Colorado voters reject Amendment 83, the constitutional right to hunt and fish

Denver — Colorado voters rejected a proposed constitutional right to hunt and fish during last Tuesday’s general election, declining to join 24 other states that have adopted similar protections.

Amendment 83 received approximately 45% support, with 55% voting against the proposal, according to unofficial election results. The measure needed 55% approval to pass.

The amendment would have established a constitutional right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife using traditional methods. It also would have designated hunting and fishing as the preferred means of managing wildlife populations.

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Supporters argued the measure was necessary to protect hunting and fishing traditions against future legislative restrictions and ballot initiatives. Opponents maintained that those activities already were legal and regulated, and that constitutional language could complicate wildlife management.

The defeat comes two years after Colorado voters rejected a separate ballot initiative that would have prohibited mountain lion and bobcat hunting.

Hunting and fishing remain legal in Colorado under existing state laws and wildlife regulations. The outcome leaves the state’s wildlife management framework unchanged.