Colorado Outdoors - the Podcast for Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Coloradans are proud to have the largest elk herd in the world, and we can also make that claim when it comes to mule deer.

That may come as a surprise for some, but mule deer are among the most visible of Colorado’s wildlife. Whether keeping a sharp eye on our highways and roads for crossing deer or encountering them on the trail or in our communities, it’s nearly impossible not to see mule deer across much of the state. Still, the species is facing a multitude of challenges with declines in the population in recent decades. And that’s not easy to understand for people who regularly encounter deer in towns.

In this episode of the Colorado Outdoors podcast, CPW Big Game Manager Andy Holland joins the show for a second time. Last year, we spoke with him about unique big-game hunting opportunities in the state. When asked, Holland said his favorite species to hunt was elk but his favorite to manage was mule deer. We stewed on that for 11 months. 

So, we asked Holland to come back on the show this year and dive into all the variables that make mule deer management so complex. From well-known issues such as chronic wasting disease, habitat loss and severe winters to the nitty gritty of buck to doe ratios, stocking rates and migration corridors, Holland helps us dive into many of the pressing issues wildlife managers face when it comes to mule deer in the West.

We not only discuss information hunters want to know when it comes to mule deer, but we also learn more about their nutrition, how deer have evolved to adapt to seasonal changes, and the critical importance of winter range for their survival.

Turn up the speakers on your way to hunting camp this fall, or sit back and learn more about a species that is part of many of our daily lives in Colorado.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is proud to offer adaptive equipment at several state parks to help more people and their families enjoy the outdoors. In this episode of the podcast, Digital Media Specialist Forrest Czarnecki returns as a guest host to bring listeners into the field to learn more about how CPW strives to offer recreational and sporting opportunities for children and adults of all ability levels.

For the Blevins family, visiting Ridgway State Park wasn't just any old summer vacation. For the family of five from South Carolina, visiting the park was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip facilitated by Make-A-Wish chapters in Colorado and South Carolina. As soon as CPW learned of this visit, state park staff developed a plan to make it an unforgettable experience for the Blevins family.

Fred, Rebecca, Miller and Bo Blevins were incredibly gracious in allowing us to tag along and document the experience for Bo, their 12-year-old son living with a CASK gene mutation.

Led by Ridgway State Park Park Naturalist Shelby Martinez, Bo and his family enjoyed an action-packed two days at the park. After starting with a big hike, with Bo riding a Trackchair, the first day ended with an afternoon of fishing at one of the park’s two smaller stocked ponds below the reservoir. We even helped Bo’s sister, Miller, land her first few rainbow trout.

Day 2 took the family on a morning paddleboard adventure around the marina and swim beach. Loaded onto an oversized wheel-chair compatible paddleboard, Fred expertly paddled the entire family and Shelby around Mears Bay. All the while, Bo lit up and danced as he felt the breeze blow through his hair and the gentle rocking of the paddleboard.

The family’s trip ended with a tour of the reservoir on a state park ranger’s boat. While the family enjoyed the last bit of their vacation at the park, we caught up with Park Manager John Freeborn, who knows firsthand about the healing power of nature following his lengthy recovery from a major car accident. We also chat more with Martinez and learn about her personal connection to working with families with special needs.

Through it all, we learn how Colorado is at the forefront of providing adaptive equipment to help individuals and families in need of assistance, both at our state parks and beyond. This is an episode you won’t want to miss.

For more information on how CPW provides options to state park visitors with disabilities, check out the CPW website. Follow Bo and his adventures on Instagram.

Podcast hosted by Regional Public Information Officers John Livingston and Kara Van Hoose. Podcast edited by Meghan Lopez. Art19 is the host platform, and people can also find the podcast online at https://art19.com/shows/colorado-outdoors

Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) new Firearms Safety System application is now open ahead of the August 1 implementation of Senate Bill 25-003 (SB25-003).

The new law establishes firearms safety training requirements for the purchase or transfer of specified semiautomatic firearms in Colorado. CPW is required by statute to implement and administer the program and to report annually to the Colorado General Assembly on program costs and resource needs. Starting Aug. 1, 2026, individuals seeking to purchase or transfer a specified semiautomatic firearm (SSF) must apply to the county sheriff’s office for an eligibility card and then successfully complete an in-person firearms safety course within five years of the transaction.

CPW held 18 in-person engagement events around the state, as well as three online meetings to explain the changes, answer questions and gather feedback for implementing the new legislation. 

In this episode of the Colorado Outdoors podcast, we talk with CPW Firearms Safety Program Manager Dan Coil, as he goes over everything Coloradans need to know regarding the new law.

More information about the Firearms Safety Program is available on CPW's website.

Podcast hosted by Regional Public Information Officers John Livingston and Kara Van Hoose. Podcast edited by Meghan Lopez. Art19 is the host platform, and people can also find the podcast online at https://art19.com/shows/colorado-outdoors

Summer is in full swing, and anglers across Colorado are looking for opportunities to set a hook into the mouth of a fish across the state’s incredible array of lakes, rivers and small streams. But with the state facing a historic drought, there is a lot for anglers to keep in mind.

In this episode of the Colorado Outdoors podcast, we sit down with CPW Assistant Director Matt Nicholl, who oversees the Aquatic Wildlife Branch, as well as Josh Nehring, CPW’s Deputy Assistant Director of the Aquatic Branch, to talk about all matters fishing in Colorado for 2026.  

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor released on June 4, 2026, all 64 counties in Colorado are currently experiencing at least Abnormally Dry conditions, while nearly 93% of the state is in Moderate to Exceptional Drought. Following the lowest snowpack accumulation season on record, May 1 streamflow forecasts projected runoff ranging from only 21% to 37% of median across Colorado river basins. Additionally, this water year (October 2025 - Present) has been the warmest on record in Colorado, contributing to early snowmelt, extremely low river flows, diminished soil moisture conditions and elevated wildfire risk statewide. 

This has an impact on anglers and may make many who hold a 2026 Colorado fishing license rethink areas they traditionally like to fish.

Fishing in mornings or evenings when water temperatures are cooler will not only lead to better fish health but also more angler success. And not pressuring fisheries especially impacted by the drought will also benefit the long-term health of aquatic life.

Hear our expert’s tips on how to still have a great fishing season across Colorado despite the drought conditions and learn more about CPW’s fisheries management in this new episode.

Podcast hosted by Regional Public Information Officers John Livingston and Kara Van Hoose. Podcast edited by Meghan Lopez. Art19 is the host platform, and people can also find the podcast online at https://art19.com/shows/colorado-outdoors

In this episode of the podcast, CPW Digital Media Specialist Forrest Czarnecki returns as a guest host to bring listeners into the field for a CPW mentored turkey hunt near Pagosa Springs.

Czarnecki pairs up with CPW volunteer Bob Blauert and his novice hunter to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the turkey hunting seminar and a real hunt from the opening morning of the 2026 spring turkey season.

Listen along as we set out before the sun rises and call in gobblers while Blauert works with his young hunter on getting into shooting position before eventually pulling the trigger.

Through the experience, learn why people become so passionate about turkey hunting and why it has become an obsession for Blauert, who is already looking forward to the next mentored spring turkey hunt in 2027.

As Blauert says, “This weekend is sacred.”

Deep into Colorado’s pheasant season, Corners for Conservation properties provide healthy winter habitat and welcome the next generation of hunters.

Wading through a tangle of chest-high grasses on a cold morning. Pheasants flushing underfoot, cackling on the wing as they break for the horizon. Gold and pink light waxing across the sky at sunrise. Scanning the little green county road signs, looking for just the right number. Big smiles, and plenty of miles. 

In this episode of the Colorado Outdoors podcast, we take the show on the road. We visit some of our Corners for Conservation properties on the Eastern Plains in hopes of finding winter time roosters, and learning a thing or two along the way. 

From pollinator habitat and songbird stopovers to prime cold season country for Colorado’s wild pheasants, Corners for Conservation fields are full of benefits (all year long). In the winter, they also serve as a place of exploration and learning for novice hunters, thanks to Pepper Canterbury and her hunter outreach program. 

Listen along as we chase birds, explore the prairie and soak up the rewards of a successful hunt. 

To kick off the first episode of Season 3, host John Livingston sits down with CPW Wildlife Damage Specialist Max Morton, who assisted the agency in standing up the range rider program in 2025.

Range riders are eyes and ears on the landscape, collecting important information for livestock producers, wildlife managers, and biologists alike. In addition to providing human presence that can deter wolf conflict, riders collect data that allows CPW and CDA to determine best approaches for addressing conflict through adaptive, coordinated plans.

CPW hired 11 range riders to assist in efforts to minimize wolf depredation of livestock on range in 2025. CPW opened the application process to as many as 24 range riders for the 2026 season.

Morton, who discusses his past experience as a range rider in Arizona and New Mexico, details what range riding is, how it is most effective and why it was important for CPW to implement the program.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is currently in the middle of big-game rifle hunting seasons, and the Colorado Outdoors Podcast returns this month for a wide-ranging chat with CPW Big Game Manager Andy Holland.

A passionate big-game hunter, Holland shares some of his hunting success stories and some of his strategy for applying for big-game hunting licenses not only in Colorado but also out of state.

In this episode, we also talk about CPW’s new bison management planning effort, upcoming changes to the 2028 big-game draw and what factors into big-game license setting in Colorado.

We also dive a bit into current trends in hunting and try to get into the mind of an elk.

If you’re on your way to a third or fourth rifle season camp or if you’ve already wrapped up your 2025 hunting season, join us for a quick conversation on Colorado big-game hunting.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife now has the authority to study and conserve the state’s native invertebrates and rare plants in a comprehensive manner, which has strengthened Colorado’s ability to protect biodiversity.

In 2024, Colorado passed House Bill 24-1117 which placed the management of invertebrates and rare plants under CPW’s wildlife umbrella. The bill defined rare plants to mean a plant species that is indigenous to the State of Colorado and that is at risk of extinction or elimination across the entirety of their distribution due to restricted range, few populations or occurrences, steep declines or severe threats.

In the second part of our two-part series on this topic, we transition to talking about these rare plants.

There are more than 2,800 native plants in Colorado, and 125 of those are endemic to our state, which means they only are found here. Of those, 90 are classified as rare.

As Colorado updates its State Wildlife Action Plan, 195 rare plants are included in that plan.

In this episode, we are going to chat with CPW Natural Areas Program Manager Raquel Wertsbaugh about her program’s longstanding work with rare and native plants, while we also talk with Savanna Smith, CPW’s new Rare Plants Program Manager, to learn more about CPW’s work in this field. 

You’ll hear the great lengths they go to for monitoring these plants, learn what makes some species such as the Rocky Mountain monkeyflower and Pagosa skyrocket so special, and get some information on what you can do to promote the health of rare plants in our state.

In 2024, Colorado passed House Bill 24-1117 which placed the management of invertebrates and rare plants under CPW’s wildlife umbrella.

In the next two episodes, we are going to dive more into CPW’s management of invertebrates and rare plants by talking with the experts now on CPW’s team to make sure the state has a cohesive plan to manage our ecosystems.

While Colorado may have been behind some other states when it comes to legislative authority over invertebrates and rare plants, CPW is running fast and looking to be a leader in that space. But it’s a really big job.

Previously, CPW managed 960 wildlife species. In Colorado, there are roughly 1,000 different native bee species alone, and that’s just one aspect of the invertebrate and pollinator community. Of those bees, we have 25 different bumblebee species, with 20% of those currently under federal consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

In this episode, we are going to start by talking about our invertebrates. But that is such a broad topic, we’ve decided to home in on bee species as we chat with Invertebrate and Rare Plant Program Manager Hayley Schroeder and Pollinator Program Conservation Manager Adrian Carper.

It’s time to pollinate your mind and learn why you should care about the state’s bee populations and what makes some of these so unique. Soon, you’ll know they are every bit as charismatic as many of the state’s famed wildlife species.