My first dove-hunting trip as a member of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Rookie Sportsperson Program (RSP) had nearly everything I could want in an outdoors weekend: camaraderie with friends, dinner of fresh game, card-playing and storytelling, camping in a beautiful and remote wildlife area and a chance to use my new skills as a hunter.
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There are few things worse than waking up early to be the first hunter at your favorite hunting spot and finding that someone has beat you to it. One way to avoid that frustration is to use Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s new hunting reservation system (hint: the government loves acronyms, so you may see the system identified as HRS). The new hunting reservation system allows licensed hunters to make reservations at 18 different locations around the state. This system is used primarily for waterfowl and small game hunting reservations, but several of the properties will offer turkey hunting reservations as well.
Read moreIn comparison to last year, Colorado’s forecast for the 2018 pheasant hunting season is going to be right around the average mark. Conditions for nesting and brood-rearing weren’t optimal this year, but the conditions weren’t bad either. Last winter was dry, which means that there wasn’t a lot of soil moisture early this year. So green wheat and early brood-rearing habitat didn’t get an early start. Wet weather did arrive in May, which was good, and then June dried out, with warmer than normal temperatures for several days. In late July and early August, a series of pretty significant hailstorms came through the core pheasant region. And those storms definitely had an impact on habitat, as well as birds with some being killed by hailstones. Read more
Even the best-laid plans sometimes go wrong. As hunters, when heading into the field, we attempt to control as many variables as possible. Exploring Colorado’s backcountry requires knowledge of the terrain, proper nutrition and hydration, functional equipment and an appetite for adventure. And while we can control most of these variables, there’s one factor that is always out of our control – weather. This doesn’t mean hunting should be tabled until the weather is ideal; it simply means we need to adjust our strategies and approaches to work around what we cannot change. Read more
Quick Tips: Hunting Quail in Eastern Colorado. Video by © Crystal Egli/CPW
With very good quail populations in Colorado and hunting seasons extending into January, it’s a great time to get out and go quail hunting. Trent Verquer, Grasslands Habitat Coordinator for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, shows how to identify and locate scaled and northern bobwhite quail in eastern Colorado.
Some helpful resources for your next quail hunt:
Yuma County Pheasant. Photo by © Mike DelliVeneri/CPW
December and January offer ideal pheasant hunting conditions in Colorado. The opening day crowds have thinned, crops have been cut and harvested and the cooler air is just right for walking the draws, sloughs and grassy fields in search of roosters. For those lucky hunters that are able to get some time in the field, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has some field dressing advice that will help protect your harvest and keep you legal. Watch Trent Verquer, Grasslands Habitat Coordinator, and Josh Melby, District Wildlife Manager, for some tips that will get you on the right path to field dressing your next pheasant. Read more
2017 Colorado Pheasant and Quail Hunting Forecast. Video by © Jerry Neal/CPW
Colorado pheasant and quail hunters have plenty to be excited about this year when the season opens statewide on November 11. Pheasant and quail populations have increased dramatically, setting the stage for what could be a very good season for upland hunters. Check out this year’s Colorado pheasant and quail forecast video to see what’s in store for upland hunters. Pheasant hunting tips are also available right here on Colorado Outdoors Online.
When it comes to small-game hunting, doves are arguably the greatest challenge for wingshooters. Although these fast flyers are Colorado’s most plentiful game bird, you’ll need to bring your “A” game to fill the daily limit. The following tips and information will help you have more fun and put more doves in your game-bag.
Read moreColorado’s pheasant season is now a month old. Hopefully, with some luck and good marksmanship, you’ve bagged a few roosters by now. But unless you’re as skilled with a skillet as you are with a shotgun, you may be wondering what to do with those birds in the freezer.
Phear not! This pheasant pheast is sure to please the entire family. This simple and delicious recipe has been a favorite of mine for years. The medley of fresh mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup and white wine is a superb way to cook wild pheasant — a bird that can be drier than a 007 martini if not prepared properly.
Check out the video below and give this easy recipe a try. Serve with mashed potatoes or wild rice for the perfect ensemble. Pheasant is also a great alternative to that tired Butterball centerpiece on the holiday dinner table.
Written and produced by Jerry Neal. Neal is the editor for Colorado Outdoors Online and is a media specialist for CPW.
The author holds a shotgun for the first time at a Women Afield hunt. Photo by Crystal Egli/CPW.
The first time in my life I’ve held a shotgun is also the first time I’ve hunted. On a cold and clear morning in November, I joined thirteen other women for a Women Afield pheasant hunt organized by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The number of hunting licenses sold to women has grown slowly but steadily over the past few years in Colorado, according to CPW data. In 2015, 9.4 percent of the total licenses sold were to female hunters, an increase from 7.8 percent in 2011. Recent articles in Denver’s 5280 Magazine and The Washington Times show interest among women in hunting, and CPW has identified a need for increased outreach to this population.
“Our main focus right now is getting youth and women into the field and trying to promote our hunting tradition,” said Crystal Chick, the statewide hunter outreach coordinator for CPW. “A lot of people don’t have a family member or friend who hunts and it’s really hard to get into hunting without that mentor.”
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