Colorado’s wildlife is a public resource. It is managed by the state, acting as trustee. But is the public’s trust justified? And, is the public’s trust of the hunters justified? I think not. I think that neither partner is acting in good faith. 

I live in a busy Colorado Parks and Wildlife enforcement district. I have been watching enforcement, hunting and poaching activity for years. Management of the public’s wildlife resource is compromised from top to bottom by conflicts of interest, hunting bias and localism, which includes the legislature, wildlife commission, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife down to the local enforcement.

The legislature mandated that the public’s wildlife resource be managed as a hunting business, yet the legislature does not require independent auditing of Parks and Wildlife’s management, and that is negligent of the legislature.

Additionally, many hunters are not acting in good faith. Wildlife poaching is out of control. Parks and Wildlife can’t control poaching, and the hunters know it. Wildlife populations are in decline in many districts because of hunting and poaching, but Parks and Wildlife is in denial and blames population declines on habitat loss and habitat disruption because their jobs depend on hunting. 

In fact, hunting and poaching are major factors. Hunting season, which runs too long, and poaching are causing population declines.

Its time that the legislature do something to justify the public’s trust in Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s management of our wildlife because even the state admits that if these trends continue that it will be a big problem. They won’t be able to sell enough hunting licenses to keep themselves employed.