Got a preference points migraine? Like an elk in a herd, you’re not alone. Fortunately, our friends at Colorado Parks and Wildlife offer the following pointers on understanding preference points. • Preference points are awarded by species, not hunt code. Points can be used to apply for any type of license available for that species. […]
Tips for hunting turkey in Northwest Colorado
Avid turkey hunter and Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager Jeff Goncalves offers a few hints on getting ready for and heading out on your next turkey hunt. Colorado Hunter: What’s the best way to get ready to go turkey hunting? Goncalves: Basically, you have to know where a good hunting spot is. Turkeys […]
Bighorn odyssey: Once-in-a-lifetime hunting opportunity
Bryan McClaskey’s lifelong dream of a bighorn sheep hunt ended up as an epic marathon adventure — on horseback and on foot. McClaskey’s bighorn trek was more like 100-plus miles on horseback and more than a marathon (26 miles) on foot. And years in the making. The bighorn odyssey included a horse that broke free […]
CPW plan could mean higher bear hunting license quotas in Eagle County
Colorado Parks and Wildlife released its black bear management draft plan earlier this month, amid long-term growth in the number of conflicts between bears and humans. The plan proposes two options: maintaining the bear population’s status quo or actively decreasing the bear population. “We’re one of the highest-calling areas in the state,” Darren Chacron, CPW […]
‘Right up there with Black Friday and Christmas’: Businesses relish revenue from hunting season
A ‘Welcome Hunters’ sign hangs in the window of Downtown Books on Yampa Avenue in mid-October. Cuyler Meade / Craig PressHunting season in Moffat County brings with it an influx of people from all over the country. To businesses in the community, those people bring their money, as well.Local business owners and managers across various retail […]
Officials looking for poacher who shot moose near Dunckley Pass
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking for help to find a hunter who shot and killed a moose last weekend in the Dunckley Flat Tops Area in south Routt County. “It probably happens maybe half a dozen times a year,” said District Wildlife Manager Justin Pollock, who received a tip about the violation. “What we […]
Fate of the Northwest Colorado wolf pack remains a mystery
On a hazy July afternoon, wolf expert Karin Vardaman returned to a spring-fed pond in Colorado’s northwestern-most corner. Enough rain had fallen to wet the ground around the watering hole. She tiptoed across the soft earth — careful not to disturb any impressions left by cattle and pronghorn antelope — until one track filled her […]
Hunting and overlanding: Maximizing your trip with 4×4 flexibility
Tired of hiking all your gear into the high country, camping with minimal provisions and equipment, and sleeping on the ground? Join the growing craze of “overlanding,” using a high-end 4×4 vehicle that can both get you there and carry creature comforts for your hunt. The burgeoning craze lets you get out in rough country […]
Colorado hunters have plenty of game to track despite dry summer, CPW says
As the region eases into a much-needed wet season following another drought-dried summer, the state agency charged with keeping track of the open spaces and animals therein isn’t seeing a major impact from the dryness on hunting, specifically. Despite numerous real impacts of the warming climate and historic drought, big game, according to Colorado Parks […]
Tips for hunting with goats
Pack goats are like my offshore fishing boat for the Rocky Mountains. They let me go deep into little nooks and crannies that can hold pockets of elk and deer that others are unwilling or able to access. The advantage of pack goats over other pack animals is their ability to navigate the terrain without […]