Keith Lusher 10.17.25
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is issuing full refunds to hunters who purchased licenses for areas affected by the federal government shutdown, which has suspended all hunting activities at Fort Carson and the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in Southern Colorado.
The suspension, which began when the government shutdown started on Oct. 1, initially impacted pronghorn rifle hunting. CPW extended the closure to include mule deer muzzleloader season on Oct. 10, with hunts scheduled for Oct. 19 now canceled.
According to CPW spokesman Dean Miller, the closures could potentially affect about 95 licenses: 65 for pronghorn hunting and 30 for mule deer hunting. These are the only hunting areas in Colorado currently impacted by the shutdown.
“Each license is specific for a method of take and for a particular area and species,” Miller said. “The federal government shutdown has impacted two unique hunting opportunities in our area.”
Both Fort Carson and the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site south of La Junta are operated by the Department of Defense. The shutdown has affected personnel at each location, forcing officials to close the areas to hunting activities.
Hunters seeking refunds must return their licenses to a CPW office in person or complete an Application for License Refund and mail it with their license before the season begins, no later than Saturday. CPW is offering full refunds and preference point restorations to affected license holders. More information about the refund process is available on the CPW Refund page.
“People plan an entire season to go hunting,” Miller said. “They prepare, there’s a lot of work and effort to go into it. So this is quite disappointing for a lot of people, and we fully understand that.”
Additional big game hunting seasons may be affected if the shutdown continues. Miller noted that new hunting seasons and methods of take occur every couple of weeks, but no decisions have been made about future closures, including the upcoming archery season, until the duration of the shutdown becomes clear.
Keith Lusher is an award-winning outdoor journalist who resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outdoor column for the Slidell Independent Newspaper. He also writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Commission’s VisitTheNorthshore.com. He is the former host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Show and is on the board of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association. Keith contributes to numerous publications both online and in print and prides himself on promoting South Louisiana’s unique fishery. To contact Keith email: keithlusherjr@gmail.com
Trending Products
