A few weeks ago, I went to call for my dog and discovered a rifle-toting, camouflage-clad hunter just beyond my porch. I started yelling, “Hey, hey—” stumbling to find words as he took to the woods along the community path. I stopped short, deciding I was barking up the wrong tree by yelling at a man with a deadly weapon. Instead, I called Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to report the incident. I was a gowk when my assumption of residential buffer zones was proven false. CPW informed me that my unincorporated neighborhood of Redstone was fair game as long as the huntsman did not cross my property line.
Don’t move next to an airport and complain about noise pollution, I thought, and don’t move to a neighborhood bordering happy hunting grounds and complain about the man outside your door with a gun. Feeling vulnerable, my first reaction was to fashion my family in bright orange for the fall season, and my second was to leave no stone unturned to educate myself on the rules and regulations of hunting season.
I was reassured to discover that hunting within 50 feet on each side of the centerline of any state highway or municipal county road is illegal. Also, the U.S. Forest Service website states that “discharging a firearm (including a bow and arrow) is prohibited in or within 150 yards of a developed recreation site, a residence, or any place where people are likely to be.”
CPW also offers Wildlife Hunter Education Courses year-round to prevent shooting from the hip, so to say. The courses are a requirement for anyone who wants to apply for or buy a Colorado hunting license. They cover various topics, including firearm safety, wildlife management and hunting regulations.
While I continued to tunnel down the rabbit hole online, I decided I needed our resident expert to flush out my understanding. Josh Wamboldt owns Avalanche Outfitters in Redstone, located just beyond the coke ovens.
Wamboldt said, “Every tag is dependent on the manner of take, which is archery, muzzleloader or rifle. For this area, we have bear, moose, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, mule deer and elk. Each tag is dependent on the season you are hunting, so the first rifle season is for bears or elk only, so you could only have a bear or elk license to hunt that season.”
Tags are awarded through a draw system or over the counter from any licensed agent, such as the Roaring Fork Coop in Carbondale. The system favors residents over non-residents. For example, 75% of the licenses are awarded to residents and 25% to out-of-state hunters. Also, elk tags cost $60 for locals and $800 for visiting hunters. If all tags are not drawn, there is a secondary draw with a youth preference. The remaining tags go on a leftover list and are available over the counter.
Wamboldt continued, “You can technically hunt one male and one female each year of each species.” He said, “If you are hunting [on] private land, there are over-the-counter tags for this area.”
Hunting is used for conservation and population control, and trophy hunting is illegal, as well as killing mothers, called “sows,” with cubs. Five-year population estimates determine the number of licenses, adjusting for large species die-offs. CPW monitors by requiring hunters to bring in the hide, skull and meat of animals such as bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bears, mountain lions and moose to have them checked for age, sex and to certify the meat was harvested correctly. The process is not mandatory for elk and deer, but hunters must harvest all edible meat and antlers.
Bears weigh an average of 200 to 300 pounds. Wamboldt makes hamburgers, tacos, chili, roasts and stews from the meat. Most wild game has a “gamey” flavor and lacks much marbling, requiring low-temperature cooking. The most popular hunt is elk, but mountain lion meat is considered a delicacy due to its sweet, pork-like flavor.
Wamboldt sees two to three mountain lions a year on the mountain but has also witnessed one walking down Redstone Boulevard. They are regularly caught on home security cameras. Mountain lions are rarely hunted outside Redstone due to the winter hunting season and terrain. They are more often hunted toward Carbondale.
Wamboldt said of his recent bear hunting, “We’ve harvested with my company three sows and one boar [male]. None of these sows that we harvested had any cubs with them. One of the sows we harvested was estimated to be over 18 years old. The other one was estimated to be 6 years old and had never been bred. We also harvested a 3-year-old bear that had never been bred either.” He said, “The boar was over 400 pounds. We believe he was the one that was flipping dumpsters over in Redstone and wreaking havoc.”
My attempt to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds helped quell my fear. As Francis Bacon said, “Knowledge is power.” Remember, the first rifle season, elk and bear only, is from Oct. 12 to Oct. 16.
For more information, please visit www.cpw.state.co.us