Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s current five-year Big Game Season Structure expires at the end of 2019, and the agency is now gathering input to develop the succeeding five-year plan.
CPW invites both Colorado residents and nonresidents to attend telephone town halls to gather input and ideas for the next Big Game Season Structure for 2020-24.
“These telephone town halls are an opportunity for CPW to hear from our resident and nonresident hunters and other community members that have an interest in our hunting seasons,” said Mark Leslie, northeast regional manager. “The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission sets big game structures in five-year increments in order to regularly review and implement changes requested by our staff as well as our sportsmen, business owners, landowners and other stakeholders.”
The Colorado resident town hall will take place on Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. The nonresident town hall will take place on Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. Those interested in participating are invited to call 877-229-8493, using passcode 111956. In addition to hosting two telephone town halls, CPW has created an online public comment form to obtain as much public feedback as possible. Public comments will be accepted online through Feb. 11.
Specific issues to be addressed in the telephone town hall include hunter satisfaction, options for relieving crowding concerns during deer and elk archery seasons, start dates for seasons and barriers to bear hunting.
Additional topics and areas of input are available on the online comment form.
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When making changes to the season structure, Colorado Parks and Wildlife carefully considers the public’s comments. A summary of public input will be presented alongside information from wildlife managers and biologists to the Parks and Wildlife Commission in March. Draft recommendations will then be shared with the Commission in June with a formal adoption of the plan by the Commission in July or September. Once approved, the new season structure will go into effect from 2020 through 2024.
“Feedback from everyone who has a stake in the big game seasons is important to CPW, and helps us improve our big game season structure,” Leslie said. “This feedback helps shape how CPW staff manages and conserves our herds, and allows for a broad range of hunting opportunities.”
To see the current Big Game Season Structure, visit cpw.state.co.us.
