The fate of any plan to effect meaningful improvement in waterfowl hunting along the South Platte River corridor northeast of Denver rests in the hands of a public panel.
That was the outcome of a sometimes heated deliberation at a Monday meeting of the Colorado Wildlife Commission at which one major motion for change got shot down.
By a resounding 9-0 vote, the commission at least temporarily rejected a Division of Wildlife staff proposal to eliminate a longstanding closure of lands around Empire Reservoir, near Wiggins, to goose hunting.
Instead, this notion will be folded into a broader discussion that will include possible major alterations in the way duck hunters conduct their sport on the several public properties that border the river. The blue-ribbon panel hasn’t been defined, but Scott Hoover, DOW’s northeast regional manager, said recommendations will be forthcoming prior to the 2008 hunt period.
For 2007, it will be business as usual along the Platte, as well as the remainder of the state. The commission established preliminary dates for the upcoming seasons that offer a single significant change: shifting a week to the early hunt segment in the Eastern Plains Zone. This schedule is contingent upon the federal framework to be decided later this summer by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“I am pleased with the unanimous vote of the commission on the 2007 duck season,” said commissioner Brad Coors, who led the opposition to the change for Empire. “More importantly, I believe we are headed in the right direction to develop a comprehensive and an overall strategy for next year.”
Coors suggested the plan deal with a full range of issues involving all types of hunting environments as well as the possibility of closures, limited days and a consideration of refuges and sanctuaries.
The commission also established dates for various small game seasons, listed to the right.
Hog wild
In a separate action, the commission added feral hogs to a list of species that can be hunted at night on private land with artificial lights.
At issue is a proliferation of escaped domestic swine at two general locations in southeast Colorado amid concerns over damage both to wildlife and private property. Swine fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture, which encourages the removal of the beasts.
Pursuit of the feral hogs thus far occurs exclusively on private land and involves no licensed hunting.
Staff writer Charlie Meyers can be reached at 303-954-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com.
Small game hunting schedule
BIRDS
Dove: Sept. 1-Oct. 30. Dusky grouse: Sept. 1-Nov. 18. Sage grouse: Sept. 8-14. Sharp-tailed grouse: Sept. 1-16. Ptarmigan: Sept. 8-Oct. 7 and Sept. 8-Nov. 18, depending upon units. Chukar: Sept. 1-Nov. 25. Pheasant: Nov. 10-Jan. 21 east of I-25, Nov. 10-Jan. 6 west of I-25. Quail: Nov. 10-Jan. 6 in the northeast, Nov. 10-Jan. 21 in the southeast, Nov. 10-Jan. 6 west of I-25. Rail: Sept. 1-Nov. 9. Sandhill crane: Oct. 6-Dec. 2. Snipe: Sept. 1-Dec. 16. Band-tailed pigeon: Sept. 1-30.
MAMMALS
Rabbits: Oct. 1-end of February. Abert’s squirrel: Nov. 15-Jan. 16. Fox and pine squirrel: Oct. 1-end of February. Marmot: Aug. 10-Oct. 15.
WATERFOWL (preliminary)
Ducks: Central Flyway Eastern Plains Zone, first season Oct. 6-22, second season Nov. 10-Jan. 27. Central Flyway Mountain/Foothills Zone, first season Sept. 29-Nov. 25, second season Dec. 21-Jan. 27. Pacific Flyway, first season Sept. 29-Oct. 14, second season Oct. 31-Jan. 27. Geese: North Park, South Park and northern Front Range, Sept. 29-Oct. 7. Balance of Central Flyway, Nov. 24-Feb. 17. Pacific Flyway, first season Sept. 29-Oct. 5, second season Oct. 31-Jan. 27. Light geese, Nov. 3-Feb. 17.
