing contribute to habitat, wildlife, and rural economies.
The conversation also explores a challenge facing the outdoor community: reaching people who do not hunt or fish. Dorsey discusses lessons from previous wildlife campaigns, the power of emotion and storytelling, and why conservation messaging needs to connect with audiences far beyond traditional sportsmen. From mountain lion management and elk hunting to fishing, public lands, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation, the discussion looks at how conservation stories can reach the mainstream.
Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of the policy debate, the arguments surrounding constitutional protections for hunting and fishing, and the broader conservation infrastructure funded and supported by America’s hunters and anglers.