Colorado actually going to change things?

[Dave0317]

Colorado considers changes to state hunting regs

Focus groups discuss point creep, OTC license allocation, preference points + more

www.gohunt.com

I know this has been discussed in many ways before. But, this looks like a new article and seems to suggest CO is actually serious about making some changes.

So, what is the general Rokslide opinion on this stuff? Like it how it is? Rather go 100 percent draw-only? Or does some other happy medium solution exist?

 

[Fullfan]

They will have to do something. Colorado is where everyone goes for otc tags, when they strike out in other states. Hunted Colorado once in second rifle. Was overwhelmed by the number of hunters that I encountered in the woods.

 

[Augie]

People ain't gonna like it (nonresidents to the state of Colorado anyways) but the amount of hunters that flood into the OTC units every year seems mind boggling. Many people apply for other states and then when they don't draw say "looks like we are going to Colorado" as a guaranteed tag backup plan. So that being said I can't see a future where CPW doesn't end up capping the OTC tags or turning it over to a draw system even if they end up losing tons of money in the process. Personally I rather have quality hunts rather than rubbing elbows with the 40 other hunters that parked at the same trailhead and want to hike in for their DIY OTC 10 day backpack hunt lol. Oh well, my opinion matters none anyways.

 

[sndmn11]

I am fine with OTC, I think they need to change it from statewide to DAU specific.

 

[11boo]

It’s not like they took a lot of input from us. 67 people.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) recently held 10 focus groups in April and May to collect public sentiment on big game license distribution systems, preference points and other items related to the current system. Each group consisted of five to 10 participants with a total of 67 people weighing in on potential changes to CPW’s current hunting regulations, according to the agency.

 

[CoStick]

The change is going to come from other user groups who are growing in size and are more proactive and organized.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Change is probably coming. As all the other western states race to keep out DIY non-resident hunters, CO bears the majority of that pressure. Some changes may need to be made with regard to OTC hunts but I don’t think severely limiting DIY non residents hunters is going to solve all the problems facing western resident hunters these days.

 

[SoloWilderness]

OTC is fine currently, never run into more than a couple guys in my OTC archery areas, and I know I can hunt my spots every year no matter how the draw shakes out. Now the point creep issue... Really like to see elk and deer go to a weighted point draw the way goat, and moose are. Be nice to be able to at least try and draw some of the upper tier units, instead of only being able to hunt them when I'm 70...

 

[Bearsears]

Im not sure what the answer is overall but I do think that Colorado needs to get more inline with the way other states are limiting non resident hunters. With how much the other western states are limiting non residents the pressure in Colorado is becoming unbearable.

 

[MallardSX2]

Point banking? WTF
Point Averaging? WTF
Outfitter Welfare? WTFWTFWTF

Lord have mercy. That must have chosen the dumbest 67 idiots they could find.

If they would just cap OTC units and take ALL points for any A-list tag drawn (No matter when it was drawn), the problem would basically be solved.

They should also make you use 1 preference point to get an "OTC license".

 

[def90]

Here is a post from a guy from CBA Colorado Bowhunters Association who attended the virtual meeting the other day..

"I need to be honest. I just watched Junes Parks and Wildlife commission meeting, discussing license allocation, I feel so sick to my stomach I think I am going to puke. I don't want anyone puking, but you should watch and see how discouraging it is to be a Colorado resident hunter right now.

This whole "allocation" issue is being taken up because our legislature sent a message with senate bill 21-150 that CPW needs to improve a residents ability to get licenses. That is a fairly clear message right? If your a smart paid professional, how do you get that simple message wrong?

What I heard in the June Parks and Wildlife commission meeting was CPW thinks hunters are fine with hunting every 2 to 4 years. What? Seriously? Then I heard a sportsperson rep say she thinks we need to limit ALL archery elk hunters, statewide. What? Seriously? How does that meet the legislative intent? Then I heard the other sportsperson rep pipe in about how her concern is focused on loss of income for communities that are seeing an economic boom so large right now from outdoor recreation that you can't get a hotel room reservation, and wait for a hour to eat at a restaurant. Seriously? from a sportsperson rep?

Then I heard Doug Vilsack from DNR pipe in and say well...if we give more licenses to residents we need to run a bill and jack up resident license prices. Did he forget they now charge preference point fees, require qualifying licenses to rake in not only your money but PR dollars, tack on CPI increases, app fees, do a $econdary draw, they destroyed our odds with pay later but saved millions, and have never delivered on a public access program for private lands that was promised under future generations? Unbelievable.

NO ONE on the commission stood up for resident hunters, no one talked of the legislative intent, and I can't identify ANY commissioner who is an advocate for resident hunters after watching this meeting. Unreal.

I did get to hear 3 outfitters stand up for nonresidents asking for no changes to allocation, ignoring the intent of the bill. One outfitter stated he thought 50/50 was fair. But of course. One guy talked about his 87 year old hunter client who can't draw 201 with 30 points. Poor guy, bet he never hunted anywhere else including his home state for 30 years. Crazy. I did hear the cattlemen stand up stating they may prefer all units go limited because then they get 20 to 25% of the license quotas per hunt code. Guess we know where they stand.

Look, I don't want anyone to puke, but you should watch this meeting, and ask yourself as you listen - just who in this room is my advocate? I can't find any one who is my advocate, and that is a problem.

After listening today, I'm convinced the PWC isn't going to get this simple message right. I fired off an email to my senator who sponsored SB21-150. He will be my advocate, and he is ready to run the bill again next session.

Take a listen to this insane meeting, then send your comments to the commission at [email protected] They meet and discuss this topic next week, so do it now. about 20 minutes in the allocation topic starts.

[

Also, vote for Rob Woodward for Senate district 15, Larimer county., he is ready to be your advocate, and the only remedy when appointees can't get it right or don't hear the message is legislation."

 

[MallardSX2]

They don't want to talk much about limiting just NR opportunities because there is too much money in it. They cant take the risk of loosing that money. It is significant.

 

[Bearsears]

i just dont understand why all the other user groups cant start paying to use the resources to offset the revenue loss from NR tags. Colorado trails are packed all over the front range every weekend now. Why cant they pay an annual use fee? Why does the burden have to be on hunters?

 

[kentuckybowman]

if they add to the weed tax it should cover most of the hikers on the front range.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

i just dont understand why all the other user groups cant start paying to use the resources to offset the revenue loss from NR tags. Colorado trails are packed all over the front range every weekend now. Why cant they pay an annual use fee? Why does the burden have to be on hunters?

And 90% of resident CO hunters confuse those users with nr hunters. The problem in CO isn’t NR hunting. At least in archery season. The problem is hunters are now sharing the woods with more outdoor enthusiasts besides hunters.

 

[Bearsears]

And 90% of resident CO hunters confuse those users with nr hunters. The problem in CO isn’t NR hunting. At least in archery season. The problem is hunters are now sharing the woods with more outdoor enthusiasts besides hunters.

To be clear, I wasnt talking about the trails being packed every weekend during hunting seasons. I was talking about every weekend period. Respectfully, I do feel there are too many NR OTC hunters here now and its worse every year that the other western states limit NR's more and more. I dont want to cut off all opportunity, but we need to be ,ore compraable to other western states when it comes to R/NR tag allocations and OTC in general.

 

[Rich M]

The CO folks realize where the money comes from. Gonna be tough to upset that apple cart.

I hunted CO once and enjoyed it. Ran into some real nice folks in the field.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

I’ve hunted Colorado a half dozen times and have seen exactly the same two people in the woods over that decade. Twice. In a very popular unit. And I’ve yet to go that I didn’t draw my bow or kill an elk.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

To be clear, I wasnt talking about the trails being packed every weekend during hunting seasons. I was talking about every weekend period. Respectfully, I do feel there are too many NR OTC hunters here now and its worse every year that the other western states limit NR's more and more. I dont want to cut off all opportunity, but we need to be ,ore compraable to other western states when it comes to R/NR tag allocations and OTC in general.

I understand. I too was making the same point about how much and who is crowding the woods.

 

[roadrunner]

Makes sense to have an OTC quota for each unit.