New this year, Colorado archery and muzzleloader hunters have the opportunity to add a bear license onto their seasonal deer or elk tag.
An add-on license will allow those deer and elk hunters to harvest a bear with the same weapon if at least one hunting unit on the original license overlaps. Look for the bear paw symbol in CPW’s 2020 Colorado Big Game handbook or visit CPW.state.co.us/bearhunts for the full list of available bear hunts broken out by unit.
“The bear population is strong both north and south of Craig,” said Mike Swaro, Assistant Area Wildlife Manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “This offers a lot of opportunities for hunters.”
Bear populations in Colorado have been on the rise since the elimination of the spring bear season in 1992. More significantly, the human population has boomed and encroached on bear territory on the fringes of towns and cities. That increases bear and human contacts greatly.
Wildlife managers say harvesting a bear if you see one will benefit overall populations in the long run, preventing wild bruins from becoming city-dwelling “dumpster bears” and eventually euthanized by authorities.