Colorado Pushes Constitutional Protection for Hunting and Fishing Traditions

By Keith Lusher | All Outdoor

A campaign is underway to place a constitutional amendment before Colorado voters this November that would permanently protect the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife in the state. Backers say the measure is urgently needed to shield long-standing traditions and the wildlife management system that funds them from shifting political winds.

The T. Roosevelt Conservation Alliance announced the launch of Initiative 302, which would add a constitutional right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife across all species managed by the state. The initiative received unanimous approval from the state’s Title Board, and supporters have until August 28 to gather the required signatures to qualify for the ballot.

The measure preserves the full regulatory authority of Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and the state legislature, requiring only that regulations be “reasonable and necessary for sound scientific wildlife conservation and management, public safety, or to preserve the future of hunting and fishing opportunities.”

“This measure is intended to provide constitutional clarity and long-term protection for those practices, consistent with science-based wildlife management,” said Luke Hilgemann, CEO of the International Order of T. Roosevelt and campaign chairman.

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