Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting recap for Jan. 8-9, 2025

Joey Livingston
Statewide Public Information Officer
303-345-4658 / [email protected]

DENVER — At its Jan. 8-9, 2025 meeting, the Parks and Wildlife Commission heard proposed changes to regulations as follows. All final regulations approved at the Jan. 8-9, 2025 meeting will go into effect on March 2, 2025 unless otherwise noted.

Updated chapters include: W-0, W-2, and W-3.

CITIZEN PETITION
Agenda Item 13.b: Wolf Citizen Petition
At its January meeting, the Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted the Director’s written recommendation to DENY a petition for rulemaking related to wolves.

FINAL REGULATIONS
Agenda Item 17: Chapter W-2 - “Big Game” 2 CCR 406-2 and those related provisions of Chapter W-0 (“General Provisions” 2 CCR 406-0) and Chapter W-3 (“Furbearers and Small Game, Except Migratory Birds” 2 CCR 406-3) necessary to accommodate changes to or ensure consistency with Chapter W-2 (Step 2 of 2)

The Commission finalized regulations including the following:
Statewide

• Annual changes to season dates, limited license areas, and quotas and manner of take provisions for bighorn sheep and mountain goat (statewide).
• Annual changes to season dates, limited license areas, and manner of take provisions for deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, moose, and bear (statewide).
• Changes to implement the 2025-2029 big game season structure policy changes.
• Removing the ability to take coyotes by a hunter with an unfilled big game license.

Deer

• Creating a first rifle antlered deer season in data analysis unit D-3.
• Creating an early antlerless deer rifle season in data analysis unit D-3.
• Creating limited antlered and antlerless deer hunt codes in select units in data analysis units D-19, D-23, D-24, D-40 and D-57.
• Adding game management unit 512 to the over-the-counter white-tailed–only (DE048U6R) hunt code.

Elk

• Modifying the Ranching for Wildlife program to allow for management flexibility.
• Creating a private-land-only either-sex archery hunt code in data analysis unit E-10.
• Removing late antlerless elk seasons in data analysis unit E-13.
• Creating private-land-only archery hunt codes for limited archery elk data analysis units where over-the-counter archery licenses are valid on private land.
• Modifying the limited bull archery hunt code to a limited either-sex hunt code in data analysis unit E-16.
• Modifying the list B antlerless elk licenses to be list A licenses in the northwest elk data analysis units below population objective.
• Creating a local drawing limiting regular-season hunt participation in Baca National Wildlife Refuge.
• Combining antlerless elk license hunt codes in game management units 68 and 681.

Pronghorn

• Adding a second rifle season hunt code in data analysis unit PH-1.

Moose

• Adding a late cow moose season in select game management units.
• Adding wilderness only hunt codes to data analysis unit M-2.
• Splitting cow moose hunt codes under game management unit 44 into different hunt codes for units 44 and 45.
• Creating a regular rifle season for cow moose in data analysis unit M-5.

Bighorn Sheep

• Creating a bighorn sheep ram hunt in data analysis unit S-80.
• Adding a ewe license in data analysis unit S-22.

Bear

• Modifying the geographic boundaries for the BE084P5R hunt code to target bear harvest on private lands with the highest potential for human-bear conflicts.

Agenda Item 18: Chapter W-2 - “Big Game” 2 CCR 406-2 (Step 2 of 2)
The Commission finalized regulations including the following:

• Revising Annual changes to season dates, and harvest limits for mountain lion (statewide). (Step 1 of 1)
• Modifying the harvest limits and group compositions for Mountain Lion hunting to implement the East Slope Mountain Lion plan. (Step 2 of 2).

*These changes go into effect April 1, 2025.

FINAL POLICY
Agenda Item 22: Draw Policy Modifications (Step 2 of 2)
The Commission finalized the policy changes to the draw process for the 2028 draw.

1. Deer, Elk, Bear, Pronghorn and Turkey- Primary Draw-

• 50/50 split draw, with preference point and bonus splits.
• 75/25 across the board allocation with a soft cap. No more than 50% of the residency cap will be applied to the preference point split of the draw.
• Allocation rules apply to the first and second choices.
• Preference points are only gained and used on the first choice.
• A new $15 resident and $30 nonresident preference point fee will be changed for each species, with the option to opt-out and not receive a point.

2. Deer, Elk, Bear and Pronghorn- Secondary Draw-

• 100% random draw with 100% youth preference
• No allocation rules
• No preference points are gained or used.

3. Moose, RM Bighorn Sheep, and Mountain Goat- Primary Draw-

• 100% bonus draw
• 90/10 hard cap allocation, with residency-specified quota by hunt code.
• Preference points are only gained and used on the first choice. $50/$100 preference point fee remains in place, with the option to opt-out.
• No more weighted points, conversion to all normal preference points.
• Once-in-a-lifetime harvest for bull moose, bighorn sheep rams and all goats (except those harvested on a nanny-only goat license, special management license, private land bighorn sheep access program or auction and raffle license). Wait 5 years after harvest to apply for points or a license for a female.
• Waiting periods-3 point threshold to initially draw a male license
• Group applications allowed for all species, but restricted to two members that share the same residency.
• Pick one was not approved.

4. Desert Bighorn Sheep- Primary Draw-

• 100% random draw
• 90/10 hard cap allocation, with residency-specified quota by hunt code.
• No preference points
• Once-in-a lifetime harvest
• Group applications allowed for all species, but restricted to two members that share the same residency.
• Pick one was not approved.

5. Auto Reissue

• Auto-reissue to next-up by residency and if they opted-in. Opt-in by hunt code. This process is used for all licenses returned or surrendered up to 2 weeks before the start of the season.
• Licenses auto-reissued from a first choice primary draw application, will use points.
• Two weeks or less prior to the start of the season:
  • Sheep, Goat and Moose licenses are manually reissued and require points
  • Deer, elk, bear, pronghorn and turkey licenses are put on the weekly leftover list and do not require points.
• Fail to Pays- license get's returned and auto-reissued. Points get reinstated to the pre- draw level.

6. New 10-year Draw Season Structure also approved as well as the concept of a random draw for any new limited species added in the future.

ISSUES IDENTIFICATION
Agenda Item 23: Chapter P-4 - “Snowmobile Regulations” 2 CCR 405-4 and those related provisions of Chapter P-7 (“Passes, Permit and Registrations” 2 CCR 405-7) necessary to accommodate changes to or ensure consistency with Chapter P-4 (Step 1 of 2)
The Commission considered regulations pertaining to increasing registration fees.

Agenda Item 24: Chapter W-3 - “Furbearers and Small Game, Except Migratory Birds” 2 CCR 406-3 (Step 1 of 2)
The Commission considered annual changes to game bird seasons, excluding turkey, and other small game seasons and related provisions, including season dates, bag and possession limits and manner of take provisions. Specific changes include:

• Adopting a permit to take greater sage-grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse and white-tailed ptarmigan.
• Opening the greater sage-grouse hunting season in game management units 2, 4, 5 and 10.
• Opening the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse hunting season in game management unit 23.

Agenda Item 25: Chapter W-5 - “Small Game - Migratory Game Birds” 2 CCR 406-5 (Step 1 of 2)
The Commission considered annual changes to waterfowl and migratory bird hunting seasons and related provisions, including season dates, bag and possession limits, and manner of take provisions.

CONSENT AGENDA (Agenda Item 3)
Issues Identification
Agenda Item 3.1: Chapter W-9 - “Wildlife Properties” 2 CCR 406-9 and those related provisions of Chapter W-0 (“General Provisions” 2 CCR 406-0) and Chapter P-1 (“Parks and Outdoor Recreation Lands” 2 CCR 405-1) necessary to accommodate changes to or ensure consistency with Chapter W-9 (Step 1 of 2)
Open for annual review of the entire chapter including, but not limited to, generally applicable and property-specific requirements for, or restrictions on use of wildlife properties controlled by the Division of Parks and Wildlife, including State Trust Lands leased by the Division. Specific changes include:

• Adopting property-specific regulations for a new Axial Basin State Wildlife Area.
• Adopting regulations for the launching of watercraft from trailers on Delaney Butte Lakes State Wildlife Area.
• Cleanup of regulations on the Emerald Mountain State Wildlife Area.
• Adding the Big Sandy Creek State Trust Land property to the State Trust Land hunting and Fishing Access Program.
• Adopting property-specific regulations to allow motorized travel on existing roads on Cold Springs Mountain State Trust Land.
• Extending the public access period on the Pine Tree Gulch State Trust Land to May 31st to provide turkey hunting opportunity.

Agenda Item 3.2: Chapter W-2 - “Big Game” 2 CCR 406-2 and those related provisions of Chapter W-0 (“General Provisions” 2 CCR 406-0) necessary to accommodate changes to or ensure consistency with Chapter W-2 (Step 1 of 2)

• Open for consideration of adopting regulation enabling nonresident, enrolled members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to redeem Landowner Preference Program vouchers yielded by the Pinecrest Ranch for hunting licenses valid only on the Pinecrest Ranch at a discounted price equivalent to the resident license price.

A complete agenda along with all materials for this meeting are available on CPW’s website for public review. 

The public is encouraged to email written comments to the commission at [email protected]. Details on providing public comments for hybrid meetings are available on CPW’s website.

The commission meets regularly and travels to communities around the state to facilitate public participation. This opportunity keeps constituents informed about the development of regulations and how the commission works with Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff to manage the parks, wildlife and outdoor recreation programs administered by the agency. 

Learn more about the Parks and Wildlife Commission on CPW’s website.

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