Colorado Wounded Warrior and Safe Harbor Big Game Licenses

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission sets aside big game licenses each year for members of the Wounded Warrior or Safe Harbor programs, under the authority of Colorado Revised Statute 33-4-102. The caps are 100 each for female deer, elk, and pronghorn, and 100 total for male deer, elk, and pronghorn. CPW's stated goal is to issue as many as possible rather than to ration them. This is the only route to a set-aside big game license for a disabled service member in Colorado, and the eligibility is defined by circumstance rather than by rating, which cuts both ways. All four conditions have to be met. The applicant must be a member of the U.S. armed forces and either a Colorado resident or stationed in Colorado. They must be returning from a post-September 11, 2001 overseas contingency operation. They must be assigned to a military medical treatment facility at the time of application. And they must be a member of the Wounded Warrior or Safe Harbor program. The third condition is the one that closes the door for most veterans. A veteran who separated years ago with a substantial rating is no longer assigned to a military medical treatment facility and cannot use this program, however serious the disability. It is aimed at the window during recovery while still in service. A veteran outside that window is looking at the lifetime fishing and small game license, which does not reach big game, plus ordinary resident big game licenses. Apply by mail to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, attention Wounded Warrior Program. Questions go to the License, Reservations, and Customer Operations unit at 303-291-7235. Three related provisions help deployed service members hold their place in Colorado's draw system, which matters because Colorado big game licenses are allocated on accumulated preference points and a missed year is a real loss. An active duty member stationed at a Colorado military facility and deployed outside the United States, or a Colorado resident deployed outside the United States, may request preference points for limited draws that occurred during the absence, with the request postmarked within six months of returning. A deployed member stationed in Colorado or claiming Colorado as home of record may buy leftover licenses after the primary and secondary draws and before the annual leftover date, with paperwork delivered by July 31. And a member deployed after applying may request a license refund or a preference point restoration, through Limited Licensing at 303-291-7208.