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Colorado Hiking/camping

Is this true and is it inforced? • Colorado also recognized that everyone uses state wildlife areas and state trust lands even though hunter and angler dollars pay for their maintenance, so it now requires all adult visitors, even if they don’t hunt or fish, to possess a valid hunting or fishing license to gain access.

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Yes, but useable State land is a tiny fraction of the public land available for hiking and camping in Colorado. National Forest and BLM make up most it.

Definitely true that people without a valid hunting or fishing license must buy a permit to recreate on SWAs and STLs. I have not heard anything about whether it's being enforced. I'd be interested if others have any knowledge of how CPW is dealing with it. I go to the archery range at Lon Hagler SWA quite a bit and see CPW vehicles drive through occasionally but have never been checked. They probably figure archers at the range likely have a hunting license. Maybe they're checking the kids that party there. ??

I know they enforce it at Douglas Res. Probably not as often as they should, but they do.

I was told that Douglas Res gets the most complaints about offenders.

It would be nice if it were required on all Fed. or state.Just seems like a lot of "extra"people using the resource.Here in Florida in the last few years the WMA's are being used by hikers/campers suddenly.They were not there just a few years ago.Not a result of covid.I even notice now that the trail heads have water jugs there waiting for these people.I fear that the whole country will become a appalachian trail not the woods that it should be.Not just speaking of a resource for hunting.I've even seen where trails are being opened beyond normal foot traffic.Seems to be making it easier for the novice.

I live in Western Colorado and my Wife and I spend a significant part of our lives on public land. This would not affect us even if we didn’t already have hunting and fishing licenses because we rarely visit State Parks or Trust lands. Those are kind of second tier property’s compared to Forest and BLM lands.

Horseback groups were becoming a big problem on SWAs on the Front Range. Many of them are anti-hunting. Boy, did they squeal when the license requirement was implemented!

I wonder why there is no fee or requirement?Waterfowl refuge has required a fee or purchase of a duck stamp for years.Traffic on these's is huge here in Florida.

Dollar, there is now. That's the point. Bunny huggers complained about having to have a hunting or fishing license to enter, so they created a special permit, which basically costs the same as a small game/fishing combo.

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