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2019 Colorado Big Game Leftover License Tips

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Doug Skinner 36 comments

What and When is Leftover Day?

Leftover day is the day when Colorado Parks and Wildlife makes all remaining big-game hunting licenses available for purchase. This year, leftover licenses go on sale Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 9 a.m (MDT).

At 9 a.m., licenses will be available for purchase online (CPWshop.com), in person at CPW offices and license retailers (sporting goods stores, hunting and fishing supply stores, etc.), and by phone at 1-800-244-5613. While there are no guarantees that you will get a license on leftover day, there is a great deal of opportunity for big-game hunters looking to get a license to hunt in Colorado this year.

A QUALIFYING LICENSE is NOT required to purchase a leftover limited license, reissued license or an over-the-counter license.

Restoring the State-endangered Boreal Toad

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Bill Vogrin - DNR One comment

Paul Foutz and Tim Korpita address staff and volunteers from the back of a pickup before everyone headed up the Brown's Creek trail. — Paul Foutz, Colorado Parks and Wildlife native aquatic species biologist and Boreal toad specialist, and Tim Korpita, University of Colorado doctoral candidate, far right, address staff and volunteers from the back of a pickup before everyone headed up the Brown’s Creek trail with their bags of Boreal toad tadpoles for the Purple Rain treatment and release in the wetland. All photos by © Bill Vogrin/CPW.

As temperatures climbed under a blistering sun, about 35 Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologists, staff and volunteers headed up a steep mountain trail last week, each loaded with large bags of water filled with 200 or so squirming, black Boreal toad tadpoles.

2019 Colorado Outdoors Fishing Guide

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Doug Skinner Leave a comment

The 2019 Colorado Outdoors Fishing Guide is now available!

Anglers can fish for rainbow trout in a cool Rocky Mountain stream or troll for walleye on a sunny plains reservoir. With more than 6,000 miles of rivers and some 1,300 lakes and reservoirs, Colorado is an angler’s paradise. This year’s guide features interesting and informative articles geared toward helping you make the most of your time on the water. The 2019 issue includes articles on bass-fishing rigs, perch hot spots, and backcountry adventure for brookies and cutts. From rivers to reservoirs and graylings to tigers, you’ll find all the tips and tricks you need to make the most of your Colorado fishing season.

Keeping Wildlife Wild: Mountain Goats

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Jason Clay Leave a comment

Every year thousands of residents and tourists drive up the highest paved road in North America located at Mount Evans to be on top of one of Colorado’s 54 14ers, those that soar over 14,000 feet in elevation.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminds those that ascend up the Mount Evans Scenic Byway (Colorado Highway 5) to its peak elevation of 14,264 feet to do their part in helping keep wildlife wild by not feeding any animals they encounter and keeping a safe distance from them.

Rare Hayden Creek Cutthroat Trout

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Bill Vogrin - DNR Leave a comment

Justin Krall sits on his mule Speedy — Justin Krall, a District Wildlife Manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife based in Westcliffe, sits on his mule Speedy as Jenny follows carrying saddle tanks with about 2,000 rare Hayden Creek cutthroat trout.

With his sidearm sticking out from under leather chaps, Justin Krall swung up into the saddle of his mule, Speedy, and gently nudged it up the Cottonwood Creek trail as he tugged the reins of his other mule, Jenny, following behind.

On Jenny’s back were two large saddle tanks packed with about 2,000 rare Hayden Creek cutthroat trout and pressurized steel canisters pumping oxygen into the water. Krall, a District Wildlife Manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), was helping the agency’s aquatic biologists move the fish about six miles up the steep trail to the upper reaches of the creek.

101 Places (and Ways) to Take a Kid Fishing

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Doug Skinner One comment

Getting started is often the toughest part – learning to walk as a baby, learning to ride a bike, driving a car, and yes, even learning to fish. Beginners may think they’ll just go to a sporting goods store or a bait and tackle shop, pick up a fishing rod, and head out to a local pond or stream. But when they get to the store, they are faced with aisles filled with rods, reels, hooks, sinkers, bait and lures in every imaginable shape and color. So many choices can make it seem easier to walk away than face the nearly limitless choices. Sound familiar? If this has happened to you, or you haven’t yet made it to the store for fear that this would be your experience, don’t worry! We are ready to help you get started.

Dixon Trail and the Dragon’s Backbone

Posted on June 19, 2019 by coloradooutdoorscontributor Leave a comment

This summer when you visit a state park and head up a favorite trail, I want to give you something to think about besides the wildflowers you may see and the wildlife you may encounter on your journey.

Please think about the trail itself, the work that went into its creation and the people who made it happen.

White-nose Syndrome threatening Colorado Bat Colonies

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Bill Vogrin - DNR Leave a comment

CPW terrestrial biologist April Estep, (tan uniform) and Cassidy English, CPW district wildlife manager, stretched mist nets over a drainage south of Colorado Springs on a May evening in preparation for catching and studying bats. Photo by © Bill Vogrin/CPW

In a muddy creek drainage on a chilly Sunday evening in May, Colorado Parks and Wildlife terrestrial biologist April Estep looked for a rock large enough to brace a piece of steel rebar she had hammered into the soggy ground.

Camping and Hiking in Bear Country

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Rebecca Ferrell Leave a comment

Black bear rummaging through campsite. — Photo by Laura Kali is licensed under CC BY 2.0

With warmer weather and melting snowpack, outdoor enthusiasts are enjoying camping and hiking trips in Colorado’s many scenic locations. Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff are frequently asked what someone should do if they encounter a bear while out camping or hiking. Whether you are visiting Colorado for a vacation or are a long-time resident, it’s important to be aware of how to discourage human-bear encounters and how to avoid potential issues before heading out to live life outside.

Colorado Hunters – Big Game Season Structure Input Needed

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Doug Skinner 3 comments

Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s 5-Year Big Game Season Structure is close to being finalized, but there is still time to add your valuable input to the process. Public input is a crucial part of the planning process and up to this point, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has heard from several thousand hunters, both residents and non-residents, who have shared feedback in public meetings, telephone town halls, focus groups, and the initial public comment form. This valuable feedback has aided Colorado Parks and Wildlife in developing recommendations and alternatives for the 2020-2024 Big Game Season Structure. And in July, a 5-Year Big Game Season Structure proposal will be presented to the Parks and Wildlife Commission for final approval. But before that happens, there are still two important opportunities for hunters to participate in the planning process.

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