Ep. 118 - COLORADO’S WILDLIFE WAR: The Right to Hunt, Fish & Who Should Manage Wildlife

<p>What happens when wildlife management becomes a political fight?</p><p>In this special <b><strong>Through the Gates x The Mountainside Podcast</strong></b> collaboration, Dan Gates and Bobby Marshall sit down for a wide-ranging conversation about Colorado wildlife, hunting, fishing, conservation, CPW, ballot-box biology, and the emerging fight over Colorado’s constitutional right to hunt and fish.</p><p>This conversation goes far beyond hunting.</p><p>Dan and Bobby break down why wildlife management affects <b><strong>hunters, anglers, hikers, mountain bikers, photographers, ranchers, outdoor businesses, and anyone who enjoys Colorado’s public lands and wildlife.</strong></b></p><p>A major focus of the conversation is the proposed <b><strong>constitutional right to hunt and fish in Colorado</strong></b> and the argument that complex wildlife-management decisions should remain grounded in science, data, professional wildlife management, and adaptive management.</p><p>They discuss:</p><p>• What Colorado’s constitutional right to hunt and fish actually says<br />• What the proposed amendment does — and does not — do<br />• The concept of <b><strong>“ballot box biology”</strong></b><br />• Why CPW and professional wildlife managers play such an important role<br />• Colorado’s experience with Proposition 127 and wolf reintroduction<br />• Mountain lions, bobcats, lynx, bears, wolves and beavers<br />• The debate over trapping and wildlife-management tools<br />• How hunting and fishing contribute to conservation funding<br />• Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson funding<br />• Why wildlife doesn’t recognize state boundaries<br />• Colorado’s rapidly growing human population and increasing recreation pressure<br />• The changing relationship between wildlife and outdoor recreation<br />• Why non-hunters have a stake in wildlife management<br />• How people outside Colorado can support Colorado’s wildlife-conservation efforts<br />• How to talk to someone who doesn't hunt or fish about wildlife conservation<br />• And why Dan believes wildlife management should remain adaptable as conditions change</p><p>The conversation also gets into something that often gets overlooked: <b><strong>Colorado’s wildlife belongs to everyone.</strong></b></p><p>Whether you hunt, fish, hike, camp, photograph wildlife, ride a mountain bike, own a ranch, or simply enjoy seeing elk, deer, bears, mountain lions and other wildlife in Colorado, the decisions being made today can aff