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Leftovers plenty appetizing to hunters

Mark S. Smith
Special to the Post Independent

More than 200 men and women of all ages crowded the parking lot of the Colorado Division of Wildlife in Glenwood Springs on Tuesday morning for a chance to buy a hunting license.

At 8 a.m., the DOW made available for sale its leftover deer and elk hunting licenses – those tags not bought via the normal computerized lottery system.

And turnout by the hunting public was fervent.



Pickups and cars clogged the shoulders of the freeway frontage road in West Glenwood, overflow parking for the throng of hopeful hunters waiting in line in the DOW parking lot.

And some hunters actually camped out overnight to assure themselves an early slot in line. The remnants makeshift campsites were still seen around the parking lot.



Most people in line were good-humored about the wait, happy to have a shot at a hunting tag.

Mary Dion of Carbondale was in that line, still 80 people long by 10:30 a.m.

“I’ve been hunting for 20 years,” she said. “I love to go hunting with my son and his friends … I don’t mind the wait.”

Wendy Turgeon of Carbondale waited in line for 2.5 hours. No hunter herself, she was trying to buy tags for friends.

“They conned me into it,” she laughed. “Guess I’m just too big-hearted. But I didn’t dream the wait would be this long,” she said, gazing at the long line of humanity still in front of her.

David Yeo of Eagle was in line for over three hours to get additional elk tags for himself and a buddy. “And I’m still smiling,” he noted. “As long as I get my tags, it’s not so bad.”

Daniel Pagni of Glenwood Springs was also smiling. By 10:30 a.m., he had his new tags and was heading for his car.

Originally from California, Pagni said he was “more enthusiastic than most people,” since it will be his first hunting season in Colorado. “I really didn’t mind the wait,” he added.

Pat Tucker of the DOW said the annual leftover license sale went well.

“It was a good turnout. We started selling at 8 a.m. and people were still lining up at 1:30 in the afternoon,” he said.

“We were selling mostly elk and deer tags today,” said Tucker. “We did have a few antelope and bear licenses, as well.”

Deer and elk season starts on Aug. 31 for bow hunters and on Oct. 12 for shooters.

“It’s important for the DOW to get these tags into the hands of hunters,” added Tucker. “The revenue is important for wildlife management programs and licensing is one of the main tools we use to manage herd size.”


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