Join us in today’s episode as we delve deep into the work of the Colorado Wildlife Council. Host Scott Watley welcomes Brian Gwynn to discuss the council’s mission of educating the public on the benefits of hunting and fishing in Colorado. Brian shares insights into the council’s diverse makeup, statutes, and the critical role of license fees in funding conservation efforts. We’ll also explore how the council operates its public information campaigns and the importance of engaging with people who aren’t hunters or fishers. The program aims to educate both new and veteran outdoors enthusiasts on the scientific backbone
SPEAKER 05 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado, Colorado’s premier outdoor radio show heard every Saturday afternoon on KLZ 560 with insights on hunting, fishing, archery, guns, and ammo from Colorado’s top outfitters featuring the industry’s leading experts on how to enhance your experience in the great outdoors. Now, here’s your host, Scott Watley.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome to Sports from Colorado. Thank you so much for joining us today. Hey, we’ve got a great show in store for you. Just a quick reminder now, you miss our live show on Saturdays 1 to 2. You can catch us twice on Sundays, 8 and 8, 8 to 9 a.m., 8 to 9 p.m., right here on KLZ 560, of course. And then the following Thursday, 9 to 10 a.m., you can catch our show. So hopefully one of those times will work out for you. Again, wherever you get your podcast, you can get ours. And we are super, super excited today to announce a new partnership for us with the Colorado Wildlife Council. Now, some of you may know. Everything about them. Some of you may not know much about them, but I hope over the next year here in the coming months, we’re going to be able to enlighten you about this group and the fantastic work that they have been doing here in the state of Colorado. And I met a gentleman. If you know me personally, you know, my truck is wrapped. We’ll give some transparency here. And all of you know Kevin Flesch, of course, on the show. And I was at Kevin’s office and then I came out and there was a card on my truck from a gentleman. And he was with the Wildlife Council and wanted to meet. So we did that over the last few months. And now very, very happy to introduce Brian Gwynn to you with the Colorado Wildlife Council. How are you, sir? Doing well. Thanks, Scott. Hey, it’s great to meet you and appreciate you. Putting a card on my truck, man, because this is going to be so good for Colorado. I really believe this partnership is to let us do what you and I have kind of talked about, educating our sportsmen, men and women, our outdoorsmen, of really about the Colorado Wildlife Council. So I’m really excited about this partnership.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Well, the mission of the Colorado Wildlife Council is to educate the public on the benefits of hunting and fishing. And so when I saw your truck, I figured I’d do it for myself and reach out, see where it led. So I’m happy it led this to this partnership. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. Now, there are nine people in my research or nine people that make up the Wildlife Council. And here’s the way I like the way it was phrased on some documents I was reading. Nine individuals. And I think that’s important. They didn’t say nine great hunters that have taken a lot of game or caught the biggest fish. Nine individuals. And I think that’s a key thing to just get some different perspectives, don’t you? Yeah.
SPEAKER 10 :
The council is designed by statute. And per the statute, we have a number of individuals that comprise the council. And we have representatives from the East Slope and the West Slope, hunting community, angling community, the ag community, municipality committee, some marketing representatives. So there’s a nice…
SPEAKER 03 :
diversity of backgrounds right that comprises the council right and uh 1998 is when this came into effect yeah with the colorado wildlife i was not there at the beginning so i can only speak so much to it right and uh but it if folks if for you uh that may buy a license um you will notice on there it’s a dollar fifty right yeah right yeah and that says that goes toward some education and things, right? Yep.
SPEAKER 10 :
I’m taking mine out right now. So if you go right above the signature block on your green license, there’s a $1.50 charge for the Wildlife Ed Fund surcharge. And that’s us. we don’t call ourselves the Wildlife Ed Fund Surcharge because it doesn’t have as good of a ring to it. Our trade name is the Colorado Wildlife Council and that’s what that charge goes to.
SPEAKER 03 :
What type of, and you guys I assume have meetings all the time to see what’s going on in the state and I know you work close with CPW and things like that too. So what do these meetings look like that you guys have even internally?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, our main mission is to create a public education campaign on the benefits of conservation, the benefits of hunting and fishing to the general public. And so we see ourselves as really the voice that’s speaking to those who are not hunters and anglers, those who might be new to the state, those that may not even go outside that much. And we’re trying to impress upon them the importance of hunting and fishing to wildlife conservation, the impact that license fees have on really forming the background and the basis for science-based wildlife management. And so our meetings, which are monthly, and they’re open to the public, so I would encourage any of you who would like to come or tune in. They’re recorded on Zoom. So you can always check out what we’re doing, but mostly we’re managing a public information campaign at various levels. We have a spending authority that’s capped by the statute. So the buck 50 on everybody’s license goes into a pot. This is speaking generally, but whatever’s in that pot, we get to spend on a public information campaign. And we hire a professional advertising firm to help us with our messaging and our target audience. And we help guide them in all aspects of that campaign. So you might see our… our commercials or advertisements on social media. You might see them during ABS games or Broncos games. We’ve got billboards on I-70 and up and down the 25 corridor at various times during the year. We have some gas station videos going on right now. So most of our meetings are managing that account and also thinking creatively about new opportunities to let people know what the council does, but When they know what the council does, they’re really going to learn about the importance of hunting and fishing as a backbone for science-based wildlife conservation. Sure. Times have changed when you get gas and all of a sudden, go inside and get this.
SPEAKER 03 :
I mean, the first time, I was like, what in the world? Yeah, who’s talking to me? Again, Brian Gwynn is with us. It’s the Colorado Wildlife Council. And, again, you’re going to be hearing more information. about them here on the show. And like I say, I’m super honored to be able to work with them, represent them, so to speak. And we just wrapped up some things with International Sportsman’s Expo and got into a lot of great conversations there as well. And really just want to bring the educational side of this because there’s a lot to know about the outdoors. And sometimes, and again, I go back to the nine individuals that I talked about earlier. Sometimes We are not open to a new perspective or a new way of thinking about something until somebody just sits down in a nice way and just says, hey, have you ever thought about this? And that’s what I like about, I think, what you guys are doing is, hey, we may not agree on everything with the outdoor world a little bit. But, man, can’t we just sit down and discuss some things and see, you know, we can bring some education. I can learn something from you. You learn something from me. And let’s just see what’s best, you know, for conservation, for the wildlife here in the state. I mean, it’s not that hard, but it’s hard to get people to sit down and do that, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. And again, that’s why we engage, you know, professionals in how best to do that and how best to engage with conservation. folks who you know for them hunting and fishing is the furthest thing from their mind they may not know anybody in their family who does it they may not have friends who do it and so we need help in how to message to these individuals and our you know fellow coloradans at the same time we’re trying to increase our engagement with those that are already hunting and fishing and, uh, you know, they know the, the personal benefits of it, but they may not understand the broad framework that’s kind of behind the scenes, um, that stems from hunting and fishing activities, how we fund, you know, a majority, the lion’s share of, uh, wildlife activities within CPW, um, and, uh, a major portion of CPW in itself. Just hunting and fishing license fees. So that’s important for outdoorsmen to know, even if they’ve been doing this for years. We’re not going to take it for granted that they understand you know, what’s behind the curtain. So our job is to kind of peel that back and explain, you know, the importance of your license fees, the importance of being a good steward of the outdoors, a good conservationist and a good representative of our community to those who may not be familiar with it. All right.
SPEAKER 03 :
And, you know, science-based wildlife management is something that we say a lot, but that’s really true, and that’s what we all want. And, you know, I think back when Prop 127, and I think something that, you know, we were able to accomplish with that is getting to those people that didn’t necessarily hunt and just kind of explaining what that would mean if, you know, no more mountain lions were taken and letting them understand, too, that, hey – There’s a cap on it. Most people didn’t know that you can eat a mountain lion. And to be honest, I didn’t for years until I harvested one. And you look at the devastation that they can do on deer population and different things. And I tell people, we just want to manage things where we have healthy populations. 960 species of what that…
SPEAKER 10 :
i’ve asked a million people that right how many you think we got you know yeah 12 18 you know nobody knows but it’s a lot to deal with and sporting licenses pays for the management of all those species we don’t just you know buy licenses and they help manage the deer population or the elk population right you know they’re um managing all non-game species and you’ll see in in the council’s materials, we highlight that a lot. You know, whether it’s river otters or burrowing owls or things like that you might not think about, right? Those are sporting dollars that go to support the management and the conservation of those species. So, yeah, education is key, and that’s why this is a fun volunteer opportunity for me because, like you said, I think there’s people that make… uh, decisions based upon maybe ignorance or values or emotion that haven’t really been informed. And a lot of times if you just, uh, pull back the curtain and explain the whole structure of the North American model of wildlife conservation, they, they get it. And, um, at the same time, those that usually start to hunt, um, you know, I’ve never heard about anybody who started hunting and didn’t like it.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I’ve known a lot of people who said, well, I’ll go this once, but I’ll never do it again. And then like you say, yeah. And whether it’s fishing, hunting or whatever, they end up loving it.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. The more, the more information they have, even if they say, you know, this isn’t for me, they’re going to understand the structure behind it, the game management structure. They’re going to respect those individuals that do. Um, Choose to hunt and fish. And that’s why education is a key platform for us. Right.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I think once we do that, that’s automatically going to help when everybody has the right knowledge and not just reading things on social media. And that’s why I’m so excited about this, so we can really get the facts out there about what you have. Colorado Wildlife Council does for us here in the outdoors in Colorado, that we can sit down and have conversations and have them better, you know. And man, that’s going to be a win-win for us at that point.
SPEAKER 10 :
You know, and one of our goals is that hunters and anglers would be equipped to have these conversations with their coworkers, with their family, extended family, friends and neighbors, and just to better explain not just their own experience in the outdoors, but how they contribute um as outdoorsmen to the overall uh structure right of wildlife management in colorado yeah so absolutely that’s a goal of ours for sure well hey man i appreciate your time i just wanted to do a little introduction for us today and again folks you guys are going to be hearing
SPEAKER 03 :
Way more about this. And we’re going to be doing some things. Hey, we’ve got our Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo coming up March 20th through the 22nd. And all the way up to then and past, we will be talking about the Colorado Wildlife Council. Now, if you’ve got questions, maybe you’re listening to the show in an environment you can’t call in, send me a text. If you’ve got questions that you would like to know for me to ask them, One of the members here of the Colorado Wildlife Council will shoot me a text, 720-201-8585. Again, 720-201-8585. And we want to get answers. We want to get education. And, again, what Brian just said it perfectly, hey, where we can all know what’s going on, be able to sit down, have decent, civil, respectful conversations with people, not to try to win them to – the way of thinking, but just maybe let them know why you think the way you do. And I’m going to respect the way that you think, the way you think. I mean, it’s not that hard.
SPEAKER 10 :
It happens. It happens when you have those conversations. Yeah, absolutely. Well, man, we appreciate your time. Yeah, and before I get off, I’ll just say if you want some more information, feel free to visit our website. It’s cowildlifecouncil.org. And as they say, drop a follow. We’ve got Instagram, Facebook accounts where you’ll see some of our campaign messaging. And feel free to engage there or reach out directly to us. Absolutely. Again, that is CO.
SPEAKER 03 :
wildlife or cowildlifecouncil.org and really follow all the things they do on Instagram and Facebook. It is excellent. Next time you buy a license, you see that $1.50. Now you know that’s going to a wonderful, wonderful cause to help us all here in our great state in the outdoors here in Colorado. You’re listening to Sportsman of Colorado. We got to take a quick break and we’ll be back with more right after this.
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SPEAKER 11 :
560-KLZ, your home station.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome back to Sportsman Colorado. Thank you so much for being with us. Always good to everybody. Dan Gates. Dan was on with us just a few weeks ago, but with so much going on, we’re probably going to do this more often than we have in the past because there’s a lot we need to know and really just want to get you the truth of what’s going on, you know, in our state. And the best way to do that is with Dan. I mean, he’s well connected and about everything there is with all of this. So, Dan, we appreciate your time once again today. How are you, my friend?
SPEAKER 08 :
I’m not too bad, Scott. I appreciate you taking the time and letting us get on and kind of chew the fat for a minute.
SPEAKER 03 :
You bet. You bet. Well, man, it’s a buffet right now we got in.
SPEAKER 08 :
There’s plenty. And it’s one plate and one meal and one course. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, hey, let’s start out. We were just talking here before we came on air. CPW has now announced a new director. And you have some knowledge on that. And, of course, I’ve already seen a lot of posts, mostly negative about, you know, what’s going on. But give us your side of this.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, we did a newspaper article along with the Colorado Sun and I think some other associated press places picked it up and they were asking questions about the new director. Who was the former acting director? I mean, she’s the one that immediately replaced Jeff Davis. And what I would say is the conversations and communication and workings that I’ve had with now-director Laura Clellan have been nothing other than professional and civil with a high level of decorum. And we are hoping from the sportsman community that we represent, which is a combination of a variety of different entities and organizations, that we can have an open dialogue with the director and that we look at things from a very professional and equitable process, taking into consideration not only the tradition and the heritage of what CPW does and has done, but also making sure that she understands that the stewardship that has been given to our natural resources in the state of Colorado, including wildlife and habitat and water and land and air, and listening to the experts and making sure that she fully comprehends the volatility, so to speak, but also the fragility of what these conversations will bring, whether it’s from the ag community or whether it’s from these conservation-minded advocates that come out against consumptive use, or it comes from the sporting community like hunters and anglers and archery hunters and trappers and so forth and We think we can have that open dialogue and that communication, and we realize that the director has not come from a broad wildlife background, but we understand that she has been in the belly of the beast for quite some time, and she’s a manager, and everything that we’ve seen so far in the last 85 or 90 days has given us nothing other than to say it’s nice to have somebody that can at least keep the boat upright, without letting it go aground, but understanding that maybe they don’t need to right the ship. They just need to turn around and bail a little bit of water.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right, right. Again, Dan Gates is with us. Colorado is responsible for wildlife management. SaveTheHuntColorado.com is a website you need to be familiar with. All right, Dan, March 4th has got a circle around it. Fill us in.
SPEAKER 08 :
Boy, you know, I wish I didn’t have to. March 4th has got a circle around it because the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission will be hearing the petition that was initiated last year from the Center for Biological Diversity to ban the use or the commercialization, as they put it, of furbearer parts and pieces, including hides and skulls and teeth and claws, which will, it doesn’t sound like a big deal to some, but it could affect and will affect cowboy hats because they’re made from beaver felt. It could affect fly fishing lures and fishing flies because they’re made from fur-bearing parts and pieces. Now, there are synthetic ones out there and plastic ones and stuff, but we’re talking about the fur part of it. And it could affect the Native American community or the mountain man reenactors or somebody that just wants to have a have a beaver vest, but they don’t have the means to turn around and go harvest or trap it themselves. But there’s a commercial market on fur-bearing animals for a reason, and that reason has been established under the North American model of wildlife conservation. And if you read the tenets of the model, the seven tenets, there’s a market component, and there’s also a legitimate use component. And my opposition, or our opposition… has a tendency to read part and take things out of context and don’t use the full tenet. And so CBW Commission is going to hear this petition. They’re also going to hear some other regulatory recommendations and changes on furbearer harvest. They will hear a petition that myself and the former carnivore furbearer biologist, Jerry Abker of the CPW, formulated about data collection and accountability for tracking on bobcats and beavers and swift fox. For the people that don’t engage in this, it doesn’t affect them, but they should be paying attention because if these sort of things happen to circumvent the will of the people, like Ordinance 308 was done in 2024, And this comes to fruition, and they change this. Somebody else ought to be paying attention to what else somebody’s going to want to change next on the list. And so we’re looking at this as low-hanging fruit and trying to get people to pay attention that they can attend the meeting. We’re looking for public participation. They can write a letter. They can do virtual testimony and sign up if there’s time allotted on the public comment. But the best way to guarantee being noticed and being part of the cause is to show up on March 4th at the Double Tree Hotel in Westminster, and it’s at 8773 Yates Drive, and that’s on March 4th. And we’re telling people to be there early and be planning on staying late because this is an all-day venture that we need to turn around and continually try to unite the fight to save the hunt.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yep. Now, early. Are we talking 6.30, 7 o’clock? Early.
SPEAKER 08 :
6.30, 7 o’clock is what we’re telling people because there’s a capacity at the hotel, capacity restrictions. And I don’t know what that total is, but it’s multiple hundreds. But we’re anticipating that we’re going to fill that up. And obviously, we’re not the only ones that are interested in this. There’s people that brought this petition forward. and they are rallying the troops trying to get their side to attend as well. So if you’re interested in science-based wildlife management, if you’re interested in the will of the people, like on Ordinance 308 or Proposition 127, this is the time to step up. And you don’t have to testify. You’re more than welcome to testify. But if you don’t show up… Numbers is what we’re looking at. Yeah, you know, I mean, I use this analogy a lot about sports, Scott, but If the Denver Broncos were like 6-0 and they were playing the world champion, Super Bowl champion, whoever the heck it was, and nobody showed up to that game, would the Broncos at home play as well as what they could if they didn’t have the home crowd? And that’s why the Seattle Seahawks have the 12th man. Well, we’re looking for the 12th and 13th and 14th and 15th man and woman to be able to turn around and help us support the hunt. and try to help unite the fight to save the hunt.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. Dan, some people have asked me, you know, we had some brochures we were handing out, and I think this—oh, as a matter of fact, I have one in front of me, so now I know. This was rejected in 2024 by 58 percent of Denver voters. How is this—how does something like this come back so quick when almost 60 percent of the people said they didn’t want it?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, it’s interesting you say that because the same gal that was running the Cats Aren’t Trophies campaign that was working in cahoots with the same organization that was trying to get Ordinance 308 to pass in the city and county of Denver, that same gal, Samantha Miller, is now working for the Center for Biological Diversity out of Arizona. And they initiated this petition. And the way that the public process works is until they’re told otherwise, until there’s some sort of a law put in place… they can initiate this sort of rulemaking change attempt as many times as they want. And they can also go to the state legislature to try to find the legislator to run a bill. Or if they wanted to and had the money, even though we crushed them on multiple levels in 2024, they could go back to the ballot. And these are things that people need to understand. This is not you win and you’re done. It’s you win and you keep fighting so you don’t lose because the opposition is trying to get their first win. And in whatever form of government they can, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a petition, you know, when they went to the ballot in the city and county of Denver or on 127, that was a statewide issue. But people need to pay attention to this particular issue, Scott, because the city and county of Denver, as you mentioned, voted this down by resounding 58%. And now 10 commissioners, appointed commissioners by this governor, are going to hear a petition and and possibly vote on circumventing the will of the people, the will of the voter in the city and county of Denver, and making it statewide. If we’re not sick and tired of the government manipulation or maybe undermining process, if we’re going to ignore ballot initiatives, which I don’t agree with them when it comes to wildlife, but regardless, if we’re going to ignore the results of those ballot initiatives… Why the hell are we turning it over to 10 people or maybe 100 legislators to circumvent the will of the people? I don’t think Colorado’s voters are willing to turn around and surrender that.
SPEAKER 03 :
I hope you’re right, man. Dan Gates is with us, Colorado’s responsible for wildlife management. Dan just said it, March the 4th. Hey, try to get there 6.30, 7 o’clock, because you know what? As Dan said, other folks are going to be coming the other side. Could it be their plan to get there at 5 o’clock and they fill it up and there’s no seats for us? Who knows? But it’s March 4th, the Doubletree by Hilton, Hotel Denver there, Westminster. It’s 8773 Yates Drive. And Dan, when you look at this, again, there’s other things with coyotes and things too. Maybe you mentioned a couple other things you’re looking at.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, if you look with the opposition, and I talk about Project Coyote or Center for Biological Diversity or any of the other animal rights extremist groups, they want to impose a season on coyotes and they want to limit other fur harvesting opportunities. But when it really gets down to it, They want to take away the ability for Colorado Parks and Wildlife to set the standard for how we continually manage our wildlife resources in the state. I don’t care what I think, and I don’t care what you think, and I damn sure don’t care what Samantha Miller thinks. But I do care what Colorado Parks and Wildlife thinks, because they’ve got 350 scientists and biologists that study wildlife. endlessly and tirelessly, a variety of different species of the 961 species of wildlife that we have in the state, 78 of which are game species, 17 of which of those are fur-bearing species. I want CPW to make the decisions. I don’t want a commission of 10 to circumvent several million people on a ballot initiative. I don’t want a commission of 10 circumventing a legislative bill that comes around we have to look at how this process works and the process that has worked under the north american model guidelines itself for the last 125 years is science-based wildlife management for the people and for the wildlife and for the natural resources well You and I are part of the people. We’re part of the ecosystem. We’re part of the biodiversity. CPW has the qualified staff to be able to do that, and I want to make sure that we continue to maintain that. And while we should have input to that, we should not be able to turn around and undermine and circumvent. And the reason I say that is because yesterday, if people go to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website, They can look up the petitions themselves, and they can also look up the recommendation for denial from the agency that was signed by now Director Laura Clellan to say this is not a good deal, we don’t support this, and that’s the high-level conversation of it. But it’s about a 10- or 11-page document to say we recommend denial. Now the commission has to turn around and say we agree with that recommendation for denial. Or we don’t agree, and if we don’t agree, then we kick this can down the road until May in Grand Junction, and then we vote on it. What we’re trying to get people to understand is support the scientists. support the data, support the real people that are doing this stuff on the ground. Let them make the recommendations and the suggestions, and then we can chime in on that as we see fit. Sure. But we shouldn’t turn around and try to circumvent the will of the people, especially when the agency has come out and recommended denial for these petitions.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right. So let me ask you this, and I know you’ve got to go, but if we got the right governor in place, Could he or she, I guess, could they say, hey, look, moving on now in my administration, CPW is we are going science-based wildlife management. We’ve got biologists. We’ve got scientists with CPW, and we’re going to let them make this direction. And it would stop all of this, or is that impossible?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, the way that the Type 1 Enterprise Agency is set up for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, it would be difficult to turn around and say the governor has unequivocal authority to say this is what we’re going to do. However, we believe in the sporting community that this particular governor and the first gentleman have had significant influence into the conversations of what Colorado Parks and Wildlife can or can’t do. The appointments that the governor has made on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission have proven that to be the case. The Commission oversees the regulatory side and the decision-making process. It’s a body to oversee what the agency does. But historically, they have supported the agency’s recommendations more times than not. Sometimes they haven’t, but more times than not. But in this particular circumstance, there’s been a significant, overwhelming amount of influence that’s been provided from the governor’s office or cabinet or administration to the Commission, or maybe even what we believe around the commission to go straight to the director or the director of the Department of Natural Resources as well. So to say that the governor coming in would be able to change something, maybe, maybe not. depending on how much they wanted to meddle in different divisions of the particular administration. But the commission is actually the governing body, and you would hope that the commission would at least not try to buck the system of the governor, but not try to turn around and do things just what the commission wants to do, whether the governor wanted them to do it or not. It’s a complex issue when you have this set of structure, But a type one enterprise agency is meant to be independent on its own with the oversight of the commission, but not the manipulation of the governor to put people in that just only want to act on the governor’s behalf. Right.
SPEAKER 03 :
March the 4th, 6.30 to 7 a.m., hey, folks, we need you to show up. And it’s going to be – the story’s going to be told that day, Dan, because you mentioned May 6th and 7th in Grand Junction, but this is crucial for that day even, right?
SPEAKER 08 :
It really is. You’ve got to get through the AFC championship game to get to the Super Bowl, and that’s what we’re kind of treating this like. We need to survive this meeting to be able to get to the next meeting. But if we don’t put enough people on the ground, if we don’t run the plays accordingly, if we don’t testify appropriately, if we don’t show a lock of arms to unite the fight to save the hunt, it won’t matter what happens in May. If we show a good force now… And we can not pressure, not threaten, not intimidate the commission. This is a civil professional meeting. But if we can go in there and show we are concerned about these issues, we want you to turn around and adhere to the science-based wildlife management side of it. And we want you to follow the direction of the agency that has already recommended denial. there’s a good chance we can do that. If we can’t, we have another shot at doing that in May in Grand Junction. But if we don’t show up now, it won’t matter what happens.
SPEAKER 03 :
We hope to see you there March 4th, Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, Denver, Westminster, 8773 Yates Drive. If you’ve got any questions, shoot me a text. Call me, 720-201-8585. We’ll get you anything you need, but we need you to show up and be there with us, and it’s going to be a very important day. So, Dan, I know you’ve got a lot going on, man. We appreciate your time, and if I don’t see you before that, I’ll see you March 4th.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thanks a bunch, Scott. Appreciate the opportunity. And remind everybody, SaveTheHuntColorado.com for more information. All the pertinent information is on there. We hope to see everybody there to help unite the fight to save the hunt.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. All right, bud. Appreciate it so much. Thank you, sir. Thanks for being with us today. But, hey, there’s more coming back, all right, right here on Sportsman of Colorado. So don’t go anywhere. We’ll be right back. For over 10 years, hunters have relied on OnX maps to help navigate public and private land boundaries across the country. OnX Hunt is the only tool comprised of more than 400 countrywide maps that give clear private and public land boundaries, trails, hunting specific data, and more. New map layers are constantly being added by pairing with some of the leading names in conservation and the outdoor industry, like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Boone and Crockett Club, and Eastman’s. Whether it’s on your smartphone or handheld GPS, make the most of your precious time in the field by navigating with OnX Hunt. Go to the App Store or OnXMaps.com. Here’s your Water Talk Minute with Paul the Waterman, brought to you by Water Pros.
SPEAKER 02 :
Folks, everybody needs to go to the EPA website and check out the contaminated candidate list. There’s unregulated contaminants that have been in our drinking water forever. And what that means is that municipalities don’t have to test for them. So we have 1,4-dioxin. It’s an unregulated contaminant that’s been in the water supply since the early 1900s. We have synthetic estrogen that’s in our water supply. We have pesticides, herbicides in our water supply. So this is something that educate yourself. This is why we need a point-of-use reverse osmosis system for our drinking water, because of all the contaminants that the EPA is not allowing our municipalities to tell us about.
SPEAKER 03 :
Sportsman of Colorado Radio is brought to you by the Colorado Wildlife Council. The council works to educate the public on the importance of scientific wildlife management, conservation, and the benefits of wildlife-related recreational opportunities, specifically hunting and fishing. For the hunter and angler community, this educational mission is vital. It empowers us to become effective advocates for the wildlife and outdoor traditions we value. Their mission is to ensure that Colorado’s wildlife is preserved for future generations through public education. Learn more about their work and how it supports your role as an advocate at cowildlifecouncil.org. We thank the Colorado Wildlife Council for their support of Sportsman of Colorado Radio.
SPEAKER 11 :
This is 560-KLZ, your home station.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome back to Sportsman of Colorado. Just a quick reminder now, you miss our live show here on Saturdays, 1 to 2. Catch us twice on Sundays. That’s 8 in the morning, 8 at night. And then the following Thursday from 9 to 10 a.m. right here on KLZ 560. Of course, you can get our podcast where you get yours as well as sportsmanofcoloradoradio.com. I don’t mention this very often, but we’ve got an app, KLZ 560. Put that on your phone. Absolutely free. And you can listen live there as well to all of KLZ 560 programming. All right. Hey, we’re going to wrap things up today with a great friend of ours, Jimmy Feltz. It’s Hometown Heroes. And we have crossed paths here over these last several years and wanted to get them on the show. And they’re going to be at our Mile High Hunting Fish Expo. Real quick, I’ll mention that. That is coming up March 20th through the 22nd. For tickets, you can go to milehighhuntexpo.com. Put in the promo code SOCR for Sportsman of Colorado Radio, SOCR2026. That will save you 10% on your general admission tickets. You can get multi-day tickets. You’re going to want to do that, and that 10% will save you an extra few dollars. Again, the promo code is SOCR2026 at milehighhuntexpo.com. For tickets, it’s going to be at the new event center there at the National Western Stock Show. All right, Jimmy Feltz, welcome to Sportsman of Colorado. How are you, my friend?
SPEAKER 12 :
Pretty good, Scott.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thanks for having me. You bet, you bet. All right, give our listeners some history a little bit about the organization, Hometown Heroes, and then how and why you got involved.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, yeah, we’re Hometown Hero Outdoors. We’re in roughly about 28 states. I’m the state director for Colorado. I’ve been doing it. I’ve been staffed for five years and then became an event coordinator. Now I’m the state director. We are based out of Stillwater, Minnesota. And like I said, we’re in 28 different states and we take out law enforcement officers. firemen, EMS, active duty military, and vets out hunting and fishing, anything for their mental health to get them out there. So that’s kind of what we do.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. And then what made you want to get involved in this organization?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I’m still serving, and I was looking for bigger calling, something to give back. And, you know, I’m a huge outdoorsman, and I just got hooked up with the state director recently. at the time and um they invited me to come on as staff and i started taking out vets and and law enforcement and our heroes and it was just a great giving back to these guys so that’s how i got involved it’s just been my passion ever since wow and i’m sure you could feel
SPEAKER 03 :
all our time today and more of just different stories of different vets you’ve met and just different people like you say you do things for first responders too that have been on some of the excursions that you guys have offered and it’s just been a life changer for them not just a fun experience but a game changer so to speak absolutely because you don’t know what these people are going through the night before you meet a lot of new people and lifelong friends through this organization and what we do and and helping these people out for sure And, you know, I’ve said this many times, you know, when I’ve dealt with some organizations like yours that a lot of times you may see a guy or gal and, hey, on the outside just looking at them and they look fine, you know, but you’d never know what they’ve been through, what they’ve – I describe it like this, what they’ve seen, what they’ve smelled, what they’ve tasted, so to speak – And what they’ve been and whether people were in actual, you know, war or just or serving behind a desk, man, they still sign their name on that line to serve our country. And so, man, it’s really cool what you’re doing for them.
SPEAKER 12 :
And thank you for that. You know, getting like-minded people around, that’s what it’s all about for us and getting them to be able to open up because maybe they don’t do that at home or maybe they don’t have that type of friend group, but you get them around like-minded individuals. It really helps them open up and, you know, do things that they might have not been able to talk about before.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right. So let’s approach this a couple of ways. Number one, if someone would like to nominate someone to get on your list, how does that happen?
SPEAKER 12 :
So what you do is we have our website. You get on our website and sign up through our website. It’s hometownherooutdoors.org. And then you sign in to become a member, and you put your information in there. If you’re a vet or whatever, you put your 214, law enforcement, whatever. You just put your credentials in there and sign up. And then you click on the Find Adventures tab, and you can start signing up for trips all over the United States. Whether you want to go ice fishing in Minnesota or go whitetail hunting in Texas, you can sign up for all the trips throughout the United States. If you live in Colorado, you can do any of these. It doesn’t matter where you live. You can go do it anywhere you want.
SPEAKER 03 :
Wow. Now, what is the recipient then responsible for as far as licensing and different things like that? What are they responsible for?
SPEAKER 12 :
So typically, the member, everything’s paid for typically except for your license and your travel. We cover everything else, whether it’s the, you know, whether we’re paying for a guide or… The lodging and the food, we cover all that. We try to make it almost completely free to the member other than licensing the travel.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. Good deal.
SPEAKER 03 :
Again, Jimmy Feltz is with us. It’s hometownherooutdoors.org is the website for more information. And then like everybody else, man, money is what makes this possible. So when I ask you what are some of your needs, I think we start there, man, just donations, whether somebody can do $25 or they can do $25,000. That’s what you need, right?
SPEAKER 12 :
Absolutely. And there’s a, you know, obviously on our website, there’s a tab there you can donate. You can reach out to me directly if you want to do something in the state or, you know, you want to donate. You know, if you know somebody that’s a landowner or that’s an outfitter or something like that, any of it helps us. But, you know, we have a couple, you know, fundraisers a year that we do and try to get donations. raise money that way. We have a dinner up in Erie, Colorado this year with Roger and Sherry’s Culinary Experience. They raise money for us every year. That’s one of our bigger fundraisers. And then just, you know, go into the shows and the outreach is so important to us.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now, is that Erie, Colorado? Is that going to be more of a banquet type deal? We need to let people know a date?
SPEAKER 12 :
It is more of a dinner that they just throw on.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, okay.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay. And it’s actually… 7th, the evening of March 7th. It’s on our website that you can go in and you can sign up that way if you would like to go to a dinner at Erie, Colorado and all the proceeds go back to us. We will have a raffle there and a dinner and talk about our story and just getting people around, like-minded people to to tell their stories and have good dinner and raise some money for us.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. Any couple stories you might want to share? I’m just thinking about all the individuals you’ve had out. Anything over these last couple years where, man, just one or two people stand out in your mind of something they got to do with you guys and what it did for them?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, we did. We just – we had – the one that comes – To mine, that was the most recent is we just did an elk hunt down in San Luis Valley with actually was our vice president and his dad, which is a vet and was a retired law enforcement. And Triple B donated a hunt to us and we were able to go down there. And we actually filmed one of our new Hero Chronicle episodes down there and just the story with Sean and his dad, you know, that his dad being able to support him through all his military career, Sean’s, and going down there and being able to capture that. you know and film it was was pretty special to be a part of that was that was a big one for me just to to be a witness of that and help out with that that hunt a little bit and be a part of that that was that was pretty special sure and then best thing to do people just follow you guys on your social media too just to keep abreast of what you got going on right sure sure yeah we have three facebook pages um we have one that’s open to the public and then we have two closed groups but you can sign in um you know and become a member of those just follow us on our regular hometown hero outdoors um facebook page we have our own podcast and and here in april we’ll be coming out with 12 episodes With Harold Chronicles, it’s going to be on Carbon TV. We’re going to have one episode per week starting in April.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, wow. All right. That’s cool. And, you know, you mentioned something, and I just want to try to get everybody thinking, man, you know, money, of course, helps you do things. But then again, maybe somebody knows a landowner that would allow you guys to come on and do some hunts and stuff. or fishing, whatever the case may be. Maybe somebody just, you know, hey, we own a restaurant in town. We can give you some gift cards. I mean, all of that stuff adds up to be a huge help for you, doesn’t it?
SPEAKER 12 :
For sure, for sure. Any donations and partnerships that we make, it makes us tick. That’s how we are able to succeed in our mission and getting our heroes out is having those donors, whether it be an outfitter or like somebody at Colorado Outdoor Sports with Wynn. He donates to us. It’s just having all these connections, and every little bit helps for sure.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, Wynn’s a great friend of our show as well at Colorado Outdoor Sports. Now, I mentioned you guys are going to be at the Mile High Hunting Fish Expo March 20th through the 22nd. Now, are you guys, I can’t remember, are you guys having your own booth there or are you partnering up with someone?
SPEAKER 12 :
No, we will have our own booth there. We’ve been doing it since, you know.
SPEAKER 03 :
I thought you had, yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yep, we do. We’ll have our own booth out there for sure.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. And I’ll tell you, man, that’s a good show, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, it’s an amazing show. It’s an amazing show. And just the networking we’re able to do, you know, out there is proven to be, you know, a good thing for us. We’ve met a lot of great people, a lot of good outfitters, a lot of good partners that we’ve made just at that show individually, and then the outreach, the people that come by that doesn’t know about
SPEAKER 03 :
you know what our organization does and that it’s available to them you know another thing when you said outfitters most of us have done some things with outfitters and maybe you’re listening this show maybe you you hunt with somebody every year you know you really enjoy them hey mention something to them hey you know what i just heard about this great group hometown hero outdoors Would you consider working with them? And we can get you in touch with them. And, you know, I give up my cell all the time, 720-201-8585. Shoot me a text, call me, whatever. We can get you in touch. But, again, you can follow them right there on the – Their website, hometownherooutdoors.org, send them a message. If you’ve got someone you think that they could contact to try to get some hunting or fishing in, whatever the case may be, man, that would be great. And I tell you, when you look at all our veterans and first responders and, man, what their life is like, and then you think, Maybe some of the little issues we go through. Man, I’m just so thankful. And you look at the USA hockey team just winning, man. Good patriotism there. I mean, it’s really cool just to see everybody kind of respect our country and respect our veterans and first responders. And that’s one thing that I just hope we can really get back to in this country.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, for sure. We need that. And I think we’re headed in the right direction. So it’s been pretty great. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
Anything else you want to mention? Don’t want to leave anything out?
SPEAKER 12 :
No, other than we are going to, the March 6th through the 8th, we are going to be up at the Laramie County Sportsman’s Expo in Cheyenne. We’re going to be doing a giveaway up there. We’re going to do the… a giveaway, and we’re going to do a raffle. We’ll have a booth up there. We’re going to be sharing a booth, a big booth up there with the Colorado Custom Game Call guys, with Austin and those guys. One of our big partners that we have. So, yeah, we’re going to be up there. Come up and see us. We’ll have a big booth up there. Like I said, we’re going to be giving a tailgate giveaway and doing some raffles and stuff to raise some money. It’s a great time. It’s a little bit smaller of a show, but they’re growing, and they’re getting bigger and bigger, and come up and see us. It’s not that far of a drive, and
SPEAKER 03 :
it’s a good time yeah man if i didn’t have i’m tired of those dates otherwise i’d love to come up there but i’ve heard a lot of good things about that show for sure and austin those guys are great too and that’s march 6th through the 8th and laramie hey just a short trip up by 25 so uh go see them there as well so jimmy we appreciate we’re gonna be doing more of this we’re gonna do some interviews there at the mile high hunting fish expo as well with you guys and uh man we appreciate all you guys are doing and we’re here to help you any way we can sir
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, thanks so much, Scott.
SPEAKER 03 :
You bet. That’s Jimmy Feltz. Once again, he’s the state director for Hometown Hero Outdoors. And seriously, folks, think about maybe a donation you could do for them. Try to find them some land. Man, it’s really hard now to find land you can hunt and fish on. So if you know a landowner that maybe can help them out, get in touch with them. and I promise you they would appreciate that very much. I want to thank all of our guests today, but mainly thank you for being with us for Sportsman of Colorado. Hope you have a great rest of your weekend, and we’ll talk to you next week.
SPEAKER 07 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
