Hunting and Angling Outreach Programs Help to Get People in the Outdoors

Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) hunting and angling outreach programs offer clinics and seminars throughout the year to give novice and experienced sportspersons alike opportunities to learn or improve upon their skills.

CPW’s hunter outreach programs offered more than 300 mentored hunts across the state in 2021. The program also incorporates sponsoring agency programs that nonprofits can apply for and makes dream hunt licenses available to youth with a life-threatening illness or injury, through sponsoring agencies.

On the angling side, CPW hosted well over 100 fishing clinics statewide and helped introduce nearly 3,000 people to the sport of angling. These clinics include warm water, fly fishing, kid’s events, and ice fishing. Additionally, CPW distributes around 6,000 free fishing rods across the state annually.

Hunting and angling clinics and seminars are informative and educational, featuring experienced guest speakers and CPW experts, and they offer a setting in which to meet others who share similar interests and goals.

Seminars are generally classroom-based and cover specific topics such as Hunting 101 for a variety of species or really any skill set needed to be a safe, ethical and successful hunter. Some of the seminars are offered virtually through Zoom and can be found online on CPW’s YouTube Channel.

Clinics are typically more hands-on and oftentimes take place in the field, at the range, or on the water, sometimes even on the ice. They are usually geared towards fishing, shooting, archery, hunting, or basic outdoor skills. Oftentimes, all the necessary equipment is provided for participants and is free.

“We provide that mentoring and educational aspect to get you started and give you a little bit of confidence so you can get out there on your own safely and effectively,” said Pepper Canterbury, hunting and angling outreach coordinator for CPW’s Northeast region.

Canterbury last year offered 80 days in the field for both big and small game hunts, many of those coming through CPW’s Novice Pheasant Hunter Program (NPHP).

The Novice Pheasant Hunter Program, for adults and youth over the age of 12, supports new hunters, with detailed pheasant hunting knowledge, practical field experience, and quality instruction on a trap range. Students must complete three hours of classroom instruction and one half-day field session to receive an NPHP vehicle walk-in access (WIA) permit. Mentored hunts are available during the pheasant hunting season to students who desire additional instruction.

When we can’t meet live to work on our skills, the Hunter Outreach Program also offers an online “Learn to Hunt” series. You can watch recordings of past Learn to Hunt Webinars on their YouTube Playlist.

Upcoming Colorado Outdoor hunting and fishing basics courses include:

• Planning Your Big Game Hunt 101 Zoom Webinar – March 22, 6:30-8 pm.
• Application 101 – March 30, 5:30-7 pm – at CPW’s Southeast Region office in Colorado Springs
• Turkey Hunting 101 – March 31, 5:30-8:30 pm – at Lake Pueblo State Park
• Big Game Application Open House – March 31, 6-9 pm – at CPW’s Grand Junction office
• Fly Fishing 101 – April 17, 9 am to 1 pm  – Lake Lehow by Waterton Canyon (Littleton, Colo.)
• Ladies Night Out: Backcountry Gear and Trip Planning – April 21, 6 pm – at CPW’s Denver office
• Beginner’s Fly Fishing Clinic – April 23, 9 am to 3 pm – Kassler Center in Waterton Canyon (Littleton, Colo.)
• Beginners Warm Water Fishing Clinic – April 30, 8 am to noon – Buckingham Lake in Loveland
• Novice Pheasant Hunter Program – May 21 Morning Session – Wellington State Wildlife Area
• Novice Pheasant Hunter Program – May 21 Afternoon Session – Wellington State Wildlife Area
• Novice Pheasant Hunter Program – June 5 Morning Session – Barr Lake State Park
• Novice Pheasant Hunter Program – June 5 Afternoon Session – Barr Lake State Park
• Ladies Night Out Archery Clinic 101 – June 15, 6-8 pm – Barr Lake State Park

For a complete list of clinics and seminars being offered, please visit cpw.state.co.us.

Follow Hunter Outreach on Instagram to stay up-to-date with new webinars, applications, season reminders, and more.