It has only been two days since the federal government shut down, and a select number of hunters in southeastern Colorado are already feeling the pinch. Officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced Thursday that pronghorn hunting has been suspended on Fort Carson (GMU 591) and the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site (GMU 142) due to the ongoing shutdown.
Those hunts were slated to begin Saturday, and officials say it’s possible that other big-game hunts will be suspended at the two military sites. It all depends on how long the government shutdown lasts. Other public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM in Colorado remain open to hunting, although some visitor centers and other facilities are closed due to furloughed staff.
As part of the agency’s announcement, CPW says it is offering affected tag holders a full refund and preference point restorations. In order to receive these, however, hunters must turn in their tags by Oct. 4 — either by taking their license to a CPW office in person, or by mailing the agency an Application for a License Refund. All mail-in applications must be postmarked on or before Oct. 4 in order to qualify.
The hunt codes for the affected licenses are:
- AM059O1R
- AF059O1R
- AM142O1R
- AF142O1R
Dean Miller, CPW’s public information officer for the Southeast region, tells Outdoor Life that the pronghorn hunts were suspended because of their location on federally-owned military installations. These sites typically allow hunting, and while CPW helps manage those hunts, the feds are the ultimate deciders of what is allowed to take place there.
“And this was one of the things they had to shut down,” Miller says.
Since that decision was out of the agency’s control, he adds CPW’s main role at this point is to make affected hunters whole.
“We want to maintain good customer service,” Miller explains. “Since [these hunters] already bought these hunting licenses, we’re happy to refund them.”
As for other possible hunting closures on military lands in Colorado, Miller says Fort Carson and Pinon Canyon (which is owned and operated by Fort Carson) are the only military sites in the southeast region that allow hunting. Outdoor Life did not hear back from other CPW communications staff by press time regarding potential closures in other regions of the state.
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If the shutdown drags on much longer, Miller says it’s possible that additional hunts at the two military sites will be suspended as well. Fort Carson and Pinon Canyon are supposed to open to other big game hunting in the weeks and months to come, he points out. This includes rifle deer season. Hunters can find those upcoming dates and regulations in the Colorado big game hunting brochure.
“The shutdown could end tomorrow or a month from now — there’s no way of knowing,” Miller says. “But what we do want everyone to know is that we’re going to do right by the people we’ve sold hunting licenses to.”
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