State: CO

Predator hunting and hunting tournaments, often referred to as “contests,” are time-honored traditions that have recently been subjected to extensive scrutiny by the anti-sportsmen’s community and misinformed general public. Across the nation, both practices serve legitimate and effective purposes towards fish and wildlife conservation efforts. Hunting tournaments are effective management tools of varmint species, such…

A standard capacity magazine generally means any detachable ammunition feeding device that is sold with a firearm when it is shipped new from the manufacturer. In some cases, such as modern sporting rifles, the standard capacity magazine is regularly 30 rounds. Some state laws created after the 1993 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, limit the number…

Dogs play a critical role in the sporting community. One important role, blood tracking, is the practice of using dogs to assist in the recovery of harvested game. Contrary to the name, blood tracking dogs are employed when there is very little blood to track and instead find harvested game following its scent. The use…

Several states have passed legislation that allows non-resident, full-time college students to obtain hunting and/or angling licenses at the same price as state residents. The intent of these bills are to increase hunter and angler recruitment and retention within a subset of sportsmen and women which are especially prone to being restricted from hunting due…

In an effort to improve the quality of young people’s lives, several states have introduced or passed legislation to require some form of educational opportunity for hunting, fishing and nature appreciation as part of a student’s elective academic curriculum. These programs aim to connect students with the natural world and can play an important role…

The vast majority of states throughout the nation offer an online component of the hunter’s safety course, which provides potential hunters a way to receive their hunter safety certification at their own pace. By offering new hunters an easy and efficient way to gain hunter safety certification, more people will have the opportunity to begin…

Why it Matters: The use of ballot initiatives to restrict or ban hunting circumvents the legislative and regulatory process that allows for input by professionals, opportunities for revisions, and considerations of broader impacts within the state’s overall science-based management plan. These initiatives can allow wildlife management decisions to be made based on emotion rather than…

Why it Matters: Providing wildlife safe passage over or under highways is of mutual benefit to  public safety and wildlife populations. Highways often prevent wildlife from safely moving between important habitats. As a result, thousands of animals, including many sensitive species, are killed each year in wildlife-vehicle collisions. Wildlife crossings are especially critical for migrating…

Why It Matters: State fish and wildlife agencies have long been recognized as the primary and most respected managers of fish and wildlife in the United States. These agencies are staffed by trained professionals with backgrounds in a wide variety of expertise including law enforcement, land management, wildlife biology, human dimensions, and numerous other disciplines….

Why It Matters: While it may seem obvious to some, the unrivaled contributions of sportspeople to the conservation of wildlife and their habitats may not be widely understood by some in the general public. By hosting Sportsmen’s Day at the Capitol and adopting SJR23-0009, the Colorado Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus is working to ensure that more…

Why It Matters: State fish and wildlife agencies have long been recognized as the primary and most respected managers of fish and wildlife in the United States. These agencies are staffed by trained professionals with backgrounds in a wide variety of expertise including law enforcement, land management, wildlife biology, human dimensions, and numerous other disciplines….

Why It Matters: In 2021, Colorado Parks and Wildlife received over $80 million generated through hunting license sales, and a 10-11% federal excise tax on firearm and ammunition purchases under the Pittman-Robertson Act, that went directly to the agency for statewide conservation efforts. Without sportspeople purchasing hunting licenses, firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories, Colorado Parks…