Hunting Home - Colorado Division of Wildlife

The opening weekend of elk season is fast approaching, and we are close to completing our first semester at Elk Hunting University (EHU). We have covered a lot of ground since we began in late April with EHU “lessons”: planning the hunt, buying a license, scouting, hunting technology and much more.

It’s time to dig through your gear, patch the tents, unlimber the rifle, and get to the range and check some ballistics. Time, too, to pull out the catalogs, visit the local sporting goods store, and stimulate the local economy by getting some new gear! Jim Roode’s "Guns, Gear and Stuff" will get you started—a hunter can never have too many, too much or just something new to try.

Over-the-counter bull licenses are available for sale, and leftover licenses go on sale on August 10th (online on August 11). View the leftover license list (pdf) now. Time to get serious in class and prepare for your EHU “final exam!”

You should see what the mountains have in store for you this fall—the elk are in velvet, calves are on the ground, and the spring and summer rains have been great for forage!

Our order from the outfitter supply store just got here. Great! Christmas in July!

Small Game Season Dates, Brochure & Changes

New small game season dates were approved at the July Wildlife Commission meeting. See the 2010-2011 season dates and fees.

The 2010 Small Game Regulations brochure is available in an interactive version New Document . This version is complete with video, a search function and links. When a page of the brochure is opened, the links blink once to show where they all are. Links also have short captions when hovered on and zoom is crisp up to 400% for easy reading. The interactive brochure is iPad and iPhone compatible. The Small Game Regulations Brochure (3MB PDF) is also available online in PDF format. New this year:

Free Walk-In Access - Small game hunters are no longer required to purchase permits to hunt properties enrolled in the Division of Wildlife's (DOW) Walk-In Access (WIA) program. The program provides more than 220,000 acres of private-land access to small game and waterfowl hunters.
Habitat Stamp Changes - If you’re venturing outdoors to enjoy Colorado’s superb fishing and hunting this summer, there are a few new rules to be aware of regarding stamps. Hunters and fishermen must still purchase them, but new legislation means there are different age and purchase requirements. See Habitat Stamp for new stamp regulations.
Season-change for Greater Sage-Grouse - The greater sage-grouse 2010 season has been reduced to two days in game management units 6, 16, 17, 161 and 171 (collectively known as North Park). The North Park season begins Sept. 11 and closes Sept. 12. The daily bag and possession limits are 2 and 2, respectively. These reductions are in response to declines in the annual lek counts in North Park and subsequent requests by the local working group to limit harvest. In GMUs 3, 10, 11, 18 (except east of Colorado 1-25 in Grand County), 27, 28 (except north and east of County Road 50, Church Park Road), 37, 181, 201, 211, the season is seven days (Sept.11-17) with a daily bag and possession limit of 2 and 4.

Pheasant DVD Cover The printed Small Game Regulations Brochure comes with a free DVD, "Pheasant Hunting Colorado." More than two years in the making, this film takes you on a journey into the exciting world of upland hunting, featuring the popular game bird—the ring-necked pheasant. The DVD includes instructional tips and details to get the most out of pheasant hunting in Colorado. Copies are available where licenses are sold. See DOW offices and license agents for one near you.