windymtnman
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2014
- Messages
- 484
Well, I see Colorado Parks & Wildlife is holding hearings soon on their proposed shed antler licensing and seasons for gathering of them. Most of what I've read, is couched under the premise of keeping shed hunters out of the Wintering grounds and stressing big game that are trying to get through the balance of the Winter
Frankly, I'm not buying it. Rather, I think the biggest reason they want to pass this law is to generate revenue for an agency that is admittedly in rough fiscal shape. If stressing game in the Spring is their primarily focus, they can easily restrict shed hunting like they often do in the Gunnison Basin where the actual stressing of big game might be relevant. So, they could easily have their staff access areas on a case by case basis, rather than just make this a State law. Where I live in So. Central Colorado, we generally have pretty mild Winters and barren South slopes just days after we get a snowfall. I read some of the CPW's own information on this, and they are even internally wondering about the relevance of their own laws here. They talk about stressing big game, and yet there is a current article in the Rocky Mt. Elk Foundation magazine about how game departments haze their game with low level helicopters to do their game counts. They defend it by saying "we only do it once per year". So, can a shed hunter make that same claim, and have no repercussions?
Nope, I see this largely as a money grab, and to super regulate outdoor users in just another way. I would suggest that CPW be more inclined to support the citizens they serve in getting all the days in the great outdoors that a person can manage. We're living in a society that is under going a cultural shift with less people wanting to hunt and be outdoorsmen, etc. The proliferation of single parent families also impacts how many hunters of the future will be buying licenses, etc. I think the focus should be to get people out recreating as much as possible. It's like how CPW makes nonresidents now buy a fishing license when they purchase a big game tag. How many hunters like being forced to purchase a fishing license when they come to hunt Elk? I suppose a few might fish, but I suspect most come to hunt, period. I think this is a classic example of greed on behalf of CPW and they know the impact on the fish resource is minimal. How would you like to be forced to buy something you know you'll never use or need? Not me!
Frankly, I'm not buying it. Rather, I think the biggest reason they want to pass this law is to generate revenue for an agency that is admittedly in rough fiscal shape. If stressing game in the Spring is their primarily focus, they can easily restrict shed hunting like they often do in the Gunnison Basin where the actual stressing of big game might be relevant. So, they could easily have their staff access areas on a case by case basis, rather than just make this a State law. Where I live in So. Central Colorado, we generally have pretty mild Winters and barren South slopes just days after we get a snowfall. I read some of the CPW's own information on this, and they are even internally wondering about the relevance of their own laws here. They talk about stressing big game, and yet there is a current article in the Rocky Mt. Elk Foundation magazine about how game departments haze their game with low level helicopters to do their game counts. They defend it by saying "we only do it once per year". So, can a shed hunter make that same claim, and have no repercussions?
Nope, I see this largely as a money grab, and to super regulate outdoor users in just another way. I would suggest that CPW be more inclined to support the citizens they serve in getting all the days in the great outdoors that a person can manage. We're living in a society that is under going a cultural shift with less people wanting to hunt and be outdoorsmen, etc. The proliferation of single parent families also impacts how many hunters of the future will be buying licenses, etc. I think the focus should be to get people out recreating as much as possible. It's like how CPW makes nonresidents now buy a fishing license when they purchase a big game tag. How many hunters like being forced to purchase a fishing license when they come to hunt Elk? I suppose a few might fish, but I suspect most come to hunt, period. I think this is a classic example of greed on behalf of CPW and they know the impact on the fish resource is minimal. How would you like to be forced to buy something you know you'll never use or need? Not me!
