Colorado Parks and Wildlife Review

I miss it when it was the Division of Wildlife, when they cared more about people getting outside and hunting and fishing.

Since under Hickenlooper we have gone to a Parks and Wildlife managed system, we have gone so far down a bureaucratic nightmare that it isn't funny.

Being forced to buy fishing / hunting licenses that you do not want or may not use, to making it impossible to register OHV's.

The Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife has been come worse than the DMV and is just filled with bureaucrats that are more interested in scamming people out of money rather than serving their constituents and performing a public service.

Hickenlooper should be ashamed in the department he left and Polis should be ashamed of the department he has under him.

Yes I understand they are not directly involved with many decisions but they were / are the head of the state that these departments ultimately report up to, therefore they need to be held accountable for their departments failure to serve the community.

I find the website to explore and purchase tags pretty confusing. However, I just got off the phone with a representative to explore my late season deer and turkey options and he was patient, informative and friendly.

Just finished the 2 day hunters safety course with Jim Marriott in Loveland. I've had my hunters safety since 1987 but wanted a refresher and to go through this experience with my son. The wealth of knowledge that we were provided access to was amazing. We learned all we needed to in the book but also learned real life education from the instructors and wildlife manager that came in to speak to us. Well done Colorado Parks And Wildlife. Passing on this tradition of conservation through education and wildlife management is an essential resource!

-Chad Mandigo

Many CPW employees are corrupt biased, local a holes, who only pander to local hunters. They sanction that january elk hunt which badly traumatizes the elk, and constitutes illegal harassment of wildlife

Online system is terrible I was online to get leftovers at exactly 9am, only to take 45 minutes to sign in. No tags left of course! Another terrible day for Colorado hunters and disappointed of our Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Maybe they blocked us out to sell those pricey out of state licenses.

Great the roads, omg. Alot of people, bouncing all over the roads in grand Mesa.

It's been nothing but a pleasure working with CPW. I have encountered the most helpful, knowledgeable staff and superior educational programs. Their passionate educators will answer any question, and they offer many practical classes on specific topics.
I highly recommend the Women Afield programs, I can't believe they can afford to provide them.
The state parks system is fantastic. The reservation system is simple to use and well laid out. Colorado parks are often better maintained than many national parks and a lot less busy.
The gripes from people on the negative reviews always make me laugh, I always check negative reviewers other reviews- there are some gems.

I purchased a parks pass in May of 2020. I never received my pass via mail and subsequently purchased day passes because my receipt was not accepted at the entrance to Chatfield state park which is the park that I primarily go to. When I attempted to call customer support in June 2020 I was told to wait and that there had been a backup due to Covid-19 and my pass would come in the mail soon and to use my receipt to get into the park. Using my receipt did not work and I called again in July of 2020. When I called again I was told to wait more time and my pass would come in the mail. I called a third time in September of 2020 and was told to go to a state parks office to get my pass reprinted. Unfortunately state parks office hours are during the exact times that I work so I decided to go yesterday which is a federal holiday. Not a state holiday and my local office was temporarily closed for reasons unknown and that proved to be extremely inconvenient. I spoke to a customer service representative this afternoon who offered to reprint my parks pass and send it by mail, wish I would've known that was an option back in June when I spoke with the first customer service representative. However, now that the boating season is over this reprint is virtually useless to me. She also told me that passes that were printed and mailed could not be refunded. Not only that she noted that the only record she has of me contacting customer service was in September 2020. This statement is not valid and I am really beginning to think there needs to be better communication between customer service representatives and the state parks. I want my pass refunded, not reprinted, I spent enough money on day passes this year to purchase another pass for next year. Any help would be appreciated.

The website site setup for tag an preferance point applications is ridiculous especially the mobile sight. Go to this page go to that page reference the big game hunting guide for your application code now go back to the website put code in reference this reference that go here go there an hour later I'm still not registered. Let's have one page click the box that you are applying an be done with it

Very disappointed with their license refund process of the Colorado Parks and wildlife as I had a medical emergency of which was stated on the refund form and they failed to notice and denied my application where as I had to appeal my process of refund showing y surgeon , my doctor I've been unable to get my refund or my calls returned I have left numerous messages to Sarah call me back yet have been I feel like they're stonewalling me. Because they don't want to give my money back even though it's in their state statutes I'm entitled to it

Remember when it used to be "The Division of Wildlife" when our conservation funds used to go to protecting animals and not paying higher wages and improving parks? Remember when a resident could get a tag and it wasn't all about that extra dime? Remember when the people protecting the animals gave a s***?. Man oh man, those were the days! I reported a couple of out of staters last year that put out an illegal salt lick and trail camera on private property, to which they were trespassing,and the division caught the ***holes. Gave them their equipment back and gave them a verbal warning. Let me think about this.... WHAT IS THE POINT OF LAWS IF OUR OFFICERS AREN'T GOING TO UPHOLD THEM???

It's impossible to register your ATV online let alone mail. 31 people in line when you trying to call.

Devin Duval out of West Vail was a great representative for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Colorado parks and wildlife are a bunch of crooks who constantly lie to the people. Money is their business not wildlife!

I've never experienced such unprofessional behavior over the phone by Rita, and Tori. Snafu with the OHV decal turned into a major ordeal that nobody could answer my questions. I was frustrated and I lost they lost they're patients with me (the customer) and talked over me interrupted, me cut me off and raised their voice to me.
When I asked to speak to their supervisor or somebody with some Authority and knowledge they laughed and hung up on me. I left several messages to the personnel management department and have not heard anything as of yet. I think with so many people out of work there should not be anybody being rude and unprofessional to the public especially when you're in a government position.
Some people don't appreciate their jobs and what they have.

Been hunting here for more than half my life. Last year s joke of a draw screwed me like so many others... Dow promised to fix it, but didn t of course... Now this year s regs have the audacity to charge $50 per preference point on the big hunts?! Preference points?! That works out to over $600 just for the right to have a chance with big horn, let alone the fact that some of us are a decade or more into this process and having the rules of the game change (not just the ultimate cost). Just grow a pair and increase the tag fee. As if the free money of the draw fee wasn t good enough...

I think I m going to start hunting out of state, it s cheaper and easier to get tags now.

Way to go dow. Follow up the worst draw ever with unchecked greed and stupidity.

So ashamed that colorado hunting is associated with the idiots at cpw.

Edit: I used to be a person who bought a hunting/fishing plus extra rod stamp, knowing that 2 of 3 years, I wouldn't use it for anything, but liked supporting the DOW. I even would also try to share my love of Colorado with coworkers and get them to go fishing, etc, whatever... Now... Nope! The fees and the rigging of the licenses is stupid. It's more than just an inflation upgrade, like they sold it. It's all linked together and greedy as hell. I will be actively campaigning to make people stop buying licenses/tags/etc or at least the bare minimum. I am ashamed of this department.

They are the laughing stock of wildlife management nationwide. They engage in wholesale slaughter of our sportfish because they use fake science to wrongly blame them for the demise of endangered fish. Biased, lying biologists make up the bulk of the staff. For years sportsmen have begged them to stop killing our sportfish and start managing the wildlife in a way we the people that pay their salaries demand, and in a way that is scientifically sound, rather than fake science that is really politics. Literally everyone at a meeting is against them, but they ALWAYS ignore our input. Fishing in Colorado is dying because they won't enhance, but do nothing but kill, kill, kill. Should be minus 100 stars. If you call the biologists out, they use the game wardens as private security and they violate your freedom of speech, and even visit your home to intimidate you simply for criticizing them, violating their limited jurisdiction.

Need information then go here. Staff with great information

Make nonresidents pay what I pay out of state and cut back on nonresident tags!

One star is too many for the state of Colorado and their new license fees their small game fishing combo is a joke Small game hunting units are so overwhelmed with hunters And division of wildlife does nothing about they have up the big game tags fees In Colorado Before the hike I paid around $50 for a deer tag now I pay well over a 100 Colorado can go to hell

This is the most confusing state to hunt in. I have been trying to find a map to show some walk in/ Public hunting land and cant find it anywhere. all i want to do is bag and tag a turkey. but i cant get ahold of anyone who works at the office or thru email to get some information about where to hunt. I guess you just need to know someone who has private land to hunt on out here. Cause Public aint the way to go here.

I am from Texas and have been coming here for 15 years and have never had such a terrible experience as I have this year. First of all your non-resident fishing license has doubled and the roads to the lakes are terrible. I fish San Christabel by Lake City and the boat dock has trees in it ,not branches but big trees . I could barely get my small 11 foot pontoon boat loaded. if I didn't have four wheel drive I would have not gotten it out. you would think with all the extra money you get from the outrages license fees you could at least keep the boat docks clean! Also what's with the fish in the lake? Last year my graph showed plenty of fish, this year very few, less than 1/4 from last year. I hope you can improve on these situations among plenty of others as I and a lot of my friends are thinking twice about returning to your state to vacation. Residents from Texas spend a lot of money in this state, just look at the license plates. And I know plenty of people from other states also feel the same way I do!

You now have to cancel camping reservations 2 weeks in advance. Now people get charged for their site if they cancel so nobody will cancel! They will just let the site sit empty, it costs the same. It s almost impossible to book a site now cause everything is reserved. Won t be buying my state park pass this year, can t get any site anywhere. What a joke! Way to screw the locals who don t rsvp 6 months in advance.

Not impressed. Unwelcoming, inefficient and unhelpful.

I will no longer pay to help close trails... this is what I sent to the Forest Service. I'll never buy another OHV sticker again.
I USED to get an OHV registration annually even though I don't use the Jeep trails that require them. I will be donating that money to off-road groups that keep trails open rather than using my money to close trails up like China Wall. It turns my stomach to know that the FS did SO little to protect these trails and then uses the money I essentially DONATED to help close a trail. Fight harder for OHV users and I might consider getting that sticker again. In the meantime, I'm not getting another one and I'm going to encourage others to donate that money to groups like the COOHV that tries to actually keep trails open. Shame.
These are my own views and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of any of my employers or co-workers.

Their website is terrible. Hard to find information and navigate through it.

Called about an injured mallard (had a fishing hook in her tongue, leaving her tongue exposed and pulled out of her beak, and fishing wire wrapped around her neck), and they declined to come help her, and said animals can "live with a lot of injuries". While that makes sense in some ways, it doesn't seem they should have to endure human-caused injuries that leave them in pain.

Called the main office phone number to find out if there were any remaining draw-tags for a particular GMU. The individual who helped me was pleasant and the computer system allowed her to find the answer immediately.

This new licensing process is very poorly thought out. My credit card date expired during the draw process and i missed out on the draw. Now with a lot of points I'm behind the draw curve. Incredible wait time, who can spend 40-50 minutes waiting to talk with an employee? If you work for a living.

For several years I have bought a vehicle parks pass plus an additional 'Household' pass for half price for my wife's vehicle and decided to use their website to renew.

Day 1 - I logged in using my CID# searched Parks Passes to be able to buy a pass plus the additional 'Household' pass, it just can't be done.... After searching the site for additional information, the site says a 'Household' pass can't be purchased online.
I gave up in frustration for the day.

Day 2 - New day, New approach..... This time I called their customer service # and was told that "it can be done online" and that I needed to purchase a pass first before I can add a 'Household' pass, and that I would need my wife's license plate # to do so. OK.....
I logged in, purchased the Parks Pass for myself, went to my account to add my wife's pass, Sure enough there's NO ability to be able to purchase 'Household' pass. Again, frustrated I called their customer service # and was told "that's strange there must be a glitch in our system, you need to call our 1 800 # and speak with a specialist" I did let this customer service rep know that here is clearly an issue with their website, he agreed but you know nothing will be done about it.
After I explained to the 'Specialist' what I was trying to accomplish and she had to talk to her superior, she said she could do it over the phone, she asked for all of my pertinent information and then abruptly stopped, saying "I can't do this you need get the 'Household' pass at a park itself........ I asked her if I could go to a local Parks office and get the additional pass there and what do I need to bring with me? She answered "Yes and you will need the vehicle's license plate # to verify the address and proof of my Parks Park purchase", OK, again frustrated that I had wasted all this time, I went to my local Parks office and explained the situation only to be told "No, the licensed plate # is not good enough, we need the vehicle registration"......
Needless to say, I've had enough of the incompetence of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Tomorrow is Day 3, I wonder what asinine hoops I will have to jump through just to get a 'Household' Parks Pass....

UPDATE: Day 3, I went to my local CPW office with all the required documentation and more, explained again to MR. Happy (sarcasm) what I needed, here's the response "you could have done this online...." UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
I asked him to Please give me the 'Household' pass and as he was processing my request I went to the CPW site and pulled up the section that states 'this can NOT be done online' and showed it to him, his response "I don't know why they did that" again, UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

If CPW was ran as a business, they would be bankrupt immediately....

A 2.6 rating speaks volumes people.....

Good Luck.....

Horrible experience. It's worse than the getting a new drivers license! Typical Government agency -understaffed and overpaid! Can anybody answer a phone and if they do know their job-Nope!

Love them! Very helpful and respectful, so glad I got to experience working for this Agency as well as being a consumer !

I wish Indiana had such a system for hunters. Great information, system, and people.

This new Licensing process is really really really bad. Everything worked properly until checkout then it gives an error. I tried to call for help on the evening of April 2nd and it showed taking no more calls and chat was unavailable. The phone are having issues today with the same issues. If you are going to make everyone use this method to buy licenses you need to make sure it can handle the volume before you make it production and force everyone to use a POS that doesn't work.

For their handling of a cub in Alma, CO, yesterday; Michael and Tyler were both, very professional and represented CPW exceptionally well!

This LOCATION IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC!
If you need your registration taken care of, hunting licenses, fishing licenses, or park passes please go to 6060 Broadway CPW location!

I could find a decent map.. then it took me to South Broadway

No where online or in the 2020 big game brochure did it suggest or even hint that you needed to secure a place in line for the online left over draw. That is a piss poor classless act.

They need to figure out a better way to sell leftover licenses online. I was prepared and signed into my account and waiting from 9:01am until 9:14am just to get in the system. Their system was so slow then it took me until 9:29am to finally hit submit. Obviously by this time the license I was trying to purchase was sold out. They really need to upgrade their servers to give us a chance.

The staff at the call center is very knowledgeable and willing to help with many issues and questions. I have contacted them about hunting fishing and state park reservations and have had all of my issues solved in a timely fashion. Thankful for the staff there.

Lost my hunter education card. Called and talked to Teresa. She said if I wanted to come down and get it she would have it ready. When I got there card was ready. These are the nicest most professional people you will meet anywhere. They are willing to go out of their way to answer your questions. Also, they will provide you with the correct information you need. It's a pleasure to walk into a government office and see workers like that. It's called "Service with a smile !" Thanks CPW.

getting a license online is a joke--waiting for email (again)

License went up but the fact that we are now forced to buy a qualifying licenses just to apply for big game is ridiculous! That s what an application fee is for. This just goes to show how greedy parks and wildlife is and unfortunately it s only going to make hunting affordable for the rich. Qualifying licenses encourage over take and use by the public in order to get the most out of what is an unnecessary cost. I m seriously concerning giving up on the draw hunt now since I don t fish or small game hunt.

I'm stationed over seas for the next 2 years so all I wanted to do is put in for deer and elk points so when I finally get back to Colorado I might actually get a tag, but Now under there new system i have to buy a license that I'll never use just to apply for points. WTF???
You guys(CPW)are coming off as one of the most greedy entities in Colorado and screwing your military service men/women in the process. Very sad to see what cpw has become.

CPW does not in any stand up for the well being of wildlife in the state of Colorado. Their unchallenged brutality and lack of professional oversight has led to an organization that is corrupt, untrained and severely unprofessional.

Amazing parks with amazing views! If you're bored, pick one and go!

The new license set up is horrible. In addition to finding a hit or miss employee who know or cares about us the customer has made it even worse. My license didn't not show up in the mail, I called and then was told I had to pay an extra fee to get a reprinted tag. I did that just so I could go hunting and was so mad about I called back a week later and was told something different. It's sad to see that people like me and others who have been trying to obtain a big game tag now will have our chances of drawing that tag almost go away over night because of this new system. You made a mistake by changing to this new system, please go back to how it was.

Besides the jacked up fees, the Lake Pueblo North Shore Marina boat inspection office closed early tonight. My boat was stuck at the lake (where thieves have full run of the place), and this also caused me to return at 5AM the next day, with an extra 100 miles of driving because the gate man wanted to leave early. I contacted the supervisor, Doug, who was upset at the hour I contacted him, and so he hung up on me. Disgraceful way to treat those who pay their salaries. Ever heard of customer service?

The person helping me today was courteous and very helpful. I'm glad I came out here to conduct my business instead of trying to do it over the phone. What I needed to do could not be done online. I will definitely come back.

Terrible system in place to get tags. Jump through 15 different hoops to get all the documentation together only to get on your website to purchase a leftover tag and have it crash before I can complete payment. By the time I logged back in all tags for the unit I ve been hunting for years were gone.

Thank you for managing our wildlife and promoting hunting and fishing - these anti-hunters should move out of state if they can't appreciate our heritage

Got my 2019 boat registration card today.Went from 45.00 to 75.00.Wow

love the CPW, they always help out with my questions. Keep up the good work.

The worst booking experience ever. No person to answer the phone. On the website misinformation for booking. Been on the rode 6 week camping - Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Georgia and Tennessee. This was pathetic. Arrive at campsite and there was space available website not woking they would not let me stay

Colorado Parks are such a pleasure to visit... but trying to deal with the administration and website of CPW are a huge source of frustration. I was unable to reserve a campsite online so I was forced to call. The person who 'assisted' me kept me on the phone for (what seemed like) forever wanting all kinds of information. (Oddly enough, they didn't want the license plate number of my trailer.) I told her that I had park passes and was over 64 years old, but was refused the senior discount. The CPW needs to be consistent with rules and be more helpful with taking reservations.
UPDATE: I've changed the rating from 1 star to 3 because I now understand that the issue is with a 3rd party company (Reserve America) contracted by CPW. The CPW employees went out of their way to help clarify the issue.

The Denver DOW, as with most of there locations usually have staff that are super helpful. Whether buying tags, fishing licenses, getting information on where to go, general questions, etc. You typically will get pointed in the right direction.

Wow, 2019 big game application: "You MUST buy a qualifying license to apply for big game". Of course it's $100 for non-resident (after adding fees and habitat stamp). Hey, we lowered the price of the concurrent bear tag! No, you just shifted the fees into the license application. The last 3 years I've struggled applying for a license in CO because of the cost. This year was BY FAR the most difficult to apply because of cost. Add to all this that my family all live in CO, and they're paying $55 to hunt bull elk, and I'll be paying $765 (even though I own property and pay property taxes there, etc). I can remember only 8 years ago non-resident fees were under $500. I can see the bull elk tag getting up over $1000 for me soon. These high costs will definitely stop me from continuing this annual hunting trip.

Website is a joke. As is the big game draw process.....typical for Colorado these days.

How nice of you to send me my leftover deer draw application one day AFTER the deadline. Then when I call in to ask about it, your rude customer service rep tried to blame me. Very disappointed in your pure lack of organization. You've severely tarnished your reputation with me and you've immensely disappointed yet another hunter in this great state. I hope you can get your act together in the future or I'll be looking to hunt elsewhere.

I see some bad reviews on here. However, I feel the customer service representatives are doing the best they can with the new regulations that were implemented for 2018. Over all my draw experience went great. I read the 2018 big game brochure, followed the steps on how to apply, had my credit card up to date and was awarded licenses. The staff is very helpful whenever I have questions about wildlife and parks.

As a California hunter hope to hunt in Colorado next season with my grown sons I am very impressed with what CPW posts on the website. The information on winter kill and the supporting data is excellent and very up to date, Thank you!

Very dissatisfied with parks and wildlife...not easy to work with many of the employees. Very disappointed that the application deadline was changed to end at 8pm....since I have been applying in Colorado...17 years...deadline has always been midnight. Yes I waited until the last day but was an hour late...no tags and moreso no preference points.

I'm 47 years old and have lived in Colorado my whole life and have hunted approximately 23 years of that. When applying for my license online this year something happened where the resident bubble didn't get or stay clicked.

Come to find out, they charged me for a non-resident license which is 10 times the amount. I called and was told it was an issue with numerous people and they were discussing how to handle it and that I believe they said "John" would call me to follow up. Never received a call... keep in mind I have had the same Colorado Driver's License number and CID number forever, definately showing I'm a resident.

When I called today, I spoke with "Michelle". She told me that if their people made the same mistake keying it in they would fix it, but being that I did it online myself that I was out of luck and her attitude was "Too bad so sad!". Now my only choice is to surrender the license for a refund and the sad part is we applied as a group. Michelle refused to give me contact info for anyone else I could speak to and directed me to a website if I wanted to file a complaint. Bottom line is she could have cared less about me or my contributions.

Big game hunting was something I always did with my dad who recently passed and with family. Sad to say this will be the last year I apply for a hunting license because apparently Parks and Wildlife don't need my money or care about me hunting. I hope by me doing so and others that have experienced the same "I don't care attitude", these bad employees will lose their jobs due to lack of resources.

I will say that over the years I always had good experiences with CDOW but apparently that is changing as the employees are rotating out due to retirements etc.

Sad to see what once was a good thing go so bad....

You now have to buy a qualifying license to apply for a big game license or a preference point. What a joke. They say that they want the youth to get involved in hunting but they are turning it into a rich mans sport.

WOW A person prepares all the off season for a hunt, and the day you are suppose to call and attempt to get the tag you get error message CL 20 and error CL 35 ......... which means you are not getting through on the phone line. 4 hrs of error messages, never did get through to talk to a person........ if ever there was bad luck this would be it..... And please note that this is not directed at anyone or any part of CPW I am sure it is a busy day for you folks, but can you imagine being on this side of the fence. A person waits all year to be able to talk to someone about a tag and never even gets inside the door......... good luck, maybe next year.....
lesson learned here is book a hunt after you have your tag.....
123 attempts starting at 9 am Mountain Time luck of the draw to get a tag over the phone, I think it is more like having the winning lottery numbers, NOT LIKELY .......

Every time I call it plays an error tone when I try to talk to someone, thanks for the help cpw you guys do a great job ........ Not...

The Department of Wildlife in Colorado is killing too many animals for human safety. The choice to live in Colorado is a choice to live with the risks, beauty and fortune of living with wildlife. Human safety is important, but at what cost? To what end do we go? Human education and protection of wildlife is what we need.

This new system is terrible. My son was born here yet they want me to prove he has been here more than 4 months because he just got a driver's licence and it was issued 4 months ago. What a joke.

Officers are to lazy to do their jobs so they instead euthanized a young bear. Makes no since to me

Truly a magnificent architecture building that we had constructed to honor our history and cherished artistic commissioned pieces that continue to embrace our cultures great traditions that should never be lost for the world to enjoy the truth of the beauty of the grace of the Buffalo. Never underestimate the heart of a buffalo.

Sitting Bull Braveheart

As always the Division staff do well with what they have to work with. Never thought that the license system could get much worse. But you prove me wrong. I have two boys trying to get tags and we don t pull any for deer. We get put into the limited leftover draw and have to settle for so so tags. Then the leftover tags come out that will go to the general population and low and behold there s 46 tags from our original first choice area. Why the heck did they not require people to pay for the tags first before the limited left over draw so those tags would have went back into the limited leftover draw instead of the public leftover draw.
Another poor thought out plan by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

parks personnel -- unpleasant, rude employees. wildlife officer -- courteous, helpful employee.

Mandatory testing for CWD that was unknown at the time of the application will cost me an extra day and 45$ to get the head to the closest site. Pretty sure I am going to call and turn myself in for non compliance, because I cannot afford the extra gas or time .