AMERICANS could see hunting limits and a ban on fur sales introduced under new strict wildlife law.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission will consider options surrounding these two issues this week.
New daily hunting limits and bans on fur sales could be introduced in ColoradoCredit: AlamyThe Commission is set to consider a number of proposed options on hunting practices this weekCredit: Alamy
The meetings are set to take place on July 16 and 17 and will include discussions about whether to lower the current daily hunting limits and if a ban on commercial fur sales should be introduced.
The commission previously proposed a daily limit of 15 for the hunting of all 17 furbearer species in March.
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They received backlash from wildlife advocates and some commissioners, who argued the imposed limit did not go far enough.
On July 16, a new option proposed by the wildlife agency for hunting limits will be discussed.
In Colorado, questions around banning the commercial sale of fur came from a petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity in June 2025.
It argued that furbearers should be managed in the same way as other wildlife in the state, and was approved in a controversial vote by the commission in March.
It will now be debated on July 17, with Parks and Wildlife proposing two new options for how to set out a possible fur sales ban.
Opinions towards the management of furbearer species in Colorado are largely split into two groups.
The first, composed of sportspersons and agricultural advocates, believes the current style of management is an important part of the hunting heritage of the state and helps to provide the agency with much-needed data.
The second, represented by wildlife conservation and welfare advocates, thinks it is time that management of furbearers was updated, with current practices deemed unethical and causing the overexploitation of the 17 species.
In Colorado, hunting of all species of furbearers is allowed with the purchase of a $10 permit.
There are no limits on the number of animals that can be killed with a permit.
Parks and Wildlife director, Laura Clellan, wrote in a memo to the commission that “current annual harvest rates range from 0.6-0.58 per cent of the conservative population projections.”
She pointed out that there is no scientific evidence to prove current hunting levels are leading to any population declines in species, as current trapping methods naturally limit hunting.
Under Colorado law, it is illegal to sell or purchase any wildlife for commercial gain; however, an exemption does permit the sale of “nonedible portions of wildlife.”
This includes fur, feathers, teeth, horns, antlers, bones and more, if legally acquired.
During debates this week, the agency is set to put forward two options surrounding the imposition of a daily hunting limit.
One is a limit of 15 to all furbearer species hunted in Colorado.
The other would impose a limit of eight or four, depending on the species.
The limit of eight would apply to species that are known for causing property damage.
This includes badger, bobcat, beaver, coyote, muskrat, striped skunk, western spotted skunk, raccoon, and red fox.
The lower limit would apply to mink, opossum, marten, ring-tailed cat, gray fox, swift fox, long-tailed weasel, and short-tailed weasel.
According to Clellan’s memo, Parks and Wildlife is considering the limit owing to perceptions that there exists “a regulatory loophole allowing unlimited, unsustainable harvest and a regulatory gap between how furbearers are managed in comparison to small game.”
She wrote: “There is no information that suggests reducing harvest is necessary to sustain adequate furbearer populations throughout their respective ranges in Colorado.”
Instead, she noted that adding daily limits would instead “affect a small number of hunters or trappers, as the vast majority of Colorado fur harvesters take only a few animals, even across the whole harvest season.”
The agency will also put forward three options to the commission regarding the potential ban on the sale of fur.
The first is no ban.
In a denial recommendation written by Clellan, she said there was no “solid evidence that commercial fur sales drive harvest levels in Colorado.”
The second would ban the sale of “fur products,” including the pelt, hide, or any part of a furbearer.
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