FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 22, 2026

CONTACT

Erin Isaac 

850-345-7744

Colorado Initiative 302 Clears Key Hurdle, Advances Constitutional Right To Hunt and Fish

The effort to enshrine the right to hunt and fish in Colorado’s Constitution took a major step forward as Initiative 302 unanimously clears the state Title Board – officially green lighting proponents to begin gathering signatures. The Title Board, comprised of representatives from the Secretary of State’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, and the Office of Legislative Legal Services – approved the measure’s language last week. The proposed constitutional amendment would permanently protect hunting and fishing in Colorado, ensuring they are preserved for future generations. 

“Colorado stands at a decisive inflection point in the future of wildlife management, outdoor heritage, and rural economic stability. The title board action presents a clear and achievable opportunity to enshrine the right to hunt and fish in the Colorado Constitution - protecting a generations-long tradition while locking in science-based wildlife management for the future,” said Luke Hilgemann, CEO of the International Order of T. Roosevelt, a leading national conservation organization leading the charge to preserve the rights to hunt and fish in state constitutions across the country, most recently finding success in Florida. 

The leading groups look forward to building a winning coalition of hunting, fishing, conservation, and environmental organizations across Colorado to collect the signatures necessary to place this measure on the ballot this fall. By enshrining the right to hunt, fish, and responsibly manage wildlife in the state constitution, Colorado will join 24 other states—including neighbors Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana—in safeguarding our outdoor heritage for generations to come.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"This is an opportunity for Sportsmen and women, conservationists, Wildlife watchers, agriculture producers and the general voting public to actually codify something that not only will help sustain scientific wildlife management in perpetuity but will also solidify one's ability to have the right to hunt and fish under a continued proven model that is highly regulated, scientific and imperative to maintain wildlife species, habitat conservation and the ability to provide one's own food source if they so choose,” said Dan Gates, a highly regarded hunting rights advocate, grassroots leader and founder of Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management (CRWM), whose mission is to promote and defend the North American model of Wildlife Conservation and responsible wildlife management.

“Colorado has become a warning shot for the rest of the country. When science-based wildlife management is constantly targeted by political campaigns and well funded anti hunting activism, the public deserves lasting protections,” said Charles Whitwam, founder of Howl for Wildlife, a digital advocacy platform designed to mobilize hunters against anti-hunting legislation, specifically helping defeat Colorado bills that aimed to ban mountain lion, lynx, and bobcat hunting. "This amendment is about securing the right to hunt and fish, defending conservation, and keeping wildlife management in the hands of sound science for generations to come.”

Initiative 302 – Creating a Constitutional right to Hunt and Fish

The title as designated and fixed by the Board is as follows:

An amendment to the Colorado Constitution creating a constitutional right to hunt, fish, and harvest fish and wildlife by traditional methods, including all species of fish and wildlife managed by the state except non-game species, endangered species, or any species that is illegal to hunt under federal law, and, in connection therewith, establishing hunting and fishing as the preferred means of managing fish and wildlife populations; and preserving the right of the state to regulate hunting, fishing, and wildlife management if necessary for sound scientific wildlife conservation and management, public safety, or to preserve the future of hunting and fishing opportunities for all species.