Does anyone bitch about the cost of downhill skiing or golfing or reloading or scuba diving or long range shooting or just about any other hobby? You pick just about any interest or hobby these days and it's going to be expensive if you want to be good at it. A one-day adult lift ticked at Vail is $262. ONE DAY.
Except some rare archery hunts, and they get rarer everyday, hunting in CO has become a lot less hunting and a lot more opening day ambush. Forget calling, stalking, and other true hunting skills, it's now ambush an escape route with a 700-yard-capable rifle and wait. By the third day of the season you can go home as the elk have moved onto private or other inaccessible land. Even the wardens will tell you that now. I actually crave the few days pre-season more than the hunt days now.
Another resident of an elk hunting state saying “tough luck”. Too many family connections & time/money invested in our place to move to Colorado for me. Besides how many Californians more can CO take we’ve already screwed up your politics. Everyone I know bitches about rising costs of healthy outdoor hobbies & crowded conditions with rude selfish jerks becoming more common every year. You expect skiers & golfers to have a fair share of elitist pricks - but that’s always been rare with hunters. I’ve introduced several young men to elk hunting & more young people to bird & deer hunting but that won’t be possible when they are priced out. $100 youth tags is something CO definitely gets right.
