Colorado Amendment 83 · Election Day November 3, 2026

Vote Yes On 83 For The Animals

Each year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists spend nights on the prairie with spotlights, scanning prairie dog towns for the green eyeshine of a black-footed ferret, one of the most endangered mammals in North America.CPW Gazette

Hunting and fishing generate about 70% of CPW’s wildlife management funds.CPW Amendment 83 puts the right to hunt and fish in Colorado’s constitution and keeps CPW’s authority to regulate it when sound science or public safety calls for it.Measure

Meet the animals Read what 83 says

Illustration: a nighttime spotlight survey for black-footed ferrets

Common ground

Start with what we agree on

Colorado’s wildlife should still be here for our grandkids.
Endangered animals deserve serious, well-funded recovery work.
Trained biologists should guide wildlife decisions.
Wildlife belongs to all of us.
Wasting an animal is wrong.
It matters where your food comes from.

Colorado’s system of regulated hunting is built on these same ideas. CPW calls it the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Under that model, wildlife belongs to the public, science guides management, and populations are managed to last forever. CPW defines conservation as “the planned and regulated use of our resources to prevent exploitation, destruction or extinction.”CPW

The animals

Meet five of Colorado’s rarest animals

Each one is rare, and each one depends on CPW, an agency whose wildlife work is funded primarily by hunters and anglers.CPW CPW credits that system with helping “lynx, moose, black-footed ferrets, elk, and turkeys among many others,” and says the millions of dollars hunters and anglers generate “are the reason this model works.”CPW

Black-footed ferret

Mustela nigripes

Federally endangered
State endangered

Twice thought extinct.

In 1981, a small population turned up near Meeteetse, Wyoming. By 1986 only 18 were known to exist, and scientists captured them all to start a breeding program.USFWS
Before reintroduction, its last official record in Colorado was near Buena Vista in 1943.CPW
Prairie dogs are its main food, and their burrows are its home.CPW Gazette

What CPW is doing

Releasing ferrets since 2001, and since 2013 on the eastern plains in partnership with landowners. On one ranch near Lamar, CPW reported evidence of ferrets reproducing in the wild in 2024.CPW CPW

When fall 2025 spotlight surveys at another release site didn’t detect a single ferret, CPW started using drones for the first time to track newly released ferrets wearing radio collars. With Smithsonian researchers, it’s studying which species prey on the ferrets so it can explore non-lethal ways to reduce losses.CPW

Kit fox

Vulpes macrotis

State endangered

North America’s smallest fox.

Three to six pounds, about the size of a jackrabbit, with big ears and a black-tipped tail.CPW
Lives in the semi-desert shrublands between Montrose and Grand Junction.CPW
Its den entrances are often small and keyhole-shaped, which may help keep coyotes and badgers out.CPW

How it’s protected

The kit fox was once a furbearer in Colorado. It has been protected since 1994, and CPW considers it one of the state’s most vulnerable mammals. Amendment 83’s right to hunt does not apply to endangered species.CPW Measure

River otter

Lontra canadensis

State threatened

Nearly wiped out in Colorado by the early 1900s.

CPW says the cause was “the lack of rules governing the take of wildlife and pollution.”CPW
From 1976 to 1991, Colorado released more than 100 otters at sites including the Gunnison, Piedra and Dolores rivers.CPW
As the population grew, CPW moved the otter from endangered to threatened.CPW

What CPW is doing

2026 is CPW’s Otter Y.E.A.R., marking 50 years since the first reintroductions. Biologists are mapping where otters live now, and anyone can help by logging sightings in the iNaturalist app.CPW

Boreal toad

Anaxyrus boreas

State endangered

Colorado’s only native alpine toad.CPW/DZCA

Weighs less than a tenth of a gram when it’s born.CWC
Breeds in ponds and wetlands from about 8,000 feet to just below 12,000, and usually has a pale stripe down its back.CPW
Its numbers have dropped sharply in recent decades.CPW/DZCA CPW says the declines appear to be related to chytrid, a fungal disease with a very high death rate.CPW

What CPW is doing

CPW’s Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility has raised more than 133,000 tadpoles, toadlets and adult toads.CPW In June 2026, CPW and Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance crews hiked 3,500 tadpoles into alpine wetlands near Leadville, carrying them on their backs.CPW/DZCA DZCA

Canada lynx

Lynx canadensis

Federally threatened
State endangered

Built for deep snow.

Its hind feet are more than 8 inches long, and its ear tufts can be nearly as long as its ears.CPW
Its favorite prey is the snowshoe hare.CPW
Trapping, poisoning and habitat loss contributed to its decline, and it may have disappeared from Colorado by about 1973.CPW

What CPW is doing

CPW began releasing lynx in 1999. In 2010 it declared the reintroduction a success after meeting every benchmark it had set, including lynx born in Colorado’s wild raising young of their own.CPW

Proof it works

1,000 → 280,000 elk

Market hunting nearly wiped out Colorado’s elk, and fewer than 1,000 were left by 1910.CPW The state closed elk hunting across most of Colorado from 1903 to 1933 and brought in 350 elk from Wyoming.CPW Today about 280,000 elk live here, the largest population in the world.CWC

Proof it works

Kept off the list

In December 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided the Rio Grande cutthroat trout did not need Endangered Species Act protection, recognizing decades of work by CPW staff and partners.CPW CWC

The money

Who pays for Colorado’s wildlife

CPW is an enterprise agency. It relies primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees, and more than 90% of its funding comes from sources other than taxes.CPW CPW On the wildlife side, the biggest source by far is hunters and anglers.

About70%

of CPW’s wildlife management funds come from hunting and fishing.CPW

That figure covers wildlife management only. For CPW as a whole, including state parks, the Blue Book’s argument for 83 puts license sales at about one-third of current annual revenue, about $115 million.Blue Book CPW

“Colorado’s wildlife and landscapes are held in balance by conservation work, which is funded primarily with hunting and fishing license fees.”Colorado Wildlife CouncilCWC

Where CPW’s wildlife money came fromFiscal year 2024-25 · $220 million total

Licenses, passes, fees & permits68%
Federal grants17%
Other revenues8%
Great Outdoors Colorado5%
State & local grants1%
Donations1%

Federal grants include excise taxes that hunters and anglers pay on hunting and fishing gear, archery equipment, ammunition and boat fuel. Percentages as published by CPW.CPW

250,000 acres

of habitat protected by the Colorado Wildlife Habitat Program since 2006. The program is supported by the habitat stamp that every hunter and angler age 18 to 64 must buy.CWC CPW

90% fewer

wildlife-vehicle collisions after crossings went in on State Highway 9. Nearly 100,000 animals used them in the first four years. Funded in part by hunting and fishing license fees.CWC

of CPW’s total revenue came from the state General Fund in fiscal year 2024-25.CPW

CPW’s species conservation work covers declining, threatened and endangered species “regardless of their importance for hunting or fishing values.”CPW The Colorado Wildlife Council says every one of the more than 960 wildlife species in Colorado “benefits from the crucial funds provided by hunting and fishing licenses.”CWC Hunter and angler dollars help protect animals nobody hunts.

What 83 does not do

Amendment 83 does not appropriate any new money for conservation, and the state projects no near-term change in revenue.Measure CPR Supporters’ funding argument is that 83 gives constitutional protection to the activities that generate most of CPW’s wildlife management funding.

The hunters

Hunters know these animals up close

Ask a hunter about elk and you’ll hear about bugles echoing off a ridge before sunrise, where the herd waters in the afternoon, and how the first big snow pushes them down out of the high country.

Hunters spend their seasons learning an animal’s life: where it feeds, beds and travels, what its tracks look like in fresh snow, how it reacts to wind and weather. And they depend on healthy wildlife. Seasons and license numbers are set to keep herds healthy, and license fees pay for much of the research behind those numbers.CWC

What Colorado asks of every hunter

Pass hunter education. It’s required for anyone born on or after January 1, 1949. CPW’s courses focus on safety and ethical, responsible hunting.CPW
Hunt for a legitimate purpose. Under the model CPW follows, game may be taken only for “food, fur, self-defense, and the protection of property.”CPW
Follow up every shot. Hunters must make a reasonable attempt to track down any animal they may have wounded.CPW
Stay within the science. State scientists and biologists study how wildlife populations affect their habitat, and wildlife managers use that research to set the number of hunting licenses. The goal is healthy herds without the overpopulation that can lead to starvation and disease.CWC

“Hunters play a key role in supporting wildlife management efforts.”Colorado Parks and WildlifeCPW

The food

Know exactly where your food comes from

A wild elk grows up on Colorado land, eating what the land grows. It lives wild, so it never sees a feedlot and no one gives it antibiotics or growth hormones. The hunter who brings it home knows the place, the day and the animal.

Colorado law makes sure it gets used. Hunters must care for the edible meat and prepare it for eating. For an elk, that means at minimum the four quarters, the tenderloins and the backstraps.CPW

Getting it is a serious workout: miles on foot at elevation, then packing the meat out on your back. Prefer fish? About 9 million fish are released into Colorado lakes and streams every year, and the Colorado Wildlife Council lists fish hatcheries among the conservation work funded primarily by hunting and fishing license fees.CWC

Elk vs. chicken breast

Per 100 grams, raw · skinless chicken breast meat · USDA data, rounded

Nutrient	Elk	Chicken breast
Calories	111	120
Protein	23 g	22.5 g
Fat	1.5 g	2.6 g
Iron	2.8 mg	0.4 mg

Elk has fewer calories and less fat than skinless chicken breast, slightly more protein, and about seven times the iron.

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy entries 175301 (Game meat, elk, raw) and 171077 (Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, raw).

The measure

What Amendment 83 actually says

It adds one short section to the Colorado Constitution (Article XVIII, Section 13) in four parts. Here is each part in plain English, with the official text underneath.Measure

Creates a right to hunt and fish

Coloradans get a constitutional right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife using traditional methods. The right does not cover nongame species, endangered species, or anything illegal to hunt under federal law.

Official text“There is established a right of the people of Colorado to hunt, fish, and take fish and wildlife. The right includes hunting, fishing, and harvesting fish and wildlife by the use of traditional methods. The right applies to all species of fish and wildlife managed by the state except nongame species, endangered species, or any species that is illegal to hunt under federal law.”
Makes hunting and fishing the preferred management tool

State law already says: “The state shall utilize hunting, trapping, and fishing as the primary methods of effecting necessary wildlife harvests.”C.R.S. CPR News calls the preferred-means policy “fundamentally already the state’s current position.”CPR Amendment 83 would add a similar policy, covering hunting and fishing, to the constitution. The statute would stay on the books.

Official text“The policy of the State of Colorado is that hunting and fishing are the preferred means of responsibly managing fish and wildlife populations.”
Protects private property

It does not allow trespassing and does not change property rights.

Official text“This section is not intended to authorize trespass upon private property or to modify any provision of statutes relating to trespass or property rights.”
Keeps CPW’s science-based authority

The state can still regulate hunting, fishing and wildlife management when it’s necessary for sound science, public safety, or keeping hunting and fishing available for the future.

Official text“This section does not limit the authority of an agency of the State of Colorado or the General Assembly to regulate hunting, fishing, and wildlife management if the law is necessary for sound scientific wildlife conservation and management, public safety, or to preserve the future of hunting and fishing opportunities for all species statewide.”

What stays the same

The measure results in no immediate change to existing state law or regulations.Colorado Blue BookBlue Book
Hunting and fishing would continue under existing licenses, seasons and rules.CPR News voter guideCPR

55%of the vote is needed to pass, because it amends the constitution.CPR

24 statesalready protect hunting and fishing in their constitutions.Ballotpedia

Straight answers

The hard questions

These are the strongest objections to 83, including the ones in the state’s official Blue Book. Where the answer depends on how courts would read the amendment, this page says so.

Hunting is already legal. Why put it in the constitution?

Today its protection is statutory. State law says: “The state shall utilize hunting, trapping, and fishing as the primary methods of effecting necessary wildlife harvests.”C.R.S. An ordinary bill can change a statute. In 2025, House Bill 25-1258 proposed changing “shall utilize” to “may authorize” and deleting the “primary methods” language. A House committee rejected it.HB25-1258 F&S

So the question on the ballot is whether that protection stays only in statute, where a future legislature can change it, or also goes into the constitution, where conflicting laws would have to meet a constitutional standard. Opponents argue that “the state constitution should protect fundamental rights and not recreational activities.”Blue Book Supporters answer that in Colorado, hunting and fishing are how the state manages wildlife and pays for conservation. Colorado would join 24 states with similar protections.Ballotpedia

Does 83 itself fund endangered species?

No. Amendment 83 does not appropriate any money, and the state projects no near-term change in revenue.Measure CPR Supporters’ funding argument is that hunting and fishing generate about 70% of CPW’s wildlife management funds, and 83 gives those activities constitutional protection.CPW

What does “traditional methods” mean? Could 83 bring back leghold traps, or hunting bears with bait or hounds?

The amendment does not define “traditional methods,” and no court has interpreted the phrase, because the amendment isn’t law yet.Measure Here is what is known:

Colorado’s ban on leghold traps, body-gripping traps, poison and snares, with limited exceptions, is itself part of the state constitution (Article XVIII, Section 12b), adopted by voters in 1996. Amendment 83’s text does not mention, repeal or amend Section 12b.Const.CPR Measure
The bans on spring bear hunting and on hunting bears with bait or dogs are state law, adopted by voters in 1992. Amendment 83’s text does not mention or repeal them.C.R.S.Measure Because they are statutes, they could be challenged in court as conflicting with the new right. The Blue Book notes that new or existing hunting regulations could face such challenges.Blue Book
Supporters say 83 would not conflict with or overrule the 1996 trapping ban. Opponents argue the wording is vague enough to open the door to some trapping and baiting practices.CPR

What isn’t known is how a court would weigh the new language against those laws if someone challenged them. Claims that 83 automatically brings these practices back go beyond what the text says. So do claims that the language could never be used in a legal challenge.

Does 83 eliminate CPW’s authority? What does “necessary” mean?

No. CPW and the Parks and Wildlife Commission, a citizen board appointed by the governor that adopts hunting and fishing regulations, would keep regulating hunting, fishing and wildlife management.Blue Book Part 4 preserves that authority when a law is “necessary for sound scientific wildlife conservation and management, public safety, or to preserve the future of hunting and fishing opportunities for all species statewide.”Measure

One real unknown is how strictly courts would read “necessary.” Because 83 creates a constitutional right, new and existing rules could be challenged in court and tested against that standard. The Blue Book says the new right “may affect how the legislature or CPW Commission makes policies about hunting and fishing,” depending on how courts interpret it.Blue Book

What does “preferred means” change? Does it rule out other tools?

State law already makes hunting, trapping and fishing the primary methods for necessary wildlife harvests.C.R.S. Amendment 83 would add a similar policy to the constitution, where an ordinary bill could not change it, and the statute would stay in place. Its wording differs: it names hunting and fishing, and it covers managing fish and wildlife populations.Measure Opponents say it “promotes one method of managing wildlife above others.”Blue Book

The amendment does not prohibit other tools, such as relocation, fertility control, habitat work or deterrents. Part 4 keeps the state’s power to regulate when a law is necessary for sound scientific conservation and management.Measure

Will 83 cost money or lead to lawsuits?

It could add legal costs. The Blue Book says the measure “is not expected to significantly change state spending in the near term, but could result in increased legal costs for the state as the new right to hunt and fish is applied.”Blue Book CPW’s litigation costs would rise if its rules face more legal challenges.CPR The official analysis doesn’t put a number on it, since that depends on whether anyone sues and how courts rule.

Does 83 take away voters’ say over wildlife?

No. Colorado’s initiative process stays the same. A future law or statutory ballot measure that restricts hunting could be challenged in court as conflicting with the new right.CPR Voters could still change the constitution itself at the ballot box. So voters keep their voice, and some future restrictions would face a higher legal bar.

The basics

Quick answers

How can hunting be good for animals?

It pays for the science. Hunting and fishing generate about 70% of CPW’s wildlife management funds, and that same agency runs the recovery work for ferrets, otters, toads and lynx.CPW See above It keeps herds in balance with their habitat, which helps prevent starvation and disease.CWC And it’s regulated: license numbers are set from population research, and endangered species are off-limits.CWC Measure

Could 83 open hunting on endangered animals?

No. The right applies to state-managed species “except nongame species, endangered species, or any species that is illegal to hunt under federal law.”Measure The black-footed ferret, kit fox, boreal toad and Canada lynx above are all state endangered.See above

I don’t hunt or fish. What changes for me?

Right away, very little. The Blue Book says the measure “results in no immediate change to existing state law or regulations.”Blue Book What it protects is the activity that pays for most of CPW’s wildlife work.CPW

Does it let hunters onto private land?

No. Part 3 says it is “not intended to authorize trespass upon private property or to modify any provision of statutes relating to trespass or property rights.”Measure

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