"Hunt Colorado" Explores Diverse Game Species
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Variety, they say, is the spice of life. And for hunters, no other state offers as much "spice" as Colorado. From upland birds and waterfowl, to majestic big game animals like elk and bighorn sheep, Colorado's wild game species are as diverse as the Rocky Mountain landscape.
Colorado's varied and distinctive hunting opportunities are now featured in "Hunt Colorado," a new online video from the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The video takes viewers on an entertaining tour of Colorado's game species. See “Hunt Colorado” to discover Colorado’s diverse game species in high definition.
Hunting Reservation System
New property maps available
Hunters can reserve specific properties for small game and waterfowl hunting. For a listing of properties, maps, rules and how to make reservations, see Reservation System.
Sandhill Crane Hunters
The USFWS, Division of Migratory Management, has posted important information to help reduce the likelihood of shooting illegally at migratory birds that may look like sandhill cranes but for which there is no open season and are protected by Federal law. Some of these protected migratory bird species are common, while others are rare. One of these protected migratory bird species is very rare, the whooping crane, and has been listed as endangered. Please read through these tips/comparisons before venturing in the field. The 2009 Sandhill Crane season runs from October 3 through November 29.
Walk-In Access for Small Game Hunters
Over 168,000 acres are available for access during the early season Walk-In Access (WIA) period which runs through the end of February. Properties enrolled for September 1 often compose the permanent habitat portion of the WIA enrollment, including the majority of CRP acres, rangeland, and other permanent habitat types that offer good small game hunting. Many of these properties will offer dove, rabbit or other early small game and waterfowl hunting opportunity, while other properties may be enrolled primarily for their value as quail or pheasant hunting properties later in the season.
The 2009 Late Cropland Atlas (5.1MB pdf) is now available. See Walk-In Access for updated Late Cropland property maps.
Download the 2009-2010 Regular Walk-in Atlas (5.45MB PDF) and find individual maps, guidelines and more information on the Walk-In Access Program page.
WIA strives to be a very convenient program with both the hunters whom use the program and the landowners that enroll lands.
South Platte Property Restrictions
Starting in 2008, several state wildlife areas adopted new regulations to help the DOW evaluate whether they help improve hunting success: Atwood, Bravo, Brush, Jackson Lake, Jean K. Tool, Overland Trail and Red Lion. These new regulations may impact small game hunters. For more information, please read the South Platte Research State Wildlife Areas 2009 Brochure (2.7MB PDF), also available at Denver, Brush and Fort Collins DOW offices, and at the check stations at the SWAs listed above.
License Year Change
In order to provide better customer service, license structure for small game hunting has changed. As of April 1, 2009, all annual licenses including small game, furbearer, combination fishing and hunting, Colorado waterfowl stamps, habitat stamps and walk-in access permits will be valid April 1 through March 31 of the following year. DOW licensing manager, Henrietta Turner, explains "We've changed the calendar-based system to a season-year format, so licenses coincide better with our small game seasons." See the news release for more details.
Buy licenses online. See the current Small Game brochure for bag and possession limits and more hunting information.