Archive for the ‘licenses’ Category

I drew a early season backcountry deer tag!

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Well now the work begins. I found out Friday that I drew an early season deer permit in one of our wilderness areas here in Colorado – above 10,000 feet! It is a tag that I was hoping to get but I really didn’t think that I would be fortunate enough to get it this year. I am very excited. I have never been on a backcountry pack-in hunt. I have talked my girlfriend into doing the hunt with me. She says that it will be a way to finally get me to go backpacking!  I haven’t done very much of this sort of thing since I got out of the service. I am really looking forward to it. Since I was a kid I have always dreamed about packing into some remote area and hunting. I have always believed that the big ones live were people can’t get to them. Now I get to test my theory. Even if I am unable to connect on a nice deer, the adventure alone will be a hopefully not a once in a lifetime experience but truly an adventure that I can cherish for the rest of my life.

Like I said earlier, now that the easy part is over, the work will surely begin. Like I stated in earlier posts, I try and stay in fairly decent shape, but with this new challenge ahead of me I will need to really step up my workout routine.

Wish me luck; I will keep you posted on the progress. I hope that you were lucky enough to draw the tags that you wanted.

Posted in Colorado, licenses | No Comments »

What did you draw?

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007

Well today I am patiently waiting (well maybe not so patiently) for the Colorado Division of Wildlife to post the 2007 Elk draw results. I already found out that I did not draw my moose, sheep and goat tags. So even though it is another disappointing draw year so far, I still have a couple of shimmering stars still out there to wish on.  The elk draw is supposed posted today and then I am still waiting and hoping on the Colorado deer and antelope draw, as well as the Wyoming antelope draw that does not come out until July.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but for me waiting to hear back on what animals I will be chasing this year is almost like a second Christmas. I may not get everything that I want, but with anything that I get, I will have fun. With more and more states posting the outcome online. I no longer have to wait until that day when Mr. Postman drops the results at the house. As the countdown continues, I can only hope that the Drawing Gods will smile on me.

Good luck with your pursuits!

Posted in elk, licenses | No Comments »

The Wildlife Public Education Fund

Tuesday, May 1st, 2007

Today I read an interesting article that was posted by James Swan over at ESPN outdoors. Now I finally know what the extra $.75 that I spend on my license every year goes for. With the help of sportsmen and women that have purchased licenses in Colorado, The Wildlife Public Education Fund finally has enough money to start educating the public on various outdoor recreation hobbies that the state has to offer. Also, it shows that sportsmen and women bring in over 1 billion dollars in revenue annually. You can read more about it here.

Posted in licenses | No Comments »

Special hunting licenses for people that don’t have to follow the rules

Saturday, April 14th, 2007

Some states have started giving preferential treatment to celebrities or rich folks.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has been issuing special permits to those that make large donations.  This is an appalling practice as hunting should be a sport that is available to everyone.  (See Black Bear and Hunting Sense for more details on the Illinois scandal.)

I apply for several out of state permits every year in Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota and it makes me sad how difficult it is to get an out of state permit.  In most states there are one, sometimes two, and even three drawings for in state hunters before an out of state hunter can even apply for limited quota licenses. To hear that if you are a celebrity or contribute a pile of money you can obtain such a license without going through the proper channels is disheartening. In my opinion everyone should have an equal chance of getting a license no matter who you are or how much money you dole out. I am also concerned that this might set a precedent for other states to start having there own “special” licensing practices. I hope it doesn’t come to that. Hunting is a sport for everyone.  It already takes a lot of money to get going and if we make it even more expensive to get an out of state license, we will cut a lot of people out of the sport.

Let me know what you think or tell me what you feel is wrong with licensing in your state.   

Posted in licenses | No Comments »