Written by HLRBO Staff|
Last updated
Colorado's Parks and Wildlife Commission takes its first formal look Wednesday, Nov. 4, at a petition to make it illegal to shoot prairie dogs on publicly owned land, any species, at any time of year. The agenda lists it as step one of two, so no ban takes effect this week, and the proposal does not reach private land.
A black-tailed prairie dog on Colorado's eastern plains. AI-generated illustration.
The petition came from the Prairie Dog Coalition, which filed it on April 3 asking the state to end the shooting of every prairie dog species on publicly owned land, Complete Colorado reported. The coalition defines public land as federal land and land owned or administered by the state. Defenders of Wildlife has joined the push, Cowboy State Daily reported.
On the agenda for the commission's Nov. 4–5 meeting in Fort Morgan, the item appears as a Chapter W-3 rulemaking, "Step 1 of 2," with a staff presentation titled "Prairie Dog Rulemaking Overview." The coalition is asking commissioners to move toward a vote on final rule language in January. Written comments for this meeting closed Oct. 29.
The rules now
On public land, Colorado's prairie dog season runs from June 15 through the end of February; the current season, as listed in the state's hunting season summary, runs June 15, 2025, to Feb. 28, 2026. There is no bag limit, and the spring closure does not apply on private land, according to the coalition.
The case for a ban
The coalition calls shooting "a preventable threat" to prairie dog colonies, arguing that it cuts reproduction and that lead fragments left in carcasses can poison raptors and scavengers. Donal O'Toole, a retired University of Wyoming veterinary pathologist, told Cowboy State Daily that lead in scavenged prairie dog remains is a likely source of the lead found in eagles and hawks.
A golden eagle over the high plains. Lead exposure in raptors is at the center of the petition. AI-generated illustration.
The case against it
Ranchers see prairie dogs differently. "They destroy a lot of forage," Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, told Cowboy State Daily. He added, "I don't see it (a prairie dog shooting ban) happening here in Wyoming, to be honest."
Willie Dvorak, who runs Jim River Guide Service in South Dakota, disputed the lead argument based on what he sees in the field. "I've seen exactly zero eagles or hawks laying out there dead because of lead poisoning," he said.
The disagreement over lead is the heart of the petition, and the commission's rulemaking is where that evidence will be weighed.
Why it matters beyond Colorado
Prairie dogs are a fixture of the Great Plains, and so is the argument over shooting them. What Colorado decides for its own public land won't change the rules in Wyoming, South Dakota, or anywhere else. It would, however, leave private land as the place where prairie dog shooting continues in Colorado, with the landowner's permission. Shooters who now rely on public ground would need it.
A prairie dog town on eastern Colorado ranch ground. AI-generated illustration.
For ranchers who would like fewer prairie dogs on their pastures, access is something they can offer on their own terms. HLRBO helps landowners nationwide list hunting access for the species and seasons they choose, with verification, real lease agreements, and secure payments. List your land.