2025-2029 Colorado Big Game Season Structure Update

2025-2029 Colorado Big Game Season Structure (BGSS) Preliminary Alternatives & Staff Recommendations

By Dave Shaffer

The BGSS planning process is a critical component of big game management and big game hunting regulation development and determines 1) what, when, and where various types of big game hunting opportunities are available and 2) how the timing of these opportunities are divided among hunters.  The current BGSS expires at the end of 2024.

The BGSS on-going planning process:

• Preliminary Recommendations  (Today)

1. Additional Meeting to allow further Public Comments (April)
2. Draft Recommendations (May)
3. Final Approval (June)

Discussion Topics/Recommendations:

(Reminder … these are only Preliminary Recommendations, NOT decisions.)

1. Early Seasons

Recommendation: Status Quo (all early seasons begin 2 Sept) plus an additional Optional stand-alone limited archery antlered deer season. This would be a new Archery Deer season from 15 Aug – 1 Sept which would be separate from Elk (it will use a portion of current archery licenses …. not additional licenses).

2. Regular Rifle Seasons (Deer & Elk west of I-25 + GMU 140)

**Recommendation: Revert to the Previous 2015-2019 BGSS for season dates and longer seasons       (1st season: 5 days,   2nd: 9 days,   3rd: 9 days,   4th: 5 days).  This provides a second weekend during 3rd season and deconflicts Thanksgiving from 4th season.  This only allows a 2-day gap between seasons.  

Rationale: The current 2020-2024 BGSS seasons are shorter and overlap Thanksgiving with larger gaps between seasons, which makes deer and elk too vulnerable therefore is not sustainable.

3. First Rifle Deer Season

Recommendation:  Create optional, limited deer hunting during the first rifle season when necessary to meet biological objectives and/or social management objectives (hunt deer & elk together).  Not statewide, would be optional and determined on a herd-by-herd basis (DAUs).  

4. Second Rifle Pronghorn Season

Recommendation: Create a second (currently there’s only 1 season) 9-day rifle pronghorn season starting the 3rd Saturday in October.  Not statewide, would be optional and determined on a herd-by-herd basis (DAUs).  Would distribute current license allocations between both seasons, not add additional licenses. It would probably only be used East of I-25.

5. Limitation of Over-the-Counter Elk Licenses: They only considered units which are currently OTC.

Limitations of OTC Archery

 **Alternative 1: (Recommended) Limit ALL resident & nonresident archery licenses (limited licenses are available through the Draw).  (i.e. No more OTC Archery)

Note: This is the least preferred option by resident hunters.

1. Alternative 2: Limit only Nonresident archery licenses (limited licenses are available through the Draw).  Status quo OTC for residents.

Note: Nearly ALL of the resident (and even nonresident) Public Comments adamantly supported this option and requested the Commissioners support resident hunters.

1. Status Quo: No Change

 Limitations of OTC Rifle

1. 1. Alternative 1: Limit ALL resident & nonresident rifle licenses (limited licenses are available through the Draw).  
   2. Alternative 2: Limit only Nonresident rifle Licenses (limited licenses are available through the Draw).  Status quo OTC for residents.

• **Status Quo: (Recommended) No Change

6. Administrative Changes – Cow Moose

Recommendation: Optional Late Cow Moose Season that is additional to the regular October 1-14 moose rifle season and is valid for all regular rifle deer and elk seasons when necessary to meet management for moose.

7. Administrative Changes – PLO Black Bear

Recommendation: Modify the existing language to clarify that PLO rifle bear licenses are not required to be unlimited OTC for every population/DAU (managers could still choose an unlimited PLO OTC strategy).

8. BGSS Cycle Length 

  Recommendation: Status Quo, maintain the current 5-year cycle length.

Christian Schauf – “Life is not a dress rehearsal!” | Eastmans’ Journals Podcast

https://youtu.be/G9qs8hpKWI0?si=7O-Hlp9GEdx1vZ2a

In the latest episode of the Eastmans’ Journal Podcast, Ike had the pleasure of interviewing Christian Schauf, a former singer/songwriter, entrepreneur, and a kind-hearted person. The conversation went deep into Christian’s experience performing for the military overseas and how he helped veterans disconnect from the trauma of war. They then discussed how Christian established companies that help people, including Uncharted Supply Co. He recognized the need for people to prepare themselves for emergency situations and jumped in to lend a hand. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.