In Colorado, start of bow hunting season marks beginning of fall

Its that time of year when the aspens are starting to turn gold, football is back on TV and hikers might want to wear neon orange when theyre out walking in the woods.

Now is not the best time to prance through the forest wearing a moose antler hat, said Mike Porras, regional spokesman with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Hunting is one of the safest outdoor sports, and hunters are required to take an education course that stresses safety before they buy a license in Colorado, he said. Still, wearing more visible clothing during the season isnt a bad idea.

Archery season began Saturday, Aug. 30, for deer and elk and will expand on Saturday, Sept. 6, to include moose until the bow hunting season ends Sept. 28. The small game and waterfowl seasons opened Monday, Sept. 1, around the state as well, and muzzle-loading rifle season will run from Sept. 13 through Sept. 21.

Every hunting season has specific legal requirements, regulations and limits for different animal species and geographic areas, Porras said.

In Colorado, the overall trend in the number of hunters has been downward in recent years, he said. The average hunter is a man in his 50s or 60s, and fewer young people are following in the hunting tradition of their parents.

At the same time, the number of people interested in hunting has been going up nationally, and more young people are discovering archery thanks to the popularity of The Hunger Games movies in the last couple years, he said. Archery is cool again.

People are picking up hunting for some of the same reasons others who may not have grown up around agriculture become farmers or gardeners. They might not agree with industrial meat production and want to provide organic meat for their families in a way they feel is more ethical.

Patrick Hoppe, 46, of Summit Cove, was practicing with his compound bow at the Summit County archery range in Dillon Thursday and said he enjoys hunting because of the way it allows him to put food on the table for himself, his wife and their three young sons.

Its easy to eat beef or chicken or something like that because someone else kills it, but when you actually have to look that thing in the eye and pull the trigger, it makes you think twice about it, said Hoppe, a landscape architect who is hoping to harvest an elk with a friend on a local bow hunt this weekend.

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In Colorado, start of bow hunting season marks beginning of fall