The resident big game Tag allocation confusion continues in Colorado under the direction of CPW Director Jeff Davis and CPW Commissioners.
For the past two years, we have watched the CPW Commission lead efforts to “simplify” the Colorado big game draw, but in 2025 the results show that largely the opposite is happening. Not only did the CPW pass a new hybrid draw process in January 2025 that will likely increase point creep and double preference points requirements in hard to draw units, but they failed to remove a very confusing and unfair soft tag allocation cap that filters 6,510 resident big game tags each year to nonresidents. (CPW slide attached)
In 2024, the Colorado Draw Process Working Group recommended removing the soft tag allocation cap that applies to the current big game primary draw for deer, elk, pronghorn, bear and turkey. Many educated resident hunters call this the “fake cap”. While nearly all western states have a 90/10 tag cap for their residents, Colorado has the worst big game tag allocation in the west for its resident hunters at 75/25 (75% to residents and 25% to nonresidents). Additionally, the Colorado non-equitable tag allocation is protected by a fake cap which currently allows 6,510 limited big game tags to be sold to nonresidents above that tag allocation limit. This $4.2 million financial windfall (see CPW slide) for CPW and Outfitters is achieved on the backs of residents because the soft/fake cap only applies to the first of four draw choices in the Colorado big game draw. No state in the country does this to its residents; it is one reason resident youth and resident adults are drawing over 17,000 fewer elk tags over the past 10 years. The soft/fake cap has been exposed over the past 10 years because 46,000 additional nonresidents have been added to the Colorado limited big game draw. In most limited big game units, there simply are not tags left for the second, third, and fourth choices as nonresidents scoop up the remaining tags at the end of the first choice of the draw. So if residents fail to draw a first choice hunt, the fake cap fails to protect their allocated allotment of tags throughout their draw selections in primary draw.
In the January 9, 2025 CPW Commission meeting, the early discussions amongst CPW Commissioners were leaning toward removing the soft/fake cap once and for all, until CPW Director Davis changed the discussion to focus on the loss of revenue and this was backed by some Commissioners. This is when the confusion started at the January meeting you can watch here start at point 6:40:00. The result was the Commission voted to adjust the soft/fake cap to apply to residents first two choices of the primary big game draw and leaving the fake cap in place for residents in the third and fourth choices of the primary draw. This is positive for residents, but most estimate that only half of the 6,510 stolen resident big game tags will be restored to residents. Additionally, without a public comment process, the CPW passed a new preference point fee for nonresidents and residents that will bring in as much as $9 million for CPW. If we estimate that CPW will only lose $2 million in revenue by the soft cap adjustment to the second choice, this means CPW came out ahead by as much as $7 million in January and residents still have a fake cap. We can’t forget that the 46,000 new nonresident big game applicants over the past 10 years bring in a minimum of $6 million per year without even issuing a tag, that’s just the qualifying tag and fees needed to apply.
In the March 5, 2025 CPW Commission meeting (start watching a 3:06:30) the confusion and chaos continued on this situation and although CPW Commissioners Robinson and Otero tried to remove the fake cap again by offering up an amendment, ultimately all the Commission agreed to do was to offer more discussion on how much to charge for the new preference points fees for deer, elk, pronghorn and turkey. Resident hunter, Steve Hilde pointed out that a $15 preference point fee for residents is a price increase of over 30% for deer and elk.
The CPW Commissioners are yet to recognize that the soft caps are a form of theft of a resident resource. Instead, the focus is on potential lost revenues, and no one is pointing out how removing the soft/fake cap will undo a wrong perpetrated on residents for decades. It’s time to restore equity to the residents of Colorado. CPWs’ focus should be on regaining resident public trust vs expanding the bureaucratic budget.
During the February 19, 2025 CPW Southwest Sportsman’s Roundtable (start at 1:21:10) it was revealed that CPW will not be reducing Nonresident Hunter numbers in the archery hunts that were formerly Over-The-Counter (OTC). While residents were pleased that the CPW Commission voted in June 2024 to preserve OTC archery for residents, we can’t forget that the purpose of the nearly 2-year public discussion was to reduce overcrowding in the archery OTC units. It was proven during the two-year debate that 100% of the overcrowding in archery season was from the surge of nonresident hunters to Colorado. Colorado hunting pressure on public lands is about 6 times higher than other western states. CPW has failed to address the overcrowding caused by nonresidents and has chosen not to drop Nonresidents archery tags by 10% (as discussed) in the former OTC units for nonresidents. Bureaucracies like CPW continue to neglect the residents they serve if it means a drop in revenue regardless of overcrowding.
Colorado OTC-trends-CO-elk-2002-to-2021
One thing to note during this CPW Southwest Sportsman’s Caucus meeting is you will observe CPW biologist Jamin Grigg give a presentation with a slide (picture below) that shows resident hunter OTC archery participation has declined over the past 13 years. Mr. Grigg testified at the April 2024 CPW Commission meeting that the resident hunter’s testimony/ CORA data showing the decline of resident participation in OTC archery was a “fallacy” and he declared that residents and nonresidents in OTC archery had doubled over the past 20 years. Through an additional CORA request, this statement by Mr. Grigg was proven false and CPW staff changed their staff recommendation shortly afterward. It’s restorative justice to now see Mr. Grigg presenting data that confirms residents did not participate in the archery OTC overcrowding, and the overcrowding issue over the years has 100% been caused by nonresidents.
In summary, CPW and the CPW Commission have failed to address the overcrowding and failed to simplify the draw process associated with big game hunting in Colorado. What is abundantly clear is that those in charge of these decisions are guided by poor data by CPW staff and many of the commission lack a basic understanding of Colorado’s big game draw process.
7 Western States Nonresident ELK Tags Sales Vs Colorado