They say
“Amendment 83 keeps wildlife decisions with biologists and wildlife professionals, not politics.”
The facts
Amendment 83 is itself a political ballot measure, and a national hunting group helped write its language. It would declare hunting and fishing the state’s “preferred means” of managing wildlife and protect undefined “traditional methods” in the Constitution.
The Denver Post’s editorial board warned that it would require wildlife officials to prove their decisions meet the amendment’s narrow standards, calling it “a lawsuit waiting to happen.” That hands wildlife decisions to the courts, not the biologists.
Sources: official ballot text · OutKick / Fox News · The Denver Post Editorial Board, Sept. 24, 2026
They say
“Colorado decides for Colorado, not campaigns from somewhere else.”
The facts
The signature drive that put Amendment 83 on your ballot was funded mainly by a committee tied to the Wisconsin-based International Order of T. Roosevelt. It spent about $1.5 million, mostly on paid signature gatherers.
Sources: American Hunter · Colorado Politics
They say
“Hunting and fishing support billions of dollars and thousands of jobs. Amendment 83 protects that.”
The facts
Hunting and fishing are already legal in Colorado and will stay that way. The official ballot analysis says Amendment 83 would not immediately change existing hunting and fishing rules. The real question is what its vague “traditional methods” language could bring back.
Source: OutKick / Fox News, citing the official ballot analysis
They say
“Decisions about wildlife shouldn’t be undone by a single ballot measure.”
The facts
That’s exactly what Amendment 83 is: a single ballot measure that could undo decisions Colorado voters already made. In 1992, voters banned bear baiting and hunting bears with hounds. In 1996, they banned steel-jaw traps and snares.
Sources: Ballotpedia: Amendment 10 (1992) · Colorado Secretary of State: Amendment 14 (1996)
They say
“Amendment 83 keeps wildlife management grounded in science.”
The facts
Bear experts agree that bear baiting is functionally the same as feeding bears and can teach bears that people mean food. That’s the opposite of what Colorado Parks and Wildlife tells residents, and why Colorado law now punishes people who knowingly leave out food that lures bears.
Sources: PLOS ONE (2024) · Colorado Parks and Wildlife
They say
“Amendment 83 won’t bring back banned practices.”
The facts
The amendment protects “traditional methods” but never defines them. Steel-jaw traps, snares, bear baiting, and hound hunting were all traditional methods before voters banned them. Once undefined words are in the Constitution, courts decide what they mean, and opponents expect lawsuits to test those bans.
Sources: official ballot text · Project Coyote
They say
“Amendment 83 is only about protecting hunting and fishing.”
The facts
Protecting “traditional methods” reaches beyond voter-approved bans. In 2020, Colorado’s wildlife commission banned contests where people compete to kill the most coyotes, foxes, and other animals for prizes. Governor Polis has warned that Amendment 83 could bring back practices Colorado has long banned, including wildlife killing contests.
Sources: KOAA News 5 · Project Coyote, quoting the governor’s statement
They say
“Amendment 83 protects Colorado’s hunting traditions.”
The facts
Not every tradition is worth locking into the Constitution. Lead from traditional ammunition poisons wildlife: a major study in the journal Science found that nearly half of the bald and golden eagles tested had chronic lead poisoning. Putting “traditional methods” in the Constitution could make it harder to move Colorado toward safer ammunition.
Source: ScienceAlert, reporting on the 2022 study in Science
Common questions about Colorado Amendment 83
What is Colorado Amendment 83?
Colorado Amendment 83 (2026) would add a right to hunt and fish to the Colorado Constitution. It would also declare hunting and fishing the state’s “preferred means” of managing fish and wildlife. It was put on the ballot by petition, and it needs 55 percent of the vote to pass.
Source: State voter guide (Blue Book)
Is Colorado Amendment 83 the same as Initiative 302?
Yes. Colorado Amendment 83 (2026) was filed as Initiative 302, the “Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish,” before it qualified for the ballot and got its amendment number. On your 2026 ballot it appears as Amendment 83.
Sources: Colorado Legislative Council: Initiative 302 · State voter guide (Blue Book): Amendment 83
What does a “yes” vote on Amendment 83 mean?
According to the state’s official voter guide, a “yes” vote establishes a state constitutional right to hunt and fish. That right would cover “traditional methods,” which the amendment never defines.
Source: State voter guide (Blue Book)
What does a “no” vote on Amendment 83 mean?
A “no” vote means hunting and fishing continue as allowed under existing state and federal law. Hunting and fishing stay legal, just as they are today.
Source: State voter guide (Blue Book)
Who opposes Colorado Amendment 83?
Opponents include Governor Jared Polis, the League of Women Voters of Colorado, the editorial boards of The Denver Post and The Durango Herald, Colorado Hunters and Anglers for Sensible Wildlife Conservation, Voces Unidas Action Fund, Protect Colorado’s Constitution, and the Sierra Club Colorado Chapter. Hunters, anglers, wildlife biologists, a former Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioner, and law professors at the University of Denver and the University of Colorado have also spoken out against it.
What do opponents of Colorado Amendment 83 say?
Opponents say the Constitution should protect fundamental rights, not lock in one way of managing wildlife, and that Colorado already manages hunting and fishing well. They warn that the undefined phrase “traditional methods” could invite lawsuits that bring back practices voters banned, like leghold traps, bear baiting, and hound hunting, and could cost the state money in court.
Sources: State voter guide (Blue Book), arguments against · The Denver Post Editorial Board · Project Coyote, quoting Gov. Polis
Does Gov. Polis support Amendment 83?
No. Gov. Jared Polis opposes Amendment 83. In an October 17, 2026 Daily Camera op-ed, he warned it would invite lawsuits challenging long-standing protections, noted that traps “capture animals indiscriminately, including family pets,” and urged Coloradans to vote no.
Are hunting and fishing already legal in Colorado?
Yes. Colorado Parks and Wildlife already regulates hunting and fishing through licenses, seasons, methods, and limits. The state’s voter guide says Amendment 83 would not immediately change existing laws, but it could lead to changes depending on how courts interpret its language.
Source: State voter guide (Blue Book)
What does “traditional methods” mean in Amendment 83?
Amendment 83 never defines it. The measure creates a constitutional right to take wildlife by “traditional methods” and leaves the meaning to the courts. Steel-jaw leghold traps, bear baiting and hound hunting were all traditional methods before Colorado voters banned them. Constitutional law professors and Gov. Polis warn the phrase could be used in court to challenge those bans.
Sources: State voter guide (Blue Book) · Constitutional law professors · Gov. Polis, Daily Camera
Could Colorado Amendment 83 bring back leghold traps, bear baiting, or hound hunting?
It could open the door. The amendment protects “traditional methods” but never defines them, and the state’s voter guide says courts will decide how its language applies to existing and future rules. Steel-jaw traps, bear baiting, and hound hunting were all traditional methods before Colorado voters banned them.
Source: State voter guide (Blue Book)
What does Colorado Amendment 83 have to do with Proposition 127?
In 2024, Colorado voters rejected Proposition 127, which would have banned hunting mountain lions and bobcats. Hunting groups that opposed it called it “ballot box biology” and praised voters for keeping wildlife management “in the hands of the professionals.”
Amendment 83 is also a ballot measure. It would write a wildlife policy into the Constitution, where only another statewide vote could change it.
Sources: The Colorado Sun: Proposition 127 results · Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation
What would Colorado Amendment 83 mean for Colorado Parks and Wildlife?
Colorado Parks and Wildlife would still manage wildlife, but its rules would have to fit the amendment. The state’s voter guide says the state could still regulate hunting and fishing for scientific reasons, public safety, or to preserve future opportunities, and that the state could face legal costs defending its rules in court.
The Denver Post’s editorial board called the amendment “a lawsuit waiting to happen.”
Sources: State voter guide (Blue Book) · The Denver Post Editorial Board
Does Colorado Amendment 83 change trespassing or private property laws?
No. The state’s voter guide says the measure “does not change existing laws related to trespassing on private property.”
Source: State voter guide (Blue Book)
Would Amendment 83 cost taxpayers money?
The state’s fiscal analysis says it could increase legal costs, as Colorado Parks and Wildlife works to make new rules comply and defends existing rules against court challenges. The exact cost can’t be estimated.
Source: State voter guide (Blue Book)
When is the deadline to vote on Colorado Amendment 83?
Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Amendment 83 is near the bottom of your ballot, so vote all the way down. After Oct. 26, use a drop box instead of mailing it.
See: How to vote · JustVoteColorado.org
Further reading
- “An Open Letter to Colorado Voters from Bear and Wildlife Biologists” (PDF)
21 bear and wildlife biologists, Oct. 22, 2026 - “Amendment 83 May Block Effort to Restrict Lead Ammunition”
Scientists’ letters on lead ammunition, Oct. 2026 - “Jared Polis: Don’t play constitutional favorites with Colorado’s outdoor activities”
Gov. Jared Polis, Daily Camera, Oct. 17, 2026 - “Colorado’s wildlife mismanagement act”
Ted Williams, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Oct. 8, 2026 - “Amendment 83 could bring back bear baiting, leghold traps and killing contests”
Ted Williams, The Durango Herald, Oct. 6, 2026 - “Our view: 14 measures, and how we’re voting”
The Durango Herald, Editorial Board, Oct. 7, 2026
See every source behind this site on our sources page, and the full list of Amendment 83 opponents.