Come to North Park This Hunting Season

Right now we are deep into hunting season, one of the biggest draws to the North Park area all year long. Not only is hunting season a time for visitors to come to our community, but it’s also when locals carry on old traditions and legacies. 

Hunting is as much a part of humanity as language and tools. An ancient tradition that has only been augmented with improved tools and refined as a sport as well as a way to provide food for families.

If you are an experienced hunter or just starting out, North Park is a great place to find your favorite hunting spot. With an abundance of big game, long seasons, and incredible scenery to set the backdrop of what will become your best hunting stories, it is no wonder that Jackson County is a sportsman’s dream.

Looking for the Best Places to Hunt in Colorado?

North Park has been a hunter’s destination for literally thousands of years. Native Americans used to come to this high desert valley to hunt buffalo, deer, elk, and other wild game, often calling uneasy truces with oppositional tribes to hunt the area. The area is still thriving with big game such as pronghorn antelope, white tail and mule deer, elk, moose, and even bears. 

The climate and abundance of public land make North Park one of the most incredible places to hunt in Colorado. In terms of where Jackson County ranks against other parts of Colorado when it comes to elk herds, it holds top ranking for not only herd size, but also health. Elk herds tend to gather throughout Jackson County during the Fall rut and get fat on the grasses of river bottoms and woodland cover.

It’s far enough away from the congestion of cities and urban sprawl, but not so remote that you can’t take a night off and come into town for a warm bed, hot shower, or steak dinner. North Park is the perfect destination to go for your next hunting trip.

Let’s Get Started

If you are new to hunting, there’s a few things you can do to get started. 

• Hunter Safety Education: Even if you are familiar with firearms (and even have tactical training or CCW certification), a Hunter Safety course will provide you with fundamentals you will use every day in the field. It’s also a legal requirement to qualify for a hunting license in the State of Colorado. Check out the CPW website to learn more about how to get started.
• Apply for a drawing: Hunting in Colorado is a highly regulated activity, and part of the process is planning ahead to make sure you can hunt. 
• Apply for a tag: Drawing starts in March, so mark your calendar to make sure you have your license to hunt in Fall. You can also purchase OTC (over the counter) tags for some animals, but this can limit availability, location, and what you can hunt. This can be done at designated vendors or online, depending on location, animal, and availability.
• The drawing for 2024 started on March 1, 2024 and ended April 2, 2024. 
• Make connections: One of the best ways to find your hunting spot is to talk with other hunters who are familiar with the area.
• Be Prepared: Having not only the appropriate tools to hunt, but also gear to make your life easier are crucial. Hunting season in North Park can range from clear sunny days up into the 70s to subzero nights, blizzards, and everything in-between. Do your research on the best gear to have when you want to get started and you can avoid problems such as hypothermia, or just having a miserable experience in general.
• Be Safe: Hunting can be an incredible experience, but it only takes a moment to flip the script and have one of the worst times of your life. Firearm safety is important, as is respecting the terrain, weather, and your own physical limitations. 
   

Note on drinking: Alcohol use can impair your judgment as well as reduce your body’s ability to stay warm. More hunting accidents occur when people have been drinking, so it’s best to just avoid drinking at all while you are in the field. Save that for camp and celebrate a successful hunt later on.

Hunting Dates in Colorado

Here’s the breakdown of the various seasons and type of game for 2024. More detailed information can be found on the CPW site here.

Rifle Season for Big Game (Elk, deer, and bear)

• 2nd Season: Oct 26-Nov 3
• 3rd Season: Nov 9-15
• 4th Season: Nov 20-24

Small Game

From grouse to cranes, geese, ducks, and doves, the small game tag covers migratory birds and even coyotes. Check the CPW website for details.

The dates for each type of small game vary per species, with the earliest season starting on Sept 1st for blue grouse and the season for light geese ending Feb 16, 2025 in North Park.

How to Find the Best Game During Hunting Season

There’s a few ways to find the best place for bagging your animal during hunting season. Once you know your designated area to hunt for your tag, the rest is a matter of knowing the area.

1. Show Up Early: Plan a trip to North Park during the summer or early autumn to check out animal habitats. Deer, elk, and moose tend to stick to areas that have opened up, such as clearcuts, meadows, and plains. Not only is more food available, but also more places for the herd to gather and competing bulls and bucks to have better visibility for the competition. 
2. Glassing: Once you get here for season (or a week or two early), get your binoculars out and scout areas to figure out the lay of the land as well as spotting animals.
3. Access: Be sure you are allowed to hunt in the area you are checking out. Be aware of private land and respect fences, livestock, and access to public spaces through private property. Note: Contact landowners for permission. Many will work with hunters if they just ask nicely. It is NOT easier to get forgiveness than to get permission when it comes to trespassing.
4. Hire an outfitter or guide: Especially for beginners, hiring an experienced hunting guide is one of the easiest ways to ensure a successful hunt. Not only do they have the know-how and often the equipment to make their clients comfortable, they also have access to some prime hunting locations. 

How Does Hunting Help?

Hunting might be a foreign concept for the uninitiated, but it really does have many benefits, not only to State and local economy, but to the animals themselves. Not only does the sale of hunting licenses go to support conservation efforts, such as state parks and wildlife programs, the revenue created by travel and tourism supports rural communities such as North Park as a main industry for the area.

Hunting also helps to control herd dispersion and population. Ethical harvesting of animals ensures healthier herds and reduces the impact on the land from overpopulation. In the winter months, animal starvation is a real threat, especially during harsher winters. By controlling herd size, we can make sure that big game animals have a better quality of life throughout the year.

Hunting controls disease. Throughout the centuries, predation has limited diseases in big game. Humans are the main predatory animal for species such as deer and elk, and without annual harvesting, a variety of diseases could wipe out entire herds. One of the biggest threats to herds lately has been Chronic Wasting Disease.

Testing for CWD

Chronic Wasting Disease is a prion-based disease, which cannot be killed by freezing or cooking. It is closely related to Mad Cow Disease and affects the nervous system of browsers such as deer and elk. Though it has not jumped to humans yet, precautions are necessary to ensure the safety of the meat harvested so it doesn’t become a problem. Mandatory testing (free of charge) is required of all deer and elk. Check out the CPW site for more info.

Celebrating an Ancient Tradition

For as long as there have been people, there has been hunting and that tradition is likely to always remain. Through education and sustainable efforts, we can work to make sure that hunting continues to draw new generations of hunters to experience such a visceral activity that brings people together. Hunters have a genuine respect for not only the animals they are harvesting, but also the land and an appreciation for food and where it comes from.

Young and old alike gather together to hunt and for many it becomes a lifelong practice, year after year, passing on knowledge and history down through the generations. North Park offers a place to have these experiences, without the encroachment of cities and suburban sprawl. Practice Leave No Trace camping and pack your trash to make sure North Park stays open for future generations of public land users. 

North Park: A Place Like No Other

Here there are no interstates or subdivisions to take you out of the hunt. Even if you aren’t a hunter, it’s a great place to detox from social media. Pristine mountain scenery and wide open spaces await for you to interact with these animals in what is perhaps one of the most primal ways possible. 

If you are visiting North Park this hunting season, check out some of our accommodations. From hotels to RV parks, and places to eat a meal before hitting the trails, there’s lots of places in Jackson County to stay, eat, drink, socialize, and even swap hunting stories. We will see you there!