Colorado Ballot Measure to Repeal Wolf Reintroduction Program Gets Rejected 🙅

In the event that the weekend wasn’t quite long enough for you, here’s to hoping that your favorite dispatch from the outdoor world can give you 5-or-so minutes to prep yourself for yet another week.

So, without further adieu, let’s grab that coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past few days. 

Here's what's worth reading about today:

• Swing and a miss - Colorado wolf ballot measure fails ❌

• Got rice? - Arkansas looking for rice producers to help waterfowl 🍚

• Pay me my money - Montana raises base non-res licenses by 566% 🤑

• No shortage of opportunity - PA says if you don’t bag a deer this year, it’s your own damn fault 🦌

• Don’t mess with Momma - Honestly, she’s a beast 🐻 

A SWING AND A MISS
COLORADO BALLOT MEASURE TO REPEAL WOLF REINTRODUCTION PROGRAM GETS REJECTED

Filed by a group known as the Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy, Initiative 35 was a proposed ballot measure for the 2026 general election, aimed at repealing the state's gray wolf reintroduction program, which was mandated by Proposition 114 in 2020. The initiative sparked significant debate upon its introduction back in January, reflecting the ongoing tension between conservation efforts and the concerns of rural communities, particularly ranchers and livestock producers. 

As you’ll likely recall, Colorado voters narrowly approved Proposition 114 with 50.9% in favor in back in November of 2020. The historic vote made the Centennial State the first to pass legislation via ballot initiative to reintroduce wildlife. The newly-approved measure directed the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission to develop a plan to reintroduce and manage gray wolves west of the Continental Divide by December 31, 2023. At the onset, the goal was to establish a self-sustaining wolf population, with an initial target of 30 to 50 wolves released over three to five years.

By December 2023, CPW had released the first 10 wolves from Oregon in Grand and Summit counties, followed by 15 wolves from British Columbia in Eagle and Pitkin counties in January 2025.

Following countless conflicts, Initiative 35 was filed on January 3, 2025, with the sole aim of repealing Proposition 114, citing economic harm to ranchers, rising grocery prices due to increased costs for livestock producers, threats to food security, and the need to preserve Western heritage…

QUICK HITS // ^{_{FROM AROUND THE WEB}}

Arkansas GFC accepting applications from rice producers for waterfowl habitat, hunting program: The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has been searching for landowners to continue offering high-quality waterfowl habitat and public access to rice fields for the 2025-26 migratory season.  Read the full story.

Governor signs bill on hunting deer with bait in North Dakota: North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong has signed a bill that forbids state wildlife managers from restricting the use of bait for hunting deer on private property.  Read the full story.

Montana Legislature passes bill increasing nonresident hunting fees to bolster hunter access: The Montana Legislature has approved a bill that will increase the base license fee for nonresidents to $100 — a 566% increase.  Read the full story.

Michigan DNR expert says sharpshooting is the best strategy for managing rising deer population: “Sharp shooting methods [are] very effective, you can remove a pretty significant number of deer in a small amount of time,” Chad Fedewa, a deer expert with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said. “And often these programs are done in conjunction with process where those deer do get donated to food banks.” Read the full story.

No shortage of opportunity to hunt deer during the 2025-26 seasons in Pennsylvania: Pennsylvanians who consider themselves deer hunters and not strictly archery or firearms hunters can hunt statewide nearly nonstop beginning Saturday, Oct. 4, with the opening of archery deer season through Monday, Jan. 19, with the conclusion of the flintlock and late archery seasons.  Read the full story.

VIDEO // ^{_{SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN}}

🧸 Hell hath no fury like a slightly under-sized but totally ferocious new mother. Watch as this mom goes toe-to-toe with a big old bruin in order to protect her young cubs along the edge of a dangerous cliffside.

It seems as though she won this battle, hopefully those cubs won the war…

The algo keeps sending me these old timey pictures and I’m here for it...

📸 : @broken_bow_country

Oh, and one more thing…