Longshot349
Active Member
- Messages
- 160
After hunting Colorado for 49 years, I'm now officially done. There is a confluence of reasons, but among them are;
1. I cashed in my Pref points for all species and I'm not starting over again. It seems a lost cause.
2. The cost has become burdensome and no longer fits my budget. I've grown tired of the increasing app fees and license fees.
3. The last several over the counter hunts I've done did not have much quality to them. Not alot of animals, younger class of animals, or private land border issues that made the hunts less than desirable to me.
4. Lastly, I'm getting older and have about done it all anyway. Maybe it is somebody else's turn. I have two grandsons and it makes me sick that they not only won't have the opportunities I've had, they probably wont have any opportunity at all! They are already picking other hobbies now. One is into fishing which is much less complicated than big game hunting and has many more opportunities. The other grandson is into bow hunting our home state which has many opportunities for that. But going west each fall like I've done for over 40 years is now over.
On one hand, I'm incredibly sad, but on the other hand, I feel a sense of relief for not having to deal with the rat race of preparation, regulations, and all that junk.
I stand in salute to Colorado which has been my 2nd home and provided a lifetime of memories, photos, and lined my home with trophies. But Colorado is a hollow shell of what it once was in my opinion. The infusion of liberals from out of state, the loss of habitat, the complex regulations, the politics, the big money that has taken over the sport, all of it makes me sick.
I'm old enough to remember deer herds as far as the eye could see, and elk camps where you'd seldom see another hunter or hear a gunshot. Landowners who use to share a beer with you, then open the gate for you. I remember game wardens stopping by our camp to ask if we'd like to purchase additional tags ! Can you imagine such today?
Anyway, Colorado will always bring warm memories to my mind, and I'll likely still visit and maybe ride an ATV around, and point my camera instead of my rifle. So to all you guys who are sorting through regulations and counting point creep, good luck my friends. But I'm glad to be on the sidelines.
Some of you reading this will say, "good riddance and one less out of state hunter to deal with."
Best of luck to ya'll.
1. I cashed in my Pref points for all species and I'm not starting over again. It seems a lost cause.
2. The cost has become burdensome and no longer fits my budget. I've grown tired of the increasing app fees and license fees.
3. The last several over the counter hunts I've done did not have much quality to them. Not alot of animals, younger class of animals, or private land border issues that made the hunts less than desirable to me.
4. Lastly, I'm getting older and have about done it all anyway. Maybe it is somebody else's turn. I have two grandsons and it makes me sick that they not only won't have the opportunities I've had, they probably wont have any opportunity at all! They are already picking other hobbies now. One is into fishing which is much less complicated than big game hunting and has many more opportunities. The other grandson is into bow hunting our home state which has many opportunities for that. But going west each fall like I've done for over 40 years is now over.
On one hand, I'm incredibly sad, but on the other hand, I feel a sense of relief for not having to deal with the rat race of preparation, regulations, and all that junk.
I stand in salute to Colorado which has been my 2nd home and provided a lifetime of memories, photos, and lined my home with trophies. But Colorado is a hollow shell of what it once was in my opinion. The infusion of liberals from out of state, the loss of habitat, the complex regulations, the politics, the big money that has taken over the sport, all of it makes me sick.
I'm old enough to remember deer herds as far as the eye could see, and elk camps where you'd seldom see another hunter or hear a gunshot. Landowners who use to share a beer with you, then open the gate for you. I remember game wardens stopping by our camp to ask if we'd like to purchase additional tags ! Can you imagine such today?
Anyway, Colorado will always bring warm memories to my mind, and I'll likely still visit and maybe ride an ATV around, and point my camera instead of my rifle. So to all you guys who are sorting through regulations and counting point creep, good luck my friends. But I'm glad to be on the sidelines.
Some of you reading this will say, "good riddance and one less out of state hunter to deal with." Best of luck to ya'll.
