Thanks to successful reintroduction and management by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado’s moose are now one of the fastest-growing herds in the lower 48 states.
Despite Colorado’s abundant fish populations, most fish cannot successfully reproduce in the wild. And, of those species that are able to reproduce naturally, recruitment (the number of juvenile fish that actually survive to be added to a population) is often too low to support a fishable population. To ensure that there are enough fish to stock every year, CPW sets up spawn-collection sites at lakes and reservoirs across the state.
In mid-September Biologist Dan Cammack walked slowly along the edge of a boggy pond in the San Juan Mountains high above the San Luis Valley and peered into the mud and black water looking for a camouflaged critter the size of a dime.
Halfway across the field, I heard Natalie say “chukar!” I looked at her, puzzled.“What?” I asked.“Chukar,” she said, pointing to the ground in front of her.
Wearing waders and lots of bug spray, Lance, fellow bat Biologist Heather Halbritter, several other CPW staff, and I were going out every 15 minutes to the river below us hoping to catch a specific nocturnal animal: a bat.
For anyone interested in becoming a hunter, or interested in mentoring a friend or family member, small game hunting is a very logical entry point – and cottontail rabbits are a particularly good place to start.
Colorado Outdoors, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s magazine, features a wealth of information for hunters, anglers and outdoors enthusiasts.
