Hunting Ethics Critical to Sport
By the Colorado Division of Wildlife
Hunting is an integral part of wildlife management in Colorado. While you are involved in an enjoyable recreational activity remember that you are also an active and important participant in managing big-game herds.
With your license comes a responsibility to hunt and conduct yourself in an ethical manner.
Please, take a few moments to answer the following questions; then remember the answers when you are out in the field:
· Are your hunting actions providing a "fair chase" scenario for the animal?
· Would you behave the same way if you were hunting with a wildlife officer or being videotaped for the evening news?
· Do you know exactly where you are hunting? Are you in the right GMU?
· Do you know the habits of the animal you are hunting?
· Are you in good enough shape to be able to hunt in mountainous terrain and properly retrieve a harvested animal?
· Do you know how to properly field dress a big-game animal?
· Do you minimize the impacts of your camp on the landscape and do you leave a camp site cleaner than how you
found it?
· Do you pack out all of your trash?
· Will you report rule violations – yours and others – to a Colorado wildlife officer?
· Have you read the Colorado Big Game brochure to check the rules and regulations for the area in which you are hunting?
Ethical behavior is critical to the future of hunting. Please, consider how your actions impact wildlife, fellow hunters and the general public.
