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The Colorado Wildlife Commission will adopt final regulations for the 2009 big game hunting seasons, consider a petition to delist the bald eagle, and evaluate regulations to prevent the spread of zebra mussels at its regular meeting on Monday, January 12.
The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Colorado Division of Wildlife Hunter Education Building, 6060 Broadway in Denver.
Big Game Seasons and Five-Year Season Structure Review
The January meeting will feature the discussion and adoption of final regulations pertaining to annual big game hunting season dates, limited license numbers, the application and drawing process, Game Management Unit boundaries, manner of take provisions and other management policies for deer, elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, moose and bear.
Key agenda items include:
- - 2009 Big Game season dates
- - Big game preference point fee exemption for senior fishing license holders
- - Landowner Pilot Program extension and modifications
- - Expansion of shed antler restrictions in Game Management Units 54, 55, 66, 67 and 551
- - Closure of ewe bighorn sheep hunting in Pikes Peak (Data Analysis Unit S-26) and Dome Rock (Data Analysis Unit S-46) areas
- - Establishment of bighorn sheep season dates and hunting boundaries for Glenwood Canyon and the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness areas
- - Establishment of white-tailed deer only seasons in Data Analysis Unit D- 46
- - Expansion of youth and late-season pronghorn hunting opportunities in Data Analysis Units PH-5, PH-6, PH-7 and PH-8
- - Establishment of moose hunting opportunities on the Grand Mesa (Data Analysis Unit M-5)
The Commission will also hear a presentation regarding the Five-Year Review of Big Game Season Structure, focusing on ways to provide extended opportunity to hunters during the 2010-2014 seasons. Proposals include increasing the number of hunting days within a specific season, "super-sizing" or combining several license types in one purchase, moving big game season dates to fall later in the calendar year, increasing the number of licenses which may be purchased by an individual hunter and converting unfilled antlered licenses to female-only tags.
The Wildlife Commission will provide extensive opportunity for comment on the Five-Year Review of the Big Game Season Structure process in the coming months. Commissioners will take testimony on the review at all meetings and workshops throughout the process. Those who wish to testify on this item should fill out a "blue sheet" (Request to Speak before the Wildlife Commission) and give it to any DOW staff at the meeting. Testimony may be given on any aspect of the big game season structure, but will be most effective if directed at the big game season structure topic being discussed at that meeting. The usual time limit allowed for testimony is three minutes.
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